fufujuice

Hi, I just booked four nights at the end of August at Casa Marcello in the Jewish Quarter and wanted to check in to see if anyone had recent updates about whether that section of town has recovered from the floods yet. Thanks!

zwho

Hi, We were there about a month ago and the only synagogue we could not enter (and I think its because of the flood) was the one with all the handwritten names of czech holocaust victims. Other then that, everything was open and fabulous.

Christina

That may be what you want to know, but I know the specific synagogues and sites in the "Jewish Museum" collective have been open for some time. However, as I have stayed in a hotel across from Casa Marcello several times, I suspect you need more specific information. That hotel is within the "Jewish Quarter" broadly, but it is some blocks away from the Jewish Museum area. I think you need more specific information about Hastalske square where the hotel is, and about the hotel itself. I remember reading some months ago that Casa Marcello itself was still have some flood cleanup in their basement, as I recall, and there was some work being done in that particular square which could perhaps be noisy and unpleasant. I know they were giving good rate discounts last Winter and Spring, probably because of that. I think several people on here had booked that hotel during that promotion, and it would be nice if they reported what it was like, but they may not still be posting on here.

ira

topping for fufu

Langston

Hi, just got back from Prague last night. There is no evidence of flood problems. However, the city seems over run with tourists; the Charles Bridge is a jam packed tourist parade and the bridge is loaded with street vendors selling tacky gifts and trinkets. The cab drivers constantly try to rip you off on the fares. So my overall impression of the city is the archictecture is beautiful but not worth the crowds or the hassles. The city government seems to condone commercailizing any tourist attraction no matter how much they cheapen the appeal. Lots of other better cities in Europe.

Giovanna

fufu: We were in Prague in May and stayed at the Maximilian which is about a block away from Casa Marcello. There was underground work going on in front of our hotel, so there was some noise and disruption as there were excavations on the street. However, this sort of thing doesn't bother us in the least. Nice quiet hotels are not a priority with us. Incidentally, we loved our the hotel.

We visited the Old New Synagogue but the one listing Holocaust victims was closed (we were disappointed not to see it). The cemetary was open. We walked extensively through the Jewish Quarter and other than the street renovation mentioned above, everything seemed to be back to normal.

We did not face crowds on the bridge, but we choose not to travel in summer for that reason. I don't know what Langston considers tacky, but when we walked across the bridge there were artisans there, several quite good painters, and other tasteful things for sale. I bought a wooden barrette for my hair.

We absolutely loved Prague and can't wait to return. But we won't return in the middle of summer.

Intrepid

Langston has definitely had it with Prague since this is the second post about Prague that he's told everyone about the "tacky" aspects. I agree it depends upon one's definition of tacky and besides, almost everyone here talks about going to the Charles Bridge so it shouldn't surpise anyone that a lot of people show up there.
Having been to the city several times I wouldn't miss the chance to go again..crowded or not.

fufujuice

Thanks for the responses, everyone. It sounds like I won't need to worry about the area around the hotel being out of commission or anything "fishy" about the good rate I received. I'll post an update when I return.

dflawyer

We just returned from Prague last week and can confirm that only the Pinkas Synagogue was closed, all else seemed back to normal. As an alternative to the Charles Bridge, take a delightfully peaceful and scenic stroll across the bridges to the south and north of the Charles Bridge.

ncanavan

Yes, Prague in high season is overrun. That's why I never travel anywhere during high season. However, Prague in late September is wonderful.
-N