Review: Prague , Beautiful , but not cheap anymore !

mathias · 26-02-2008 4:46pm #1

Just a quick report on a four day trip to Prague.

So its anniversary time again for myself and the Missus and I thought a nice city break would be in order , Id heard a lot about Prague and looked up some flights on the net along with some hotel rooms etc.

We arrived in Prague airport about 8 pm last Wednesday night , we didnt really want to carry luggage around the metro on our first visit to the city so we got a cab , it was 700 CZK , which is about 28 euro , for a 9K trip to the city , meh , about the same as Dublin and all the guide books said cabs were expensive anyway , but it was quick so we didnt mind.

We stayed in the Prague castle hotel , a new hotel with a great location which we got for an off season price , very good value , and only about 200 yards away from the old castle steps , approx a 10 minute walk away from old town square and we could see Charles bridge from the hotel window.

Dumped the bags in the room and went straight out looking for something to eat.

The city is beautiful , a lot like paris in that every corner holds a surprise , it really is something to see , Charles bridge is especially fascinating at night , Very Gothic , very spooky.

Its a superstitious part of the world , lots of famous Haunted places and so on , there is very little in way of spicey food to be had as local legends attribute spicy food to the Devil !!

Beef Ghoulash and dumplings are everywhere , nice enough , howeever most restaurants are expensive , charging 15 to 20 euros for a main course and well over 25 euros for a bottle of wine.

Some bars/eating halls have a good natured rowdy atmosphere to them , with a sort of oktoberfest mood going on , singing and drinking and brass bands and so on , good fun.

There is too much to see , four days makes for a busy schedule if your going to get all the sights in. Prague castle alone will take a whole day , its a fascinating sight with that huge and impressive gothic Cathedral , St Vitus , taking up most of the day , one of the highlights of the trip.

Old town square would be next on the list with the Astronomical clock , calendarium and various Renaissance , romanesque and gothic architecture , including the church of our lady of Tyn being a jaw dropping sight.

The superstition again pops up here , with the mummified arm hanging in the entrance of St James and not to far away the grave of the Rabbi who created a Golem to protect the Ghetto !! Good stuff , sets an atmosphere anyway.

The city is divided into four sections , the lesser quarter , the jewish quarter , the old quarter , and the new quarter , all within easy walking distance by the way , so no real need to get expensive taxi trips at all , there is a tram service which is very reasonable and if you get lost the thing to do is to get on a tram till you see one of the many many recognisable landmarks.

All in all a very romantic and interesting time was had by both of us , I couldnt recommend the place more , the only downsides were Wenceslas square , not a very nice area at all , quite seedy in fact , and the pricing.

Prague castle alone was 50 euro for 2 tickets , you can walk around the grounds for free , but if you want to see inside thats how much it is.

Meals were the same as in Dublin , with bread , vegetables and any other thing the waiter puts on the table costing extra , so watch out for menu prices , which list the price for the main meal only.

Most bars around the tourist area were again very expensive , with a 300ml beer costing nearly 4 euro , and G & T's nearly twice that , go off the beaten track and you can find much better , but they would be for the adventurous only , with some dodgy looking bars doing happy hours for 1 euro a drink , but for those prices the extras are usually drug dealers and ladys of the night ,

A great city , a safe and beautiful city and well worth a visit , but they have taken some tips from the Irish and it is no longer the cheap destination we were told about by friends.

BuffyBot · 26-02-2008 6:17pm

Thanks for the report

Prague was cheap a couple of years ago, but not so much now - especially with the tourist influx. Still, a nice place to visit though.

heathersonline · 26-02-2008 6:41pm

Oh great, I thought Wenceslas square was meant to be nice so booked a hotel there, got a good review on trip advisor, is it really that bad?!! :eek:

mathias · 26-02-2008 7:09pm

Yes , change it if you can , Wenceslas square is the " red light " district , you dont want to be staying there ! Probably great for a gang of " lads " but definitely not a couples place or a family place.

It has some sights to see ,such as the statue of wenceslas and the plagues to the revolutions and jan palac but do that during the day , not after dark !! As we found out , the working ladies have no qualms about propositioning couples !!

Raekwon · 28-02-2008 11:29am

Yeah Prague is getting more and more expensive every year, it's actually really weird because people's wages over there are generally quite poor (a person on the dole here gets around the same money as an average full time employed person in Prague) so they must really struggle. Good help them when they convert to the €uro currency.

As for Wenceslas Square, avoid it at all costs if possible. It is similar to O'Connell Street but with added prostitutes, pick pockets and African guys hassling you to go to strip clubs.

Padraig Mor · 28-02-2008 2:12pm

While the "tourists joints" are indeed often rip offs, a few steps (literally) will often get you to very reasonably priced bars and restaurants. Any bar charging more than 40Kc for a large beer - forget it. If you're staying near Narodni, the area behing the National Theatre has quite a few restaurants serving quality food for decent prices.

Re Wenceslas Square: while it gets bad press, I don't think it's that bad. While it is certainly frequented by hookers, drug dealers and pickpockets at night (it's usually fine by day), contrary to another poster I find that they completely ignore couples. Except the guys pushing coke that is, but they're easily ignored. Groups of guys, though, will be hounded. Oh, and there are some great apartments on the corner of the square and Vodickova.

P. Breathnach · 28-02-2008 3:38pm

There seem to be two markets in Prague, one priced for tourists and one for locals. Go to a tourist restaurant, and you pay high prices; go to a one with a mainly local clientele, and it's very cheap. How do you know which is which? The tourist ones are in or near the places that tourists want to see; they have tablecloths or other touches of "class", or they are exaggeratedly rustic; the big giveaway is menus in many languages.

Prague taxis are, I think justifiably, notorious. Even after I had agreed a fare in advance with a driver (the best thing to do) he tried to bump it up by 200Kc. A local told me that he pays about one-fifth as much to use taxis as does the average visitor.

Another thing to watch for: restaurant bills are often inflated by including things you never ordered, by charges that are invented by staff (e.g. adding a service charge where service is included in the price), or simply by adding up incorrectly.

The city is beautiful. It's a great pity that so many in the tourism industry try to rip you off. It leaves a bad taste.

mathias · 12-03-2008 12:12am

:mad:I Recently came back from a very nice trip in Prague , reported on here in another post , however a warning to anyone planning on going there ,

The hotel were stayed in , Prague Castle hotel , approx 100 meters from the old castle steps , overcharged us by 20% , I have been in a lengthy correspondence with Visa and the hotel and they say that it is normal in Prague for hotels to have their own exchange rate , their ( the hotels) words , and they charged my credit card according to this exchange rate which resulted in an extra 20% added to my bill.

Note that nowhere on the bill or on their advertised Euro prices on the Web , do they say that they are using an inflated CZK to euro exchange rate to arrive at their advertised prices , and the bill was in Euro with no mention of the exchange rate they were using , they charged my card in CZK , not euro , resulting in a 20% increase in price.

The best way to avoid this deliberate deception is to pay cash for the hotel , dont attempt to use your credit card or you will most likely be ripped off , in this hotel at least.

Its a shame to see such a beautiful trip tainted by this fraudulent practice.

See quote here from the hotel : Note that 1 euro is currently 25 CZK ...

Dear Mr. Cxxxxxx,
as I supposed difference became by exchange rate. Hotel uses ex. rate 1
EUR = 28 CZK
In attached invoice you can see total price in CZK 9 714,00 / 28 =
346,93 EUR. Your credit card has been charged by CZK 9 714,00 , you can
check you receipt.
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do more for you. This is leagal
procedure and we advise it in our final confirmation.
Thank you very much for your understanding.
Kind Regards,
Olga
Guest Service / Kundenberatung

RESERVATION OFFICE
e-climb s.r.o.
Olga Zrcková
e-mail: office@prague.st
tel: +420 284 693 268
skype ID: Prague.st.olga

BuffyBot · 12-03-2008 12:41am

Joining these together as it's probaby useful to have that advice attached to the main review thread

Irish Gunner · 12-03-2008 9:52am

Be careful when the put nuts,crisps, bread on your table. Things you think are complimentary

They charge you for them and any extra you may get

Tried this with me and I would not pay I paid for the beers and walked off:mad:

Padraig Mor · 12-03-2008 10:13am

mathias wrote: »

:mad:
The hotel were stayed in , Prague Castle hotel , approx 100 meters from the old castle steps , overcharged us by 20% , I have been in a lengthy correspondence with Visa and the hotel and they say that it is normal in Prague for hotels to have their own exchange rate , their ( the hotels) words , and they charged my credit card according to this exchange rate which resulted in an extra 20% added to my bill.

Note that nowhere on the bill or on their advertised Euro prices on the Web , do they say that they are using an inflated CZK to euro exchange rate to arrive at their advertised prices , and the bill was in Euro with no mention of the exchange rate they were using , they charged my card in CZK , not euro , resulting in a 20% increase in price.

The best way to avoid this deliberate deception is to pay cash for the hotel , dont attempt to use your credit card or you will most likely be ripped off , in this hotel at least.

Its a shame to see such a beautiful trip tainted by this fraudulent practice.

See quote here from the hotel : Note that 1 euro is currently 25 CZK ...

Surely if they had charged you at 25 CZK to the euro it would have cost you more?

Blk150 · 12-03-2008 11:00am

Yeah.Was in prague a few weeks back and the place is still rockin but it is no longer as cheap as chips:(

Unshelved · 12-03-2008 11:25am

Mathias
What you have experienced sounds like dynamic currency conversion or DCC for short. It's an outrageous practice where where the merchant writes up the charge in your local currency (whether that be USD, CAD, AUS, or whatever) and frequently adding a hefty percentage surcharge to the appropriate exchange rate.

If you are travelling outside the eurozone and you are asked whether you want to be charged in your credit card in the home currency or euros ALWAYS say the home currency. Otherwise the vendor (shop, hotel whatever) absolutely fleeces you on currency charges, and your credit card company does the same.

You have my sympathies - it's not a nice thing to be ripped off like that.

Coillte_Bhoy · 13-03-2008 6:20am

Was there in Sept and staye din a hotel just off Wenceslas Square. TBh i didnt find it too bad. It's grand during the day and even at night walking there on my own had no problem. You will be approached by dealers, hookers etc but just ignore the and they wont really bother you. It's also only 1 10 min walk to the old town.

Slunk · 27-03-2008 1:57pm

Going over here in a few weeks. Luckily enough Ill have the Czech fella from work with me. He'll know where to go and where not too.

Wheelhaus · 29-03-2008 9:01pm

Thats mad. I was in Prague over the summer and was shocked about how cheap it was. You should never get a taxi in Prague as they rip you off so much. I got a taxi with a local czech girl and the price difference was crazy.

Everyone go to Krakow in Poland. Now THATS cheap.

donaghs · 03-04-2008 8:59am

I was there less than then years ago and it was quite cheap.
When I visited recently, eating out is generally still cheaper than Ireland. But I was shocked to see that clothes shops and a supermarket like Tesco was basically the same price as Ireland.

Even if wages have gone up hugely I was still shocked to see prices rise that fast.

Degsy · 04-04-2008 9:54am

I was there in november and found it incredibly cheap and very good value.Thetrick is to avoid anywhere near the astronomical clock,especially those places directly across from it.Avoid wencesslas square after dark(except U Pinkasu round the corner).You'll find great value meals and drinks just the slightest bit off the beaten path,i found the area over Charle's bridge on the cathedral side extremely cheap.As for overcharging,its very easy to avoid.if they put a basket of bread down on the table,send it back,they wont be offended and its all part of the game.Even if you dont touch the bread,it'll show up on the bill.I was in one place only where the waitress tried to do us out of our change(about 6 euro),we made a point of asking for it back and NOT giving her a tip..she probably wont do it so readily again!A beer should cost about 40ck,a decent main course about 300ck.If you're paying much more than this go somewhere else.Oh yeah, a few words of basic czech dont hurt to know either,you'll be treated much better!

IamMetaldave · 04-04-2008 12:51pm

My Girlfriend and I have been to Prague for the last 3 years running, it has most certainly gotten more expensive with each passing year, but it is still very easy to find very reasonably priced eating and drinking. You just have to look.

In all the times we have been there, I have not once come across anything bad on Wenceslas Square. There is absolutely no comparison to O'Connell Street. I have walked through it at all hours of the day and night and never felt in anyway threatened. A friend of mine is just back from Prague, he and his girlfriend stayed on Wenceslas square and neither had any issues either..

ixus · 15-04-2008 8:25pm

Was in Prague in October '06 and really enjoyed it.
Didn't find it expensive really.

Used these guys to get to & from airport and had no problem with the cost. Pretty friendly bunch too.

Went to these two restaurants.They were expensive, about €100 for 2, but we knew that before going. Worth every penny, better than most, if not all the restaurants I've eaten in in Ireland. Note: get a taxi to aromi.

Stayed in this hotel and I thought it was perfect, especially the location.

On the expense side of things, I'd add to peoples calls to go off the beaten track. I found this one pub that served great, cheap beer and the hottest chicken wings I've ever tasted! It was on the other side of the square to the hotel, down a side street and underground. Looked like a dingy spot from outside but was a really nice bar.

Also, booked the hotel through needahotel.com and had no issues with FX rate.

Finally, for shopping, we asked the hotel receptionist where would be good. She sent us on the metro a couple of stops down (20 mins maybe). The little lady was so happy with the clothes she got, especially seeing as they couldn't be found in Ireland

. The main square had nothing out of the ordinary.

Use tripadvisor for latest info.

Review: Prague , Beautiful , but not cheap anymore !

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