Prague bound

[JiveTurkey]

Well, after hearing about all the smoking hot chicks that love the americans, the cheap beer, and cheep clubs, I had to go... So I just bought my ticket from Nottingham to Prague... Well, after paying and thinking about all the cheep sex and beer I realized that I have no clue about anything in Prague. So I have a few questions......

1st- How do the people like Americans?????

2nd- I need to know a great place to stay (fun, clean, other people to meet)???

3rd- I'm flying into the airport at 8pm.. how hard and how much will it cost me to get to my hostle??

4th- Is there anything I should know/watch out for there?!

Thank you in advance! You all can have my first born! (and 2nd too!)

-Lee

[skidrage]

I wish I would have met some of those smoking chicks that like Americans when I was there I must have been at the wrong clubs. Here are some answers to your questions.

1. I never had a problem with anyone in Prague. Some people were quite friendly in the bars.

2. Some of the better hostels seem to be The Boathouse, Traveller's Hostel, and Clown & Bard as far as meeting people. I have stayed at The Boathouse, and it is great but a 15 minute tram ride from the center of town.

3. There is a shuttle bus that is supposed to connect you to the closest metro station. I am sure you will find all the info about that at the airport and it should not cost much. Most metro tickets cost about a quarter.

4. If you take taxi's be careful of which ones. There are certain types that are safe, but there are some scamming companies there. Check the web to see which ones are legit as this is a big problem there. Then just basic things such as ignore people coming up to you to exchange money and watch your wallet on the Charles Bridge.

[worldwidemike]

Before I went to Prague, I'd heard of a number of scams. I didn't run into any, though. Some were the old change the price on the menu one (avoided by retaining the menu you ordered off of...); the girl who wants you to buy her a drink, and then it ends up costing an outrageous amount (avoid by calling their intimidation bluff or shouting for the police, I hear); and the taxi one mentioned (avoid by agreeing to a price beforehand).

Honestly, I think most scammers are looking for someone they can intimidate or that won't put up a fight. If you look confidant and aren't afraid to stare them down, I think they'll opt for "greener" pastures...

Of course, the best way to deal with hostile natives is to take Canadian Dude with you...!

worldwidemike

[tumblezweedz]

We didn't have any problems in Prague, but took the basic precautions, like not flaunting our wallets about everywhere. I even carried my camera on my shoulder, but it's one of those old fashioned film ones, so no one could be bothered to steal it!

Buy a transit pass, we got the week long one, for about $10 US. It's good for all buses, trams and metro, including the shuttle from the airport, bus #100 which runs every ten minutes or so. It will take you to the last station on the metro's Orange Line (Zlinic or something similar), which is about 15 minutes from the centre of town - you can transfer easily to wherever you're staying. The metro system is terrific, and connects well with the trams and buses.

At the Zlinic metro station, there is a huge mall complex, in case you need anything during your stay. We only discovered it on the way to the airport, but it has all the standard department stores, restaurants and movie theatres. Plus an IKEA, which I wish I'd known about earlier! I think I live in the only capital city in Europe that doesn't have an IKEA. How could that have happened?

There is another major shopping and entertainment centre at the Andel metro stop. I highly recommend the creperie on the third floor of the Carrefour shopping mall. Carrefour is good for department store type stuff, but this was the busiest mall I've been in for a long time. People actually buy stuff there. Strange. There's a great bookstore on the ground floor, with tons of English titles.

Have fun!

[AdamTheCultured]

I stayed at The Boathouse and although it was about 15 minutes from the center of town it was chill, clean, and had SUPER NICE STAFF!!! (Vera the manager is so fucking awesome!!!) plus great home cooked dinners....I heard the Clown and Bard is a good one that is in town....if thats what you are looking for....

Watch yourself on the metros...some locals will be able to mark you as a tourist and will think of you as easy prey for picking your wallet...oh and i would probably buy tram tickets too...even though Prague is the only place we didnt get stopped by the authorities it supposedly has the worst penalties......

If you are into drugs Prague is a good place because you can find them fairly easily...and if a cop stops you all you have to say is "Its for my Personal consumption" and they will let you go...if not they might try to bring you in on selling charges....

Scams to watch out for are the taxi cab scams, drink prices scams, pick pockets in Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and the Metros...

Also, prostitutes might come up to you and start rubbing up againist you either by themselves or with a few girls and then they will leave and you will be missing your wallet....happen to three different people i met there....

Other then that...have a great time...DRINK SOME ABSINTHE!!! DRINK SOME CHEAP BEER!!! And have fun girl watching and such...I would say that 75% of the local women there between ages 16-35 are EXTREMELY DO-ABLE....haha...oh and they like cocky and confident Americans.....the more confidence the more they want you...

[The Monsignor]

That sounds like a good starting point for my 'random european tour' starting next may!

[JiveTurkey]

Well, I'm back from the trip now.. and now that I have been there I can tell you first hand that Prague ROCKS! I can't wait to go back to Europe just so I can make my way to Prague again.... The city is great! Put it on your itenary for sure!!

[theDOC]

Yeah Prague is definitely on my list for the Europe tour 2005. Heard some really great things about that country, and if half of it is real, I am sure i will fully enjoy myself. Thanks for all your comments!