Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Trip Report from Weekend just gone

Report





Just returned from my 5th visit to Prague and decided to write a quick trip report if anyone is interested.





Transport:





We decided to use the public transport system from the airport to the centre this time. Thanks to everyone who gave me the advice I needed last week. Everything was straight forward. We bought our tickets at the Transport desk with the sign that says “Metro-Bus-Tram”. I couldn’t actually see anywhere else in the arrivals hall (Terminal 1) where you could buy tickets apart from the machines! We then followed the signs (Bus Centrum) to the bus stop to catch the 119 bus to Dejvicka. Then we caught the Metro to Staromestska and walked to our hotel. All in all I wouldn’t say this method is very convenient but it is certainly a lot cheaper than using a shuttle bus or taxi.





Hotel:





We stayed in the Iron Gate hotel (our second time in this hotel). We had a very good deal of £242 for three nights in one of their deluxe suites. I booked this a few months ago on the Internet via Hotel.Com. As on our previous visit we had no major complaints. The only minor issue we had was that the air conditioning did not work that well and the room was very warm. If anyone wants to know something specific let me know.





Sightseeing:





We done the usual sightseeing trip up to Petrin Hill and then walked round to Strahov Monastery and then down to the castle. Also we visited all the sights in the Jewish quarter (which I have never done before) and which we thoroughly enjoyed.





Meals:





We had breakfast on two mornings at Bohemia Bagel. I thought the breakfasts were very good and very well priced. On the last morning we had take away Paninis from Paneria bakery. These were very good and a cheaper breakfast option than Bohemia Bagel.





Lunch:





Because of our big breakfasts we skipped lunch.





Dinner:





U Radnice – Located just round the corner from the Astronomical Clock. Both me and the wife enjoyed our meals in here. I like the fact that they have a wide menu selection and good prices considering the location. Just watch out for the bill though as they include a 10% service charge and they also charge you for the bread.





La Bodeguita Del Medio – Another very good meal although a bit more expensive. The food was very good (we had a mixed grill for two persons) although they could have included a few more potatoes and veggies with the grill. I did find the drinks expensive in here though especially as the large beers were only served in 0.4l glasses.





U Karlova Mostu – Again another very good meal though I was disappointed that you have to order side dishes separately which does add up the cost. The location and atmosphere of the place though certainly makes up for any other shortcomings







Drinking:





Pivnice U Rudolfina – A real locals pub located next to Subway just round the corner from Staromestska Metro. Good beer and we were very lucky to find a table in here. However I’m sure that we were ripped off. We paid 198Kr for three beers and two cokes. I can understand coke being 40kr but not the beer. This is a locals pub away from the town square and I wouldn’t of expected the beer to of been more than 30Kr Maximum.





U Vejvodu – I mainly like this place because of the excellent dark beer they serve and the cheap prices. I prefer it in here daytime as it is quieter and less Smokey than at night. We did check our bills carefully in here and were not ripped off.





Harleys – All of us enjoyed Harleys. We were lucky to get one of the sofa seats as we arrived quite early. The music was good and the drinks were reasonably priced for this kind of a venue.





Coyotes – Awful! I preferred it when it was the old L’Aperetivo bar. If you’re going to copy the Coyote Ugly bar from the film then at least play the right music. Dance music just does not suit a bar with a Coyote Ugly theme. Also it was too hot in here, the waitress service non existent and they would only serve us bottled beer even though half the bar was drinking draught beers. Needless to say we didn’t stay long in here.





Zlateho Tygra – Amazingly we managed to find spare seats in here which we were directed to by a friendly waiter (this was a shock as the waiters in here have never been friendly in the past). The beer was excellent. Certainly the best tasting lager I have had in any Prague pub or restaurant. What a shame they do not serve dark beer in here. All the waiters continued to be friendly and did not rip us off. Even the locals who shared our table said goodbye to us when they left (I nearly fell off my chair!!). A very pleasant experience.





Grand Hotel CafĂ© in the Old Town Square – Our friends who visited Prague with us this time wanted to have a drink at one of the outside bars on Old Town Square. I wasn’t very keen on this as I know that the prices are high. Anyway we did have a drink and I had a quick look at the drinks prices on the menu. I nearly fainted when I saw the prices. I know that the bars on the square are expensive but didn’t expect them to be that bad. 80kr for a small soft drink!!!! Lets just say we didn’t stay long in here.





Other things:





Not much else to add really. The weather was pretty lousy with rain on two out of the three days. Everything was now 20% more expensive due to the poor exchange rate. You certainly notice it after three days. There was probably the least amount of tourists I have seen in all my five visits though it certainly wasn’t quiet.





I probably won’t visit Prague again for a long time. I need to start exploring some other cities I haven’t been to yet. But I will certainly miss it and one day I will go back to visit my favourite watering holes and drink some excellent beer.




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Hi, I do not know the pub %26quot;U Rudolfina%26quot;, but I mean the price 40 Kc for a beer is not an extremely high. Yes, it is not the usual price, but these days it is not exception. See the website of Pillsner Urquell (http://www.pilsner-urquell.cz). Pillsner is the best beer I think :-) and in the discussion forum lots of people say that in this pub it is the best Pillsner in Prague.



Rather the price is 39 Kc:



www.praguepubs.co.uk/pubs_details.php?id=3





So I dont see any problem with this price...




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Easternpromise78 thanks for the great report. Lots of good info there for all of us. We also like the Bohemium Bagel for breakfast. Iron Gates is a great place. You got a good deal for the three days. Some nice suggestions for dinner too. Will check it out next time in Prague.




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Thanks for that link Majklp. I forgot to check that site for the prices. So it looks like I was wrong about being ripped off. If the beers were 39Kc I suspect the cokes were also about 40Kc thus giving a total of around 195Kc which is what I was charged. I don%26#39;t feel so bad now knowing I wasn%26#39;t ripped off.




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Thanks for the feed-back.





Stoofer




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Have also just got back from a week in Prague, we ate at the U Radnice one evening as well - very sneaky putting the bread and service charge price on - it was one of our most expensive meals out when we were there!!! Also we were only people in at that time so no atmosphere!





Hoep you had a good time!





Twinkle




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