Visit Prague

[mama squeak!]

I'm back!  Saya ng Prague trip namin in spite of a booking mix-up. Right now I can say and agree with my friends that Prague is prettier and CLEANER than Paris. LOL!  But of course Paris will still be one of my favorites. Anyway, here was our actual IT.

Day 1  -  Arrived Prague at 9AM on board an overnight train from Amsterdam. In fairness maganda ang main train station ng Prague better than Amsterdam's or Paris pa. The Czech name for their main train station is Praha Hlavní Nádraží and abbreviation is Praha hl.n.

At the station we bought our 3 day (72 hours) transfer ticket at KC310 (Php667) and a one day transfer ticket KC110 (Php236). Since we were staying for 5 days we planned to use the 3 day pass the next day pa while the 1 day pass was for the metro that will take us from the train station to our hotel and the rest of our sightseeing for the day. Plus the one day pass includes the luggage fee na. Ordinarily the short term ticket KC24 (30 minutes) does not include the luggage fee which is an additional KC16 per piece. Their transport pass is good for the metro (3 lines only!), trams and buses. Here's their website.

The one day pass we bought at the train ticket counter while the 3 day pass is only available at the Tourism Office also located inside the the station. We also bought a map at the Tourism office which had all the tram, bus and metro lines indicated. Yung binibigay usually ng hotels kasi is not as comprehensive as the ones that you buy.

By the way, I was so happy that there was a Citibank ATM right at the station kaya I just withdrew from there. At least no charges involved.

Due to a mix-up in our hotel bookings we ended up staying at the Ibis Old Town Prague for a night. It was actually a blessing since the next hotel we stayed at for the remaining trip was way better in service, location and price.

Our first hotel was located at Republic Square (Náměstí Republiky) and adjacent to their big shopping mall, Palladium (did a bit of shopping at H&M and Zara hehe  ). We walked to Old Town Square ( Staroměstské náměstí) passing through the Old Town Bridge tower. At Old Town Square you find the Astronomical Clock, St. Nicholas Church, Tyn Church, Old Town Hall, Jan Hus monument and the different colorful Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Further on towards the Vltava river we crossed the Charles Bridge ( Karlův most). Grabe andaming tao since it was a bit late in the day na! Kaya pictures namin andaming extra 

From Charles Bridge we walked towards Lesser Town (Malá Strana) to Our Lady of Victory church where the Sto. Nino de Praga is enshrined (Pražské Jezulátko). We also saw the Pinoy Store hehe you won't miss it as it is right across the church. At the church we bought rosaries and medallions. No need to wait for mass to have them blessed just ask the cashier and they'll direct you to the Sacristy. Just knock on the door and a nun will answer and call the priest for blessing. Natuwa pa yung pari sa amin when he found out we were from Manila. He gave us a bunch of prayer leaflets and Sto. Nino posters sabay sabi "Mabuhay!" 

We also went to their museum where the different robes of the Sto. Nino were on display. Not being biased or anything but among the robes on display pinakamaganda yung donation ni Ben Farrales done in pure pina. No fees just a donation for the museum.

From the church we took the metro to Wenceslas Square where the National Museum is. Di na kami pumasok since we didn't have time na so just took pictures of it and the square. Then dinner na kami at the nearby Vytopna Restaurant. Kaaliw this restaurant, the place is surrounded by miniature train tracks and all their drinks are brought to you by miniature trains. I discovered this when they were featured in one travel show I saw in Bangkok. Since they are always full it is a good idea to make reservations so I made one before leaving Manila. And I'm glad we did as talaga naman andaming waiting for vacant tables. Here's their website. The food was good most specially their beers! And they have huge servings ha. I couldn't finish mine kaya si hubby ended up eating my leftovers. I wrote about our experience in my blog that I finally started!

Haba na post ko! To be continued na lang the rest of our IT. 

[mrs research]

^^ Yaaaay! thanks for the resto tip! Add ko yun sa IT namin for lunch.

Hindi na kami magovernight train via Vienna bec nagsale sa wizzair 27Eur nett na lang yung Venice to Prague pero gusto ko parin mapasok yung loob ng  Praha hl.n station.

Madami daw pokpok sa Wenceslas Sq at night? I actually wouldn't be able to recognize a prositute from an overly dressed European girl  so  the thought of it  doesn't bother me. Mejo kelangan lang  siguro mag ingat kasi pag shady area  iniisip ko lagi madaming snatchers din.

[mama squeak!]

^Wala naman ako napansin probably because we left soon after dinner around 9PM. Marami pa rin tao during that time at the square. It was a long day for us kaya di na kami nag-ikot around the area.

I forgot to mention during our first day in Prague we also went to see Fred and Ginger otherwise known as the Dancing House or building (Tančící dům). Kaaliw itsura nya. We didn't go inside since it's just an office building with resto at the rooftop so we just took pictures of it.

For day 2 of our IT, we checked out early and brought our bags to the second hotel we were to stay at for the rest of our trip. From there we took tram no. 22 to Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) and got off at the Pražský hrad stop (variant no. 1). Here's the website.

The castle complex was huge and we spent the better half of the day exploring the area. We got the short visit ticket for KC250 (Php536) since we were only interested on the following sites: St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, Old Royal Palace, Golden Lane with the Daliborka tower. Don't forget to buy a photo license of KC50 (Php107) otherwise you can't take pictures inside the attractions. The photo license is good for one visiting party in our case dalawa na kami ni hubby.

From the castle, we took the tram to the Jewish Quarters only to find out the museums and attractions were closed due to a Jewish holiday (Yom Kippur). So we ended up walking around the area, maganda naman kasi and you won't get bored. So many beautiful buildings and shops! By the time we realized it we were back in Namesti Republiky. Ganun ka-compact ang city, madali lakarin.

On day three, we took the tram and funicular (covered by the transport pass) to Petrin Hill and climbed the observation tower. The tower is like a small version of the Eiffel Tower. It was also built for an expo way back in the 1800s. You get great views of the city from here. Instead of taking the funicular down, hubby and I decided to walk down. Normally it would take one around 45 minutes to walk down the hill but we spent an hour and a half since we couldn't stop taking pictures of the park. Ganda!

We decided to go back to the Jewish Quarters (Josefov) and bought the KC300 (Php643) pass good for the following sites:
1. The Maisel Synagogue
2. The Spanish Synagogue
3. The Pinkas Synagogue
4. The Old Jewish Cemetery
5. The Klausen Synagogue
6. The Ceremonial Hall

Here's their website.

From Josefov we just walked to Old Town square and had a very late merienda of roasted meat with bread, Trdelnik (traditional Czech cake pastry) and crepes!

Okay, next post ko na lang our days 4 and 5. 

[foxymom]

wow mama squeak, i will just follow whatever you did! hahahaha   thank you!!!!

[mama squeak!]

^sure, sis! For first time visitors it can be a bit overwhelming. But I'm sure when you get there you'll be revising the IT according to what suits you. 

For day 4, hubby and I went back to the castle compound (Hradcany). We took the same no. 22 tram but instead of getting off at Pražský hrad  (variant 1) we stayed on and got off at Pohořelec (variant 2). There are LED displays inside the tram that will indicate the next stop so have a look out lang on the display so you won't miss your stop.

We walked around the area and went to see the following:

1.) Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)- there are two churches inside the compound, an ornate library and museum. Just be sure you don't visit nearing 12 noon as they close for lunch. At the back of the monastery is a restaurant/brewery with indoor/open air seating. Nice to have lunch here while enjoying the great view of the city.

2.) Hotel Questenberk - former palace of a bishop now converted into a hotel and restaurant. It still has the original crucifix right in front of it. Akala namin ni hubby nung una simbahan yun pala hotel/restaurant.

3.) Loreto Prague (Loreta) - here you'll find a church and several chapels plus a treasury. Very worth a visit!

After visiting the above hubby and I just walked around the area leading to the courtyard of the castle. From the castle courtyard you get a very good view of the city down below. Then we walked towards Mala Strana passing embassies and consulates on the way down. We ended up at Old Town Square where we took a tram home. 

Day 5 and check-out time. Since our overnight train to Strasbourg wasn't leaving until 6PM, we left our bags at Aparthotel City 5 (our hotel/studio) and visited an open air farmers market just across the Vltava river and at the foot of Vyšehrad castle. Dun na kami naglunch sabay feeding the swans and ducks swimming by the river. Aliw! Sarap din ng food nila. That's where we bought na rin our dinner for our train ride.

After lunch we went up the Vyšehrad castle compound. Ikot-ikot lang kami ni hubby killing time before we had to go back and pick up our bags at 3PM. By 4PM we were at the main train station na. Good thing there was a separate lounge for first class ticket holders kaya medyo nakapahinga pa kami ni hubby. Plus they had wifi kaya happy kami updating our FB pages. LOL! 

By 6PM we were at the platform boarding the train to France. Goodbye, Prague! Hello, France! 

[annecel]

Hi sisses! Would you recommend a day trip to Prague from Vienna? We will be in Vienna for less than 3 days kasi and was wondering if a day trip to Prague would be worth it.I know it's short, but they say Prague is really such a wonderful city!

TIA!

[foxymom]

Yes! I havent been to Vienna but Prague is my most loved place now. Small, romantic, and mysterious

[mama squeak!]

^^I have been to both Vienna and Prague. I was in Vienna for a week and Prague for five days. Both cities are beautiful!

If you were to ask me, with only three days in Vienna, I'd rather spend the whole time there. There is so much to see and do there. Three days is not enough to do the city justice. Trying to squeeze in Prague will be too bitin also. Save Prague for another trip. Longer if you can manage it. It definitely is a romantic place.

 

[pretinnes]

^sis may i ask how much RT from
Manila? Range lang. Thanks!

[mama squeak!]

^sis, there are no direct flights to Prague from Manila. You will have to connect from another European city. Price range including connecting flights will probably set you back around USD1300 to USD1500++ (depends on travel dates).

Hubby and I took Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong to Amsterdam. We spent 5 days in Amsterdam then took the overnight train to Prague.

 

[melodymedley]

Time to review everything I've planned. Leaving next week na.
Our first stop is Prague! Will be with a college classmate on this trip, pero maghihiwalay din kami along the way to pursue other cities/countries.


My Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Prague 10:50am
   Avail of pick-up service
   Get 72 hours pass
   
   Old Town Square:
   Astronomical Clock
   St. Nicholas Church
   Tyn Church
   Old Town Hall
   Jan Hus monument
   Different colorful Renaissance and Baroque buildings
   
   Charles Bridge
   Lesser Town (Malá Strana)
   Our Lady of Victory (Sto. Nino de Praga)
   Fred and Ginger - Dancing House Building
   Take metro to Wenceslas Square
   Wenceslas Square:
   * Vytopna Railway Restaurant is located in Nové Město (New Town) along Wenceslas Square
   National Museum   
   
Day 2: Take Tram 22 to Prague Castle
        Buy permit to take pics
   Lesser Town
   Nerudova Street
   Kampa Island
   
Day 3: Take tram and funicular to Petrin Hill
   Jewish Quarters
   Go back to other places na pwede
        Souvenir shopping
   
Day 4: Fly from Prague to Greece via Aegean Air   
08:00 Depart Hostel   Check out. Take metro.
09:00 Arrive in Prague Airport   
11:10 Depart Prague   

Questions:
1) Anyone here who landed in Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague? How's the commute from the airport to city center? Commute from airport to our hostel takes 50 mins daw - assuming we don't get lost of course. I am thinking of availing a shuttle service na maghahatid samin sa hotel. Cost for 1-4 people for 550 CZK total. Journey is 20 mins.
2) May ATM naman surely sa airport no? I will do ATM withdrawal of CZKs.
3) May nabibilhan ba ng 72 hour pass sa airport? Or dapat sa train station talaga sya? <i>Answering my Q: There are info booths in Vaclav Havel Airport T1 and T2.</i>
4) Any good souvenirs here? Tipong pwede pa sa luggage because will till be flying across countires.

Thanks to those who can share their insights.
Time to read the Spain and Greece threads too.

[mama squeak!]

^Hehe melodymedley looks familiar your IT    Definitely doable. Definitely lots of walking too. Souvenir items: marionettes/wooden puppets, Czech crystals and beads, Easter eggs.

Enjoy your trip!

[melodymedley]

^Copy paste noh? Hahaha. 
Thanks for the advise on the souvenirs.
Am reviewing your blog posts again mama squeak.
Would CZK 1,000/day budget for meals be enough?
Our breakfast would be 170 CZK sa hostel, unlimited breakfast buffet yun.
Am figuring out now how much CZK to withdraw.

[mama squeak!]

^Ako rin i-copy paste ko yung Spain and Greece mo in the future 

CZK1,000 a day for meals lang? Wow! Sobra-sobra na yan if you're a moderate eater ha. Wag ka lang sa mga high-end restaurants kumain may sukli ka pa. Actually even sa Vytopna na medyo touristy, I find their food and drinks affordable. I even made a comment to my hubby na para lang kaming kumain sa Greenbelt.

Average for lunch with drinks, let's say CZK150-200. Dinner with drinks CZK200-300, then snacks mo mga CZK50-100. You can even skip lunch since unli pala yung breakfast nyo    If you want to make tipid some more, you can check out their fresh open markets. The ones na napuntahan namin were at Namesti Republiky (daily and beside Old Town Square), Andel and Vysherad (weekends only). Their breads/pastries, meats and fruits are so good. Mura pa!

Totoo talaga yung mga nagsasabi sa min before na affordable pa as of now ang Prague when you compare it to other western European cities.

I still have two or three blogposts I owe on my Prague experience. Napa-busy lang  I hope to finish them soon.

[vain_kixie]

melodymedley, pa copy your IT ha. We'll be in Prague  for 4 days too. Sakto your itinerary. We'll be flying
to either Milan or Rome after. Still drafting the itinerary. Pero we bought tickets na to Prague. $138 one way from
Tel Aviv (must love seat sale)

[melodymedley]

Buti na lang na-impluwensyahan ako dito to include Prague in my itinerary!
Prague is such a dream-like city. It is like being in an old fairy tale.

Hostel: Miss Sophies Hostel. Stayed in a dorm room for 5 with e suite bathroom. This is near Stepanks Station of Tram 22 and I.P. Pavlova in the metro. Excellent dorm. Apartment sya with a very very spacious bedroom. Pwedeng pwede mag-yoga kaming 5 sa dorm sa gitna ng room. CZK 1,800 for three nights sya - aprrox EUR 22-23 per night.

Restos/Meals:
Pivovarsky Dum - two blocks away from our hostel. Serves great Czech beer. I am not a fan of beer, I just drink them to socialize. But their Dark beer is AWESOME. Average cost of meal: CZK 250-300/pax.

Food stalls in Old Town Square - just be careful that the prices are sometimes "per 100grams" and not per serving. And sometimes, fixed yung service size.

Paul's bakery - yummy macaroons!

We had no breakfast sa hostel so we bought bread from convenience stores and ate in the hostel before going out.

Yung KFC/McDo and other shops nila, may PIN code when you enter sa bathroom. Yung pin code, nasa receipt. So hindi ka pwede mag-CR lang. Unless makiki-piggyback ka sa papasok ng restroom or grab a receipt floating somewhere.

Itinerary:
Day 1 - flew into Vaclav Havel Airport. I withdrew CZK 5,500 from the ATM. We decided to be senoritas and reserve a shuttle from the airport to our hostel. The van rental is CZK 550 from the airport to the city center for 1-4 pax. Eh 2 naman kami. Way pricier than taking public transpo but we opted for convenience.

Day 2 - Explored Prague Castle. Went to the Prague Food Festival which was held in the Castle Gardens. Kami lang ata foreigner sa buong event.

Day 3 - Petrin Hill. Jewish Quarters. Lennon Wall. Mala Strana. Other side of Charles bridge.

Day 4 - left for Athens. Also used the shuttle service going to the airport. 

Pasalubongs: Ummm.... lots of touristy stuff. They have marionette dolls, but I doubt you want to buy or carry them home.

There were some...um...perhaps shady people roaming around at night so I was just careful with my stuff.

[vain_kixie]

melodymedley, you think its better to stay in Prague 1 or Prague 2 is an okay area din?
I like it that when I get out of the apartment/ hotel there would be lots of restaurants and near the tourist spots para
walk walk nalang.

[melodymedley]

^vain_kixie: We stayed in Prague 2 area (Melounova 3, Praha 2.) and we had no difficulties getting around and going to the tourist spots with our pass. There were a lot of really good restos around our area. And their prices are 100-150 CZK cheaper than those in the city center. Kaya masayang masaya magwala at magwaldas sa pagkain dun sa area namin.

There are some hotels in the Old Town area (Prague 1) and madaming restos dun, but I find them too touristy. Well, expected naman yun. I guess you just have to choose the resto - I am not so good at that, but my friend is, so we did well.

[vain_kixie]

Just arrived in Prague. Europe first timer here. Walang tanong si IO. My hubby who's a Us citizen super fast din. Like less than 1 min for both of us.

[baliwsayo]

Mga kapatid, nagcheck ako sa website ng czech, online ang application appointment, eh kaso no slot available daw.. check again in few days. Sa May 9 ko plan umalis, sa Paris muna, Belgium and Amsterdam then Prague.. sa Prague kasi ako 4 days kaya pinagpag ako ng French Embassy at dun daw ako mag-apply. Lol! Kaso eto nga no avail slot.. do I still have enough time?