Hedgie's Trip Tips

LODGING

Overview:

Bargains still exist in the countryside, but Prague tends to be fully booked in season and prices reflect that. Accommodation costs may actually exceed those of other European capitals. A wide range of accommodations is available: hostels, apartments, small family-run hotels, and luxury hotel suites. Prices range from 20 euros to thousands of euros per person per night.

Control your cost
Factors affecting the cost are primarily the season, the hotel's class and amenities, and the distance to the center. Not all hotels use the same dates for their seasonal rates. Those which cater to business conventions may have lower rates in summer. Check carefully.

Cut costs by paying only for those amenities you will use. Why select a hotel with Internet connections, conference and spa facilities, and a restaurant, if you won't use them? Even selecting a hotel without an elevator can allow a stay in the historical center for a much lower rate.

Stay at least few days in or very near the historical center to experience both early morning walks before the crowds arrive and the unique atmosphere of evening in Prague. This will save time as well as money, because you can walk to everything. A neighborhood on the periphery could mean a long walk or bus ride to the Metro with an hour commute to the sights. If you are a night owl, note that the Metro shuts down at midnight and a completely different set of night trams start running.

Best of all, if you choose the right hotel in the historical center, it can make your trip magical. To get all this in high season, you may need to book your stay well in advance.

Booking Your Room

If you do not want to book ahead, find an agency after you arrive. Both in the train station and in the city center are agencies which offer rooms in hotels, pensions, and private apartments. This can work in the off season, especially in a year when tourism is down. In a boom year and in high season, if you want to be in a reasonably-priced attractive hotel in the historical center, book well in advance.

When booking ahead, you can use the services of your own travel agent or choose a hotel chain you know, such as the Hilton, Mariott, or Ibis. Alternately, you can use guide books or the Internet. Google maps now has street views of Prague, so you may be able to view the hotels and their streets online.

Cautions:
Most visitors want a small, charming, friendly hotel in the real historical center. Most small hotels want you to think this is what you are getting.

Too many hotels have misleading information online, especially about their distance from the historical center, the quietness of their streets, and the acceptability of their "renovated" bathrooms.
Some are known to pull "bait and switch" techniques, shuttling you away from the hotel in the historical center that you booked to a "sister" hotel in a far less attractive area, with the excuse that your room has developed a "problem."

Some "three star hotels" feel more like hostels. Some hostels are extremely noisy and unsafe.

In our FAQ's we review specfic hotels and make recommendations. We are biased toward charm and value for money. We dislike the bland, the ugly, the pretentious, and the architecturally sadistic. With our tips, you should be able to book yourself something you'll really enjoy.