kangamom

I just stayed at the Renaissance Hotel and it is very close to the town square and right where the shuttle from the airport drops off. It was a short walk to the town square as well. I would highly recommend it or the Marriott, which is directly across the street.

thit_cho

I had an approximately 10 hour layover this August, when I flew from New York to Sarajevo, transiting in Prague. There's a bus that runs from the airport to the metro, and its very easy to get into town by public transport (only possible if you have manageable luggage, which may be possible if you can check your suitcase to your final destination). Its definitely worth the stopover, even though you'll only have a few hours for photography (you'll arrive early afternoon to your hotel and it will begin getting dark a few hours later). Nonetheless, definitely worth spending a day in Prague.

Castleblanca

If you are still looking for another hotel for that one night, may I suggest the Betlem Club Hotel on Betlemske Namesti. It is centrally located just a couple hundred meters from the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and Wenceslas Square. And the best thing, it is moderately priced for Prague.

http://www.betlemclub.cz/en/

When you go back to the airport the next morning, I concur in the advice of calling AAA taxi ----- and no other company. They are the only company I know of in Prague, which goes by the meter when they are called to pick you up. Just call them the night before and tell them what time to pick you up at the hotel. They are very reliable.

There is a reason Prague is famous for its "taxi mafia". Or should I say Prague is "infamous" for that fact. And that is a shame.

amp322

Look on www.athos.cz or www.travel.cz for hotel ideas. I would not even bother trecking up to the castle with your time frame. Just looking at the castle from the bridge is cool, and you would do better just exploring Mala Strana and/or Old Town, looking at architecture, etc. and getting a feel for the city. Seeing a performance is also a nice idea. Go for it!!

fishee

I've booked the single attic room at Betlem Club for only 1600 CZK or 72 USD. Room looks tiny but I'm only there for a night and the location looks great. They are offering airport pick-up for 1000 CZK (44 USD) which is over half the cost of the room. Should I accept the hotel's transport or could I flag an AAA cab at the airport?

http://www.betlemclub.cz/en/rooms-photogallery.php

amp322

You can take an airport shuttle (share it with a few others) to your hotel for around $15. A taxi would be about $30. Any way you slice it, the hotel is charging more than you need to pay to get downtown. You can also take the express bus from the airport to the metro. That whole ride will cost you about $1.50, or something ridiculously cheap. Unless you really want the security of someone meeting you at the airport holding up a sign with your name on it, I think you will be absolutely fine taking any of the other options. Are you sure they (hotel) are charging that for one way?! Maybe they offer round trip airport transfers?

hcmehos

Try the Pariz hotel or, cheaper, the Cloister Inn.

fishee

Yes, the hotels do charge a lot for the airport transfer -- I've seen 600-1000 for one way (they charge a little less for the hotel-airport route.)

To be honest, I don't even like having people waiting for me at the airport --it's just another factor to deal with when there are flight delays. If I know there will be an AAA fleet of cabs, I don't think I'll have any problem waving off others and grabbing a cab at the airport myself. I may be too jet-lagged to deal with public transportation but I'll map it out, just in case.

Kampa Garden emailed me this morning to say they had a cancellation and could offer me a room -- I might check to see if Kampa or Betlem is closer to the metro station, both are around the same price.

thanks again for the advice everyone.

travelgirl2

Inside the airport, there was an AAA taxi booth. We stopped there and they told us what the fare into town should be. We also purchased a Prague map from them.

We then stepped outside, where there was a taxi stand with several AAA taxis waiting. (I don't recall if it was labelled as an AAA taxi stand, but it must have been because there were just AAA taxis there.)