Prague tourist guide and survival tips – why to visit Prague, Czech Republic.

Are you interested in history and architecture, cultural events, excellent beer or nice women? These are all valid reason why to visit Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic.

History and architecture
Prague is the true gothic pearl of central Europe. Prague today is just a capital city of an not very numerous European nation (there are some ten millions people living in the Czech Republic). But, for several centuries in its old history, the city was economically and politically much more powerful. It has been the residence of many Czech kings and even several medieval Rome emperors. This explains a large number of magnificent historical buildings, mostly of the Gothic style. Significantly, Prague was never, unlike many others European cities, severely damaged by war. So the history is still there – Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle & the castle district, narrow medieval streets, the old monuments. If you want to know history from a broader perspective, this is the place to go.

Tip:
If time is spare, plane ahead what you want to see. Good starting point is the monuments chapter of the Your Prague Guide .

Culture
Besides Vienna, Prague is one of the cultural centers of the central Europe, with many museums, theaters, music halls, theaters, exhibitions, galleries and cultural events. The Czech proverb „every Czech is a musician" is perhaps little exaggerating, but if you like music, you are virtually sure to be satisfied.

Tip:
You should always reserve you seats in advance for the performances on National Theatre and many other cultural events. Use the online reservation at Ticket Pro

Beer
In all Czech towns and villages alike, you can get excellent beer for a fairly price. Beer brewing has a very long tradition there. The qualitative and quantitative parameters of the brewing process are strictly controlled, as well as the quality of the necessary ingredients – hops, brewers malt and water. Nowadays, many younger tourist get used to fly to Prague just for a single purpose: to drink as much beer as possible. Some of them actually also to get drunk and make as much noise as possible.

Tip: The original Pilsner beer is brewed in Pilsner, less than two hours by train from Prague. Certainly, you can buy Pilsener beer in Prague, but if time is not spare, you may find both beer and accommodation cheaper in Pilsner. You can check the train and bus connection at idos

Prices and shopping
Even today, staying in Prague is significantly cheaper, comparing to the West Europe cities or even Moscow. Certainly, goods in the shops in the vicinity of the Wenceslaw square are somehow overpriced, but you just several streets form there, you can have excellent meet for a good price, or buy nice inexpensive presents. Popular presents includes Czech glass, jewelry, pottery, bottled beer etc. As for accommodation, if you do not insist on five stars hotel, you can easily find fairly priced apartments, not far from the Old Prague Town. If you a determined low budget traveler, you would be probably more than satisfied with the prices in some of the numerous young hostels.

Getting there
Excellent accessibility is one of the strongest argument for selecting Prague as your destination. There are direct and frequent flights from most if not all big European cities, as well as from US, Japan and many destinations all over the word. Certainly, to reach Prague from Western Europe, you do not need to fly. The train journey form Frankfurt takes 7 hours, bus from Vienna 4 hours, bus from Paris 14 hours etc.

If you wish to see more
Fortunately, Prague is not an island in otherwise unattractive country. There are many other interesting tourists destination. The mighty Karlstejn or Konopiste castles can be reached just by a short bus ride and are definitely worthy to see. The ride to the famous spa Karlovy Vary takes just two hours. Visiting the historical city of Cesky Krumlov is an experience man tourists will probably never forget. Getting there takes somehow more time – approx, three and half hour by bus. Therefore making an advance reservation and staying there overnight may be a good idea.