New Year's Eve in Prague 08/09

New Year's Eve in Prague, booked with BusTravel of Trento, paid by credit card at a cost of 325€. Departure on 29 December from Milan, return on the afternoon of 2 January. Travel by touring coach. I left on my own and had asked to be paired in a room with another person to avoid the single supplement. Target age of the participants 18-35.

29 December 8.00 pm departure from Cascina Gobba in Milan (green line), I arrive half an hour early and there were already all 13 buses for all the European capitals. I had to find mine (bus 11). And off we go!! A stop about every 4 hours at the motorway services. The journey is long.

30 December 10.00 am we finally arrive in Prague; the hotel where we were to stay was the Hotel Olga, a three-star in Praha 7 (northern area). We unload the luggage and then check in around 2 pm. The first walks around the city. Afternoon resting, evening in a disco at the Duplex on the main avenue of Vaclavske Namesti 21, entry 300 crowns with a drink. Yes, a nice modern disco on the fifth and sixth floors with a panoramic view over the city; however it's very touristy, almost all Italians, all young people, few locals and few local girls.

31 December in the morning I had booked from the hotel a tour of the main tourist attractions with Martin Tour, lasting two hours for a cost of 350 crowns. The tour included a coach ride with headphones in over 27 languages, illustrating everything. From the old town to the Castle on the hill overlooking the city; here with a 40-minute stop to take photos and watch the changing of the royal guard; anyway it was really cold up here... Afternoon resting for the long night of the 31st. Dinner at the Mona Lisa restaurant in Opletalova 32/1567 Praha 1, right in front of Wenceslas Square. We were 10 people, we had eaten really a lot, water and wine to spare, finishing with dessert and coffee; the total cost not even 500 crowns (about 19€, in Italy it would have started at around €200). Then to the square to celebrate the countdown.

After about an hour we went dancing at the Mecca club in U Pruhonu 3 Praha 7, normally the entry costs 190 crowns. But for New Year's Eve the entry was 1290 crowns (€50). A Ministry of Sound night with nice house music and very fashionable, stylish people.

1 January lunch in the centre at the Italian restaurant-pizzeria il Castello in Vaclavske Namesti 20, then we split up, some in the centre for a tourist walk, and others instead to the Show Park in River Town Prague - Hall 18 - Bubenské nábreži - Prague 7. Evening at dinner in the surroundings of the hotel, and then in the centre at various disco clubs, several of which don't even charge an entry fee. Then we ended up at the Lavka in Novotného lávka 1, right beside the better-known Karlovy beside the Charles Bridge. A small but nice place with nice people, though few of them; clearly after the night of the 31st people still need to recover.

2 January 10.00 am early rise to clear the rooms and load the luggage onto the bus, meeting in front of the hotel around 6.00 pm in the afternoon for the return. In the afternoon departure and arrival the following morning around 7.30 am at the departure points.