Czech Republic - Prague

Prague... a magical and mysterious city!!! I had already been there a good 11 years earlier...(wow, how the years fly by eh...!) on a school trip in my fifth year. Even back then I had been pleasantly fascinated by this splendid city... not for nothing is it also called the Venice of the East, right!?!?... Anyway... the years pass and in my mind there's always this desire to go back... on my own and with the person I love. Finally the moment has come! As on every trip of mine... I do everything myself: I spend hours and hours on the internet, printing and downloading as much material as possible. First of all I find a stunning flight deal: SkyEurope, departing from Treviso, total cost for 2 people return Eur 101.00 + Eur 30.00 for luggage insurance (which isn't compulsory in any case, but as it was my first flight I preferred to take it!).

Happy with the purchase, I set about looking for a hotel that isn't too expensive and, above all, fairly close to the centre. After a careful selection among the various hotel websites on the internet, I narrow it down until I find the hotel that suits us: Euroagentur Crystal Palace - 4-star hotel - Mala Stepanska, 17 - 1399/17 Prague 2. Now all that's left is to find the best price for the room... I happen to come across the site - payment possible with a prepaid credit card (Visa Electron) - 4 nights bed and breakfast, total cost for 2 people Eur 201.00!!! The hotel also has its own website:

With hindsight, I can honestly say I was happy with this hotel: the location is very good... on one side the hotel is close to Wenceslas Square and on the other it's near a lovely park from which you can reach the metro B (yellow line) and the trams. Just nearby, moreover, is 'Pizzeria da Carlo' - excellent value for money... a restaurant and pizzeria where you can eat anything... from Italian cuisine (including pizza) to typical Czech cuisine. The staff are friendly and smiling. The beer (StaroPraga) is excellent even for someone like me who isn't used to alcohol. Back to the hotel: completely refurbished and renovated in 2006, the lobby and all the communal rooms are comfortable and tastefully furnished. The staff are kind, welcoming, friendly and ready to meet every need.

The Breakfast Room is furnished in warm colours that create a very homely atmosphere; what's more, the ceiling is made of glass panes, so you can admire the sky. Breakfast is served from 07.00 to 10.00, so it suits both early risers and sleepyheads. The food is varied and good. There are mini croissants, orange juices, eggs, sausages... a buffet breakfast for every taste. The room we were given (no. 203) was very pleasant: a roomy wardrobe, matching curtains and bedspread, a nice 32-inch plasma screen (satellite channels), a comfortable bed, a lovely desk with an armchair for planning the day's itinerary, and a bathroom that, though small, is very nice and well used: shower - hairdryer - soap and shower-gel dispenser. The towels are changed every day and the staff don't disturb your peace and privacy.

If I were to return to Prague, I'd certainly go back to this hotel and I warmly recommend it to everyone.

The city... well, what can I say... extraordinarily fantastic, majestic and stunning!!! We walked all over it.. the whole thing on foot... in fact I'm afraid to add up the kilometres... We arrived on the Friday afternoon...and as always the first day is about settling in... you have to work out where you are, how you can get around the city and all the rest.

On the Saturday, after a hearty breakfast, we begin our itinerary, strolling along Wenceslas Square (which in reality is more a boulevard about 1 km long than a square) - a very commercial area full of shops and local people asking if we want to change money and if we want smoke/marijuana... obviously we avoid them! There's no danger anyway, because police are everywhere, and if you happen to run into homeless people (there are many) there's nothing to fear because they don't bother you and keep to themselves. We continue our walk past the Powder Tower and the National Theatre until we reach the square with the astronomical clock and carry on towards Charles Bridge. In short... you don't know where to look first or what to admire first... all the houses and buildings are very tall and majestic, in Baroque and Art Nouveau style.

Arriving on Charles Bridge (500 metres long) we come upon the statue of Charles IV and admire the splendid view of the city... We spend a lot of our time on the bridge... since we find lots of street artists... from painters to craftsmen, local musicians, a friendly gentleman playing the classic barrel organ, another moving a marionette to the music, and so on... Reaching the end of the bridge we turn left, going down a flight of steps, and plunge into Kampa Island... an immense park running along the river... We venture off in search of the John Lennon wall and visit the very peaceful Mala Strana district, an area of embassies. Tired but satisfied we head back and take a break complete with cappuccino and a mega slice of cake to regain some strength. Shower at the hotel and out again for dinner.

On the internet I had found some good reviews for the restaurant 'U Glaubicu' near Charles Bridge. So we ask the very kind receptionist at the hotel to confirm and set off hungry in search of our refreshment. We find it right away - the first impression is positive - a homely, clean place, smiling, friendly staff. We order (the menu is translated into Italian and the prices are in both crowns and euros): Czech aperitif (Becherovka) - goulash with Czech bread dumplings (made of bread and potato... very good but not light at all!) - excellent Prague beer and homemade strudel! Good price: about Eur 25.00 for two! restaurant website: - Malostranské námestí 266/5 - 118 00 Praha 1 - Malá strana Amply satisfied, we head back to the hotel to rest and admire the enchanting view of Charles Bridge overlooked by the magnificently illuminated castle.

Sunday: the itinerary takes in the Jewish Quarter and the castle! First we visit the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery (ticket price 300 crowns each = about Eur 12.00) We follow the little path through the cemetery... you can't help stopping to look at all those graves and thinking of how many victims there were... On the way out, we continue towards the castle (still on foot). We reach the top and, as usual, take the classic photo with the castle guards... we watch the fascinating changing of the guard and go inside the castle into the first, second and third courtyards... The day draws to a close (in fact, to visit the castle properly takes more than half a day) and we head for the restaurant 'U Glaubicu'.. by now a tried and tested favourite.

On Monday, our last day of sightseeing, we take things very slowly, go back to the places that struck us most and wander around markets and shops looking for a souvenir. We also look for the Dancing House to take a few souvenir photos with this bizarre building.

On Tuesday, alarm at 06.00, quick breakfast and off by metro and tram to reach the airport.

Final thoughts: a splendid trip... we made very good use of it all