A Long Weekend in Prague
January 28, 2010 6:59 AM Subscribe
Help us make the best of a trip to Prague this weekend!
My better-half and I will be in Prague for the first time from Friday night to Monday night, I've absorbed most of the askmefi prague tag so I have an idea of the main attractions, what I'm looking for is:
- Recommendations on places to eat out (from nice restaurants to a casual place to grab lunch)
- Some of the lesser known "must see" attractions (where do you enjoy spending time or just strolling in Prague?)
- Cool places to enjoy a lovely Czech beer
Any and all recommendations on things to do, and general tips are more than welcome,
Thanks!
My better-half and I will be in Prague for the first time from Friday night to Monday night, I've absorbed most of the askmefi prague tag so I have an idea of the main attractions, what I'm looking for is:
- Recommendations on places to eat out (from nice restaurants to a casual place to grab lunch)
- Some of the lesser known "must see" attractions (where do you enjoy spending time or just strolling in Prague?)
- Cool places to enjoy a lovely Czech beer
Any and all recommendations on things to do, and general tips are more than welcome,
Thanks!
Best answer: We had a great birthday dinner at La Degustation. Good food, beautifully presented, a ridiculous number of courses including something to take home, great service. The smoked tongue was superb and worth going for lunch if it's on the menu, if the set dinner is too expensive. It is a little pricy, but they did a great job of making it feel like a special event. Also, if you're looking to save cash and sobriety but don't want to miss out on the drinks, they let you split the wine pairings into two glasses. Much more manageable.
We also had a lovely walk around the TV tower. Some pretty neighbourhoods and parks, and not at all crowded on a Sunday afternoon.
If you're still looking for a place to stay, the Hotel Design Sax was quiet, central and not over-run with yapping tourists. Breakfasts were inferior, but they had this great deal whereby you could book the spa for yourself at a quite low rate. Very nice after a cold afternoon out.
We ended up buying several Christmas presents from the Cubist museum shop, which was really what a museum shop ought to be: not tat and souvenirs but some good reproductions, and the works of young Czech artists.
posted by tavegyl at 7:23 AM on January 28, 2010
We also had a lovely walk around the TV tower. Some pretty neighbourhoods and parks, and not at all crowded on a Sunday afternoon.
If you're still looking for a place to stay, the Hotel Design Sax was quiet, central and not over-run with yapping tourists. Breakfasts were inferior, but they had this great deal whereby you could book the spa for yourself at a quite low rate. Very nice after a cold afternoon out.
We ended up buying several Christmas presents from the Cubist museum shop, which was really what a museum shop ought to be: not tat and souvenirs but some good reproductions, and the works of young Czech artists.
posted by tavegyl at 7:23 AM on January 28, 2010
Other thoughts:
Restaurant David in Mala Strana was good for a quiet dinner with hearty if formally presented Czech food, but notable chiefly for the ridiculously oversized glasses they serve their dessert wines in. Food itself was ok to good.
My favourite book to have around was the Prague volume from the Cities of the Imagination series. It was a slightly pompous read, but did a good job of giving a feel for the history and architecture of the places we visited.
We were in Prague last month, so all this is very recent.
posted by tavegyl at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2010
Restaurant David in Mala Strana was good for a quiet dinner with hearty if formally presented Czech food, but notable chiefly for the ridiculously oversized glasses they serve their dessert wines in. Food itself was ok to good.
My favourite book to have around was the Prague volume from the Cities of the Imagination series. It was a slightly pompous read, but did a good job of giving a feel for the history and architecture of the places we visited.
We were in Prague last month, so all this is very recent.
posted by tavegyl at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2010
Best answer: Best places for history and amazing architecture:
Kavarna Slavia (art nouveau architecture, once the favourite meeting place of many important Czech writers and artists). I've never had the food, but the coffee was very nice, albeit a bit pricey.
Obceni dum (beautiful art nouveau architecture and still used for concerts and graduation ceremonies). There are several restaurants of various priciness. I'd vote for the one in the basement - I sneak down there just to look at the tiles. The food is good and the service is quite good as well. Tourist prices, but still worth it.
Best place for a quick beer/bite to eat:
U zavesenyho kafe (near Prague castle, funky). Good prices, good beer and a great place to try traditional Czech dishes.
posted by brambory at 7:38 AM on January 28, 2010
Kavarna Slavia (art nouveau architecture, once the favourite meeting place of many important Czech writers and artists). I've never had the food, but the coffee was very nice, albeit a bit pricey.
Obceni dum (beautiful art nouveau architecture and still used for concerts and graduation ceremonies). There are several restaurants of various priciness. I'd vote for the one in the basement - I sneak down there just to look at the tiles. The food is good and the service is quite good as well. Tourist prices, but still worth it.
Best place for a quick beer/bite to eat:
U zavesenyho kafe (near Prague castle, funky). Good prices, good beer and a great place to try traditional Czech dishes.
posted by brambory at 7:38 AM on January 28, 2010
Thai food seems to be pretty big in Prague. I really enjoyed my visit to Noi, despite having to eat at the bar, and the slightly snooty service. The food more than makes up for it.
I would certainly recommend making sure to plan meals ahead of time. I decided to wander around aimlessly looking for nice places. This did not work at all.
posted by iamcrispy at 10:11 AM on January 28, 2010
I would certainly recommend making sure to plan meals ahead of time. I decided to wander around aimlessly looking for nice places. This did not work at all.
posted by iamcrispy at 10:11 AM on January 28, 2010
I had a great experience with the free Sandman walking tour in Prague. It was a great way to learn our way around the city and our guide was very engaging.
If you want to go to the Kafka museum, make sure you go to the right one. They cost about the same amount of money but one is a new, multi-media experience and the other is a room with some reproduction photos and a grainy VHS video. The one you want to go to is the Kafka museum across the river in lesser town.
Have an amazing weekend!
posted by mmmbacon at 10:18 AM on January 28, 2010
If you want to go to the Kafka museum, make sure you go to the right one. They cost about the same amount of money but one is a new, multi-media experience and the other is a room with some reproduction photos and a grainy VHS video. The one you want to go to is the Kafka museum across the river in lesser town.
Have an amazing weekend!
posted by mmmbacon at 10:18 AM on January 28, 2010
We had a great time at Ungelt Jazz and Blues Club. Really great Jazz when we were there and just love the exposed brick look that you'll see in many "underground" clubs. Just off the main old town square. Also great place to have a drink in the early evening is at the rooftop terrace at Hotel U Prince. Fantastic view from there that shouldn't be missed. May be too cold this time of year though. We also went to the Steak Restaurant Titanic 3 times in the week there we liked it so much. What a beautiful city, have a great weekend!
posted by white_devil at 12:12 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by white_devil at 12:12 PM on January 28, 2010
Best answer: Cubist museum. The Czechs have a different definition of Cubism (kind of an offshoot of art deco) and it is a really beautiful building and collection.
posted by piratebowling at 3:35 PM on January 28, 2010
posted by piratebowling at 3:35 PM on January 28, 2010
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posted by handee at 7:22 AM on January 28, 2010