Travelling in Nov. Found some cute apts near Wenscelas Square/National History Museum. I think this is about 25 min walk from "Old TOwn". Is this area a good place to stay? Shld I keep looking for something more central in old town? We walk a lot (currently live in Chicago). Any advise is appreciated. thanks.

You can take the metro from Muzeum or Mustek on Wenscelas Sq. to Starometska in Old Town. You don't have to walk, although it is a very pleasant walk.

It is NOT a far walk at all. 15 - 20 minutes, if you are at the museum & walk at a normal pace. If you get a good deal, stay there. In fact, I'll be staying near Wenceslas Sq. this summer, again. I like the convenience of the location. I have also stayed in Old Town Square, as well as in Vinohrady. Old Town is awesome, since you are right in the middle of touristy sites, but the other areas are more affordable (and not as noisy as staying RIGHT on Old Town Square, especially in the summer). Many people on here have blasted staying in the Wenceslas area, saying that it is unsafe, etc. If you are from Chicago, you will have NO problem!! Just make sure that if you are on a street like Stepanska, you are not right next to a strip club or other club. Which apartments are you looking at?

There are two good restaurants on Stepanska--Steak Titanic and Amfora. Both are inexpensive with excellent food.

Wenseclas (sp?) square was our least favorite area of Prague. The shops there seemed like the type we'd find in the states, just inexpensive teen-type stores, so nothing special. Fast food like McDs, too. Just didn't have that great historic feeling of old town square, the Charles bridge area, and Mala Strana. It was also the only place in Prague where we saw blatant pickpockets preying on passersby. Lots of posters here praise Pension Dientzenhofer, which I think is in Mala Strana.

Hotel Dientzenhofer received a very bad review here last year. Do a search. Besides, Maureen, eroz is looking for an APARTMENT, not a hotel room. I do not recommend staying ON Wenceslas Sq., only in the vicinity. Wenceslas Sq. can be very noisy.

Depending on who you ask, most of the pickpockets in Prague are either on the Charles Bridge, at the clock (on the hour) in Old Town Square, or in Zizkov. Compared to Times Square, Wenceslas Square is a piece of cake. There are some great apartment deals around there, but you can also find nice places in all the other popular parts of the city, as well. Actually, Andel (Smichov) has some of the hottest properties right now, but the only real attraction over there is Bertramka. Public transit is easy, though, so I tend to stay in places where I get more bang for my bucks.

If you want the "best area in Prague" for tourists, Wenceslas Square is not it, by any standard I can think of: charm, proximity, personal safety....

November is likely off-season and a lot of other places might be quite affodable and available at that time.

We stayed both in Old Town square (lovely but noisy) and in Mala Strana, in Vlasska street, right by the US embassy -- charming and quiet yet very central. Lots of apartments and hotels in that area.

If there was a bad review of Dientzenhofer, it would have been the only one I've heard of compared to many glowing reviews. I recommend it because it's a pension, not a hotel. PLus, it includes a breakfast. Do a search for it here and on tripadvisor.com to read reviews for yourself if you're interested. The area it's in is nice because it's close to the Bridge, but not in a congested area.

The place near Wenc. Sq is
http://www.hotelsprague.cz/celakov/celak_e.php

We'd prefer something with local flavor (yet clean & safe) vs. a hotel. Can your recommend a B&b, Inn or apt near Old town or mala strana since those seem to be more popular? I've researched the boards and haven't yet found my "wow" place.
thanks!

Sorry, but there was a woman who stayed at Dientzenhofer last year who wrote that her towels were threadbare, her shower curtain "brown" with mildew, and that her breakfast was "skimpy." I am just relaying what the woman wrote. She seemed to be pretty savvy, as she dined at Kampa Park, which is one of the best restaurants in the Czech Republic. I usually take note of people with taste on this forum, because I don't like the recommendations of those who worry about cost first and foremost. There are people on this forum who would sleep in a tent in a public park if the price were right.

I would just caution anyone to take ONE lone bad review with a grain of salt, compared to all the glowing reviews. Ask Ira, he always recommends Dientzenhofer. Again, I suggest the poster do a search and decide for himself. It would fill the bill of a place with a good location, local flavor and good value.
Somewhere I have the URL of an apartment leasing service that had really nice-looking places. I will post it if I can find it.

Here's the other info. I have on Prague accommodations, FYI, eroz:

We stayed in a pension in Prague last June, called the U Lilie, that I wouldn't highly recommend simply because it's slightly shabby-- but it is clean, with a cold breakfast buffet included, and a bargain for a family 'suite'-- also a wonderful location right near the Bridge. It certainly has 'local flavor.'

I did collect brochures from three unique hotels I wanted to remember in case we returned: The Hotel Neruda, the Hotel U krale Karla, and the Grand Hotel Bohemia.

The Neruda is on the hill going up to Prague Castle. It has a nice cafe on its rooftop, for views of the city below. Its brochure calls it four-star, an historical building reconstructed. Lobby had a nice, contemporary feel, clean and well-done. Rack rate is 220 EUR in high season for a double. It's website is www.hotelneruda.cz

The U krale Karla is in a gothic building, rebuilt in 1639, renovated in 1993. It had more an old Prague feeling to it, old elegance. In Lesser Town, also near the Castle, only 16 double rooms and 3 suites, high season rates for double room deluxe is 6900CZK. Website: www.romantichotels.cz

The Grand Hotel Bohemia is a five-star, in Old Town next to the Powder Tower (also a good location), 78 rooms and suites. It's a classic, old, elegant-looking place that looked charming, too. (No rate sheet in their brochure.) Website: www.grandhotelbohemia.cz

Excellent info, I will research these. I found just outside of Old Town the Pension Corto: http://www.corto.cz/default.asp
Kinda quaint. I had read of the U Lilie but was concerned it seemed part of a restaurnat. Fabulous feedback, thanks all!

Try the apartments at Residence Retezova. I didn't like Wenscelas Square either. The old town is much nicer.

www.residenceretezova.com
This is an excellent option for staying in Prague. They are actually little apartments, or in the case of the one we stayed in, the ‘London’ apartement, HUGE! It also has a terrific little cafe below it and is smack in the middle of the Old Town between the main square and Charles Bridge. Highly recommended as an alternative to a hotel.

eroz- we stayed in the Vinohrady area in a terrific apartment in January. It was a fantastic place and much cheaper than the main tourist area. We walked everywhere (didn't catch any public transport for the first 9 days) Every walk is so gorgeous that you won't want to catch a tram just in case you miss something! Also there are great local cafes in the Vinohrady area that are very reasonably priced.

Hi eroz – I stayed in Pension U Lilie last May since it was a highly recommendation budget accommodation in the Michelin guide. I was traveling alone in case that is relevant. The hotels I called were all booked solid and I was so happy afterwards that I had ended up in a Pension and spent less money and got the same. I was only interested in a safe, clean, central location to sleep at night. I thought it is a very cozy place and the people that run it are very helpful. It is not pretty but has its own character. There is a small restaurant in the front entrance of the pension and you need to pass through it to get to the rooms. It is only open at certain hours. Around 10:00 or 11:00 pm, they lock the front door till morning and you need to ring the buzzer so the front desk can let you in. The rooms are clean and okay and you need to ask for a room that is not facing the little street since it gets very noisy. I had to change rooms since I decided to stay longer and my room was already rented out so I have seen more than one room. I thought that was a cute touch that they had left The Metamorphosis by Kafka on the shelf in the room. The cold breakfast was okay and I don’t care for hot breakfast anyway. The location is excellent, you cannot beat the location. It is a good choice for budget travel, IMO. It all depends on what you like though.