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“The Pub”, a great way to enjoy Pilsner Urquell beer in Prague

Nicolas — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:28:57 +0000

Prague is indeed a very touristic city and when you’re looking for a nice pub or bar to go to, you may want to avoid the typical “touristy pub”…

Even though “The Pub” might make you think that you ended up in some tourist bar, you may soon realise that this spot is where locals meet! There are several reasons why:
- this is a great place to enjoy the best Czech beer (as any Czech person would tell you): Pilsner!
- you often have your own tap on your table… such a fun and convenient way to get a couple of drinks with friends, without having to bother standing up and waiting at the bar!
- the price is more than reasonable for Pilsner beer (even in the centre) as you’ll often be paying approx. 40 czk for a pint, which is roughly €1.6

One advice: if you’re looking at going there with a lot of friends, show up early… the place gets crowded rather quickly and is very popular!

There are several “The Pub” places in town – to find out more, have a look at their website, http://www.thepub.cz/welcome/

And as they say in the Czech Republic… na zdraví! (cheers!)

“Low cost” does not necessarily mean cheapest plane tickets…

Stefan — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:24:59 +0000

Using low cost carriers to go to Prague can indeed be cheaper but doesn’t systematically mean cheaper. Just recently, Czech Airlines and Air France terminated their codeshare agreement. Together, they would operate 6 flights per day – now they have 8 all together… and that had an impact on prices.

These days, if you look for the cheapest flights, you might find a return ticket as low as 99€ on Air France or Czech Airlines ! At that kind of prices, 90% of the price of your ticket represent airport taxes and fuel charges… i.e., you cant get much lower.
Flying with low cost companies might only save a couple of euros, if not more expensive.

…The question is, with prices not being that much cheaper with low costs, what do you prefer : classic airlines (where you generally get good service, newspapers and a drink) or low cost ?

Where to eat if you have a backpackers’ budget ?

Stefan — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:55:38 +0000

You’re in Prague for a couple of days or longer and only have a backpackers’ budget. If you’re looking for a place to eat, the best solution for you would be to avoid the city center… but it’s not that handy when you’re a tourist! If you only have a small budget, here is one restaurant (in fact, it’s more like a canteen) you might want to try: “Havelska Koruna”.

They serve traditionnal Czech cuisine and also the best beer on tap, Pilsner Urquell (34 CZK for a pint… or 1.40 EUR, if you’re not used to go from CZK to EUR!). They only speak a bit of English, but still enough to be understood.

When you enter the place, you get a piece of paper where anything you order will be written down. Keep this piece of paper until you get to the counter (when you leave, at the exit) where it will be asked as you pay the bill. Be careful not to lose your paper, they’ll make you pay an extra charge…

In a word, Havelska Koruna is a good place to go to if you’re really on a small budget, but if you can afford a little bit more, I would recommend something like Kolkovna or Celnice.

Havelska Koruna
Havelska, 23
Stare Mesto
Prague 1
Tel: + 420 224 239 331

Czech currency (CZK) – Notes & coins, Currency converter

Stefan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:30:56 +0000

The “Czech crown” is the official currency of Czech Republic, and was since 1993 (dissolution of Czechoslovakia). There is a plan to adopt the euro but no change is expected soon to due political matters. 1 Czech crown consists of 100 “hellers”.
When changing currencies, always check the commission AND the spread (price difference between “buy” and “sell”). Some may advert “no commission” but will charge you a huge spread… it’s the same result at the end of the day !

Some of the best rates in town can be found at these “bureau de change” :

Alfa Prague
Na Příkopě 23, Ovocný trh 12
Praha 1
+ 420 724 215 559
Check here their rates (the website page is only in Czech)

Eurochange
Opletalova 30
Praha 1
+ 420 224 243 614
Check here their rates (the website page is only in Czech)

CZK notes : 50 / 100 / 200 / 500 / 1000 / 2000 /5000
–> Note that the 20 CZK note is not used any more
Click to view the Czech notes (Czech National Bank official website)

CZK coins : 1 / 2 /5 / 10 / 20 /50
–> Note that the 10, 20 and 50 hellers coins (or 0,1 / 0,2 and 0,5 CZK) are not used any more
Click to view the Czech coins (Czech National Bank official website)

To convert any currency against the Czech crown, you can easily use Yahoo currency converter

If you’re afraid of making mistakes or if you prefer to avoid changing currencies, you can still pay in euros (EUR) in many shops and restaurants all around the city center. They just might charge you a little bit more so try to check that before.

Prague half marathon 2010

Nicolas — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:01:57 +0000

Looking for something exciting and unusual to do in Prague at the end of March? Try running the half marathon! It takes place on March 27 and you can run either individually or in a team (if you don’t think you can make it the whole distance!).

Prague’s half marathon is definitely a great experience – during the day the old town square is filled with people, animation, music and supporters, and runners will have a chance to run and enjoy Prague’s great city at the same time!

At this time of the year the temperatures are still quite fresh, which gives you ideal conditions to run. One of the particularities of Prague’s half marathon is that you can either run individually or on a relay with your friends (then 3 of you run 5kms and the last one, 6kms), or even with your team, and then each of you will run the full distance.

At the end of the race, you will leave with your medal as well as a Prague’s half marathon bag and an official t-shirt, and shortly after that you receive an email with your official time.

And if you’re not much of a sportswoman or sportsman, it’s still good fun to go to cheer and enjoy the lively crowd!

To get more information, have a look at Prague’s marathon official website >>

Foreign embassies / consulates in Prague

Stefan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:10:10 +0000

Below you cand find a non-exhaustive list of foreign embassies and consulates in Prague. You may contact them directly to check the opening hours (and bank holidays) :

Australia
Consulate of the Commonwealth of Australia
Klimentská 10, Prague 1, 110 00
Phone: +420 296 578 350, +420 296 578 351

China
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
Pelléova 18, Prague 6 – Bubeneč, 160 00
Phone: +420 224 311 323

France
Embassy of the French Republic
Velkopřevorské nám. 2, P.O.Box 102, Prague 1, 118 00
Phone: +420 251 171 711

Germany
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Vlašská 19, Prague 1, 118 01
Phone: +420 257 113 111, +420 257 531 481

India
Embassy of the Republic of India
Valdštejnská 6, Prague 1 – Malá Strana, 118 00
Phone: +420 257 533 490

Israel
Embassy of the State of Israel
Badeniho 2, Prague 7, 170 06
Phone: +420 233 097 500, +420 233 097 513, +420 233 097 515

Italy
Embassy of the Republic of Italy
Nerudova 20, Prague 1 – Malá Strana, 118 00
Phone: +420 233 080 111

Japan
Embassy of Japan
Maltézské nám. 6, Prague 1 – Malá Strana, 118 01
Phone: +420 257 533 546, +420 257 530 884, +420 257 011 011

Poland
Embassy of the Republic of Poland
Valdštejnská 8, Prague 1, 118 01
Phone: +420 257 530 388

Russia
Embassy of the Russian Federation
Nám. Pod Kaštany 1, Prague 6 – Bubeneč, 160 00
Phone: +420 233 374 100, +420 233 375 358, +420 233 371 548, +420 233 371 549

Spain
Embassy of Spain
Badeniho 4, Prague 7, 170 00
Phone: +420 224 311 441, +420 224 311 222

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Thunovská 14, Prague 1, 118 00
Phone: +420 257 402 111

United States of America
Embassy of the United States of America
Tržiště 15, Prague 1, 118 01
Phone: +420 257 530 663, +420 257 532 716 (after hours)

Vietnam
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Plzeňská 214, Prague 5, 150 00
Phone: +420 257 211 540

For more embassies & consulates, check here

Up for an old style French bistro ? “Chez Marcel” is where you want to go…

Stefan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:30:07 +0000

Get in “Chez Marcel”, you’ll feel like you’re in a bistro in Paris, back in the old days. On the walls, you’ll find some old style adverts (Pernod Ricard, “la vache qui rit”…). In here, you’ll find all the classics : quiche lorraine or goat cheese salad to start, from the simple omlette to the duck confit with sarladaises patatoes or the rabbit in mustard sauce for the main course… and If you still have some room for the dessert, don’t miss the “crème brulée” ! Wines from Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Languedoc… not many but still fair for a bistro. If you have a small budget, you can enjoy a daily menu (soup+main course) for 150 CZK – from Monday to Friday.

You can also go there for the breakfast, it will cost you 180 CZK… maybe a bit pricey if you compare that to the local standards.

Good service, Menu in French, English and Czech.

Extol Inn hotel, Prague 7, budget hotel

Nicolas — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:07:50 +0000

These days, it’s not that difficult to find rather cheap accommodation in Prague, but you won’t necessarily find accommodation which is good value for money.

Extol Inn is amongst these hotels that have reasonable rates for good quality rooms, which makes it a good budget hotel. The hotel is located north of the centre, in Prague 7, a 10 minute tram ride from the centre. They offer both en-suite rooms (single, double, triple) and rooms with shared bathrooms. Thus, this is definitely something that would match your needs if you’re a family travelling on a shoe string budget, or just a group of backpackers travelling together, who don’t necessarily ned the comfort of an en-suite room.

Extol Inn also offers free wifi in the hotel, as well as a fitness centre – rather unusual for a budget hotel!

All in all, it’s quite a good choice if you’re looking for a budget hotel, and you don’t mind the 10 minute ride to the centre!

To get more information on Extol Inn, have a look at their website: http://www.extolinn.cz/english.html

What to do in only one day in Prague ?

Nicolas — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:18:43 +0000

If you spend only one day in Prague, just as a stop-over, or if you spend a week-end but also want to go out and enjoy the night life in Prague, here is what you could see in one day…

Start by going to the castle (Prazsky hrad).
If you get in by the main entrance (Hradcanske namesti) you’ll pass through the castle’s main gate, “Matthias gate”. There, the changing of the guard takes place every hour. Then, get to the 2nd courtyard and you’ll get to St Vitus Cathedral through a small passage. Unfortunately, you’ll have to get a ticket to see the inside of the cathedral (used to be free for a part of it…). Walk down through the 3rd courtyard to the Golden Lane, a very small street, Kafka used to stay in one of these small houses. Now, it’s mainly souvenir shops and tourists… but still, worth having a look.

Walk down the castle to Malostranske namesti, so as to get to Charles bridge (Karluv Most), more than 600 years old ! There are 30 statues on the balustrade, on each side of the bridge. In summer, you can climb up into the old bridge towers and enjoy the view (adult should be 50 CZK).

Cross the bridge and walk to the Old Town Square (Staromestské namesti), where you’ll see the famous astronomical clock. Every hour, you’ll see tons of tourists waiting for the hourly show (puppets going out). If you stay there to watch it, beware of the pickpockets! There’re not that many but better be cautious.

After this long walk, you can get to the nearest local pub to enjoy a nice Czech beer… but avoid the old town square, unless you’re ready to pay twice the price

Karlovy Lazne, Prague 1, old town

Nicolas — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:21:57 +0000

Karlovy Lazne is a well known night club in Prague, namely by tourists, as this is one of the biggest music club in Central Europe. It has 5 floors and each floor has a dedicated music style.

You may have heard about it and feel like checking it out, but it’s definitely nothing special. In fact, the interior rather looks like a big hall that has been rented for a large student party (which is why you’ll understand that at the end of the night it’s dirty everywhere), and the place is full of young teenagers, a great part of them being tourists.

It’s not really a place that we would recommend, unless you’re a big group of teenagers willing to try something a little different. Just a quick tip: some bartenders tend to keep (too often) your change, assuming all loose change is a tip… Finally be aware that you’ll have to pay to get in, and it’ll cost you more than 100 CZK if you get in after 10pm.

If you’re still curious and want to check their website: http://www.karlovylazne.cz/