street cafes that are warm and intimate to grand Art-Nouveau spaces dressed to impress, Prague has it all. Below are some of my favourites.Friday 12 November 2010
Prague Cafe Culture
Prague has historically been a city of thinkers and artists and it's strong cafe culture has grown from this. Inspiration, often shaping the politics and culture of the country as been achieved over a cafe latte or expresso. From small side-
street cafes that are warm and intimate to grand Art-Nouveau spaces dressed to impress, Prague has it all. Below are some of my favourites.
street cafes that are warm and intimate to grand Art-Nouveau spaces dressed to impress, Prague has it all. Below are some of my favourites.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Prague’s Christmas Markets
Prague at Christmas time attracts several tourists from all over the world who flock to its Christmas markets, to shop, sightsee, listen to carols and taste the exquisite wine and cuisine of the region. Last year, I decided to take a family holiday in Prague and celebrate Christmas there. We particularly enjoyed visiting the brightly lit Christmas markets, and despite the milling crowds of local people and tourists, we had the time of our lives.
If you are interested in experiencing the Prague Christmas markets, you will naturally have to visit December. The larger markets are located at the Wenceslas Square and the Old Town square and when you are done with them, you can check out the smaller markets at Namesti Republiky and Havelske Trziste. You can easily walk from one market to the other.
We were simply thrilled with the beautifully adorned wooden huts, where Czech local products, beer, hot wine and traditional Czech food items were sold. The Prague Christmas markets are loaded with wooden toys, hand-made jewellery, scented candles, scarves, Christmas tree decorations, hats, ceramic products and loads of Christmas cakes, pies, tarts, sweets, candies and other delicious goodies. We took the children to the Old Town Square where they got to play with goats and sheep and enjoyed the delightful nativity scene.
The most impressive feature of Prague at Christmas time is the large Christmas tree in Old Town Square, adorned with colourful lights. We soon realised that the Prague Christmas markets offered not just shopping, but entertainment galore; as you wander from stall to stall sipping hot wine and tasting delicious snacks, choirs from home and abroad will sing and dance for you.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Boat tours in Prague
A river cruise on Vltava is one of the best ways to sightsee the region, and tourists will be able to choose from an assortment of cruise tours, depending on what they want to see and where they wish to go. A boat tour will allow you to view popular attractions and see the heart of the city from the deck of a boat; some boat tours also include dinner or 
lunch as part of the trip.
If you would like to have an evening tour, opt for a Prague Dinner River Cruise tour, where you will be able to enjoy a relaxing cruise experience complete with dinner and live music, while guides point out the attractions on the river banks and explain their significance to you. Most dinner cruise tours take as long as two to four hours and cost around 1000 czk or more.
For those of you who would prefer sightseeing during the day time, book a lunch cruise tour on the river and enjoy the sights as they go by. Top attractions that you will see along your tour include Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, National Theatre, Rudolfinum Concert Hall, Petřín Hill, the Dancing House and Vyšehrad Castle, in addition to several other places.
This tour costs between 400 and 700 czk depending on which company you book the tour with and if you have decided to have lunch on the boat. The tickets for children cost slightly lesser and usually differ by a value of 100. There is also the option of going on an afternoon cruise tour with high tea as the meal offered on board the boat. Music lovers can take up the jazz cruise tour which will feature a live jazz band aboard the craft playing for you.
Guests will find that the boats themselves are very comfortable and are well maintained, with meals being served below deck.
lunch as part of the trip.If you would like to have an evening tour, opt for a Prague Dinner River Cruise tour, where you will be able to enjoy a relaxing cruise experience complete with dinner and live music, while guides point out the attractions on the river banks and explain their significance to you. Most dinner cruise tours take as long as two to four hours and cost around 1000 czk or more.
For those of you who would prefer sightseeing during the day time, book a lunch cruise tour on the river and enjoy the sights as they go by. Top attractions that you will see along your tour include Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, National Theatre, Rudolfinum Concert Hall, Petřín Hill, the Dancing House and Vyšehrad Castle, in addition to several other places.
This tour costs between 400 and 700 czk depending on which company you book the tour with and if you have decided to have lunch on the boat. The tickets for children cost slightly lesser and usually differ by a value of 100. There is also the option of going on an afternoon cruise tour with high tea as the meal offered on board the boat. Music lovers can take up the jazz cruise tour which will feature a live jazz band aboard the craft playing for you.
Guests will find that the boats themselves are very comfortable and are well maintained, with meals being served below deck.
Tuesday 10 August 2010
3 boat trips you must try in Prague
Prague is slowly becoming a hub for tourists with a number of exceptional activities for visitors and one of the best things to do when you are in the city is to go on a boat trip. There are a number of options for people who want to go on one of these cruises. Choosing a cruise can be a little confusing, however all visitors should try one of these three 
boat trips when in the city.
boat trips when in the city.
Prague-Venice boat cruise - If you have only a little time on your hands, you should try the Prague-Venice boat cruise. This cruise takes tourists along the Vltava River, with some unusual views of the city. Here you can see the Old Town from the eyes of the ancient fishermen. The Prague Venice boat tour is truly unique, with passengers having a chance to travel on a wooden boat that is filled with old-world charm. This tour is guided, with guides speaking several languages including English and German.
Night dinner cruise -The second boat trip to try is the night dinner cruise along the river. On this cruise, you will be provided with a sumptuous meal along with a chance to view the city like never before. The tour lasts for two and a half hours and is one of the most popular tours among visitors to the city. The tour starts from the dock, which is the hub of the city.
Summer lunch and music cruise - The third river cruise that is definitely worth trying is the summer lunch and music cruise. Here you will be able to enjoy some spectacular live performances while touring the city along the river. This is also a two and a half hour cruise along with a buffet lunch and an aperitif. The music that is played includes the harmonica performances by experts.
Interested in travel and boat trips? You might also be interested in:
Night dinner cruise -The second boat trip to try is the night dinner cruise along the river. On this cruise, you will be provided with a sumptuous meal along with a chance to view the city like never before. The tour lasts for two and a half hours and is one of the most popular tours among visitors to the city. The tour starts from the dock, which is the hub of the city.
Summer lunch and music cruise - The third river cruise that is definitely worth trying is the summer lunch and music cruise. Here you will be able to enjoy some spectacular live performances while touring the city along the river. This is also a two and a half hour cruise along with a buffet lunch and an aperitif. The music that is played includes the harmonica performances by experts.
Interested in travel and boat trips? You might also be interested in:
- A cruise down the Han River, Seoul in Korea.
- Boat trips around Ibiza
Monday 28 June 2010
Josefov: Prague’s old Jewish Quarter
Located very close to the old city, Josefov, or the old Jewish quarter, is well worth a visit. Jews are believed to have settled in Prague from as early as the 10th century, when they were ordered to live in the confines of this once walled area. Today it has been completely absorbed into the fabric of Prague.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Josefov was heavily altered and many of its historic buildings were replaced, although there are still 
some ancient sites to seek out.
some ancient sites to seek out.
To see them you will have to buy a ticket to the Prague Jewish Museum, perhaps the word’s largest collection of Jewish artefacts in the world. With chilling irony, this was for the most part amassed by the Nazis, who during the occupation of the city, set out to create a ‘museum of an extinct race.’
The most moving site is the old Jewish cemetery, the oldest surviving Jewish graveyard in Europe. Although it fell into disuse in the late 18th century, about 10,000 souls are buried here. Thousands of tombstones blanket the cemetery ground, their crumbling, moss-infested state adding to the melancholic ambiance of the cemetery. In between them are some beautiful funerary mosaics and carved marble tombs.
The Gothic Old-New synagogue in Prague is Europe’s oldest working synagogue (men must over their heads to enter) and has been immortalised in the Golem legend. With high, gabled ceilings and a 15th century wrought iron grill, it has changed little since Josefov’s peak. The beautiful and recently renovated Spanish cemetery bears motif from Iberia’s ancient Moorish culture and often hosts concerts.
Monday 17 May 2010
Prague’s Hands of Time
Next to London’s Big Ben, the famous and recognisable clock in Europe would have to be Prague’s medieval Astronomical clock, located on the southern wall of the City Hall.
Known locally as Orloj, its beautiful and intricate clock face is the work of various masters of the art of clock making. It was originally created by Mikuláš, the King’s watchmaker from the Czech city of Kadan, but it was later modernised by in the 16th century by Jan Taborský.
During the Prague Uprising of 1945 the Orloj was heavily damaged by Nazi bombs. Over the next few years a community effort was made it get it working again and it hasn’t stopped since, as legend has it that if it did Prague itself would stop functioning.
The Orloj is a sum of various parts and the astronomical dial is perhaps the most mystical. Most experts consider it to be a primitive form of a planetarium as with its rotating ring of zodiacal signs it displays the current position of the planets. Even more interesting is the background of the Orloj, which is coloured in semicircular shapes of blue, red and black (representing day, night and dusk). On the outer edge, two sets of golden numerals mark the 24-hour timescale as well as antiquated Czech time when the midnight (as we understand it today) took place at sunset.
But the most crowd-pleasing element of the Orloj is the four, strange and macabre figures underneath the clock face. They represent anxieties that the community had in the 15t century; death (represented by a skeleton), paganism (a Turk), vanity and greed (two figures with mirror and money bag respectively). When Orloj strikes the hour, ‘death’ inverts his hourglass, and statuettes of the 12 apostles parade past in a window above.
Known locally as Orloj, its beautiful and intricate clock face is the work of various masters of the art of clock making. It was originally created by Mikuláš, the King’s watchmaker from the Czech city of Kadan, but it was later modernised by in the 16th century by Jan Taborský.
During the Prague Uprising of 1945 the Orloj was heavily damaged by Nazi bombs. Over the next few years a community effort was made it get it working again and it hasn’t stopped since, as legend has it that if it did Prague itself would stop functioning.
The Orloj is a sum of various parts and the astronomical dial is perhaps the most mystical. Most experts consider it to be a primitive form of a planetarium as with its rotating ring of zodiacal signs it displays the current position of the planets. Even more interesting is the background of the Orloj, which is coloured in semicircular shapes of blue, red and black (representing day, night and dusk). On the outer edge, two sets of golden numerals mark the 24-hour timescale as well as antiquated Czech time when the midnight (as we understand it today) took place at sunset.
But the most crowd-pleasing element of the Orloj is the four, strange and macabre figures underneath the clock face. They represent anxieties that the community had in the 15t century; death (represented by a skeleton), paganism (a Turk), vanity and greed (two figures with mirror and money bag respectively). When Orloj strikes the hour, ‘death’ inverts his hourglass, and statuettes of the 12 apostles parade past in a window above.
Monday 3 May 2010
The Prague Castle: Symbol of the City
Most European cities have one singular monument that has become its symbol; in Barcelona it is the great and still unfinished church the Sagrada Familia whilst in Paris it’s the Eiffel Tower. In the Czech capital, the omnipresent Prague Castle is seen in almost every image of Prague.
Locals and tour guides like to tell you that the Prague Castle is the largest in the world, and its floor space equals the size of seven football fields. When visiting the site it certainly feels as if it does and it would be best to put away a good part of the day (or more) to view it properly.
Like most historical buildings of importance, the Prague Castle is a hotchpotch of styles. Started in the 9th century, rulers over the centuries have all left their imprint, particularly the Empress Theresa who gave the Gothic forms a more classical facelift. It was greatly remodelled again in the 1920s, making its echoing chambers more liveable and visitor-friendly. Even though Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic chose not to live here, he also made improvements, particularly to Gallery of Paintings.
All this means that nearly every architectural style from the last 1000 years in represented in castle. There is the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral with its beautiful stained-glass windows, and the Renaissance Royal Garden with an elegant Games House to name just a few. Inside the complex are a handful of museums including and an amazing Toy Museum and the National Gallery collection of Bohemian Art.
Entry tickets to the castle are valid for two days, and many museums are separate entry fee is required. Even if you don’t want to go into the castle itself, you can wander around the outside and most of the gardens for free, admiring its magnificent splendour from the exterior.
Locals and tour guides like to tell you that the Prague Castle is the largest in the world, and its floor space equals the size of seven football fields. When visiting the site it certainly feels as if it does and it would be best to put away a good part of the day (or more) to view it properly.
Like most historical buildings of importance, the Prague Castle is a hotchpotch of styles. Started in the 9th century, rulers over the centuries have all left their imprint, particularly the Empress Theresa who gave the Gothic forms a more classical facelift. It was greatly remodelled again in the 1920s, making its echoing chambers more liveable and visitor-friendly. Even though Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic chose not to live here, he also made improvements, particularly to Gallery of Paintings.
All this means that nearly every architectural style from the last 1000 years in represented in castle. There is the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral with its beautiful stained-glass windows, and the Renaissance Royal Garden with an elegant Games House to name just a few. Inside the complex are a handful of museums including and an amazing Toy Museum and the National Gallery collection of Bohemian Art.
Entry tickets to the castle are valid for two days, and many museums are separate entry fee is required. Even if you don’t want to go into the castle itself, you can wander around the outside and most of the gardens for free, admiring its magnificent splendour from the exterior.
Monday 12 April 2010
Roma Music takes over Prague
The richness of Romani—or gypsy— music will be celebrated in Prague this May with the 12th edition of the Khamoro Music Festival.
Romani Music draws on influences from its people’s wide diaspora, which spans Europe and encompasses Arabic, Turkish, Slavic, French and Southern European traditions. The most well-know exponent of Romani music is Spain, with the passionate flamenco sound at the helm (though the feet-tapping rumba from Catalunya
was also created by the gitanos) and southern France, through the Gypsy Kings and the legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.
It is only relatively recently that the joyful Slavic strain of Romani music has gained an audience; any music fan that saw Tony Gatlif’s 1993 film ‘Latcho Drom’ might remember what a revelation it was, as the historic journey of the Roma people from India to Europe was told through their musical heritage.
The Khamoro Music Festival, which will largely take place in smaller venues across the city, will feature musicians from all over Europe and from the many sub-genres of Roma music. !Deladap describe their sound as ‘nu-gypsy’ with a mix of jazz and electronic. At the other end of the spectrum, the duo Nadara hail from a small village in Romania, where they forged their reputation at weddings and traditional fiestas and developed an innovative take on traditional Transylvanian folk music.
Debates, film screenings and talks also form part of the Khamoro Music Festival, making the last week in May a great time to visit Prague for world music fans.
Romani Music draws on influences from its people’s wide diaspora, which spans Europe and encompasses Arabic, Turkish, Slavic, French and Southern European traditions. The most well-know exponent of Romani music is Spain, with the passionate flamenco sound at the helm (though the feet-tapping rumba from Catalunya
was also created by the gitanos) and southern France, through the Gypsy Kings and the legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.It is only relatively recently that the joyful Slavic strain of Romani music has gained an audience; any music fan that saw Tony Gatlif’s 1993 film ‘Latcho Drom’ might remember what a revelation it was, as the historic journey of the Roma people from India to Europe was told through their musical heritage.
The Khamoro Music Festival, which will largely take place in smaller venues across the city, will feature musicians from all over Europe and from the many sub-genres of Roma music. !Deladap describe their sound as ‘nu-gypsy’ with a mix of jazz and electronic. At the other end of the spectrum, the duo Nadara hail from a small village in Romania, where they forged their reputation at weddings and traditional fiestas and developed an innovative take on traditional Transylvanian folk music.
Debates, film screenings and talks also form part of the Khamoro Music Festival, making the last week in May a great time to visit Prague for world music fans.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Café Society in Prague
Prague is famous for many things, its opera house, its bridges, springtimes and astrological clock. It also has a wonderful café society, from lost-in-time fin de siècle relics to funky new arrivals. Here are three of my favourites.
Café Slavia - One of Prague’s best- loved institutions and renowned as a meeting place for intellectuals and literati since the late 19th century. The décor hasn’t changed much since then, and neither have the house specialties such as crepes, and thick and sinful hot chocolate. Smetanovo nábřeží 1012/2, www.cafeslavia.cz
Kavárna Obecní dům,
The glorious Municipal House Café is a sterling example of secessionist style and is located in the heart of the city’s historical centre. Open from day to night, it is equally as good for a coffee and pastry breakfast or a light lunch of a sandwich or salad. Ask to have a peek at the café’s private games rooms. Náměstí Republiky 5.
Cafe Wow - Café Wow is a one of the new breed of Prague cafes, mixing retro-inspired furniture and bright colors to a young crowd of locals and expats. You could pop in for a cocktail at night, or grab a bite of say tomato and mozzarella salad and pasta during the day. It is also one of the few places in Prague that does a decent brunch. Kozí 5, http://www.cafewow.cz/
You can learn about Prague Ruzyne airport online.
Café Slavia - One of Prague’s best- loved institutions and renowned as a meeting place for intellectuals and literati since the late 19th century. The décor hasn’t changed much since then, and neither have the house specialties such as crepes, and thick and sinful hot chocolate. Smetanovo nábřeží 1012/2, www.cafeslavia.cz
Kavárna Obecní dům,
The glorious Municipal House Café is a sterling example of secessionist style and is located in the heart of the city’s historical centre. Open from day to night, it is equally as good for a coffee and pastry breakfast or a light lunch of a sandwich or salad. Ask to have a peek at the café’s private games rooms. Náměstí Republiky 5.
Cafe Wow - Café Wow is a one of the new breed of Prague cafes, mixing retro-inspired furniture and bright colors to a young crowd of locals and expats. You could pop in for a cocktail at night, or grab a bite of say tomato and mozzarella salad and pasta during the day. It is also one of the few places in Prague that does a decent brunch. Kozí 5, http://www.cafewow.cz/
You can learn about Prague Ruzyne airport online.
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Best way to see Prague in 1 Day
Prague is a great city for a number of reasons but one of the key things to me is the fact that it is a capital city, yet still compact and easy to get around. Seeing the city in one day is very possible if you are well organised and there are ways to do this.
I always find that if you are in a city for a very short time, then going on the City Bus Tour (which many main cities have) is one
excellent way to see a lot in a short time and which a guide. The best ones I find are the hop on, hop off bus tours. An organised city tour can also be a great way and if the city has a river through the heart of it, as Prague has, a boat trip combined with city tour can be good.
In Prague, companies who offer good tour include Viatour and GoldenTours. They are several companies in fact that you can choose from and often the tours use the same supplier. If you are unsure, then talking to your hotel concierge or to your Prague apartment agent can also sometimes help.
I always find that if you are in a city for a very short time, then going on the City Bus Tour (which many main cities have) is one
excellent way to see a lot in a short time and which a guide. The best ones I find are the hop on, hop off bus tours. An organised city tour can also be a great way and if the city has a river through the heart of it, as Prague has, a boat trip combined with city tour can be good.In Prague, companies who offer good tour include Viatour and GoldenTours. They are several companies in fact that you can choose from and often the tours use the same supplier. If you are unsure, then talking to your hotel concierge or to your Prague apartment agent can also sometimes help.