We are planning a trip to Prague. Could people who have been there compare the Old Town to the Mala Strana? Which area would you recommend? Thanks.

We've usually stayed in the Waldstein in Mala Strana. The advantage for us is that it's in a nice quiet square but only minutes from Charles Bridge and not far to either the castle area or the Old Town. It's certainly my preference.

Both areas are nice, but I prefer Old Town. I was there during Easter, so the Easter markets were in the Old Town Square, which was fun. It is convenient to all the sights--I walked everywhere, except for the day I took a tour bus to Cesky Krumlov.

My impression was that Mala Strana was quieter, but still convenient to all the sights.

Hi DDA - Although both places were great, I also preferred Old Town - mainly because of location and convenience.

I rented an apartment at Masna Residence for a week (great place), which was just two blocks or so off the main square of Old Town on a relatively quiet street.

While I found the Mala Strana to be beautiful and quieter overall, it was a little too far away from where I wanted to spend most of my time. Not <i>super</i> far away, mind you, but further than I wanted to walk alone at night as a solo woman traveler.

Old Town had tons of great restaurants and it literally took 2 minutes to get back to where I was staying. I also loved the open air markets and the black light shows, and the outdoor music, all only 2-3 blocks from the apartment. I noticed a lot more college students (which I am not) in the Old Town area, but really it was a nice mix of people of all ages. Here's a link to my trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35094040

Honestly, though, you can't go wrong in either area.

Cheers

Thank you all for your responses. I am inclined to stay in the Old Town, but my husband read that a lot of young men go to Prague for their bachelor parties. Frankly, we are parents, and like kids, but do not want to put ourselves in the middle of the bar scene. You make me think that perhaps the article exaggerated the problem

Again, thanks for the help.

We stayed in the Hotel Cery Slon, a small 16 room boutique hotel right off the Old Town Square. It was a great hotel for our first time to Prague. The only problem was that our room was on the alley way and people were a bit loud into the wee hours of the morning. It was convenient walk to everything. I am really hard to please so if I would return there, I would say it is probably an okay place.

I would take Mala Strana any time over the Old Town as it is quieter. Walking to Charles Bridge and the Old Town is not very far whatsoever - a very easy walk. The views are incredible. It is sort of nice to escape the madding crowds!

Both areas are central and pleasant - but the Old Town tends to be somwhat flatter and the Mala Strana hillier - in case that has any effect on your choice.

Mala Strana, as the others have said, is more quiet, hilly, and a short walk from typical tourist attractions. I've stayed in almost every section of Prague, and it just depends on what you want to do. A room in Old Town facing a street or square is asking for noise (yes, stag party noise, as well as just regular street noise - especially late at night, when the drunks are out). The same goes for a room facing a tram route - rail noise, and people waiting around.

If you like to take walks in a park, Mala Strana is ideal (Petrin Hill, funicular, etc). The castle is right there, also. Old Town is closer to high end shopping, theaters, nightlife. It just depends on what you want. If you really want to avoid the strip clubs and drunks, stay away from Stepanska Street, off Wenceslas Square. That is where the clubs are.

Have a look at the Maximilian hotel in the Josefov. It's close enough to the middle of the old town that it's easily walkable, but seems to be a quieter area in general. We've stayed at the Maximilian a couple of times and enjoyed it. Very hip and modern inside, traditional-looking outside.

We stayed in Mala Strana as two women travelling together. We were very happy in this area. Much quieter but still enough going on. It is only a short walk over the Charles Bridge to the Old Town. At night it did seem quite noisy in that area compared to Mala Strana. We stayed at the U Zlute Boty a very old fashioned small hotel and were very happy with it.

Certainly don't stay in the New Town, revolting.

Schnauzer

Aw, come one... New Town is not revolting! It's just where all the &quot;action&quot; is! I've stayed in and around New Town at least 5 times, and it's great for public transportation (I need to use that frequently, due to business), and there are lots of places to eat, buy essentials, and also lots of history around Wenceslas Square. The poster asked about staying in an area that is family friendly, so that would not be the #1 choice. For adults, it is not a bad choice, depending on your needs &amp; preferences.

bkmrking

I guess I didn't need a lady of the night and preferred not to be in the company of thugs!!!!! ha ha, ok so revolting is probably a bit harsh. It wasn't my thing and as two wimpy women we high tailed it out of there pretty quickly. There were too many other lovely areas to see. If one had multiple visits then I guess you could afford to take the time to get to know area properly.

Schnauzer

I will be staying at the Hotel Julian also in the Mala Strana and the thing that attracted me was being a block from several trams that go practically everywhere so it would seem there would be less walking in the long run. However, having never been to Prague, I don't know that for a fact, and will have to report back when I return.

Lots of votes for Mala Strana - and I also will send my vote.

Our family stayed there a few years back in the Pension Dienzenhoffer and loved the Pension (family suite) and loved the area! Prague is tiny it is no big deal to walk over the bridge (and one of the best experiences in Prague is walking over the Charles Bridge).

Can any one tell me about the area around Nerudova? Is that Old Town or New? Or no town? thanks

Nerudova is in Mala Strana and is lined at the lower end with shops, restaurants and hotels. It heads uphill, below the road that runs from the main castle entrance and past the Loretta and joins this road at the top of the hill on the way to the Strahov Monastery. There are some reasonable looking hotels on the road and we have eaten at a couple of the restaurants on the road. It is a reasonable area, if you are thinking of stsying there and convenient for the castle, Loretta nd Strahov.

When we went to Prague for a weekend, we stayed in an apartment on Vodickova Street (Residence Langhans), which is just off Wenceslas Square. Didn't see one woman of the night. There were a couple McDs down that road, plus Buffalo Bill's Restaurant! It was a great area to stay - easy walk to Old Town and we found Wenceslas Square very interesting.

We stayed on the Wenceslas Square at Hotel Ambassador about 3 years ago. The hotel is very nice-5*. Really good breakfast. It didn't appear to be dirty or unsafe. The price then was a little over $300 for a triple.