prague
 

Going for 3 nights in June. Any suggestions about hotels, restaurants, points of interest

What's your hotel budget?

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/c...public/prague/

If you do a search on this site of 'Prague', you will be rewarded with a wealth of information.

There are many good hotels and restaurants in every price point.

http://www.prague.net/useful-info
this website will give you lots of info on what to see and do.
As the others have said there is no point in suggesting hotels without an idea of budget,but there are lots of very good hotels in the city in all price ranges,resturants also.
I tend to eat in Hospodas when in the city,these are bars that serve food ,good quality local style food with decent prices and just about all of them serve great beer.

For restaurants, try Hospoda U Novaka. It's a great local pub/restaurant in the New Town near the National Theater.

seeing amazingview has suggested a Hospoda I will put in a few of my favourites.
http://www.umedvidku.cz/
U Medvidku is usually my first stop when in Prague ,great food and superb beer,even have their own micro brewery through the back and a very fine shop.
http://www.restauraceuvejvodu.cz/?page=home&lang=EN
U Vejvodu looks like a small bar when you go in but head downstairs and it opens up into a large berhall/resturant.
The food there is very good the Pork Knee is superb.There has been recent reports of over charging there so watch the bill,I have never had a problem in there.
http://www.svejk-restaurant.cz/en/
U Karla is a Svejk themed resturant (Svejk is a famous Czech literary character),food is very good and portions huge it is a bit akward to find but a few doors from the famous U Fleku Brewery the biggest toursit trap in Prague.
http://en.ufleku.cz/
U Fleku,visit it if you must but the accordian music and the tuneless singing of the clients will send you scurrying away (Unless you like that sort of thing),food mediocre and over priced but the beer is a bit special and worth visiting just to try it.
http://www.pastyrka.cz/english/music.html
U Pastyrka,the Sheperdesses Cottage,a great place where they cook food on open grills,live music at nights, a fine place for a group of you.A bit away from the city centre but trams stop right outside.
If you want a good night out you could try one of the Folk evenings ,food ,drink entertainment and transport for an all in one price.
I have been to both the following plaves and enjoyed them both.
http://www.folkloregarden.cz/
http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=644

Hi; You can download information from this web site. Click on Prague and then 'instant'. www.inyourpocket.com/

Thank you for all your responses- they are a big help

budget for hotels- anywhere up to about $300/night- want to stay centrally located- like to have a gym in my hotel

as far as restaurants- we like "tasty" food- doesn't have to be fancy, but it can be,- prefer the local places as opposed to the "touristy" restaurants

the Hospodas I have mentioned should fit the bill they tend to have a mix of Tourists and locals (always a good sign),but there are lots of very good and reasonably priced places to try.
One that get a very good reputation is the cafe Olympia.
http://www.kolkovna-group.cz/index.p...ce=12&show=hot
there are several other places in that group of resturants all have pretty good reputations,but personally I haven't tried any yet,maybe on my next visit (may 2010)

for accommodation look at this link.
http://www.travelcook.com/contactus
You can put your requirement in the info box and they will make some suggestions for you.

Our first trip to Prague we stayed at the Hotel Pariz. Good location and I think fits your budget. Richard www.hotel-pariz.cz

Hello, you have to definitely visit Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Jewish Quarter and the Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock. You should also use a service of some tour guide - www.private-guide-prague.com
My favourite pub is www.uprovaznice.cz, or www.uknihovny.cz or www.uglaubicu.cz
Hotels are plenty, depends on your budget. Very nice new hotel in the center is www.hotel-grandmajestic.cz

Have to try Czech beer, cousine and vine!

I agree with Veronika, since you only have three days, you should see the highlights listed above. I would recommend a visit to the pages of the Prague Information Services (PIS - http://www.pis.cz/en/prague/monument...ustnt_miss_out). Certainly a private guide is advisable for moving quickly and safely among other slower moving tourists. The Augustine is a newly opened hotel in the 750 year old Augustinian Monastery (http://www.theaugustine.com/). Also reopening soon will be the Malostranska Beseda/Radnice. This is a landmark, and should be a worthwhile stop for at least a beer. For further tips, or to arrange for a guide, visit www.pathways.cz.

bookmark

I spent 30 days in Prague a few summers ago. Here is a link to my trip report that that lists things to do and places to eat:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rite-place.cfm

Here is the piece about my hotel. Enjoy! It is one of my favorite cities in Europe!

When I booked the Arcadia Residence I had expected a great experience based on the reviews from trip advisor (they are rated #1 in Prague). My actual experience was greater than I ever could have imagined.

I have traveled extensively for work, pleasure and was also employed as a "secret shopper" for a hospitality company for a short period where I secretly reviewed hotels. In my entire life I have never stayed at a place as unbelievable as this one.

The residence is run by an Italian family - Pasquale and his mother Anna. Before I arrived Pasquale exchanged several e-mails with me to let me know that there was construction going on next door that it could be noisy. I had lots of questions and I changed my flight 4 or 5 times. He was always very polite and promptly responded to all my questions and schedule changes – if I drove him crazy he never let on. I was a bit worried that he did not require a deposit but my fears were unfounded.

Pasquale arranged for me to be picked up at the airport. When I arrived at the residence, Pasquale was standing out on the sidewalk waiting to greet me. It was a very nice touch.

He took me inside, gave me a tram/metro ticket and then personally walked with me to show me where the tram stop was, showed me where there were two markets, and pointed out a few good restaurants. He also gave me some basic info and a map of Prague.

Breakfast is incredible (homemade by mama). It was enough food for two days of meals and always included some homemade treat like tiramisu or coffee cake. It changed daily but included eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit, bread, cookies, nuts, meats/cheese, treats, OJ, tea & coffee.

A few nights I came home to mama Anna offering a piece of homemade tiramisu that she had just made - it was the best I ever had!!!

Since I was staying for a month, Pasquale had told me that I could use the onsite washer and dryer. I asked to use the laundry machines one day and Anna insisted that I just leave the laundry and she would do it....I tried to object but she insisted. She ironed everything and even sewed the hole in one of my socks! She even asked if I wanted my clothes dried outside or in the dryer.

The hotel is located outside of the town center about two blocks away from the river. You can catch a tram at the river and it is 3 stops to the Charles Bridge. I walked to the Bridge a few times and it took about 15 minutes it was a really nice walk (note that this tram has been temporarily rerouted due to construction through October 2007 - this adds about 5 extra minutes to get to the Charles Bridge and the tram no longer travels along the river).

The residence is close to the tourist area but far enough away that it's quiet. It is next to Vysehrad, a beautiful park and historic site (if you are looking to see the location on the map).

My room (number 11) had a fridge, hot plate, sink and utensils (flatware, plates, pots/pans, wine opener, etc). The water pressure in the shower is great (although Pasquale thought it was funny that I should care about this) and the room is pretty big for Europe (and I had the smallest room in the hotel).

All rooms have an internet connection at no additional charge. I forgot my cable and Pasquale lent me one. He also lent me power converters (he has a whole box full of different ones) and has a few Prague guide books in the office that you can use. There is no A/C but my room had a very large fan. In the 30 days that I was there it was only hot for about 3 days and the fan easily cooled down my room. They also have an elevator (key in Prague, none of the other students had this luxury).

The customer service was just wonderful. Either Pasquale or his mother were there to great me on most days when I left or arrived home. Pasquale was always asking if the construction noise bothered me (I could barely hear anything from my room) or if there was anything that he could do to make my stay better. It was very nice to chat with them both each day. Mama taught me a bunch of Italian words, she was really sweet and caring. Also, Pasquale speaks perfect English.

I was there taking a photo class and wanted to do a photo story on a marionette factory. I mentioned this to Pasquale and he immediately called the factory and asked in Czech if I could come take photos. He then walked me over to the workshop to make sure that I wouldn't have any problems.

Another day I had to print out a document and fax it to the US. He let me use his printer and fax machine (much easier than trying to find an Internet cafe). Pasquale has stamps, tram passes can help you with day trips and event tickets. He is very honest. I asked him about the Black Light Theater and he told me that about 70% of his guests are disappointed. He really works hard to make sure everything is perfect.

I could say so much more as this was really a wonderful experience but my review is getting a bit too long. Pasquale is really unbelievable. He also owns two apartments in town (one near the Old Town and one near the Castle). There were days that he got up at 4:30 AM and went to bed in the wee hours of the morning so that he could meet all the needs of his guests at all three locations. Almost every night Pasquale took the time to chat for 5 or 10 minutes before I headed up to bed. He tries to make a habit of staying up until all the guests are safely home. If he’s not there his mother runs out of her first floor apartment to welcome you home when she hears the door shut (she stays up until midnight).

In essence, Pasquale and Anna (and dad Luigi) really made me feel like I was part of their family and I was very sad to leave them (and yes I did cry in the cab on the way to the airport).

The Arcadia has been Voted No1 Budget hotel in the World on Trip Advisor.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travele...st-g1-cBargain

My fav restaurant in Praha is David in Mala Strana.

www.restaurant-david.cz

You can find other restaurants here:

www.squaremeal.cz


Thin, Foddie Winner 2009

I fully agree with adnil1962. I stayed at the Arcadia Residence in the Old Town last October. The praise Pasquale is receiving is well deserved. When I mentioned to him that we planned to visit Karlstein Castle during our 5-day stay, he brought us a train schedule. He came by every morning during breakfast to make sure all was well and to see if we needed anything. Our apartment was immaculate, well furnished, quiet and really close to the town square. If I ever go back to Prague, I'll definitely stay there again.