basingstoke2

Goingconcern - staying on Kampa Island is a great choice and you certainly won't have any trouble at all seeing the bridge whenever you want since the island is directly under it. One thing not to miss is to just sit in the park along the river and look at the city across the way at dusk and at night. In general, the island has some great views.

On Kampa Island the restaurant at #15 (or maybe 14) is excellent. Very nice ambiance and service too and the price is right. Order the strudel for desert. The restaurant in the yellow building that is directly across from the Hotel Kampa Garden has a very nice outdoor seating area along the river and good basic Czech food.

goingconcern

basingstoke2: it was your recommendation on an earlier post that prompted me to choose Kampa Garden Hotel. Thanks again

basingstoke2

I know you will enjoy the place. A few things to know when checking in. Room 110, although very large is set up to be accessable for wheelchairs. Therefore, the shower only has a curtain and floods easily and things are at a lower level to be reached from a chair. The room does have a great view though. Some rooms in the front of the building only have a view of the back of the Estonian embassy. The higher up rooms have the best views. Those in the rear of the building overlook the park and the top floor (has elevator) back rooms have views over the rooftops to the castle and one of the bridge towers but being on the top floor, the ceiling is sloped and compromises walking around space a bit. The rooms in front that do not face the embassy have views of the square (charming) and if you are lucky, the city across the river. The pictures on the hotel's website are of the back of the hotel and give you an idea of the view. The front is rather plain. Say hello to the pleasant young ladies at the desk for me.

goingconcern

basingstoke2: this is the message I received when I inquired about the room, does it sound familiar, would you request anything different....."the family suite , situated on 2nd floor has two bedrooms with double beds - and itīs facing the street and Villa Werich." Thanks eds

basingstoke2

Although I haven't seen the suite, if you can see the street and Villa Werich (former home of the singer Jan Werich) you most likely will have a view of the river and city as well. I don't think that one can see Villa Werich from those rooms that face the back of the embassy. Just a guess, but I think the room might be the one above room 110 from the description of the view.

goingconcern

I am trying to decide if we should approach the city centre from the airport by taxi or bus/metro. We arrive early about 6:30 am. Wondering, outside of cost comparison if the drive from the airport is a tour in itself. I have a vision of emerging from the metro in the midst of Prague in a kind of "take your breath away" fashion. Comments?

basingstoke2

The easy and IMO best thing to do is to have the hotel arrange for a car to pick you up at the airport. There is nothing like arriving in the early morning and seeing someone holding a card with your name on it. The cost should be something around 600 koruny (about $29). I think a taxi would be about the same, but you must be careful with taxis in Prague. I would only use AAA taxi or City taxi. The others have a reputation for being somewhat dodgy. There is an ATM right near where you pick up your luggage along the wall near the building exit.

There is also a van that goes into the city and it would be the cheapest but I don't think it stops anywhere near the hotel. Although the hotel is not hard to find at all, it is not obvious and it would be best to have someone take you to the door.

If you are staying for about a week and booked through an agency like Travelcook, they might pick up the tab - they did for us. The nearest metro stop is not in an area that has a wow factor. The drive from the airport is not interesting until you are near the hotel.

goingconcern

basingstoke2...as always your info is most helpful. I will contact the hotel. We fly from Montreal on AUg.9 so with the time difference and 2 teenage girls, ease may be the route to go. Lots of time for wow factors. Thanks again.

sherhatfield

There is a restaurant at the castle with a great view over the Charles Bridge and the city. I can't remember the name of it, but it is across from the Toy Museum. They have a little outdoor patio and it was nice to relax there with a cold beverage after seeing the castle. We didn't eat there, so I can't vouch for the food.

I also recommend going to the Charles Bridge to watch the sunrise. It is so peaceful at that time of day! Plus, we really enjoyed walking around the city afterward because it was so quiet. The shops were just starting to open up and you could really enjoy the beauty of the city.

sherhatfield

If you are interested, here are some of our pics from Prague last September. The ones where you don't see any other people were taken in the morning. There is one picture of my husband with a beer - that was taken at the restaurant I mentioned in my above post. It's in there just so you can get an idea of what I was saying.

http://tinyurl.com/2f9z9h

goingconcern

sherhatfield: thanks for the link to the photos. I am getting really excited to be there. We will have 5 nights then on to Odessa. Did you do a walking tour with a guide. Not sure if we should book one or wing it with the books we have? Comments

basingstoke2

We arranged a half day walking tour for our first full day through our booking agent Travelcook. The cost was 2000 koruny that we split with another couple. Our guide Charles is a native of Prague who spent a several years in the US and his English is excellent. He was quite informative, answered all of our questions and we learned things that would not be in the guide books not to mention having a good orientation to finding our way around the city. There is also a group called city-tour that meets at the Astronomical Clock for a variety of tours that are not at all expensive, but you will be in a large group. They seem to have a good reputation.

Another tour possibility is a group called Precious Legacy Tours. I have not used them but the US State Department does for VIPs that are visiting Prague. I personally knew one of the prinicpals in that group and can honestly say that anything he is involved with has to be a quality operation. By their name, they specialize in Jewish Prague and environs but I believe they cover the entire city as well. Google their name for more info.

By the way, your hotel location means that you most likely will not have not have to use the metro. That is good. If you do use the metro, hang on to your fare card - they check them. One scam is for someone to pose as an official metro checker and try to "fine" you one the spot. The only time you may want to use a surface tram is to go up to the castle. The walk is about a mile + uphill. We rode up and walked back. Prague is a very walkable city.

sherhatfield

No, we didn't do any kind of walking tour. We only had 2 nights, so we just walked the city on our own. I had my guide books and knew ahead of time what I wanted to see, so we just took our time and wandered around.

Enjoy your trip!

Zermatt2

Hi. I know you're probably overwhelmed with information right now, but I thought that I might point out that the August edition of the "Smithsonian" magazine has a cover article on "Americans in Prague." It just arrived yesterday. Though the article focuses on Americans living and working there, it also mentions a bit of history, some places to see, and a few places to shop. If you have time, you might want to take a look at it...it's an interesting article.

johnmel

The church of St Cyril & St Methodius on Resslova street in the new town is worth a visit. The crypt has been turned into a small museum to honour the brave Czech paratroopers who asassinated "the hangman of Prague" Reinhard Heydrich during the Nazi occupation. After the asassination the paratroopers hid in the crypt while the Germans combed Prague frantically trying to find them. They were eventually betrayed by one of their former colleagues and during the ensuing battle they all died, most of them commiting suicide rather than being taken alive. Seeing where this all happened is quite a moving experience.

goingconcern

johnmel...thanks, that is the kind of information I'm looking for. My DH is very interested in military history and I am trying to plan a day in the city with this kind of theme and we are also hoping to go to the Terezin concentration camp on the Monday of our stay. I am trying to decide if we can manage on public transportation or if we should book a tour. There is some good information on other threads here on Terezin. Looking for comments on"getting there". Thanks

enroute

The Jewish Quarter had the strongest impact on me and I agree with the rest of Doug's recommendations above. We walked the Charles Bridge every chance we got at various times of the day.

Restaurant David (for fabulous food and service), in addition to those recommended above, and U Zlate Studne by the castle wall for both the food and the view.

We attended a few concerts at various venues. The venues were more interesting than the quality of the performances, but we still very much enjoyed the cultural atmosphere in Prague.

MaureenB

As everyone has already said, the Charles Bridge, in the morning and at night, is beautiful.

It's an uphill walk to the Castle from there, but not a tough one. I wouldn't take a cab, because the street going up has cute little shops for souveniers.

We had a nice lunch at a rooftop cafe of the Hotel Neruda, which is on that hill going up to the Castle.

Coming back down, we strayed a bit at the top of the hill, to an old convent Church, but I forget the name of it. Below it there's a great patio-type landing with great views of Prague down below. And walking down that side street was a nice change from the more traveled on where Hotel Neruda is.

Sorry I can't remember many exact names! But the Castle tour is well-worth it. I loved seeing the place where the horse-mounted cavalry would enter the room. The stone steps are very shallow and worn.

The website LivingPrague.com is kept by a local, ande is very helpful.

Prague is beautiful and fun.
>-

basingstoke2

I earlier recommended a restaurant called 15 Kampa on the square of Kampa Island. I was off by one- it is 14 Kampa the name is also the address. I believe 15 Kampa is a place with apartment rentals. It is our favorite restaurant on Kampa Island and we have tried them all.

Another restaurant to try is the Mucha, near the Old Town Square on the street that leads to Wenceslas Square.

goingconcern

taking notes...I have a journal and I am making notes for each section of Prague, I want to list eating spots, things to do and what not to miss then have room to add my own comments. The Living Prague site is very extensive. I have 2 teenage girls who are interested in the shopping opportunities and the references on the site are excellent. Just a few days to go! Will start packing tommorrow. My DH ordered rolling packs from MEC so our space is limited. Hope I remember everything.