yep, so now it's my turn.

since starting my crusade to go to europe once a year no matter what (read, no matter how poor i am and how inflated my credit card gets) i've had nothing but great experiences and i'd like to keep that trend going into it's fourth cycle.

for people that already have been to prague, i'd be curious about your experiences.

-where did you stay & how did you like it?

-i go to bars but i don't go clubbing. i'd like to find some local bars or some punk rock type dives. any leads?

-day trips to nearby towns untainted by tourism?

-how far is krakow? and auschwitz? i'm only going for a week. is it worth the trip?

-did you find any particularly cool downtown spots not in any of the guidebooks?

Hi Mike,

Prague is a great place for hanging out and absorbing the "atmosphere." Although there are sights to see, it is really best as an ambiance town...virtually the whole place is an Old Town Medieval style place. You'll like it.

I stayed at a cheap hotel rather than a hostel (I believe it was called The Opera Hotel). So, can't help you much there if you're looking at saving bucks and staying at a hostel.

I'm sure plenty of Tpunks can chime in on their favorite bars or places to stay...

worldwidemike

This is why I should keep a travel journal (note to self). Don't worry too much about finding a good bar to chill in because there are many all over. I don't remember any names though. I also stayed in a cheap hotel rather than a hostel. It was pretty decent and only around $12 a night. Go to the All Saints Chapel in Sedlec. That's the place with all the bone work. It's about 1 1/2 hours from Prague and well worth the trip. Definitely not untainted by tourism though. Compared to Western Europe though, no where in Eastern comes close. Many of the tourists you will meet are from other parts of Europe. Prague is amazing. Have fun.

Take two days out if you can (more if possible) to see Cesky Krumlov. It's an old medievil town that has looked more or less the same for the past few hunderd years. It is a tourist spot but at night you'd never really know it. Most the tourists are just there for the day from the look of it, apart from the backpackers who have the place to themselfs.

Prague is full of really cool bars alot of them seem to be in cellers (unpainted original brickwork look) under the buildings so even if it looks small on the outside they can be huge inside and you can smoke weed in them, in fact some of them stink of it. It's better than Amsterdam.

I stayed in the golden sickle hostel, it has a kitchen and bathroom to every three dorms. Really liked it.

I ended up spending 2 weeks in cech I liked it so much.

I had no trouble at all in Prague (I aparently look eastern European and had people coming up asking me for directions, locals) but I met some Irish lads that got the shit kicked out of them when they went to the suburbs. But I don't think you stand out as much on your own for that kind of craic.

thanks everyone...i'll take all this into consideration.