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Getting There

By plane: Prague's Ruznye Airport is 10km from the city centre. To get to the city catch bus #119 (Kc20), get off at the last stop (Dejvická Metro stop) and catch the metro into the city centre.

By train: All long distance trains travelling to the Czech capital terminate at Hlavni nádrazí which is in the city centre, just east of Wenceslas Square.

By bus: Nearly all international and domestic buses travelling to Prague end their journeys in Florenc Bus Station just east of the Old Town Square.

Getting Around

On foot: Prague's Old Town and New Town are within walking distance of each other. The Lesser Town is west of the river.

By tram: The best way to see all of Prague is by tram as they cover all parts of the city. You can pick up route maps in some metro stations.

By metro: While Prague's underground network is easy to use (there are three lines) they don't cover as much of the city as trams.

By taxi: Prague is notorious for rogue taxi drivers. If using them in touristy areas haggle with drivers.

During the winter it can get very, very cold in the Czech capital. December and January see temperatures drop well below 0°C, although the city is extremely picturesque under a blanket of snow. It remains very cold until the middle of March and it isn't really until April that temperatures begin to rise. July and August are the warmest months and this is when Prague is at its busiest. September is a nice month to visit, along with early October, although it begins to get very cold again towards the end of the month before winter.

Embassies / Consulates

USA: +420 257 530 663
UK: +420 257 402 111
Canada: +420 272 101 800
Australia: +420 296 578 350 (Consulate)
South Africa: +420 267 311 114
Ireland: +420 257 530 061
Germany: +420 257 113 111
Spain: +420 224 311 222
Italy: +420 233 080 111
New Zealand: +420 222 514 672 (Consulate)
France: +420 251 171 711

Orange Moon, Rámová 5, Josefov Due to the Czechs' tendency not to charge western-style prices for eastern-style fare, you can enjoy a full meal in this fusion restaurant for less than €10. Choose from Indian/Burmese/Thai dishes. Open daily 11.30am-11.30pm.

Coctail-Café Restaurant, Karlova 6, Staré Mesto Considering its central location, you'd expect the food to be a lot dearer than it is in this restaurant. But here you can get anything from pizza to fish at very reasonable prices. Try the 'Pečené uzené koleno' (roasted smoked pork). It's big enough to feed a horse. Open daily 24 hours.

Pivnice U Svejků, Újezd 22, Malá Strana This restaurant is primarily geared towards tourists but still does decent food at good prices. While it's good for lunches, if you decide to refuel here after 7pm you can do so to the sounds of a local accordian player. Open daily from 11am-midnight.

Bohemia Bagel, Újezd 16, Malá Strana For a good old fashioned English or American breakfast, this is where to go. The menu is full of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon and rashers. Open Mon-Fri 7am-midnight, Sat & Sun 8am-midnight.

A Good Way to Start the Day Káva Káva Káva, Národní 37, Nové Mesto Thanks to delightfully friendly staff, and mugs of tea/coffee big enough to (nearly) swim in, there is no better place to start the day than in here. Located just two minutes from the northern end of Wenceslas Square, you get 15 minutes free internet with every 60Kc spent. Open Mon-Fri 7am-10pm; Sat & Sun 9am-10pm.

Wenceslas Square If you've been saying to your friends lately 'Does my bum look small in these?', this is where to go. Fast-food stands galore.

Vinárna U Sudu, Vodičkova 10, Nové Mesto They say first impressions last. This isn't always true. Upon walking into this bar it seems like a quiet, local wine bar. But take a moment to explore what is beyond the small bar which greets you and you'll discover a bar that never seems to end - it has 7 different zones. Open Mon-Thurs 8am-3am, Sat & Sun 8am-4am, Sun 8am-2am.

Karlovy Lazne, Novotného lávka 5, Staré Mesto Attracting Prague's weird and wonderful offspring every weekend, Karlovy Lazne is Prague's very own 'superclub'. Spread out over four floors and five rooms, each one plays different genres of music so there is something for everyone. Open nightly from 9pm-5am; admission 50Kc-100Kc.

Pivovarský Dum, Lipova 15, Nové Mesto This bar, frequented mainly by locals, is where to go when you want to try something different. The pub has its own brewery and produces such delights as banana beer, cherry beer and coffee beer. It's also a good place when you want to get out of the city centre. Open daily 11am-11.30pm.

Rocky O'Reilly's, Stepanska 32, Nové Mesto Of all of Prague's Irish bars, 'Rocky's' is by far the best one. There's a good atmosphere during the week, while on weekends it gets far livelier. Go and you're guaranteed to have a bit of 'craic'. It's also a great spot to catch live sporting events. Open daily 10am-close.

Chapeau Rouge, Jakubska 2, Stare Mesto Attracting all walks of life (overseas backpackers included), Chapeau Rouge is a three-story bar that should meet your hedonistic demands. The first floor is where you'll find a traditional bar, but downstairs it's a different story thanks to the club on one floor and live bands on the other. Open daily from 10am-close.

Prague Castle, Hradcanské náměstí, Malá Strana Built around 850AD, Prague's enchanting castle is not to be missed. Home to St Vitus Cathedral, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane, it is said to be Europe's oldest surviving medieval castle. Open daily from 9am-4pm/5pm; admission 350/250/150Kc.

Staroměstské náměstí Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí), Staré Mesto Translating in Czech to Staroměstské náměstí, the Old Town Square is where you will find some of Prague's most beautiful buildings. These include the Old Town Hall in the centre of the square and Tyn Church which dominates the eastern side of the square.

Charles Bridge, Staré Mesto This bridge is the most famous of all the bridges which cross the River Vltava and is crowded with tourists day and night. But you can see why as it boasts breathtaking views of the castle and provides free entertainment during the warmer months when buskers do their utmost to entertain tourists to earn a few crowns.

St Nicholas Church, Malostranské náměstí, Malá Strana Along with Prague Castle, this church is the other building which dominates the skyline on Malá Strana. Taking over 80 years to complete, it belongs among the leading baroque buildings in Europe and is undoubtedly one of Prague's most beautiful sights. Open from 9am-4.45pm; admission 50Kc.

Petrín Hill, Malá Strana For unrivalled views over Prague, hop on a funicular from the station at Újezd in Malá Strana bound for Petrín Hill. Once you reach the top (there are two stops) you can walk around the park, get lost in the 'Mirror Maze', or climb Petrín Tower (admission 50Kc).

January - Three Kings Day Held on the 6th of January every year, this festival marks the end of Christmas with carol singing and bell ringing, while volunteers collect donations to give to the poor.

March/April - Easter Markets Hundreds stalls are set up at the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square where you can buy everything from hand-painted eggs to wooden carved toys.

April - Burning of the Witches Originally a festival to prevent evil from occuring, today this event sees a fairground staged at Bubenec and an all-night bonfire party take place on Kampa Island.

May - Prague Marathon Athletes from all over the world travel to run in this 26 mile race. To keep the spirits of the runners up, the streets are lined with street entertainers and musicians.

June - BMX Freestyle World Championships This is the year's biggest events in BMX world and attracts the best riders. Held in the city's Stvanice Island (Mystic Skatepark), it shouldn't be missed.

July - Mystic Skate Cup Prague's annual skateboarding competition attracts the world's biggest names who compete for a prize of $30,000.

July/August - Chamber Music Festival Known as 'Ameropa', this annual music festival celebrates the joy of music-making with the world. Combining different styles, the event always offers a collaboration between instrument and voice.

September - Prague Autumn International Music Festival In the 14 years it has been running, this music festival has become a permanent part of not just Prague's, but also Europe's musical life.

October - Prague International Jazz Festival First staged in 1977, Prague's annual international jazz festival attracts the best of homegrown talent as well as other artists from across the globe.

November - Festival Alternativa If you find yourself in Prague in the month of November and are looking for something different to do, visit this festival. It showcases the best in alternative drama and dance and won't be forgotten.

December - Christmas in Prague Prague becomes one of Europe's most enchanting cities every Christmas as hundreds of stalls are set up in the Christmas markets in the Old Town Square.

Call Point, Vodičkova 20, Nové Mesto This small internet shop just off Wenceslas Square only has 7 machines but they have fairly speedy access. If you want to make a quick call home you can do that also. Word of warning though - if you have a sore leg steer clear as the computers are up a very steep, winding staircase! Open daily from 10am-10pm; 1Kc per min.

Internet Maják, Rytirska 18, Nové Mesto Found down a small arcade, this cybershop is apparently where you will find the 'fastest connection in Prague'. There are over ten machines to choose from so you’ll never have too much of a problem finding a spare one. Open Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-8pm; 25Kc for 15 mins, 100kc per hour.

Internet, Kamizikova 6, Staré Mesto There are 7 terminals to choose from, and if you feel like decorating your room, or buying a present for somebody back home, you can buy one of the prints that hang on the wall for around 100Kc. It won’t win any prizes for its name, but it could do for its location as it is just off the Old Town Square. Open dailiy from 10am-10pm; 1,50Kc per min.

Tiscali, Újezd 16, Malá Strana Located beside Bohemia Bagel, you can send emails or browse the web in this brightly coloured internet café to the sound of funky tunes. It also doubles up as a bar so you can have a beer afterwards. They also have a branch on Masna, just two minutes from the Old Town Square. Open Sun-Thurs 9am-10pm, Fri & Sat 9am-midnight; 1,80Kc per min.

Wenceslas Square, Nové Mesto More like a long boulevard, Wenceslas Square and the streets which break off it are where you can find some stores belonging to many of the world’s best-known brands. This includes H+M, Benetton and many more. The area also has heaps of sports stores if you wish to buy yourself a new pair of trainers.

Karlova, Staré Mesto If you feel like succumbing to the hundreds of touristy shops that sell all sorts kitsch, Karlova, a street to the east of the Old Town Square, is where to go. Its numerous shops are driven towards tourists, so you can pick up all sorts of memorabilia from your time in 'Praha'.

All Kinds of Everything Havelská Trziste Initially this market may seem like it's driven exclusively towards tourists. But saunter on past selling trinkets and you'll see this market, which dates back to the 13th century, has other stalls where you'll pick up the freshest of fruit and other niceties. Open daily from 10am-5pm.

Tesco, Národní 26, Nové Mesto With four floors to shop on, you can buy absolutely anything in this huge department store. Electrical goods can be found on the 4th floor, cooking utensils (your hostel may be short a ladle!) are on the 3rd, clothes are on the 2nd, lingerie, ahem, are on the 1st while on the ground floor are the trustworthy travel guides. Open Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-8pm.

Bontonland, Vaclavske náměstí 1, Nové Mesto If it's a new CD you're after you'll find it here as Bontonland is the Czech Republic's largest music megastore. Along with the world's most popular acts, if you want to see what the Czech youth of today like to get down to, there is a large section dedicated to nothing but Czech acts. Open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-7pm.

Visit a museum for free Some of Prague's main museums are free on certain days. This includes the National Museum on the first Monday of every month, most of the main galleries on the first Tuesday of every month, and the Prague City Museum on the first Thursday of every month.

Visit Valdstejnsky palac (Wallenstein Palace) If you're pockets are empty and you don’t know what to do you can visit this palace in the Lesser Town. Built between 1624 and 1630, twenty three houses, three gardens and a municipal brick kiln were raised to make way for the palace and its grounds. Open Sat & Sun 10am-4pm (last entrance 3.40pm); admission free.

Buy day/multi-tickets for public transport As enjoyable as it is to roam the cobbled streets of the Old Town and cross Charles Bridge to the sound of buskers, at some stage you may need to utilise Prague's public transport. When you do, buy day/multi-tickets. A day-long ticket costs 70Kc, and a 3-day ticket will set you back 200Kc.

The Bells! The Bells! Every hour from morning until night, hundreds gather at the astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square for the 'Procession of the Apostles'. Lasting five minutes, this 'procession' sees the 12 apostles nod as they pass over the clock on the hour as a bell rings somewhat morbidly.

Visit Prague Castle Even though it is the Czech capital's number one attraction, you don't actually need to pay in to the castle. To walk around the grounds, and even into St Vitus Cathedral is free. If you do visit the castle try not to miss the changing of the guard which takes place on the hour.

Start the day with a cup, sorry, jug of tea or coffee and a bagel in Káva Káva Káva. They have various types of both beverage, such as 'Hawaii Tea' and 'Salvador Coffee'.

Get tram #18, 22, 23 or 57 from Narodni trida (just up from Káva) to 'Prazsky hrad' (Prague Castle) stop and visit the castle.

Catch the changing of the guard before exploring the castle. Visit St Vitus Cathedral, one of Europe's most magnificent, and exit the castle through 'Golden Lane'.

Walk down the castle steps, taking in views over the Vltava. Make your way down to U Svejku on Ujezd for some lunch.

Across from U Svejku is the funicular station to Petrín Hill. Costing 12Kc, the trip takes five minutes. Once atop climb Petrín Tower for views over the whole of Prague.

Once you return from the hill, visit St Nicholas' Church. Marvel at the fresco on the ceiling. Cross Charles Bridge en route to the Old Town Square.

Relax in the Old Town Square. Sip a (albeit expensive) beer for a while and watch the 'Procession of the Apostles' at the astronomical clock.

Five minutes from the Old Town is 'Orange Moon' a reasonable, yet classy restaurant. Grab a bite to eat before hitting the town.

Get lost in 'Vinárna U Sudu' just off Wenceslas Square in the New Town. This traditional Czech pub never seems to end. Finish the night off in style in Karlovy Lazne!