Hi. I have some questions, and was hoping someone had answers!!

1. Can you buy the 24-hour tram/metro tourist pass at all metro stations, or just the ones that have info centers? We will be close to Florenc, and I'd like to buy one there if possible.

2. Is there any place I can buy a good tourist map of central Prague before I come? Kartographi Praha was recommended.

3. Is Zlata Ulicka (Golden Lane) currently closed due to repair? I read that on a web site (forget which one) but the Hrad website does not mention it. If closed, can I still get to the Powder Tower, Stag Moat, and other places around that corner of the Hrad?

4. I noticed a pretty nice looking residence or palace on Busnice while snooping around Google Earth. Does a big wig live there?

5. Is there much construction/closure occurring on Karluv most right now? What section?

6. I'm a little confused as to what to expect when I go to Petrin Hill. After I take the funicular up there, are there still steps to climb, or are you pretty much at the point where you get some nice views?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out here! I'm really looking forward to seeing the beautiful city of Prague, and want to make the most of my limited time there!!

2. You can buy a Streetwise map of Prague either through a book store or directly from the company.

3. Golden Lane was not closed 4 weeks ago and it certainly didn't look like it needed any type of repair. The Powder Tower is no where near Golden Lane. It's on one of the streets off Old Town Square, next to the Municipal House. You can access the areas around Golden Lane by either walking through the castle area or walking up from the river.

I am a regullar traveller to Prague and was last there about 3 weeks ago so I will try and answer to the best of my ability.
1.there is usually a place to buy tickets at the all the metro stations but they are not always open,there is usually a shop within the stations or just outside you can buy tickets from.
2.http://www.livingprague.com/citymap.htm
this website will be of help to you and you can buy a map or even a headstart kit through it.
I met the guy that runs this website on my last visit and all his info is right up to date.
3.golden lane is totally closed there is an archeological dig going on and if you look through the joins in the barriers they have put up you can see them working away.Not sure about acess to the other places you mention.
4.I have no idea.
5.There is work on the far east and far west side of the bridge at the moment,though that may change,the main part of the bridge is clear of work and is unlikely to be worked on now as when i visited last year the central area was being worked on.
6.Still a bit of up and down walking and a lot of steps around,depends on where you are going to walk to after Petrin Tower.The views up here are nice and the views from the tower great but it is a stiff climb to the top.
Hope this is of help,I was visiting from the 14th -21st May ,mainly for the Beer Festival which is held in Letnany to the North east of the city so i did not spend a lot of time in the main tourist areas.

I can't answer a lot of your questions, such as about current construction, but as far as metro passes -- Florenc is a very major metro and bus transportation station, you can buy tickets there, they have a ticket office (which I guess is what you mean by an information office, but maybe you mean a tourist information office which I don't know about that). It's close for an hour at noon, though. I never bought special tourist passes myself, I usually buy the 5 day Prague metro pass, as I recall.

I don't think what you are asking about is called a tourist pass, it's just a metro ticket for 24 hours. Same for the 3 or 5 day tickets, but I guess that doesn't matter. I just wouldn't necessarily ask for a tourist pass, that's all, as they might not know it by that name and the metro agency doesn't call it a tourist pass. Maybe that's why you think you have to buy it at a tourist office, or something? It's just a short-term metro ticket, but can be useful to tourists, of course.

I got a pretty good tourist map at either Barnes & Noble or Borders in the US, I can't remember which (they are the only big bookstores around). Whichever has the best foreign map section. The one I got is published by a German firm called Hallwag. Streetwise has one for Prague, also, and I usually like their maps, and they are perhaps easier to find.

I've never heard of any area of Prague called Busnice. Do you by any chance mean U Brusnice street? The National Gallery/Sternberg Palace is right near it, you could be seeing that, I suppose, although it isn't right on it, but near the castle complex. There are lots of nice buildings and villas on that street, so I don't know what you could be looking at in particular. The Hotel Savoy is up that way, and lots of wealthy people live in that general area. Vaclav Havel has a villa in that general area (or did, don't know about now).

Thanks you everyone. Couple comments:
Yes, I was referring to the 24 hour pass. I'll have to remember to specifically look or ask for that, not a tourist pass. Do the machines in the metro stations take any Czech cash, or would I have to use coins for a 100 Kc pass?

Instead of Powder Tower, I think I meant the tower by Golden Lane. in any case, it sounds like I'll be able to snoop around there without a problem; just that I won't be able to go to Golden Lane. (The dig sounds interesting!) And yes, I think I meant U Brusnice, not Busnice.

Living Prague is an awesome site. I stumbled across that a few nights ago.

Would anyone happen to know where at the main train station I catch the bus to Nurnberg? Is it right in front of the station, to the right or left, etc.? Is it well marked?

Good to hear that construction on Karluv most is at the ends.

Thanks again to all 3 of you guys - very helpful!

not sure about the buses to Nurnberg ,but the main train station is Hlavni and there are buses on the area above the station,i only know this as the hotel i stayed in a few weeks ago overlooked this area,never knew there were buses there even after using that train staion dozens of times over the years.

That must be it, then. But when you say "above" do you mean north of the station, or literally above the station - like a roof top drive, or second story drive, or something?

on the roof of the main station concourse.

gus - have the Golden Lane shops relocated to somewhere else?

ruth - the buses to Nurnberg are white and clearly marked. I took the bus from Nurnberg to Prague. I'm not sure where I was when the trip ended but it was outside a station, not on top of a station. My car service was there when I arrived so I didn't see inside the station and didn't get my bearings.

don't know about the shops ,didn't se any thing that looked like relocated shops

From the Petrin tower you can cut across country and break out in the back of the US Embassy. Naturally there is limited security! We scared the poor guy in the post box half to death. You end up inembassy country with a few nice pubs and restaurants about

After unclegus mentioned the Golden Lane was closed, I googled it and found an article (I think from Prague Post)saying that the shopkeepers there were really upset because they had to find other locations for their shops! The article said that there was sewer upgrading and arch. digging going on.

bilboburgler (what do you burgle? embassies? just kidding), I don't think I'll be ending up in the embassy, but who knoww? I AM hoping to find the little wooden church in the park - know anything about that? There isn't a good map of the park anywhere, is there?

I have not taken the bus from the main train station and do not know much about them. I believe that I saw one that went to the airport but it left later than what I needed. There are 3 levels to this train station. The buses stop at the top level in front of the station.

This is a very busy street and is not recommended that you try to walk to the station on this street. If you need to catch a bus from here, you would either need to take a cab or walk in the backside of the station. There is an elevator but not marked very good. The top level is the rotunda and has a small cafe in it. This is the same level as the train tracks which are on the backside. They have not worked on the top level yet and the big dome is in bad shape. For someone going to Prague it is worth a trip to the top level to see the dome and maybe get something at the cafe.

The 1st level has some shops in it. It has a Palac bookstore who have about any map that you would need for Europe. I do not know if they have maps at this store but they have a big store on Wenceslas Square.

The second level has more stores and where you can buy your train tickets. It also has the tunnel under the tracks where you go out to your track and walk up the steps to your track.

The church that you mention sounds like the church mentioned in AggieGirls Prague trip report. She mentions the Ukranian church St. Michaels Church. If she does not reply to this you can do a search for aggiegirl and see her Prague report.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...ed=0CBkQnwIwAA
if you enter the train station from Opletalova that is a fairly quiet street and there is a park area in front of the train station,this is the main enterance and is traffic free.The link I have posted (hopefully it works) shows the train station area and gives you some idea of the layout.
There is a lot of work goin on there at the moment but the main concourse area was clear of work when I was there 3 weeks ago,lots of lovely new shops there as well.looks like there will still be work going on for some time though.
http://www.norc.cz/street-view/
don't know if this link will work but hopefully it will give you the street view from Opletalova

Thank you Denis and unclegus - helpful! The norc site is fun. It took me to the square at Stare Mesto (or at least I think so, based on pictures I've seen!), but I get the idea, and I'll take a look at the station tonight.

It sounds like I should be able to find the bus pretty easily. I just thought I'd do some snooping around ahead of time, since I speak only 2 words of Czech (dobry den!) and didn't know how hard/easy it would be to buy tickets and get in the right place for the bus!