Overview
Prague is quite simply one of the most
stunning cities in Europe, a
UNESCO World Heritage listed
gem, eulogized as the
‘City of a Thousand Spires'. It has become the archetypal post-communist city success story with seemingly not a month going by without another city being hailed as the ‘New Prague'.
This is a city where just ambling around the impressively well-preserved
historic core, stopping off for a fortifying glass of one of the excellent
local beers, popping into
boutique shops or one of the many museums is the real pleasure.
Prague's story goes back to the distant days of the Celtic tribes, as early as 400BC. The city's real golden age commenced when
Charles IV of Bohemia was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1346. The ambitious
gothic building program, including St. Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, the University, and the New Town, centered on Wenceslas Square and transformed the city into one of the greatest and
most powerful in Europe.
The 20th century brought massive trauma for
Czechoslovakia and Prague as the country was occupied by the
Nazis during
WWII and then spent the best part of five decades subjugated under
Soviet communist rule, with all attempts to win greater democracy in 1968's
‘Prague Spring' brutally crushed under the weight of Russian tanks.
The Czech spirit remained undaunted and in 1989, as the Berlin Wall tumbled, the Czechs finally broke free of communism during the
‘Velvet Revolution', which was quickly followed by the
‘Velvet Divorce' as the Slovak portion of the old Czechoslovakia chose to go its own way.
With poet and president
Vaclav Havel at the helm, Prague became the hub of the post-communist
eastern European revival with expats flocking to the city in the 1990s, quickly developing a buzz that brought comparisons with 1920s Paris.
This post Velvet Revolution buzz has faded to some extent and these days there are as many foreign as Czech voices on the streets with the city massively popular as a tourist destination and as a
business hub. In 2004, the Czech Republic joined the European Union, further cementing the city's importance and popularity.
Part of Prague's charm is that it is a rewarding place to visit at
any time of year. Winters can be long, harsh and dark, but spring and autumn are often idyllic with summer bringing some very warm central European temperatures.
Whether easing under Charles Bridge on a rowboat on a
balmy summer evening, or walking across the
crisp snow of the Old Town Square and enjoying a
glass of mulled wine at the
Christmas Market, this slick, but still character-rich Czech capital seldom disappoints....
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Tourist Information
Walking Tours
A number of companies offer excellent walking tours of Prague, some with themes such as ghosts, Kafka and legends. Most last about two hours. Leaflets are available at all tourist information service locations (see Tourist Information). Most tours start from beneath the Astrological Clock in the Old Town Square.
Walks of Prague, Dobraticka 523, Prague 18 (tel: 7378 84745; website: http://www.walksofprague.cz/), offers scheduled themed walks, including the four-hour (with a tram trip) Grand Walk, as well as tours of Jewish Prague and the Castle District. Guides speak English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. The company also arranges personal guides for individual tours.
Prague Tours (website: http://www.praguer.com/) provides a number of walking tours, as well as bicycle and boat tours. Daily Walks of Prague (tel: 2819 17642; website: http://www.walks.cz/) and Prague Travel Ltd (tel: 2225 16064; website: http://www.praguetravel.cz/) both offer a number of walks. Wittmann Tours (tel: 2222 52472; website: http://www.wittmann-tours.com/) specializes in tours of Jewish interest, both in the city and further afield.
Bus Tours
Prague Sightseeing Tours (tel: 2223 14661; website: http://www.pstours.cz/) depart from Námìstí Republiky and terminate in the city center. The ‘Grand City Tour', which takes in all the major sights and includes a walking tour, takes three-and-a-half-hours. All tours are in English and other major European languages on request.
Bus tours of Prague and other tourist locations are also available through Best Tour (tel: 2848 14141; website: http://www.besttour.cz/) and Bohemia Travel Service (tel: 2248 26262; website: http://www.citytours.cz/).
Boat Tours
Prague Sightseeing Tours (tel: 2223 14661/5; website: http://www.pstours.cz/) offers three special boat tours. A cruise on the Vltava River with lunch and music takes passengers under the Charles Bridge on this two-and-a-half-hour trip. The two-hour cruise on the Vltava River with coffee and cake travels past the Prague Castle District and Lesser Town. The ‘Prague by Night Tour' is three hours of onboard dining and cruising, before a one-hour coach trip to Prague's most beautiful squares. All tours depart by coach from Námìstí Republiky.
Other Tours
Dopravní podnik Prahy (tel: 8001 91817; website: http://www.dp-praha.cz/) offers tours around the city center on the Historic Tram 91 at weekends March-November. The circular route runs from Výstaviste, through Malá Strana, across the Vltava to the National Theater, through Wenceslas Square and returns to Výstaniste via Námìstí Republiky. Travelers can board at any stop en route - an entire round trip takes an hour.
Fiacres (horse-drawn taxis) offer tours of the center of the Old Town. Fiacres are found along the west side of the Old Town Square.
Old Timer History Trip (tel: 7768 29897; website: http://www.historytrip.cz/) offers unique tours in Prague, in beautifully restored cars from the great age of Czech motoring, which took place between the two World Wars. Drivers are suitably attired in 1930s costumes. There are a number of set tours.
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