I'm visiting Prague this August and I'd like to stay in a hostel. Is there a place that you could recommend me? Preferably cheap... As I don't know too much about Prague yet, all other tips are welcome as well! What do I HAVE to see? Where should I definitely NOT go?

Hi. I have visited Prague twice. It's easily the most beautiful big city in Central Europe. It is enhanced by dramatic, not to say melodramtic changes in height (cf. Edinburgh and San Francisco). The older parts of the city are on both banks of the River Vltava and the whole of the old centre is visually dominated by Prague Castle (The Hrad), which is a vast complex. Absolute *musts* among the sights include:

1. The Hrad (on the left bank). Allow a whole day to visit (and be prepared to go back *s*)

2. The area between the Hrad and the river - the Mala Strana. It's a maze of gorgeous squares and steep streets and alleys leading up to the Hrad. (There are plenty of restaurants and cafés in this area). By the way many of the streets are so steep that you may just find that this part of city tests your physical fitness ...

3. On the other side of the river, the Stare Mesto, absolute *musts* include the Old Town Square, with the old city hall, the astonomical clock and eleven (?) streets leading off ... Look at some of the churches and palaces, too.

4. The area between the Old Town Square and the river. This is also a maze and has a wonderful mixture of mediaeval and Gothic buildings.

5. The Karluv Most - the Charles Bridge , started in 1357, which links the two parts of the old city. It has towers at both ends, niches with (mainly early 18th century) statues of saints - and no end of people trying to sell you prints and the like.

6. The New Town (Nove Mesto), which includes Wenceslas Square (actually oblong). You may find this a wee bit tacky, but it's also a must ...

7. It's worth exploring the heart of the Nove Mesto - the area behind Wenceslas Square, in particular Celetna, the Namesti Republiky and above all the new Town Hall, the **Obecni dum** - a gorgeous, eclectic building from the early years of the 20th century ...

8. Some people also visit Josefov, the old Jewish Quarter, but it's unspeakably depressing.

9. If you have time, you might also find the Zizkov area with its late 19th and early 20th century buildings interesting.

10. More generally, look out for magnificent *palaces*. Most of the grandees of the Habsburg domains - such as the Schwarzenberg family, the Czernin family and so on had vast palaces here. (Not all are open to the public, though)

As for accommodation, your best bet may be a private room. There are various room agencies with offices at the airport and the two main (that is international) railway stations. I used the 'Ave' agency, which used to have a good reputation, but I don't know whether it still exists under that name.

I hope this is of some use to you.

Hi Lo, I was in Prague today and I've been thinking about what to write because it's a pretty overwhelming task, but Bloomsby has handled it. So here's some information that might be useful as well:

The best place to eat lunch out is in my opinion Bakalar in Celetna. It's a small, pretty bufet just below street level in Celetna across from the University bookstore. It's got a good selection of hot Czech food and salads/sandwiches at out-of-town prices and there's no smoking. The ladies at the counter are very pleasant and they handle English and German pretty well. The best ice cream and ice cream cups you'll find at the Ovocny Bar at the very top of Wenceslaus Square just below the Museum metro entrance and beside the restaurant Cerny Baron. It looks narrow, but go up the stairs and have a great home-made ice cream cup. Yum.

The best free toilets in town are at the Obecni Dum (Municipal House). It's around the corner from Celetna and as Bloomsby points out, it's magnificent. The toilets are at the back of the kavarna to the left of the main entrance. Very spacious, very posh, very free. Right now and probably for a while there is an exhibition of some of Mucha's work upstairs and it's interesting. There are tours of the whole building, but they are expensive and the lines are long.

Bloomsby's right about the Jewish quarter. It is also very crowded and unbelievably expensive - 500 crowns gets you into 3 or 4 sites, whether or not you want to visit them all. But the exhibitions are good, and worth it if you are interested in that sort of thing.

The two best places to watch your bag carefully are the Charles Bridge and in front of the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square. That one in particular is an absolute garden party for pickpockets. Prague has no more thieves than any other major city, but if you think about it, that's still a respectable number, so be wary.

Best concerts - if you like classical, blow some money on the National Theatre or the Estates theatre.They're astoundingly beautiful and the quality of performance is world-class (but don't go to see Don Giovanni - it's horrible). Use the box office across from the Estates Theatre for both theatres and you'll find the prices reasonable. Don't let anyone buy your tickets for you and don't use an agency or they'll double the price. .Also, try to avoid the concerts that are advertized on the handbills you will be inevitably offered in the streets. They are, most of them, outrageously priced and the performers are by and large students who aren't paid. Best clubs I don't know, but check in the Prague Post. It's a weekly English newspaper and has entertainment listings.

Best places to unwind - The National Museum at the top of Wenceslaus Square. It's absolutely stunning and the Pantheon hall is quiet, cool and wonderful. Also, Kampa Island is great - just take the stairs down from the Charles bridge to the little square. Go through the square and you're in a big, lovely park. The Waldstejn Gardens on Mala Strana are lovely too.

Best souveniers in Prague - none. fuj, there's a big problem here. You've got a choice of horrible tacky tshirts, depressing tiny garnet necklaces, or a mindboggling selection of Russian and Ukranian sleaze. Really good souveniers you can buy in Brno. On the other hand, that's a money saver. Try all Antiquariats (used bookstores). They often have English and German books as well as Czech. More fun.

That's about it for now. If you've got any questions, don't be shy and contact me if I can help.

Wow! Thanks so much for all the information you wanted to share! I'll definitely take a print of it with me! I only decided to go to Prague two days ago and bought a train ticket only yesterday (normally I'm not that impulsive ), so I haven't found any time yet to read some books on Prague, but in my opinion nothing is as good as people's own experiences.
Because I've never been to a country without speaking it's language, I'm gonna try hard to learn some Czech over the next four weeks, so wish me luck!!!

And of course, all info is still welcome! I'll let you know if I need to know some specific things, but thanks so much already, Bloomsby and Dobrov!

Lo. All the very best of luck with your attempts to learn Czech!

If you can, try to find time to look at a really good books of photos of Prague. One of the very best is by the Czech photographer, Karel Plicka and was published in Prague in 1940. I imagine it's just possible that a really big library might have a copy ... It will give you some idea of the meaning of the saying attributed in Czech folklore to Princess Libussa: 'A city will arise in Bohemia whose beauty and glory will reach to the heavens. It will be called Praha'.

Taxi drivers in Prague have a very bad reputation. The (British) Foreign Office recommends AAA Taxis and Profitaxis.