A weekend in Prague staying in the Hotel Duo - Help needed

afm_2

Hi everyone,

I am going to prague on the 29th of September but I am a bit worried about it. This is the first time that I am doing a city break so I want to prepare it very well and be sure that I won't get lost

I would appreciate if some of you could help me with some of my questions. Here they are:
1. I will arrive at the prague airport at 21.30. Is it easy and safe to get to the hotel duo at that time? what's the best way to get there from the airport?

2. How can I get from the hotel to the city centre?

3. Can you please recommend some places to visit and some restaurants?

I don't want to spend lots of money so if you have tips on how to save money in this trip, they are more than welcome

Many thanks,
Alexandra

GlennTheBaker

The answer to question 2 can be found on the hotel's website HERE.

Question 3 has been asked many times before so I would search these forums to get recommendations.

nikiyoung

Have a look here, lots of info to print out for free and make your own travel guides.

http://traveldk.com/prague

hth
Niki

meolver

We stayed at this hotel when we went in 2004. It is in the suburbs but it wasn't too expensive to take a taxi there from the airport. I think it was 30-40 minute drive if my memory serves me correctly!
There is a bus stop very near the hotel (they give you very good instructions at the hotel reception) where you can catch a bus to the large train/bus station and you can then easily get the tram ( and I think tube train) into the city centre. We were very impressed with the public transport system. If the timetable said 19.53 then the bus/tram/train arrived at exactly 19.53!

If i can help with anything else let me know!

Dylanwing

At that time, I would use the shared minibus service (Cedaz?). It's about 360Kr for up to 4 people direct to your hotel. The public transport route seems a bit tortuous, especially that late and the taxis can be pricy. Once there, the public transport is easy and cheap, about £5 for a 3 day pass.
If you want a good beer hall, try U Medvidku
http://www.umedvidku.cz/index_e.html
Good beer, good food, great atmosphere, but it gets very busy.
Pivovarski Dum has great beer and decent, cheap food. Clearly popular!
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-2772610-action-read-from-11-prod-travelguide-ratings_and_reviews-i-sortorder-3;_ylt=A0Je5XNDR.hGCzUBA1vrSKMX;_ylu=X3oDMTBvdmM3bGlxBHBndANhdl93ZWJfcmVzdWx0BHNlYwNzcg--
Tlusta koala - http://koala.newwebart.net/kontakt_en.php This is also a pretty decent bar, popular with young locals and not expensive. They even have over-priced Fosters for the hard of tasting!
To do the castle, try using the vernicular, optional climb of Petrin Tower, then take a stroll through Petrin Park, St Norbert /Strahov Monastery brew-pub if thisty, then you have a great stroll down to the castle. Much better than using the packed 22/23 trams.

daveyjp

I also recommend Cedaz - desk in the airport. Tell them where you are going, pay your money and they put you on a minibus which is going to your area. Trams run nearly all night and are cheap.

Watch out for scams - giving incorrect change at shops is a regular occurence and check prices of drinks in bars. We went 4 years ago and 50p a pint was the norm everywhere, a colleague went earlier this year and £2-3 a pint was not uncommon in tourist areas, but 80p-£1 was available in quieter areas.

LB1985

When I stayed at the Duo back in 2005, they collected us from the airport in one of their minibuses. I don't remember what they charged, but it was very good value. There are details on their website, if I remember correctly, and I arranged it all with them via email.

When I stayed, we took the bus to the nearest Metro station, which took maybe five minutes or so. However, the Metro was being extended with a new station to open very near to the hotel.

MrSmartprice

I have just come back from Prague, our second time there. Transport is easy and cheap. As you come out through customs at the airport, opposite and to the right is the DPP desk. Go there and get yourself a 3 day or 7 day Transfer Ticket. (220Kc or 280Kc) This will take care of all your transport needs until you get back to the airport to go home. Ask for a map of the metro and tram system too.

As the hotel website says, you go out of the terminal and across the road to the bus stand. Get the 119, validating the ticket in the machine on the bus. You can then put your ticket away safely as you will only need it if an inspector asks to see it. There are no barriers on buses, trams or metros.

Take the 119 to Dejvicka metro, which is where the bus takes you. Then proceed as directed. Getting about in Prague is simple. Trams are most convenient, and very frequent. And the metro is clean, quick and also frequent.

As for bars and restaurants, you really can't go wrong. We had lunch twice at Pivovarsky Dum, which is excellent. They have the menu in English, and they make the beer on the premises - you can see them doing it. The dark beer there (Tmavy) is fantastic, at 35Kc for 0.5l, just right to wash down the traditional Czech grub. 5 different trams stop outside too! We also tried several other pubs from this website, including 'Hospoda u Novaka' (great food, cheap beer) and 'U Vejvodu' (a deceptively huge place with cheap beer and more upmarket food in the restaurant). Beer generally costs 25-35Kc for 0.5l, so it hardly breaks the bank with 40Kc to the £.

http://www.praguepubs.co.uk/

If you are into pizza you will be in heaven. There are pizzerias everywhere and they are cheap and good quality. For instance, two fully loaded pizzas and four pints of Staropramen came to less than a tenner.

It's a great city, enjoy!

afm_2

Thank you very much for this great information! It's very good to have the opinion of someone that was already there.

Btw, is it easy to communicate in English there? And have you used euros or koruna? Where is the best place to get korunas?

Many thanks for all the help,
Alexandra

MrSmartprice

afm wrote: »

Thank you very much for this great information! It's very good to have the opinion of someone that was already there.

Btw, is it easy to communicate in English there? And have you used euros or koruna? Where is the best place to get korunas?

Many thanks for all the help,
Alexandra

Plenty of people speak English there, so it's rarely a problem. Certainly in pubs and restaurants you will have no triuble. Many places have English menus. I noticed that Germans, Swedes etc, were using English as a common language to order food & drink.

Czech Koruna (Kc) are what you need to spend. We got a small amount at Co-op Travel before we went, then used ATMs outside banks. There are plenty of them. As a comparison, 2000Kc cost me £54 here, and £49 through an ATM. Bear in mind that was using a Nationwide debit card which incurs no charges, but as an MSEer I'm sure you have one.;) (Incidentally, Thomas Cook quoted £57 for 2000Kc so beware!)