Accomodation in Prague

Discussion in 'Travel Tips & Advice' started by orange, Feb 3, 2004.

  1. orange

    orange Member

    Hi. I'm traveling to Prague for the first time, and looking for a nice place to stay that doesn't cost too much money, but safe and close to the city centre.
    If anyone knows of such place, please give me some info!

    :D Orange
     
  2. My Czech Republic

    My Czech Republic Administrator

    Hi Orange and welcome to the boards! Are you looking for a hotel or youth hostel? What is your budget?

    A popular youth hostel is the Golden Sickle on Vodičkova right in the center. It's new and it's supposed to be very nice. You can read about it here.

    If you'd rather stay at a hotel, take a look at the Hotel Expres. It's also in the center and has pretty good prices. It's currently the most frequently booked hotel on our site. More info can be found here.

    Otherwise, feel free to take a look through our Accommodation section and something may catch your eye.

    Good luck planning your trip!

    Dana
    My Czech Republic
     
  3. orange

    orange Member

    Thank you for responding, Dana:)

    Well my budjet is around 2000-3000CZK, and would love to stay in the city centre where things are happening, but still very safe!
    Also would like to stay at some place where they have a private bathroom/shower in the room.

    I've checked out some accomodations in your web site. (It's great, by the way)
    Hotel Express, Hotel Praga 1 Residence, Pension U Suteru, Pension U zeleneho vence (Green Garland), and Hotel Evropa are the ones I like so far.
    Which of these hotels/pensions do you recommend?
    And what are the differences between an Apartment, Hotel and Pension?
    Are all these places equipped with a private bath/shower?
    Do all of them have security locker in the room where I can securely leave my valuables?

    Also I have one more Question:
    Between New Town and Old Town, which place is more lively and attractive? (I'm sure both places are equally attractive, but I would like to enjoy the night life whilst I'm there...which place has more and better cafes, bars, clubs, etc?)

    Sorry for all the questions.
    Many thanks in advance!!!

    Orange
     
  4. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    With that kind of budget, you shouldn't have a problem finding a nice place to stay. First of all, you asked about the difference between an apartment, hotel and pension. An apartment means that you'd be staying at an actual apartment (flat) with a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. You'd have your own key, probably no reception desk or room service, and possibly no maid. If you're going by yourself and don't plan to cook your own meals, you probably don't need an apartment. A pension is often smaller than a hotel, may have around 10 rooms and is typically owned and run by a family. It's similar to a bed & breakfast.

    Personally, I wouldn't recommend the Hotel Evropa because of its location. It's on Wenceslas Square, which is of course very central, but it is not a particularly nice place at night (prostitutes, etc.). I wouldn't say the area is dangerous, it's just not very appealing at night. At least not to me... Plus it's pretty busy and noisy with lots of people and traffic. Of course you might be able to get a quiet room - I'm not sure.

    In my opinion, the location of the Praga 1 Residence is not that great either. Žitná is a big, busy street with little character. With your kind of budget, you have plenty of choices and can stay at a nicer location.

    The Pension U Šuterů seems to be popular. The location is very central and less busy than the above.

    I like the location of the Pension U zeleného věnce. It's in the heart of the Old Town (very touristy), on a nice little street, and just the walk to and from the pension through the labyrinth of ancient cobblestoned streets is an experience. The pension itself is not that special but it's nice enough. It's family-run, the owners are pleasant, you'll get a typical Czech breakfast of bread, butter, jam, yogurt, etc. served on a table with a checkered tablecloth in a simple dining area. Some of the rooms are somewhat strangely designed, with stairs in the middle of the room and wooden beams running across corners, so you'll have to watch your head. :)

    I don't know much about the Hotel Expres, except that it seems to be popular and it's in a good location, close to both the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square.

    I'm going to research the hotels some more (private bathroom, safe, etc.) and will get back to you on that.

    You may have noticed a pattern - I'm partial to the "old Prague", i.e. Old Town, Malá Strana and Hradčany. I love those areas, they are very old (medieval), quieter than the New Town, with charming little streets, and you feel like you're in another era. The New Town (Hotel Evropa, Praga 1 Residence, U Šuterů) is only about a hundred years old, is more busy and noisy, has more traffic, stores, businesses, etc. But of course it's a matter of personal preference. If you like action and hustle-bustle, you might like staying in the New Town.

    You asked which area was more lively and attractive. Well, the New Town is more lively, the Old Town and Malá Strana are more attractive. The nightlife is great in all three areas - if you look at our Prague Nightlife section, you'll notice that most bars and clubs are in Prague 1, which covers the Old Town (+ Jewish Quarter), Malá Strana, New Town and Hradčany. You'll also find lots of cafés, tea rooms and restaurants in all these districts. Just so you know, pretty much everything in these neighboring districts is within a reasonable walking distance or just a short tram/metro/taxi ride away.
     
  5. orange

    orange Member

    Dana, thank you so much for the detailed reply:)
    Your info helped me a lot!!!!

    Pension U zeleneho vence (Green Garland) sounds like a very attractive place to stay, but when I checked out its site, it looks like they don't have any security locker there. Since I've never traveled Czech and don't know much about safety there, I really want to stay at some place that offers some type of security locker so I don't have to carry valuables on me wherever I go.

    You mentioned pension is more like a Bed & Breakfast.
    Do these type of pensions offer private shower/bath in each room?

    I found another place that I'm interested in your Accomodation site.
    It's called Hotel Betlem Club, located in Betlemske namesti No. 9, Old Town. Do you know if this place is any good?

    And are there nice bars/clubs very close to Skorepka str. No.5-9, Old Town?
    I'd really like to enjoy nightlife whilst I'm there, but don't want to walk around too much at night. (Is it safe for a girl to stroll around town alone at night?) What time would you say it's too late for a girl to stroll around town at night?

    If you get some info on other hotels that I might be interested in, please let me know:) And thank you sooo much for all the information!!!!!

    Orange:D

    P.S. Sorry, one more thing: Is it dangerous to stay at a youth hostel?
    I've talked to a few friends and they suggested me to stay at a 3-star
    hotels instead of youth hostels since it might not be that safe.
     
  6. My Czech Republic

    My Czech Republic Administrator

    Hi Orange,

    All the hotels/pensions you picked have their own bathroom in the rooms. The Hotel Expres also offers two cheaper rooms with a shared bathroom. They all have a safe at the reception, but not in the rooms. I think that would work fine, especially if you're only leaving important documents in there (your passport, plane tickets, etc.). I don't know if I'd feel comfortable leaving lots of cash in a hotel safe. The best thing is to take smaller amounts of cash out of cash machines as you need it.

    Our travel partner is recommending the Pension U Šuterů, which has a nice atmosphere. Also the Pension U Zeleného věnce and Praga 1 Residence offer pleasant and good quality accommodation. The Hotel Expres has very simple rooms. Also keep in mind (and I did not think of this before) that the Hotel Express is located near Perlová street (popular with prostitutes - but it's not as bad as you might think) and there are some erotic shops etc. in the vicinity of the hotel. This can obviously be a problem for families with children or for older people. You can decide if this would affect your stay. The location is practical, but not romantic.

    Our partner also recommends the Hotel Salvator and Hotel U Zlatého jelena (Golden Stag).

    Just like hotels, pensions typically offer rooms with their own bathroom. Of course there are exceptions and this would be distinguished in the price list for every hotel/pension.

    Unfortunately, I don't know anything in particular about the Hotel Betlem Club, only that it's in a nice, quiet location.

    Please start new topics for each of these questions since I don't feel that I can provide an informed answer:

    - Nice bars/clubs near Skořepka - there probably are some but I can't think of any off hand. La Fabrique is just a few minutes from there on the Uhelný trh square but I've never been there.

    - Is it safe for a girl to walk around Prague at night and how late is too late?

    - Is it safe to stay at a youth hostel?

    Dana
    My Czech Republic
     
  7. orange

    orange Member

    Thanks for the info:)

    Cool, it's nice to know all the places I've picked have a safe at the reception!!
    Since some of these places didn't have a "safe in the reception" symbol, I wasn't really sure....

    I was sort of thinking Hotel Express, but now that you mentioned about those erotic shops. It made me think it's not all that romantic and cool.

    Now I'm narrowing down to "Hotel U Suteru" located on Palackeho str. NO.4, New Town , "Hotel U krale Jiriho (King George)" located on Liliova str. NO. 10, Old Town, "Hotel Betlem Club" located on Betlemske namesti No. 9, Old Town, and "Pension U zeleneho vence (Green Garland)" located on Retezova str. No.10, Old Town.

    Does anyone have more info on these hotels/pensions and what their neighborhoods are like?

    "Pension U zeleneho" doesn't have a 24hr symbol on the website. and Dana mentioned that it's a family-owned pension. Does this mean me going out at night and coming back late would cause trouble if I stayed at this hotel?

    Many thanks in advance,
    Orange :D
     
  8. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    Orange,

    Myself, I prefer the Old Town locations over the New Town but maybe someone else can give their opinions.

    If you stay at the U Zeleného věnce, you'll have a key to the front door and a key to your room, so you can come and go as you please 24 hours a day. The family doesn't actually live in the pension I don't think. There is a regular reception that's open during the day and closed at night.

    Dana
     
  9. orange

    orange Member

    Hi Dana:)

    Thank you so much for the info!!!!
    Excellent!!!

    By the way, do you happen to know anything about "Hotel U krale Jiriho (King George)?
    It's located on Liliova str. NO.10, Old Town.

    Many thanks,
    Orange :wink:
     
  10. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    No I don't, except that it was once on my own list of places to stay because I liked what I had read about it. But they were full so I didn't get to stay there.
     
  11. orange

    orange Member

    According to your Accomodation site, this place "Hotel U krale Jiriho (King George)" doesn't have a safe in the reception.
    How can I find out if they have a safe in the reception or not?

    Many thanks for your help!!!!!!
    Orange :D
     
  12. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    Orange, I sent you a private message about this.

    Dana
     
  13. orange

    orange Member

    Thanks! :wink:

    Orange
     

Share This Page