Comments on: Insider’s Prague: 5 Tourist Traps to Avoid and Things to Do Instead

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:37:42 +0000

In reply to Janice. Good point, Janice. Golum and the history attached is very much of the essence of Prague. And of all the little things one can buy in Prague’s Old Town, some of the Golum figurines are among my favorite souvenir gifts I’ve given from the city.

By: Janice

Janice — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 13:23:39 +0000

I know it’s in a touristy area, but a MUST see is the Golum and the old Jewish neighborhood! Yes, many folks are hawking tiny Golum figures, but the history of the Old Jewish Town is a must!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 10:14:17 +0000

In reply to Jan Doe. Jan, agree with you regarding Airbnb and how it has distorted the local housing market. We have experienced the same thing in our current home in Berlin. So, I've removed mention of renting an Airbnb apartment in the article and have left the hotel links instead.

By: Jan Doe

Jan Doe — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 16:25:58 +0000

Please avoid Airbnb. It is squeezing locals out of their apartments, reducing supply of housing for people who actually live there, contributes to the touristization of buildings against other neighbors’ wishes, etc. Get a hotel or stay at a hostel. Ideally short term rentals would be completely banned by the government. Short term rentals are a major driver of over tourism and a scourge for real people living in these places (other than the, often foreign, owners of the flats who rent them out to tourists all year round). Don’t contribute to the further Disneyfication of Prague.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 07:30:16 +0000

In reply to Gail H..

Visiting your son during study abroad is a great excuse to visit Prague, especially with other family members. Sounds like a wonderful trip!

Even though your upcoming visit is in high season there is still lots to do and see that won’t be overly touristed or crowded, especially as you’ve already seen much of the main touristy stuff and highlights. I’d suggest taking some time to explore the different neighborhoods, perhaps getting to know their weekly markets and little cafes or hospodas (pubs). It’s been a while since I visited the zoo, but I do remember it being very well done and caring for the animals. It’s possible to take a boat to a point near there so that the journey to the zoo is also an experience.

As for parks, we enjoy the park around Vysehrad as you’ll find lots of locals having picnics or just hanging out there. Letna park is also quite nice as it overlooks the Vltava river and there is a good beer garden there. We also enjoy the park area around Petřín Tower (Prague’s mini Eiffel Tower) and there are quite a few walking paths through the park. It’s also nice to walk to the tower from the top part of the castle. Kampa park near the river can also be nice, especially in the summer as there are sometimes art installations or other events going on.

It’s been a while since we visited Pilsen, but we did enjoy visiting the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. Czech beer is still the best, in our opinion. Pilsen is close enough to visit as a day trip via train and the town itself is quite cute. The Americans liberated Pilsen during World War II (vs. Russians in Prague) so you might see some information plaques and other things that tell this story. We happened to visit one time during the anniversary of this so there were reenactments with people dressed in U.S. military uniforms and tanks and such.

Have a great trip!

By: Gail H.

Gail H. — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 18:28:04 +0000

I’m glad to have found your advice! I visited Prague last year for the first week in May and, though we did do quite a bit of the touristy stuff, I adored the city. I went with my mother, aunt, and cousin; our excuse was visiting my son who was studying for a semester at Czech Technological University. He directed us to some local places to eat and was a great help at avoiding some of the traps such as the taxis and currency exchange places. That being said, 6 days was not long enough for me to visit, especially as 2 of those days were spent elsewhere, one on a hiking tour (Saxon Switzerland National Park and Bohemian Switzerland National park! Beautiful!!) and one in Vienna. I was so enthused about my visit that my husband and I decided to go back this summer (yes, I know, high tourist season but the timing was what we had available to us). I get 15 days in Prague and 2 in Vienna again! So, your tips are going to help me immensely in planning things to do other than the “big must see” things.
Do you have any opinions or thoughts on visiting the Zoo or other parks? We are also planning a beer tour and a day tour (not organized, just us on the train) to Pilsen. Any advice for this? Thank you so much!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 14:44:27 +0000

In reply to Glenys Campbell. Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the crowds on the main tourist streets and the boat cruse. Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, so much of the tourist traffic in Prague is still focused on the small old town. I do hope that more activity and experiences emerge in the nearby neighborhoods to help disperse the crowds a bit and also provide some exploration of other areas.

By: Glenys Campbell

Glenys Campbell — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 19:22:22 +0000

Thanks for the information. We just had a terrible experience with the crowds in the main tourist streets and wish we’d read your post first.. We also got ripped off by a boat cruise company–boat was called Blanky. It would be useful if you could offer advice to others. It spoiled our day today and some of your comments about taxi drivers and restaurant bills do make me feel that Prague doesn’t treat its tourists like some of the other European cities. We’ve just come from Vienna and Prague could learn a thing or two from that city’s attitude to tourists and the wide variety of activities that mean that the tourists, although large in number, aren’t all stuck in the one place with not enough to do.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 20:46:08 +0000

In reply to Audrey Scott. Thanks for the tips!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 20:36:39 +0000

In reply to Kim.

Kim, great choice to stay in Prague 10 – that’s our old neighborhood 🙂 As for some recommendations in that area, check out Osteria de Clara, Prague Beer Museum (Namesti Miru location), Grebovka winery/restaurant, and Akropolis for music & Kino Aero for art house movies in Zizkov (not too far from Prague 10). Enjoy your trip!