According to Best-medical-schools, Prague is a city where your legs will constantly hurt, where you easily gain a couple of kilos of excess weight and spend a lot of money on completely unplanned purchases. And at the same time, Prague is a city that you fall in love with without memory and come again and again: with comfortable shoes, a brutal appetite and a spare suitcase.

Prague can be described endlessly. It is one of the largest cities in Central Europe and the centuries-old capital of Bohemia. These are bridges, cathedrals, gilded towers and church domes that have been reflected in the waters of the Vltava for more than 10 centuries. This is a medieval center almost undamaged during World War II with cobbled streets and courtyards, countless spiers and shops. And on a par with this, Prague is a modern and lively city, full of young energy, music, culture in all its manifestations and gourmet restaurants. Many consider Prague the most beautiful city in Europe.

The only thing that can slightly spoil the impression of Prague for a tourist is its size and the fact that several interconnected systems of division into districts coexist in the city. Here you need to be very careful when choosing a hotel. And if you came to the Czech Republic for the first time and for no more than a week, then you can unpack your bags and generally forget about the rest of the directions: in Prague every day you will see as if a new city.

At any point in Old Prague, you can simply take and go, say, towards the wind (the sun, a pretty Prague woman): at every step, the traveler’s eyes will open up new architectural revelations and postcard views. This is such a city.

How to get to Prague

“Prague will never let you go,” said Franz Kafka. Today, his words are officially confirmed by statistics – tourists return to the capital of the Czech Republic again and again.

Air passengers are accepted by Prague Airport, train fans come to the Main Railway Station. Not far from the metro station of the same name is the Florenc bus station, where buses arrive from Russia and all over Europe.

Prague Hotels

Most Prague hotels are 5-star certified, and they almost always live up to their rating. Three “stars” means good three, without any tricks. And the fact that hotels belong to classes 1 and 2 * means only a meager range of services, but by no means low-grade service.

However, as usual, the “star rating” of a hotel is not the main criterion for a traveler, here you can read reviews, but its location is much more important. We don’t bother much – Prague is not so big to worry about distances. So, if you suddenly fail to find a budget option in the center, you should not lose heart – from remote areas to the main attractions, 15-20 minutes by metro.

The staff in Prague hotels, as a rule, speaks Czech, English, and in some even Russian.

By European standards, Prague is not that expensive. Accommodation in a “treshka” in the heart of the city will cost from 2000 CZK per day. Almost around the corner, in the 5th district, there are rooms for 1500-1800 CZK. On the outskirts you can comfortably stay for 1000-1500 CZK. If you really want to splurge and there is such an opportunity, pay attention to the five-star Hilton, Sheraton or Radisson, against the background of other expensive hotels, they offer a very good price tag: 5000-6000 CZK.

Communication and Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi in Prague is distributed by parks, museums, hotels, restaurants, libraries, transport stops and even… the homeless. The first such “walking” access point appeared in the Dejvice area in 2015 as part of the Wi-Fi 4 Life project. The action did not receive the expected distribution, but it did not wither away completely. So, if you meet a man in a T-shirt with the inscription Free WI-FI Charity on the streets of Prague, keep in mind that this is the source of the Internet.

So, Prague is rich on Wi-Fi and generously shares it with tourists. Registration for connection, as a rule, is not required. Hotels sometimes offer customers to speed up the Internet connection for an additional fee. Free Wi-Fi is also “distributed” by about 10 public transport stops, among them: Budejovicka, Andel, Florenc, Zelivskeho, Namesti Miru. The authorities plan to further increase their number to 100.

Those who communicate a lot while traveling and not only via the Internet should think about purchasing a local SIM card. Unburdened roaming calls and SMS are offered to tourists, for example, by O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile. The package of services includes mobile Internet (and even 4G).

The best option on vacation is a SIM card that requires replenishment of the balance as needed. But the tariff with a subscription fee is not for careless tourists, because a card thrown away at the end of a vacation and forgotten will still require monthly fees.

Prague Card

Seeing a lot, spending a little is the dream of any traveler. In the capital of the Czech Republic, the Prague Card tourist subscription will help you fulfill your desires. The card entitles you to free admission to more than 50 attractions, including: the Royal Palace, the Cathedral of St. Vita, Powder Gate, town halls and museums. The cardholder will receive discounts at a number of restaurants, and significant benefits are provided for participants in tours, cruises and a two-hour bus tour. In addition, the card serves as a ticket for any type of public transport.

Prague Card can be for 2, 3 and 4 days. Its cost, depending on the validity period and the range of services, varies from 58 to 78 EUR, children and students are given discounts. You can buy it at tourist information centers, as well as at the ticket offices of some metro stations.

It makes sense to buy a card if you are in Prague for a long time. Otherwise, how would you not have to run around the city in an attempt to recoup the subscription. A special calculator on the Prague Card website will help you decide and make preliminary calculations, there is also a list of all the “preferential” attractions.

Prague for children

When planning to spend holidays in Prague with the whole family, be prepared to spend at least 3-4 days on children’s joys. The entire Czech capital is a solid Disneyland, and what a one! It will drag even adults in such a way that it is easy to want to donate to some museum.

Judge for yourself – in which city do children have their own island? Let the smallest on the entire Vltava, but it’s real. In fact, Children’s Island is a huge playground where you can take a breather between excursions around the city. There is a mini train, rides, playgrounds, as well as a tiny pool and a giant watering mushroom.

More serious water pleasures are offered by the Aquapalace water park, 100% justifying its name. There are even three palaces in the palace: “treasure” – for kids, “adventure” – for older children and “relaxation” – for those who want to take a break from fun. Even fish in this kingdom of Neptune is found, but there are very few of them, there is only one shark.

In this regard, Aquapalace loses to the Prague Aquarium Morsky Svet. This branch of the deep sea offers guests total immersion as soon as they enter. Right at the feet along the “bottom” fry rush about, and silhouettes of whales glide overhead. The most interesting takes place near the open aquarium, the inhabitants of which can be fed.

The entire Czech capital is a solid Disneyland, and what a one!

From marine animals to land animals. In the north of the city is the second most visited tourist place in the Czech Republic – Prague Zoo. In short, he is unique. With its “Indonesian jungle”, “African pasture”, the Valley of the Elephants, the island of monkeys. In total, the zoo contains about 4,500 animals, many of which are on the verge of extinction.

However, in Prague you can also look at long-disappeared animals. Dinopark gives children exciting impressions, where the giant tyrannosaurus, styracosaurus, scolosaurus and other representatives of the prehistoric world “registered”. Multi-meter lizards not only growl, but also move.

We will feel like Gullivers and immediately after Dinopark we will go to the Kingdom of Railways. Hundreds of meters of railways, dozens of train models, cars, as well as houses, their inhabitants, pets, and pet toys fit on an area of ​​more than 3100 m². This tiny world also lives its life according to the earthly, but dozens of times compressed schedule. This is such a great toy.

And there are many museums in Prague, a visit to which will be remembered by inquisitive children for a long time. So, the sweet tooth will be delighted with the exhibits of the Chocolate Museum, an unforgettable atmosphere reigns in the Museum of Ghosts and Legends and the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians. Tourists of all ages will be interested in the Toy Museum, which has more than 2,000 exhibits, including unique and old ones.

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Weather

Feels like Prague is soft, moderately continental. In general, it is comfortable here all year round, but it is quite rainy. The highest tourist seasons are from April to October and December-January. In spring, the city becomes surprisingly prettier – strict Gothic against the backdrop of flowering slopes and roofs shining in the sun becomes almost coquettish. At this time, the weather in Prague is capricious, you should take care of an umbrella and warm shoes. It can be hot in summer, but the heat is easily tolerated, and besides, this phenomenon is short-lived – by the evening it can become cool, so a sweater in a backpack will not hurt.

In winter, the popularity of Prague is determined not by the temperature, of course, but by the fabulous atmosphere that reigns here on the eve of Christmas. To prevent the holidays from being overshadowed by a cold, do not let the thermometer deceive you. Yes, compared to Russian frosts, Prague ones are just light frosts. But in winter, dampness blows from the Vltava, and winds blow between the hills, so you can freeze very quickly.