Prague City Break

My first Prague city break was two years ago and I absolutely loved it, from the beautiful gothic architecture to the great food and, of course, the delicious Czech beers. Since my previous trip I’ve always wanted to return to Prague, so when I decided to plan a trip to Cesky Krumlov with friends, Prague was the most obvious choice as a base, and destination to fly into.

Destination: Prague, Czech Republic

Flight Time From London: The published flight time was two hours, but the actual flight time was around an hour and a half.

Airline & Airport of Operation: British Airways operates 5 services a day from Heathrow T3, and EasyJet operates 2 daily services from Gatwick.

Transfer Time to City: The city centre is approximately 10 miles from the airport, which takes approximately 30 minutes by bus or taxi. A taxi costs approximately £25 each way.

Where to Stay While on my Prague City Break

For two nights of my stay I stayed in the Fusion hotel in central Prague, just minutes from Wenceslas Square. Upon arrival the reception area of the hotel was clean and tidy with very modern decor, I was very pleased as we had paid only £50 per night for a three person room. The corridors to the rooms were very dark and industrial with LED lights showing the room numbers. I usually like this modern look, however these corridors were just too dark. Additionally, with reception being round a corner from the main entrance, it would be very easy for anyone to walk straight in and up the stairs and gain access to the rooms.

I booked this hotel with hotels.com and from the pictures the rooms looked ultra modern and nice. Upon arrival they were indeed modern, however just lacking many feature that you would expect from a 4* hotel. The room had a small TV on the wall above one bed, so only visible for two of the beds, and it had very few English channels and when you found one it had a habit of turning itself off after a minute or two. Among other issues were the heating, which was a traditional radiator that didn’t work on our first night when it was below freezing outside. There was also no phone or safe in the room, and a shower curtain which resembled a plastic strip curtain like you would find in a butchers shop or and industrial warehouse, not in a 4* hotel. The decoration however was very modern and the beds were comfortable. Interestingly the hotel hadn’t been open long and had already been bought out by a chain with a refurbishment planned, hopefully for the better.

Top Attractions for a Prague City Break

Old Town Hall Tower: For stunning views over the centre of Prague’s old town, head for the Old Town Hall Tower, and make your way up through the 14th century gothic tower to the top. It costs around £4 to visit the viewing point and it can be reached by foot or by elevator. I visited around sunset and the views were absolutely breathtaking.

Sex Machine Museum: Not something for the faint-hearted, but if you’re up for a laugh or maybe intrigued, why not visit the Sex Machine Museum to see the variety of ‘sexual devices’ from over the last two hundred years. I won’t say much more but it’s definitely an interesting visit while on a Prague city break. The entrance fee is approximately £8.

Cesky Krumlov Trip: While on my Prague city break we visited the beautiful city of Cesky Krumlov, located three and a half hours from Prague in the Southern Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Click here for more information on my trip to Cesky Krumlov.

Restaurant Recommendation: There are so many places in Prague to go for a delicious meal, but for somewhere very special head across the river to Cihelna for dinner with a view. The restaurant is situated on the bank of the Vltava River with a stunning view of Charles Bridge, and the menu here is equally as impressive. From veal schnitzel to braised pork cheeks, what ever you choose you will not be disappointed. Expect to pay up to £12 for a starter and £12-£22 for a main, or perhaps opt for their tasting menu.

Local Delicacy: You can’t visit a city or a country without sampling a local delicacy. Even if you don’t like it, at least you can say you tried it. In Prague one of their delicacies are Knedlíky, which are traditional dumplings. If you try some authentic Czech food while on a Prague city break you will no doubt be served some, and there are of course many different types, such as bread dumplings, or potato dumplings, to name just a few.

Top Tip: Check out the cackling witches in the market, just off the old town square!

Currency: The Czech Koruna is the currency of The Czech Republic, and at the time of writing the current rate was about 32 per British Pound. They are often referred to locally as ‘Crowns’ like some people refer to Pounds as ‘Quid’.

Weather: Being located in central continental Europe, Prague will have very cold bitter winters with an abundance of snow as well as scorching hot summers.

Best Time To Go: The best time for a Prague city break weather wise would be April-May as well as Sept-Oct, or head out early December for their stunning Christmas markets if you are prepared to brave the cold.

Recommended Duration: If you just plan to visit Prague then 2-3 nights will be plenty for you to get a flavour of the city. If you are looking to also travel further afield such as a trip to Cesky Krumlov, then allow a couple of additional days.

Conclusion: I’ve visited Prague twice now and enjoyed both visits and wouldn’t hesitate to visit again. However, I’m not sure I would rush back to the Fusion Hotel, but I’ll wait until I see some reviews after their upcoming renovation to see if they have improved the poor points which I noted during my stay.