I am looking for some advice as to which area to base myself in for a visit to Prague in October. I see references to the Old Town, Wencelas Square, Charles Bridge, Lesser Town, Jewish quarter and Castle but don't actually know the difference in style between all the areas. Different postings recommend all of them. I am looking for something quaint and old, not too touristy, central to bars and restaurants but I don't care about late night nightlife. Also somewhere that is easy to walk to all the other areas from. Can anyone help?

I had the same concern that you have when I was looking for accommodations in Prague. Lesser Town/Mala Strana has very little "clubbing" type nightlife. If you stay close to the Charles Bridge on the Mala Strana side, you'll find nice accommodations and a large variety of restaurants. There are more residences on this district, so you will find it to be quieter.

You'll find it more lively in the Old Town, where there are discos.

In 1999, I stayed at the House at the Charles Bridge in Mala Strana, and even though that hotel did have a restaurant and jazz club, there was no residual noise in my hotel room.

Most of Prague is old, I don't think you'll have a problem with that until you get into suburbs (certainly Nove Mesto is "New Town" but this is when measured in centuries).

A lot of the things you name are in Old Town, they are specific sites or areas within in (such as Wenceslas Sq). Lesser Town or Mala Strana is another area on the other side of the river. The bridge is across that river, but if you are near the bridge you are either in Mala Strana or Old Town, depending on the side.

YOu might find it useful to get a guidebook if you are definitely going to Prague and it will have a map and talk about these areas. You can then decide what might appeal to you and in particular view of what you want to do. For central Prague, I think there are usually three areas referred to: Mala Strana, Stare Mesto (OLd Town) and Hradcany or the Castle area. The Jewish Quarter (or Josefov) is a distinct area but I think is really part of Old Town (northern part on the Vltava River). There are lots of tourists around a lot of central Prague, you can't escape it too much if you are around the bridge, in particular. There are bars and restaurants all over all these areas (except up near the castle perhaps).

No matter where you decide to stay in the "old" part of the city you'll either be near the Metro or a tram line and don;t hesitate to use them to get around...Prague is also a good city for walking, especially if you take the tram up to the Castle and walk from there since it is all downhill.

There is a Prague map on
http://www.prague-hotels-guide.com/i...prague_map.gif
and metro map on
http://www.metropla.net/eu/pra/praha-map.gif

We stayed in the Old Town section and had a great time walking to the other sections. Only the castle required taking a tram. Coming out of the hotel and being in the middle of everything was great. There's nothing like visiting the Charles bridge at any time day or night.

Research and attend an opera or ballet at one or all of the three magnificent theaters. Truly a highlight of our trip. Again, all within walking distance.

Also. try one of the marionette shows. Lots of fun.

Sounds like Mala Strana is a good area for you. Very quaint, and it is GREAT in the fall, when there are fewer tourists. Plenty of restaurants, short walk (although uphill!) to the castle, and a pleasant walk across the Charles Bridge takes you to the other parts of Prague. Enjoy!

i ditto the mala strana -lesser town- it is lovely and do try an early morning walk...it is quite nice - we walked to the castle on an early sunday morning just after a rain and everything just glistened..plus the uphill didn't seem as tiring in the fresh am air! wish i were there now!