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Tours - Excursions |
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Walking
tours
A Guide to the Capital ‘The Silver Line Through Golden
Prague’ guidebook, part of the Silver
Line orientation system project (telephone: (02) 7400 6565 or
6363; email: info@admen.cz),
is available from Information Service Prague Offices
(see Tourist Information) and bookshops.
A number of companies offer excellent walking tours of Prague, some
with themes such as ghosts, Kafka and legends. Most charge approximately
Kè300 for a two-hour tour. Leaflets are available at all
tourist information service locations (see Tourist Information).
Most tours start from beneath the Astrological Clock
in the Old Town Square. Guides will hold up an
umbrella of some colour so that people joining the tour can locate
them.
Prague Walks, Nezamyslova 7, Prague 2 (telephone:
(02) 6121 4603; email: pwalks@comp.cz),
offers scheduled themed walks, including the one-and-a-half hour
‘Modern Walk: Life in Communism, Life Today’,
the one-hour ‘Ghost Tour’ and the three-hour
‘Literary Pub Walk’
Pragotur Guides Centre, Staromìstské námìstí
1, Prague 1 (telephone: (02) 2448 2562; fax: (02) 2448 2380; email:
guides.pis@volny.cz), also
provides qualified guides who speak all European languages. City
Walks (telephone: (02) 2224 4531) provides a number of walking
tours, as well as bicycle and boat tours. Daily
Walks of Prague (telephone: (02) 8191 7642) and Prague
Travel Ltd (telephone: (02) 2251 6064) both offer a number of
walks. Wittmann
Tours (telephone: (02) 2225 2472) specialises in tours of Jewish
interest, both in the city and further afield.
Boat
Trips
Prague
Sightseeing Tours (telephone: (02) 2231 4661 or 4655; email:
pstours@pstours.cz) offers
three special boat tours. A cruise on the Vltava River
with lunch and music taking passengers under the Charles Bridge
on this two-and-a-half-hour trip. The two-hour cruise on the Vltava
River with coffee and cake travelling past the Prague Castle District
and Lesser Town. The ‘Prague by Night Tour’
is three hours of onboard dining and cruising, before a one-hour
coach trip to Prague’s most beautiful squares. All tours depart
by coach from Námìstí Republiky.
Bus Tours
Prague
Sightseeing Tours (telephone: (02) 2231 4661; email: pstours@pstours.cz)
depart from Námìstí Republiky and terminate
in the city centre – free pick up from many four-star hotels
can also be arranged. The ‘Grand City Tour’,
which takes in all the major sights and includes a walking tour,
takes three and a half hours. The ‘Getting Acquainted
By Bus Tour’ whips tourists around all the major
sites – such as the National Museum, Wenceslas Square and
the Hradèany Castle district – in two hours. All tours
are in English and other major European languages on request.
Bus tours of Prague and other tourist locations are also available
through Best Tour
(telephone: (02) 8481 4141) and Bohemia
Travel Service (telephone: (02) 2482 6262). Numerous tours of
the nearby castles, such as Karlštejn and Konopištì,
are also available through Èedok,
Na pøíkope 18, Prague 1 (telephone: (02) 2419 7241;
fax: (02) 2421 6324), travel agencies and booths and kiosks throughout
the city.
Tram Tours
Dopravní podnik Prahy (telephone: (02) 2262 3777); has tours
around the city centre on the Historic
Tram 91. The circular route runs from Výstaviste,
through Malá Strana, across the Vltava to
the National Theatre, through Wenceslas
Square and returns to Výstaniste
via Námìstí Republiky.
The tram runs hourly 13:00–20:00 on Saturday, Sunday and holidays,
from April to October.
Horse-drawn
Taxis
Horse-drawn taxis of the pre-car era offer tours of the centre of
the Old Town. Fiacres are found along the west side of the Old Town
Square.
Other
3 Old Timers (telephone: (0608 519 333) and Old
Timer History Trip (telephone: 0607 112 559) offer the newest
tours in Prague, in beautifully restored cars from
the great age of Czech motoring Drivers are suitably attired in
1930s costumes.
For a Half Day
Troja (Trojský zámek)
Prague’s only chateau, Troja
(telephone: (02) 8385 1614), was built by the Sternbeck family in
the late 17th century. Located in the north of the city, the rich
Baroque interior decoration celebrates the Hapsburgs, notably Leopold
I’s victories over the Turks. The exquisite formal gardens
lead down to the river, where rowing boats are available (May to
October).
Visitors can reach Troja by bus 112 from metro Nádraží
Holešovice or a pleasant half-hour walk along the banks of
the Vltava. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00
(April to October) and Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00 (November
to March). Admission is Kè100 (free on the first Tuesday
of the month).
The Prague Zoo
near Troja (telephone: (02) 9611 2230).
For
a Whole Day
Kutná
Hora
Now a World Heritage Site, located 65km or 40 miles east of Prague,
Kutná Hora came to prominence in the late 13th century, as
a centre for silver mining. With the founding of the Royal Mint
in 1308, a boom economy developed and, until the veins were exhausted,
the town was second only to Prague in importance. The main point
of interest is the extraordinary Gothic Cathedral of St
Barbara, with its tent-like roof supported by three needle
spires. Like many of the monuments in Prague, the cathedral design
came from Peter Parler. The building was financed by the miners’
to honour their patron saint. For a taste of what the miners endured,
the Hrádek in Barborská Czech Silver Museum has tours
into the mines (protective clothing is supplied).
Kutná Hora’s main station is located in the suburb
of Sedlec – linked to Prague by trains from
Hlavní nádraží or fast trains from Masasykov
nádraží, on Wilsonova at the eastern end of Hybernská
(journey time – approximately 1 hour).
The
Tourist Information Office, Palackého námìstí
377 (telephone: (0327) 512 378), and The
Cultural and Information Centre of Kutná Hora, Sankturin
House, Palackého námìstí 377 (telephone:
(0327) 515 556; fax: (0327) 512 378; email: infocentrum@kutnohorsko.cz)
provide further information.
Karlovy
Vary (Karlsbad)
Founded in 1358, the Czech Republic’s largest spa
town, along the river Tepla, has long
been a place of extravagance, celebrity visitors and clandestine
liaisons. The many spas and hotels reflect the past glory of the
town. The grandest of all is the Grand Hotel Pupp, one of the most
elegant in the country. The town can be crowded with tourists, especially
during high season.
Transportation to Karlovy Vary is by bus from Florenc station (journey
time – 2 hours 30 minutes) or train from Hlavní nádraží
(journey time – 4 hours). Further information is available
from Kur-Info,
Vøídelní kolonáda, Karlovy Vary (telephone:
(017) 322 9312). |
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