What to do in Prague
 

Hello! I am leaving for Prague in a week on quite short notice and haven't had time to research much. Any info anyone has would be appreciated. We are staying at Cechie which I also knoe nothing about. Thanks!

Lucky you! <BR>Well I'd start with a bus tour! It shows you the highlights and gets you around more than you could manage in the time alloted. <BR>Then I'd walk around Old Town Square, avoiding the tourist shops, but enjoying the atmosphere, the horological clock, the Tyn Church, the buildings that surround the square. After that I'd walk over to the Jewish Museum. It's expensive, but it was well worth it to see the buildings, their contents and the cemetary. <BR>Next [this isn't in one day!!!] I'd cross the Charles Bridge [I'd do it several times... early in the morning... also after dark] to Mala Strana. Don't miss St. Nicolas of Mala Strana. It's chruch whose interior my spouse calls "baroque in excelsis"! You can walk up to Hradcany from there if you are fit and revisit at greater length St. Vitus' Cathedral. [With windows that look more like jeweled mosaics than stained glass.] <BR>Eating? Well I love a small restaurant called Zlata Ulicka just a block or so off of Stare Mesto Square. It's Yugoslav. Looks like a luncheonette, but has good and reasonable food. The owner has an interesting story. I also enjoyed Red, Hot and Blues, a cajun restaurant. Yeah I know. But it's a *kick* to eat shrimp jambalaya while drinking Czech Frankovaka wine! We also liked a trendy little place called Metamorphosis, which is in a courtyard/square right behind Tyn Church. <BR>I didn't get a real sense of the museum scene, but then the whole center of town IS a museum! If there are flyers for concerts in places such as the Klementium take a look. They are usually younger artists and the places are glorious! <BR>*sigh* Have a wonderful time!

Just walk around the old town, charles bride,Hradcany castle etc.,watch an opera or musical every other evening, eat good (and inexpensive!) food, do lots of shopping (if you are into crystal/porcelain/garnet jewellery)and thank God for the opportunity of visiting this wonderful city.Depending on how much time you have, you could also do day trips to Cesky Krumlov and Karlovy Vary. Have a great time! <BR>

I suggest 2 very special programs for the evening. The performances AHASVER in the Blacklight Theater (no other Black Theater) and the opera Don Giovanni in the famous Marionette Theater. You do not need to know the language, no speaking in "AHASVER"&gt;

The Cechie hotel is fairly new, just outside the city center. It's very easy to get in with the trams, etc.. Incidentally, they have nice squash courts there (not that this is your reason for visiting, I'm sure). Other than the excellent suggestions above, go se Vysehrad castle, the original site of the Prague castle, and climb up the tower at the Novomestska radnice (New Town Hall) on Karlovo namesti - you get a nice view of the city.

The suggestions above are very thorough. Just remember that there are five main areas that are must sees for anyone in Prague: Hradcany Castle complex, which includes St. Vitius Cathedral; Old Town Square; Charles Bridge; Mala Strana, and the Jewish quarter. The castle complex can easily fill up half a day. Old Town Square is easy to do in two to three hours, including a climb up the Old Town Hall tower for a magnificent view. Alot an hour at least for the bridge - it is a happening place. The Jewish area is complex, so not much walking, but there are lots of things to see. At the least, see the cemetery and the exterior of the synagoges. Pick up a guide book with a good walking tour for Mala Strana - this is a good half day and there are many many beautiful buildings to see. <BR> <BR> Vysehrad is also nice as stated above - fewer tourists here - there is an interesting cemetary at the church there that includes several prominent Czechs, such as the composers Smetana and Dvorak. Also see some of Nove Mesto (New Town), at least Wenceslas Square (actually a street) - this street has been the site of many important events in Prague. Have a great trip!

See Rick Steves' thorough web-based description of Prague at <BR>www.ricksteves.com/services/prague.htm <BR>Print it off and take it with you. <BR> <BR>I was in Prague for 3 and 1/2 days in September, followed his suggestions and felt I'd covered the essentials. I did add a few things that were favorites of mine as well. <BR> <BR>If you are classical music lover, be sure to see one or more of the concerts mentioned on flyers all around town. Also, for a Mozart fan, be sure to see the Mozart museum in Villa Bertramka, in the suburb of Smichov, easy to get to by subway or tram. Mozart stayed there when he was completing his composing of Don Giovanni. It is a real treat, and also has concerts at 5:00 pm (all evenings in the summer, fewer in the winter). <BR> <BR>Sally was right. See the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral, inside the castle, if only for the stained glass windows. <BR> <BR>Enjoy! Oh yes, take LOTS and LOTS of film with you. <BR> <BR>

<BR>These are great sites for Prague: <BR>http://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/prague and http://www.czechsite.com. Don't forget to stop by a beer house this is the place pills beers were inventer and they have lovely German style beer houses with live music and the beer is only .50 cents a liter.

Just a bit of practical advice from someone who has been there, done that. <BR>Be on guard on the Prague subways for purse snatchers and purse slashers. Lots of grungy kids around (mostly German) who are paid, I learned, to stay away from home and are pandhandling up and down Wenceslaus Square. They will give you a sad story to get money out of you to support their drug habit. They can turn ugly if you are alone or look vulnerable.