Hello, <BR>I'm going to spend four days in Prague at the end of June. I'll stay in Olsanka hotel (for some reasons I must do it...). What do you know about this hotel? And I'm open for any recomendations about the places to see there. <BR>Thank's <BR>Artur <BR>

The center of the "old town" is very charming as is the area just over the Charles Bridges called "mala strana". <BR>Hradcany [Prague's "castle hill"] and St. Vitus church are wonderful also. <BR>For my money [and it costs quite a bit actually compared to other things in Prague.] the Jewish Museum is not to be missed. It is actually a series of buildings, synagogues and others, plus the old cemetary. It is very moving, educational and beautiful to see. They display the children's draweings and poems from Terezin among other things. When I was there they also had some wonderful, somewhat primitive, paintings of the Jewish death and burial practices from earlier centuries. The 17th comes to mind -- but I have a bad memory for dates! Their website is: www.jewishmuseum.cz/ although it is sometimes hard to get to. I have some few pictures up here: http://www.ntsource.com/~dhfsbf19/europe98/jmuseum.htm

I can't believe it. I stayed in that hotel a few years ago and have never seen anyone else refer to it. It is a large, fairly unattractive building in a decent but not particularly interesting neighborhood. I am generally not a great source of info on hotels, since I don't spend much time there, but this is what I remember. Our room had a shower and a pretty decent amount of space. I found the hotel quiet at night, and I slept soundly. The desk staff at the time was friendly enough. The closest metro stop is the Flora station, about a three minute walk away (by a large cemetery if I remember correctly), and the train will have you in the heart of the Old Town or Mala Strana areas in about 2-3 quick stops. I remember fondly the way "Floooora" - (with a roll of the "r") came over the train's loudspeaker when approaching the station. I know there are a few places nearby on the same street, where you can grab a decent bite to eat. We had a hard time finding accomodations at pretty short notice, and a travel agent helped us find the Olsanka. I am sure there are better hotels in better locations, but it was good enough.

I almost forgot. The hotel had a large buffet breakfast that was a good start to the day. I think it was included in the price.

We just got back Monday -- it is a beautiful city! I don't know anything about the hotel, but you should try to eat at the Reykevik (? -- it's the name of "the" city in Iceland, I believe) near the Charles Bridge. Good food, nice staff, not at all unreasonable price wise. <BR> <BR>We did all the tourist stuff except the Jewish cemetary and museum. Shopping is great -- crystal prices are excellent. <BR>The clock gets REALLY crowded 10 minutes before it goes off. On Monday, we hit a cafe (on the 1st floor -- 2nd to Americans -- right across the street from it) at about 10:30am. Plenty of time for coffee and a snack, and watched the clock with a completely unobstructed view. Ironically, after the clock did it's thing, the cafe was swamped with people! <BR> <BR>And break your shoes in before you go -- our shins still hurt from all the walking and I use a treadmill 3 times a week and walk a couple miles a day through the city I live in!

Thank's for all who writes me. Prague is really great city !