Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, Czech Republic (cc)

Photo: Kirk

Prague Travel Guide

Introduction

Prague, Praha in Czech, is a city of monuments and architecture. It possesses one of the largest, most astonishing, most pristine and varied collections of architecture in the world, running the gamut from Art Nouveau, Baroque and Gothic – for which Prague is best known – to Renaissance, Cubist, Neo-Classical and Post-Modern, with fabulous old buildings and churches with triumphal arches and soaring spires juxtaposed with the irreverent architectural flourishes of the likes of Adolf Loos, Frank O. Gehry and Jean Nouvel. It is a city, too, of opera, theater, cinema, poetry, coffee houses, libraries, museums and galleries. It is a city of writers and composers – think Franz Kafka, Antonin Dvo_ák and Václav Havel – and martyrs – think Jan Palach, the young student who set himself ablaze on the city's Wenceslas Square on January 16, 1969, to protest the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. The city itself is built on nine hills on the River Vltava, and is the most captivating of all the capital cities of the "Other Europe." It is, to be sure, a beautiful city, thoroughly enchanting, with a huge pull – a city, in fact, as Kafka once wrote, that "has clutches," a city that "never lets you go."

Location

Prague, seat of ancient Bohemia, is situated in the heart of the Czech Republic in Central Europe. From Vienna, Austria, it is 156 miles (251 km) to the northwest, and from Berlin, 174 miles (280 km) to the south. The nearest major international cities to it are Dresden, 73 miles (118 km) north, and Leipzig, 166 miles (267 km) northwest.

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Prague is well connected by rail and air to most European capitals. When arriving from overseas, consider routing through Frankfurt, Germany, or London. Lufthansa, Air France, Austrian Airlines, British Airways and Delta are good choices for direct flights to Prague.

Sightseeing

Main Neighborhoods

Staré Město (Old Town) -

Josefov -

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) -

Hradčany -

Nové Město (New Town) -

Žižkov -

Vinohrady -

How to Get Around

Where to Party

The place to party in Prague, particularly if you're not too picky whether it's upscale or downscale, is the Žižkov district, right in the center of the city. There are over 300 bars in Žižkov, which is more than any other neighborhood in all of Europe. Plus, for a night of debauchery, Žižkov also has most of the city's brothels and strip clubs.

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Know Before You Go