We booked 5 days in Prague as part of our European trip for July (which also includes Venice). I’ve done research, including Fodors, Frommer’s, Rick Steves and other guides, as well as websites on Prague, and even visited the Czech Tourist Office here in New York. Now, 5 days seems more than necessary. We are in our mid 40's, celebrating our 20th anniversary, staying in the Old Town area. We intend to stroll across the Charles Bridge every evening, we will spend 1 day touring the Old Town and Josefov area, 1 day touring the palaces and gardens of the Hradcany Castle district, 1 day just strolling around town, including the Mala Strana and Nove Mesto areas, that’s 3 days. Researched side trips, Konoposite (sp?) Castle seems interesting to us for a half day . That’s 3.5 days, still leaves us with time for more, but we’d prefer not to travel out of town. Okay, dear Fodorites, any special suggestions – based upon your own personal experiences – that might not have been highlighted in the usual travel guides?

Jack - I topped my 'Prague trip report' for you.

Thanks, Mark.

I've been to Prague twice and spent more time that that each time and never ran out of things to do, but I have my own interests and lots of things I wanted to see. However, I did find out about all of them in guidebooks or online, so you could read about things if you wanted, probably. I'm guessing you aren't interested in historical sites, architecture, museums, art, or performing arts, or parks, as that is what the things I saw could be categorized as. You do have the most popular tourist attractions listed, however, that fall into that category (castle complex and old town/Joseov). If you've looked at all the guidebooks and visited the TO in NY, I guess you've seen the other things in Prague to do and aren't interested.<BR><BR>In that case, I would suggest you take some day trips outside of town, but you don't want to do that either, which makes it difficult. Why not? There are plenty of day trip bus tour companies in Prague which make day trips very easy (and they are quite cheap), if you just don't want to fool with arrangements, tickets, fares, etc (which I can understand). Visit the Prague Sightseeing Tour company's kiosk near Namesti Republicky metro stop, for example -- there's another one right there, also. You could visit Kutna Hora easily in that spare day, Cesky Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, etc.

You will need more than one day to see everything at Hradcany. The castle district is 650 hectares, and it is the largest fortified castle in Europe. The entry pass that you must purchase to enter the buildings on the castle grounds is good for 3 consecutive days. It will take almost a 1/2 day to visit the synagogues and cemetery in the Jewish ghetto, and the entrance is not allowed on Saturday, the Sabbath.<BR><BR>Prague has over 40 museums. You might be interested in the Alfonz Mucha Museum and the Textile Museum. For day trips you might want to go to Terezin to the fortress and Jewish ghetto, Kutna Hora where the coins were minted, to the spa town, Karlovy Vary, or a trip to Cesky Krumlov.<BR><BR>I spent 9 days in Prague in November 2001, of which I made 3 day trips. In 6 days, I did not get to see everything that I wanted just in Prague. You will be in Prague in the summer, when it will be crowded, so your estimation of how long it will take to see things might be off a bit. <BR><BR>Also, you might consider taking the train to Dresden. The train ride is between 2-3 hours.

Jack, I'm so envious, Prague is magic! A family member lived there for a couple of years in the early 90's and loved it dearly, still dreams of going back. Leslie gave you some great advice, and I'll add a couple things too. If you're a music fan, a home of Mozart's is in Prague and has been restored and is open to the public as a museum. It's not in the old town section, in fact it's in a really off-the-beaten-path part of town where no tourists usually go, but you can get there on the trolley. I'm sorry I can't remember the address, but you could probably find it on the net. It was a thrill for me to go there because I love his music, and what struck me was that one of his actual pianos is just sitting out in a room, you can walk right up to it. They don't let you touch it, but still! It's tiny. Anyway, my favorite street in Prague is Nerudova Street, which is incredibly steep and winding, it goes all the way up to the castle from Mala Strana. It's lined with marvelous, charming shops and nice little cafes. GREAT for people watching and shopping, you will be totally charmed wandering up Nerudova. There is a really good (expensive) restauarnt just under the Charles Bridge, on the castle side, I *think* it's called The Palm. Has a great outdoor terrace right on the river. Also, for Italian food, definitely go to Don Giovanni's. Excellent real Italian food, and reasonable. Nice waiters too. If you really want to get out of the city for a day, go to Cesy Krumlov, it's lovely. Have a wonderful time!!!

Christina, Thank you. We are indeed interested in historical sites, architecture, museums, art, performing arts, parks, shopping, etc.. It's just that my rough &quot;guesstimation&quot; of the time we'd be likely to spend in each area of the city enjoying them was 3 days. That is why I'm seeking some special suggestions, based upon your own experiences. Please give us your best recommendations. We are looking forward to visiting Prague and hope that we leave the city wishing we had more time, as we did when we visited Paris, Rome and Florence. When we planned those trips, I always felt that there was more than enough to see and do, but someone I don't have the same impression reading about Prague...yet.

Hi Jack, You wrote<BR>&gt;When we planned those trips, I always felt that there was more than enough to see and do, but someone I don't have the same impression reading about Prague...&lt;<BR> That's because it is newly discovered.<BR> You can also take a cruise on the river. See <BR>http://www.pragueexperience.com/rive...er_cruises.htm

I also found the Museum of Science and Technology very interesting and worth at least 1/2 day.<BR>

Karlovy Vary is a great day trip &amp; cesky Krumlov as well although I would recommend staying overnight there. If going by train it would be a good stopover on your way to Venice. Also, what route are you taking to Venice. Perhaps you could work in Vienna as well.

Many thanks for your replies -<BR>and some follow-ups -<BR>Leslie: What are your personal favorites or special recommendations in Hradcany, beyond the 3 hour sightseeing tour?<BR>Junebug: Someone suggested taking the tram up to the palace area and walking down. Is Nerudova really difficult to ascend or is it no big? Also, I looked up Cesky Krumlov and it sounds particularly interesting. Did you do it with a tour that you would recommend, or on your own? Any specific highlights to suggest there? <BR>SA: We are flying from Prague to Venice. Same question on Cesky Krumlov re tour and highlights.<BR>Ira: Did you do the cruise, which, did you enjoy it, the 2 hour cruise sounds nice, but a bit long, was it fun?<BR>Art: What was the coolest or most unique part of the Prague science museum? <BR>

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My personal favorites are more than 3: the Loreta Church, the Stredhova (sp??)Monastery (which is now a library and museum), St. George's Basilica, and the toy museum just off the Golden Well. There's also a very nice museum next to St. George's Basilica. The views looking down are spectacular from the whole area. I spent 3 days in Hradcany and didn't see it all, and I walked everywhere.<BR><BR>When you go into St. Vitus Cathedral make sure that you find the obscure staircase to take you into the tombs to see the burial sight of King Charles, King Ludwig, etc. If you don't ask where it is, you'll never find it.<BR><BR>Jake, if your email address is a real one, and you'd like to read the travelogue that I wrote about Prague, please let me know.

We just returned from a nine day stay in Prague. Highlights of the trip were:<BR><BR>We purchased opera and ballet tickets on-line for the three main theaters (Estates, National, and State Opera). Magnificent and ornate. Must see. Also, check out a puppet show. <BR><BR>Walk, Walk, Walk. Unlike Other locations where the art is in the museum In Prague the beauty is in its architecture and its natural settings by the river. We stayed in the Old Town and after walking around for almost a week I was surprised to find so many new and different places. <BR><BR>Beer! Cost less than bottled water and soft drinks. “Pilsner”- its the only local lingo you’ll ever need to know. Fun food, check out some pubs in the evening. Ask locals where they eat pizza then find it using a map. <BR><BR>I was amazed how easy it was getting around without knowing the language. Almost all menus had English (Czech, German, and French). Almost all restaurants are vegetarian friendly.<BR><BR>Charles Bridge &amp; the Castle. I must have walked that bridge a dozen times in all types of weather and at different times of day. Stroll the Kampa Island<BR><BR>Christmas Eve Mass at St. Thomas. Very Baroque. The government doesn’t allow churches to use heaters. Go figure….<BR><BR>The Mucha Museum is interesting. <BR><BR>Regarding restaurants and pubs, we found the best were the ones that were filled with crowds, especially ones with locals (and ex-patriots). For Example, there was a restaurant across from the National Theater (KAVARNA SLAVIA) that had a beautiful view of the river, very good food. and at very reasonable prices. (It was also the only place open on Xmas day). Most everyone there appeared to be local. <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

If you want to explore Prague, there's also lots of wonderful art deco, which is often overlooked by visitors who are concentrating on older buildings. Walk along Wenceslas Square looking up at the higher stories, instead of the modernized shopfronts. And walk through the Vinohrady residential quarter (in the Nove Mesto) for great art deco and almost no tourists.

Thanks Leslie, Crusty and JT. Much appreciated.

Appropo to Ira's comment that Prague is newly discovered (presumably because it was under Communist rule until the Velvet Revolution of 1989), I wonder how many Fodorites have been there, particularly in recent years, and, if so, would love to hear your helpful replies to Jack's posting.

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I'm so embarrassed. I meant to say art nouveau, not art deco, in my posting above, though you can also find deco in Prague.<BR><BR>And if you're interested in design, you might like the Museum of Decorative Arts, near the river in the Stare Mesto. The collection ranges from old Bohemian crystal to 20th century posters.

Thank you for your responses. Anyone else?