"My First Trip to Prague" a Prague Travel Page by richyoon

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Arriving In Prague

I fly into Ruzyne Airport at 9:00 PM. Being in an adventurous mood, and a tight budget, I decided to take the city bus No. 119 into main center of Prague. I had done alot of research using Wikitravel, and the information is great. The only thing confusing for me at the airport was where to catch the bus. Unlike the Taxis, shuttles, and specialty buses which pick up at the curb, the city bus which comes every 10 minutes is located on the island (i.e. cross the street and onto the island housing all the city buses). Once I found the stop, I thought the bus was great and easy. I bought a 3-day metro/bus/tram ticket at the airport for 220 kr (~$10), which saves me the time and effort of dealing with the ticket machines each time. However, one ride is only 20 kr, and honestly, I only used my ticket about 6 times. The Bus drops you off at the first metro stop, and its only about a flight of steps down to the metro. Again, the metro was great to use, and one of the easiest to use.

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Finding my Hotel

Finding my hotel on the other hand was much more difficult than I expected. Coming out of the Mustek metro station at the center of town, I just couldn't figure out what direction was what. I was expecting to come out of a busy street corner, and instead, I was more in a Plaza where there was only foot traffic, and all the "famous" buildings I was going to recognize... well everything looked like it should be famous. Again, never being to Prague, and traveling with an oversized suitcase, I had an unnecessarily hard time. Of course, it doesn't help that Prague has some really narrow streets which are sometimes dimly lighted, and randomly scary guys looking to pounce on tourists with flyers, etc. Finally I asked someone for directions and I got pointed in the right way (although I had my doubts), but somehow ended up at my hotel (really unexpectedly) For future purposes, knowing that "Stare Mesto" means Old Town would have helped quite a bit. It just takes a little while to get used to the map scales. But after settling down and walking around a bit, I found Old Town Prague to be a great location to be in.

The Hotel Expres *** was fine. I got a decent room for about $60/night for a single. I tried to book a couple other hotels in Old Town, but they were all booked for my dates. Can't complain about the price, but definitely not exceptional in any way. The location is also so-so (i.e. not on a main street), but being in Old Town meant the location was still pretty good. I wouldn't mind staying there again. The place I thought I would try if I was on a budget next time is Pension U Medvidku. Its just around the corner, but simply on a brighter street, and easier access to the main road and metro stops. It also had a good restaurant/bar located in the Pension. I hear its also recommended by Rick Steve.

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Sites and Tours

Tour Groups are an excellent way to meet other travellers. Traveling by myself, it was a great source of company, and a way to get a good basic feel of the city. I ended taking the Prague Walks tour that is recommended by Rick Steve's Guide. The 3.5 hour walk was a nice introduction to the city's main sights and history. I would definitely recommend it. However, it doesn't really give you an in depth look at anything, and if it has an entrance fee, the tour will only take you to the outside entrance, and talk about what you might see if you came back and paid the admission price.

However, I did meet some other Travellers from the US (Detroit) on the tour. We really hit it off, and they even allowed me to tag along for dinner that evening after the tour.

All in all, Prague is truly a beautiful city. The architecture is amazing and diverse. Just being in this city makes you feel special. The days can be spent just roaming from street to street.