lmavolio

Hi Everyone - I am planning a last minute trip to Prague - my first time - and unfortunately, I haven't left myself much time for planning. Can anyone help with some "must sees" for the city?? Not only the touristy stuff, but also some things to do/see that will give me a feel for the local flavor/culture (i.e, neighborhoods that are good for wandering, etc.). THANK YOU!! Everyone on these message boards is always so helpful....Laura

rex

If you're too busy to read it - - for example - - http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ion=prague@122 - - then maybe "we" can say we're too busy to condense it down to one paragraph for you.

I'm sorry to not sound helpful like you want, but the day that I don't have an hour to run to the library to get a guidebook, is the day I decide I must cut something out of my life.

Additional tip(s): see also livingprague.com and/or inyourpocket.com

Best wishes,

Rex

Christina

If you are spending five days there, I would think you could lay out a little money and buy a guidebook. A guidebook will tell you the "must sees" as well as other useful information for your trip. If you haven't ever been there before, and don't want to bother buying a guidebook, I wouldn't think wandering off into local neighborhoods would be on the agenda that much. You aren't going to get the feel for anything if you won't even do a little reading on the place.

lmavolio

I didn't mean to imply that I wasn't going to research AT ALL!! However, in my years of using this travel forum, I have always found that Fodors users are very good at netting things out for people with questions - it is usually a BIG time saver and I try to help wherever I can on this board as well. Plus, real life experience from someone who has been there is never a substitute for even the best guidebooks!! If anyone has any suggestions - other than buying a guidebook, which I will obviously do, I would greatly appreciate it.

GoSox

Hi. I went solo earlier this summer. You will have plenty of time to do the must-do activities. I liked the castle and did the complete tour, lovely garden. Walked from there, which is up high, to my hotel which was down low. the Old Town Square is nice. There is a great chic shopping boulevard off the square and a store I liked called Blue Prague. Market vendors around Old Town Square and back toward Wenceslas Square were fun to visit. Prague, at present, is a great value. Watch out for pickpockets and have a good time.

LindyE

Hi.
We were in Prague this past May. It is a great city which I'm sure you will enjoy.
The castle area was good. Old Town Square was a great place to spend some time. There are some beautiful churches in Prague. Don't miss St. Nicholas in Lessor Town. Also - the Opera House is a must see.

Have a great time!

ThinGorjus

You must read my trip report on Praha--The Pancaky Papers: Thingorjus in Praha. I will top the report for you. My trip reports are legendary, as I am probably the most famous Fodorite of them all (well, we will give a nod to snobby, mkingdom, and st.cirq). No need to thank me, I do it out of the evil of my heart.

elaine

I am not a famous fodorite and my trip reports are not legendary, but I do keep a substantial file on my visits to Prague, with suggested itineraries

If you'd like to see it, email me at [email protected]

However, the above links and reports are also very helpful

elaine

here is the link to the Pancacky Papers report

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34514397

ThinGorjus

Elaine, please, stop with the modesty. It is making me wretch. You are a highly regarded Fordorite.

Underhill

No, no, ThingGorjus, you're not that bad. Really.

rex

I probably shouldn't/don't need to... defende my reply - - but since it might be labeled as curmudgeonly... I guess I just want to say - - that for a company that maintains this website for our enjoyment - - <i>hoping</i> to sell some guidebooks...

...they sure give away a lot of good writing, done by professionals who make it their business to know Prague (and countless other destinations) <u>at least as well as</u> those of us who contribute here (just kidding... they aim to know MUCH more than 99% of &quot;us&quot.

I don't know how much original writing is in any of elaine's files, nor in &quot;the Pancaky Papers&quot; - - but just look at how much good information links out of the URL which I cited above.

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=ove - 36k http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=din - 58k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=lod - 49k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=nig - 52k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=sho - 48k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=tra - 46k http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=sig - 53k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30001 - 32k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30002 - 33k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30003 - 34k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30004 - 39k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30005 - 40k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30007 - 38k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30008 - 33k http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30009 - 37k
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30010 - 33k

Over 660k of really useful info, well-written, and believe me, this listing is just the tip of the iceberg.

For someone who doesn't have time &quot;to do research&quot;, seriously... Fodors HAS done it for you. At a minimum, skim this stuff... and then come back with questions about the items that interest <i>you</i> personally.

elaine

rex, for the record, my travel files are a combination of personal experiences, and information (duly credited) that I've compiled from other sources

TG, please stop retching, it makes such a mess.

rex

elaine - - i had/have no intention of belittling, nor denigrating your &quot;files&quot; - - but the info on Fodors is a compilation of &quot;someone's&quot; personal experience(s) also, and it represents the work of someone hired for their travel writing abilities.

The &quot;personal touch&quot; available in the postings (or files or anything else assembled) by &quot;us&quot; (amateurs) CAN be over-rated, and they can, in some cases, pale in comparison to the sheer volume (and inherently the diversity) of information that is available in dozens (or hundreds) of pages of professionally prepared info. What touches <i>you</i> (or any other contributor here) is all well and good - - but what if a reader (lmavolio or anyone else) is an opera afficionado, and you mention nothing about opera? Even with a fast skim, I found something I wish I had known before going to Prague - - and I feel like I <i>did</i> read a lot!

(for the record, it was this:

&quot;A two-block detour down Pansk&aacute; brings you to the Mucha Museum, which has a few genuinely interesting pieces. But do you really need to pay 120 Kc to see them, when a walk through St. Vitus Cathedral or Obecni dum offers larger and better examples of Mucha's work?&quot;

cited on

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30003

Personally, I wish I had known to go to see BOTH - -and this strikes me as no different from the kind of &quot;inside tip&quot; that you would get from an individual.

Clearly, I am not attacking the kind of person-to-person info-sharing that occurs here on the forum. But it is strongest when someone is asking a specific <i>question</i>, especially the kind for which &quot;what you don't know you don't know&quot; stymies a questioner from even knowing how/where to start, in seeking an answer.

The question &quot;tell what I should know about xyz&quot; is best referred to (relatively) more comprehensive sources of info - - and BOOKS are often at the top of that list. Fodors sells them - - and they GIVE AWAY a lot of what is in their books!

Visitors here should avail themselves of this info, and not limit their browsing to just the forum.

Brazilnut

Imavolio, don't miss Frank Gehry's &quot;Ginger and Fred&quot;. See what it says in the internet about it:

&quot;This project by Frank Gehry in cooperation with Vlado Milunic marks the corner at the Jiraskuv Bridge. Officially named the 'Rasin Building,' soon after its conception it was dubbed 'Ginger and Fred,' as it dances like the famous couple Rogers and Astaire around the corner.&quot;

http://lava.ds.arch.tue.nl/gallery/praha/tgehry.html

caroline_edinburgh

When I saw this heading my response was the same as most others - buy a guidebook !! I assume you are coming from the US so you'll have plenty of time to read it on the flight, won't you ?

lmavolio

Seems like I hit a nerve with a few people with my &quot;no time for research&quot; comment . I guess my choice of wording for this heading was poorly chosen. For the record, I don't think any person who even makes the effort to frequent this message board is the type of person to NOT do research or NOT buy a guidebook. I usually research my trips to death - I take out every library book on the topic and always buy a Fodors before I leave. But, in this case, I just don't have as much time to research as I would like. That said, it doesn't mean I am solely using the advice of a messageboard to plan my trip. I appreciate the helpful advice of everyone who posted above - GoSox, LindyE, ThinGorjus, Elaine, &amp; BrazilNut - thank you!! For those who suggest I buy a guidebook, no need to post anymore statements on that. Trust me, I will buy a guidebook and plan to read every page, so save your fingers the typing

elaine

Hi
thanks for the thanks, but I think all the responses were helpful.
Given your title and your opening paragraph, there was no way for people to know that you had any research plans, or guide-book buying plans at all, so even the more terse advice had a bottom line of telling you what they thought you would need. Whatever appears in print, is all responders have to go on. It's not a matter of striking a nerve, just providing the most basic suggestions to someone who asked for basic information.

I hope you enjoy Prague, it's a great place to visit.

MaureenB

Must do in Prague IMHO: lodging within the old town, but not at Wenceslas (sp?) Square, and walk everywhere. It is such a charming city, with amazing side streets of cobblestone and antiquity. Be sure to walk up the hill to the castle. There's a small overlook at the top of the hill, I think it's below a church, where you get a pretty vista of the city and river below. Be sure to stroll across the bridge at dusk and/or after dark to see the city along the riverside all lit up. Magical. You will love it. Don't stress about Must Do's, as Prague will take you by the hand and heart.

rex

Good post, elaine.