Prague

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Thinking of heading over tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. I'm stationed 3 hours away so I'll be driving in a little after lunch. Been asking for suggestions of things to do and so far I've got:

-Free walking tours through Old town or the Castle
-Prague pubcrawl to famous nightlife clubs
-Beerspa

Maybe need a couple other lowkey ideas and/or something nature related. Appreciate any input.

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Driving from Germany? Watch the Polizei in The Czech Republic. They are NOTORIOUS for pulling over cars with German plates and collecting the fine for whatever trumped up charge they have pulled you over for in cash on the spot. We used to go to the Asian Market in Cheb a couple of times a month and its less than a mile from the German border and it was a rare trip that we didn't get stopped in that mile. From Cheb to Carlsbad it was even worse. They used to LOVE some roadside fine collecting from drivers with German plates who were not fluent in German...if you are fluent without a Haupt Deutsch accent they will not collect said fines....but if they sense you ain't German and most likely American or British you going to pay the roadside fine, in the cash of your choice but dollars are preferred....

I had 2 of them in Carlsbad escort me to a brothel one Suday morning. I told them I did not have any cash and they'd have to take me to jail....they told me they would take me to an ATM. I told them they could follow me to an ATM...they discussed this and agreed....walked into the brothel and the lady at the door knew them both by name. Withdrew 1000 krone and they were happy...I think they spent it on the spot. About $50 at the time


I wasn't about to get in the car with them. It would have cost WAY more than $50. They are, or were, a bunch of thugs. There is also a massive presence of Russian mafia in Prague....they are also prone to robbing tourists or worse. Not to bad in Carlsbad and west to Germany but the further east you go in the Czech Republic the worse it gets.

The Karluv Most is pretty cool on weekends...lots of street performers and a great place to people watch. Wenceslas Square is also a good place to people watch. I was told by the young soldiers I worked with in Germany that Prague was a BLAST....lots of Brit ex pats and NYU has a campus in Prague so there are a LOT of young Americans. One of the few decent Mexican restaurants we found in our 7 years in Europe was in Prague but for the life of me I can't remember the name or where it was but it was very close to NYU. Prague was fantastic but getting there from Germany was ALWAYS an adventure....and the Russians are not to be trifled with....if brothels might be part of the plan keep your wits about you....in the mid 2000s the Russians were just about out of control when it came to nightlife in Prague. Far worse than the Turks in Germany.....

I have never been to Prague but I am scheduled to spend three nights there in April following a river cruise that ends in Budapest. We are staying at the Hotel Augustine which is on the grounds of a working monastery.
I will be following this thread to get some ideas on things to do and places to eat and drink.

That restaurant is in my hotel. I am looking forward to trying it.

In the square with the clock you have the original Pilsner Urquell restaurant and also the Black Angel’s cocktail bar. Both worth checking out.

A day trip to Cesky Krumlov is a fun excursion. Can drink at the original Budvar (Budweiser) along the way.

We booked a guided walking tour via Viator that turned out to be great.

Lovely city; one of my favs in Europe. Enjoy!

So the free walking tour has 3 different options. I did the old town today. It started slow but it definitely picked up once we got to see the astronomical clock do its thing (with the seven deadly sins motions), then we saw the church with the spires and lastly the riverfront. So far it’s been an awesome trip. I had an authentic Czech meal with beer for 11 dollars American. I will tour the castle tomorrow with another free walking tour*(not including tip). Prague is one of the best cities I’ve visited thus far!

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Don't change any money on the street near an ATM. A guy will offer you a great rate and give you worthless bills.

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I was walking to my hotel just after arriving by train from Berlin. I hit the first bank ATM I found and as I turned around a guy was blocking my steps and when I looked up, he had a wad of cash and was saying something. I told him to get the F out of my way. I was vigilant for the four days I was there.

Definitely a cool city otherwise. Toured the clock tower, dungeons underneath, the castle, walked around a lot. Vibrant and picturesque city all around.

FYI: Also, some of their bills are no longer valid. There are bills with the thin dashed lines on them and I believe they are no longer valid. There are some other older denominations that aren't valid also. I had a merchant give me one of the old ones, then the next merchant wouldn't accept it and that's how I found out. After that, I checked every bill that a merchant gave me, and sure enough, a street merchant tried to give me one with the thin lines and I caught it. She acted all surprised and like she was unaware of them being invalid.

Hookers are gorgeous.

I’m just saying….

Go drink beer in Letenské sady. Its a park/beer garden overlooking the city. It is bad arse.