Ever been to Prague?

dartboardio

Hi guys

Myself and my boyfriend are doing a trip to Prague and Krakow over the next few weeks.

Would love some advice or things to see? Is Prague still as cheap as it used to be?

We haven't done much travel around Central or Eastern Europe before so very excited.

I realise things will be quieter but imo that's the perfect time for us. We will have our masks and hand sanitizer with us at all times.

Is krakow cheap for eating and drinking?

Thanks!

Was in Prague a few times back in early 2017 .......... decent hotels were €60/night....... food was reasonable. Ridiculous amount of folk selling drugs on the streets.

I just had a wander around Charles Bridge, Old Town Square etc etc. Nice to be fair.

dartboardio

Augeo wrote: »

Was in Prague a few times back in early 2017 .......... decent hotels were €60/night....... food was reasonable. Ridiculous amount of folk selling drugs on the streets.

I just had a wander around Charles Bridge, Old Town Square etc etc. Nice to be fair.

Would it be worth staying for 5 nights or would you recommend only 2 or 3?

Thanks for info

I'd say 2 or 3 nights would be fine, it's pedestrian friendly etc etc.

Tenzor07

dartboardio wrote: »

Would it be worth staying for 5 nights or would you recommend only 2 or 3?

2 nights in Prague is just right, you can see all the sights in the v small old town and over the Charles bridge to the castle.. splash out on a hotel with a river view or even better with a view of the castle and bridge..

Krakow is my fav, bigger old town, very clean, loads of bars and restaurants, plenty to see and do in the town... With 5 nights you could go out to the Salt mines and the Auschwitz memorial museum too..

dartboardio

Tenzor07 wrote: »

2 nights in Prague is just right, you can see all the sights in the v small old town and over the Charles bridge to the castle.. splash out on a hotel with a river view or even better with a view of the castle and bridge..

Krakow is my fav, bigger old town, very clean, loads of bars and restaurants, plenty to see and do in the town... With 5 nights you could go out to the Salt mines and the Auschwitz memorial museum too..

Perfect. I appreciate the info!

Just out of curiosity, if we were to cut our visit to Prague short, maybe only do 3 nights there instead of 5, would you go anywhere in between for 2 nights?

bobbyy gee

it floods in winter and get bitterly cold

JoChervil

dartboardio wrote: »

Perfect. I appreciate the info!

Just out of curiosity, if we were to cut our visit to Prague short, maybe only do 3 nights there instead of 5, would you go anywhere in between for 2 nights?

On your way to Krakow stay for 2 nights in Wroclaw. It is the coolest town in Poland. Everything worth seeing is in a walking distance. And cheaper than Prague and Krakow.

completedit

Best city in the world. Its still cheap if you're coming from Ireland. But it can be as expensive as you make it

endacl

Augeo wrote: »

I'd say 2 or 3 nights would be fine, it's pedestrian friendly etc etc.

Very pedestrian friendly. But walk on the street parallel to the one everybody else is on if it’s busy. Will add about 100 yards, but save you lots of time.

Go to T-Anker for evening beers and food. They brew their own amazing bevvies, food is great, and there are almost 360 degree panoramic views over the city.

http://www.t-anker.cz/cs/novinky/

When you get there, you’ll think you’re in the wrong place and lost, because it’s on the roof of the shopping centre you’ll think you’ve mistakenly arrived at.

endacl

Don’t change money on the street. You’ll be given Belorussian roubles which look very similar to Czech currency, but aren’t worth the memory of a wet fart.

endacl

If you fancy exploring beyond, the Sedlec Ossuary is about 40 minutes away by train, and well worth a visit if you’re of a gothic frame of mind...

https://www.sedlec.info/

endacl

dartboardio wrote: »

Perfect. I appreciate the info!

Just out of curiosity, if we were to cut our visit to Prague short, maybe only do 3 nights there instead of 5, would you go anywhere in between for 2 nights?

Don’t cut it short. Well worth 5 nights.

dartboardio

JoChervil wrote: »

On your way to Krakow stay for 2 nights in Wroclaw. It is the coolest town in Poland. Everything worth seeing is in a walking distance. And cheaper than Prague and Krakow.

Funny you say that, I had just researched that place. Looks good. We might just do that, to cut the 8h train journey in half at least. Stay in wroclaw for 2 nights then straight to krakow.

Tenzor07

dartboardio wrote: »

Perfect. I appreciate the info!

Just out of curiosity, if we were to cut our visit to Prague short, maybe only do 3 nights there instead of 5, would you go anywhere in between for 2 nights?

You've only got like 7 nights, so unless you've got great flight times and maybe arranged transfers and private tours then you're putting yourself under pressure to see a lot in a short time... Adding another city would only work if you time it all v well...and with all the complications from Covid travel that just makes it more difficult...

dartboardio

Tenzor07 wrote: »

You've only got like 7 nights, so unless you've got great flight times and maybe arranged transfers and private tours then you're putting yourself under pressure to see a lot in a short time... Adding another city would only work if you time it all v well...and with all the complications from Covid travel that just makes it more difficult...

No, we only have 7 nights between those places. We are going to Prague for 5, then Krakow for 5 then Croatia, but looking to go somewhere in between Prague and krakow.

We aren't stuck for dates, we can be flexible, only our initial flight to Prague is booked, so we can spend as much or as little time as we like there really, and can cut or extend Krakow etc.

We will only be flying to Prague, and home again, all other transport will be done with train.

johnire

I wonder though how realistic it is to make plans like this with the way things are now?
I would have always meticulously planned trips well in advance of going but how can we do that now?
It’s just not that simple any more. Between having to wear masks all the time and social distancing measures even something as simple as a day trip becomes a much more complicated thing to organise. Maybe I’m wrong but I just don’t see how you can make those sort of plans that we once did so easily.

Tenzor07

johnire wrote: »

I wonder though how realistic it is to make plans like this with the way things are now?
I would have always meticulously planned trips well in advance of going but how can we do that now?
It’s just not that simple any more. Between having to wear masks all the time and social distancing measures even something as simple as a day trip becomes a much more complicated thing to organise. Maybe I’m wrong but I just don’t see how you can make those sort of plans that we once did so easily.

It's mostly possible, though things change weekly and you really have to have a backup plan and stay on top of the local news, so if a destination brings in more restrictions then where else can you go... I was meant to travel from UK to Istanbul until more restrictions came in and went to Greece instead for example.

Czech rep. will bring in more restrictions from next week, though bars and restaurants are still open but only until 10pm. After that the restrictions are similar to Ireland.

johnire

I completely agree with you but for me personally changing plans like that would prove very very difficult.
Maybe it’s just me but the hassle of having to cancel carefully laid plans at the last minute would be a nightmare. It’s not only flights but accommodation, local transport already booked, online bookings for day trips, museums,galleries etc. It’d be a logistical mess. Plus not forgetting the most important thing- the disappointment!
Certainly I think even if people are considering travelling again the days of multi city/ country trips are just not feasible. As I say maybe it’s just me!!

[oquote="Tenzor07;114763560"]It's mostly possible, though things change weekly and you really have to have a backup plan and stay on top of the local news, so if a destination brings in more restrictions then where else can you go... I was meant to travel from UK to Istanbul until more restrictions came in and went to Greece instead for example.

Czech rep. will bring in more restrictions from next week, though bars and restaurants are still open but only until 10pm. After that the restrictions are similar to Ireland.[/quote]

Tenzor07

johnire wrote: »

I completely agree with you but for me personally changing plans like that would prove very very difficult.
Maybe it’s just me but the hassle of having to cancel carefully laid plans at the last minute would be a nightmare. It’s not only flights but accommodation, local transport already booked, online bookings for day trips, museums,galleries etc. It’d be a logistical mess. Plus not forgetting the most important thing- the disappointment!
Certainly I think even if people are considering traveling again the days of multi city/ country trips are just not feasible. As I say maybe it’s just me!!

Accommodation reserved through Booking.com can be cancelled without penalty in a lot of cases, Ryanair will allow free flight changes too... For trains/day trips i'd pay on the day... Museums etc. well.. you're not going to lose a fortune anyways...

Not saying the OP is going to find traveling easy or making changes just because they've come on asking for advice but will be an experience for them anyways..

dartboardio

johnire wrote: »

I wonder though how realistic it is to make plans like this with the way things are now?
I would have always meticulously planned trips well in advance of going but how can we do that now?
It’s just not that simple any more. Between having to wear masks all the time and social distancing measures even something as simple as a day trip becomes a much more complicated thing to organise. Maybe I’m wrong but I just don’t see how you can make those sort of plans that we once did so easily.

Im just back from 2 months in Spain. Had to wear masks everywhere, didn't bother me at all. Almost finished my 2 week quarantine.. So I am finding travelling fine...

Maybe because I'm young and don't really worry about it too much, beyond the point of 'I can just book flexible free cancellation option'

I wear my mask everywhere, carry my hand sanitizer and keep my distance from people, all has become a normal part of life now, I don't think twice about it really, so I'm lucky that it feels like any other year for me apart from the new safety measures.

I've booked 7 nights in krakow for €110 which is an absolute bargain. And on all the forums it seems to be busy there, while being safe etc. We've booked the train from Prague to Wroclaw, obviously if that gets cancelled, we can fly, if that gets cancelled, we will re route.

Obviously god forbid if something happened in the morning like Poland banned Irish tourists, then we would just go somewhere else. No point tip toeing around in fear. The safety measures are there for a reason, so you can get on with life while being aware.

dartboardio

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Accommodation reserved through Booking.com can be cancelled without penalty in a lot of cases, Ryanair will allow free flight changes too... For trains/day trips i'd pay on the day... Museums etc. well.. you're not going to lose a fortune anyways...

Not saying the OP is going to find traveling easy or making changes just because they've come on asking for advice but will be an experience for them anyways..

Yeah ryanair is handy atm. We had booked flights to Portugal but now we amended them to fly into Prague a day later, for free!

I know some people might be a little afraid to travel at the moment, that's fair enough too, but generally just asking for things to do in Prague / Krakow, recommendations for local food to eat etc

johnire

I hear what you’re saying but for me personally it’s not that simple. I’ve x number of days Annual Leave a year which I’ve always used to the absolute maximum and this was only possible with careful and minute planning in advance. Changing plans for me at the last minute is simply not an option. I know you can book accommodation which is refundable but that’s the least problematic part. It’s all the other planning and organising that goes into a memorable trip. A lot of stuff simply isn’t refundable. I’m talking about prebooked concert, show ....whatever. For instance this year I had to cancel a trip that incorporated Argentina,Uruguay,Paraguay and Brazil. I spent the best part of a year planning it and everything-naturally-was cancelled. Without some sort of resolution to this mess we’re in I could decide to go again next year or the following year but the same thing could happen again. Another example- we were due to go to the Christmas markets in Basel and Strasbourg with a side trip to Luxembourg. The chances are the markets will be cancelled anyway but the point I’m making is that the excitement and anticipation of booking and planning a trip at the moment is gone.
How can you when there’s real possibility for one reason or not that it’ll be cancelled.
The other issue to is-and correct me if I’m wrong on this- restrictions imposed by either our government or the government of the country you’re going to are going to have a massive impact on proposed travel.
It’s all very well saying for example I plan to go to France for a week and on our(the Irish) side of things it’s ok but maybe the French will have their own set of restrictions on Irish citizens? Certainly with the way our numbers keep increasing I doubt we’re going to be welcome anywhere at the moment!

dartboardio wrote: »

Im just back from 2 months in Spain. Had to wear masks everywhere, didn't bother me at all. Almost finished my 2 week quarantine.. So I am finding travelling fine...

Maybe because I'm young and don't really worry about it too much, beyond the point of 'I can just book flexible free cancellation option'

I wear my mask everywhere, carry my hand sanitizer and keep my distance from people, all has become a normal part of life now, I don't think twice about it really, so I'm lucky that it feels like any other year for me apart from the new safety measures.

I've booked 7 nights in krakow for €110 which is an absolute bargain. And on all the forums it seems to be busy there, while being safe etc. We've booked the train from Prague to Wroclaw, obviously if that gets cancelled, we can fly, if that gets cancelled, we will re route.

Obviously god forbid if something happened in the morning like Poland banned Irish tourists, then we would just go somewhere else. No point tip toeing around in fear. The safety measures are there for a reason, so you can get on with life while being aware.

dartboardio

johnire wrote: »

I hear what you’re saying but for me personally it’s not that simple. I’ve x number of days Annual Leave a year which I’ve always used to the absolute maximum and this was only possible with careful and minute planning in advance. Changing plans for me at the last minute is simply not an option. I know you can book accommodation which is refundable but that’s the least problematic part. It’s all the other planning and organising that goes into a memorable trip. A lot of stuff simply isn’t refundable. I’m talking about prebooked concert, show ....whatever. For instance this year I had to cancel a trip that incorporated Argentina,Uruguay,Paraguay and Brazil. I spent the best part of a year planning it and everything-naturally-was cancelled. Without some sort of resolution to this mess we’re in I could decide to go again next year or the following year but the same thing could happen again. Another example- we were due to go to the Christmas markets in Basel and Strasbourg with a side trip to Luxembourg. The chances are the markets will be cancelled anyway but the point I’m making is that the excitement and anticipation of booking and planning a trip at the moment is gone.
How can you when there’s real possibility for one reason or not that it’ll be cancelled.
The other issue to is-and correct me if I’m wrong on this- restrictions imposed by either our government or the government of the country you’re going to are going to have a massive impact on proposed travel.
It’s all very well saying for example I plan to go to France for a week and on our(the Irish) side of things it’s ok but maybe the French will have their own set of restrictions on Irish citizens? Certainly with the way our numbers keep increasing I doubt we’re going to be welcome anywhere at the moment!

Sorry to hear about the trips that couldn't go ahead.

Yeah I get what you are saying regarding restrictions for entering those countries, but I've checked and its (currently) all good. No need for negative Covid tests or quarantine period when we arrive thank god.

At the moment there are no restrictions regarding flying out of ireland (to EU anyway) only advice not to travel.

dontpanic

i agree with another poster that I prefer Krakow. There probably isn't as much to see there as prague but there's something very quaint about it.

I would go prague, another city and krakow.

Enjoy!

johnire

Let’s hope it stays that way and enjoy all your travels!

dartboardio wrote: »

Sorry to hear about the trips that couldn't go ahead.

Yeah I get what you are saying regarding restrictions for entering those countries, but I've checked and its (currently) all good. No need for negative Covid tests or quarantine period when we arrive thank god.

At the moment there are no restrictions regarding flying out of ireland (to EU anyway) only advice not to travel.

feargale

endacl wrote: »

Don’t change money on the street. You’ll be given Belorussian roubles which look very similar to Czech currency, but aren’t worth the memory of a wet fart.

Prague is a beautiful city, but unless it has changed hugely in the ten or so years since I was there the place is crawling with chancers, dicey money-changers, yes, and lots of pickpockets too. Be very, very careful.
Krakow is more relaxed and has the best ice cream in Europe!

dartboardio

feargale wrote: »

Prague is a beautiful city, but unless it has changed hugely in the ten or so years since I was there the place is crawling with chancers, dicey money-changers, yes, and lots of pickpockets too. Be very, very careful.
Krakow is more relaxed and has the best ice cream in Europe!

Yeah I think we will just change our money over maybe in the local post office here in ireland or something instead. Would that be better?

Sounds good! Really looking forward to the trip.

Got an Air Bnb €100 for 7 nights. Sure where would ye get it :V

Godeatsboogers

Augeo wrote: »

Was in Prague a few times back in early 2017 .......... decent hotels were €60/night....... food was reasonable. Ridiculous amount of folk selling drugs on the streets.

I just had a wander around Charles Bridge, Old Town Square etc etc. Nice to be fair.

Get any drugs? Any good?

munchkin_utd

did I not hear that the Czech Republic has just declared a state of emergency because of their covid numbers which are second highest in Europe behind Spain

yep, that seems to be true, with the health system teetering on the brink of collapse
https://112.international/society/czech-republic-declares-state-of-emergency-again-due-to-covid-19-55196.html

there might be a better time to visit Prague than now.

Padraig Mor

dartboardio wrote: »

Yeah I think we will just change our money over maybe in the local post office here in ireland or something instead. Would that be better?

Sounds good! Really looking forward to the trip.

Got an Air Bnb €100 for 7 nights. Sure where would ye get it :V

Don't pay too much attention to scare stories - Prague isn't the crime hell hole some say it is! As a couple you're unlikely to get much of that sort of attention anyway, maybe the odd offer of 'Charlie'.

Money - just get it in the ATM of a large bank in Prague or the airport. If you're bringing euros, change them in one of the banks - you'll be fine. Just ask them to give you smaller notes - you might have trouble using 2000Kc notes in some places.

Prague is a fantastic city - probably my favourite in Europe. There was a very good walking tour posted here a good number of years ago (by a Prague based Boardsie) - I'll have a look for it if you want.

Tenzor07

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Don't pay too much attention to scare stories - Prague isn't the crime hell hole some say it is! As a couple you're unlikely to get much of that sort of attention anyway, maybe the odd offer of 'Charlie'.
Money - just get it in the ATM of a large bank in Prague or the airport. If you're bringing euros, change them in one of the banks - you'll be fine. Just ask them to give you smaller notes - you might have trouble using 2000Kc notes in some places.
Prague is a fantastic city - probably my favourite in Europe. There was a very good walking tour posted here a good number of years ago (by a Prague based Boardsie) - I'll have a look for it if you want.

Yea haven't been there in around 6 years but always felt safe, the police were always patrolling and moving on people who shouldn't be there...
In fact for tourists it's one hell of a lot safer in Prague city centre than Dublin, cleaner too and the Police more pro-active and visible...You get pick pockets anywhere there's crowds but as there's none in Prague now you can spot any trouble much easier..

dartboardio

munchkin_utd wrote: »

did I not hear that the Czech Republic has just declared a state of emergency because of their covid numbers which are second highest in Europe behind Spain

yep, that seems to be true, with the health system teetering on the brink of collapse
https://112.international/society/czech-republic-declares-state-of-emergency-again-due-to-covid-19-55196.html

there might be a better time to visit Prague than now.

Yeah seen that today actually, if things worsen we will re route, maybe start in Krakow instead of Prague, or Vienna.

Ill keep a close eye over the next week or so anyway.

feargale

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Yea haven't been there in around 6 years but always felt safe, the police were always patrolling and moving on people who shouldn't be there...
In fact for tourists it's one hell of a lot safer in Prague city centre than Dublin, cleaner too and the Police more pro-active and visible...You get pick pockets anywhere there's crowds but as there's none in Prague now you can spot any trouble much easier..

You are setting the bar low when you compare Prague to Dublin city centre.