# Prague in January



## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

Mad ? Too cold ?

I'm about to press the button on a 4 day city break to Prague in mid January (big birthday), Always fancied going, and found a lovely quirky hotel in the old town, just a stones throw from the astronomical clock.

Anything you'd strongly recommend ? The 'nutcracker' ballet is on (not really my thing but my wife fancies it).


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## vickster (8 Sep 2019)

Flipping cold

Recommendation, hat, scarf, gloves, woolly boots jacket!

Get a guide book, Lonely Planet pocket Prague a good one, or Dorling Kindersley Eye Witness

If you eat meat, make sure you go get a pork knee here
http://www.restaurace-mlejnice.cz/

The Moravian sparrow is tasty too


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## cisamcgu (8 Sep 2019)

The clock is a bit of a let down, the city though is brilliant.

It will be cold, very cold.

There are free walking tours - make use of them.

Drink beer


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## vickster (8 Sep 2019)

cisamcgu said:


> The clock is a bit of a let down, the city though is brilliant.
> 
> It will be cold, very cold.
> 
> ...


It is at least now uncovered and refurbed (or was when I was there in June)

The sex machines museum is amusing 

The museum of Communism is interesting, the castle and area around worth a look too


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## Globalti (8 Sep 2019)

Go and see The Nutcracker, even the most jaded old cynic can't fail to be thrilled by the spectacle and the music.


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## Saluki (8 Sep 2019)

I went at half past November and it was fine. I went in April too. 
Find the potato and onion soup served in a loaf of bread 
Pro-seam is Please
Pivo is beer
Cava is coffee
D'jiki is thank you

Not correct spellings but phonetic for ease of pronounciation.

You are not allowed to take dogs or guns in to the post office or most shops  There are signs to this effect, which quietly amused me. Dogs, fine but guns! Who takes guns in to the post office unless you are going to rob it (too many gangster films I think).

The museum where the Wenceslas Helm is, is great and there is a castle museum, over the river at the top of the hill, which is great. All notices in Czech but things are reasonably obvious to what they are. There is also the church, the Cathedral Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius, known informally by locals as the Parachutists Church. Well worth a look and a very important bit of history, right there.

Enjoy. I loved it and would return if I could persuade the chap blokey person. It's expensive though but haggling used to be a thing there, so I guess it still is.


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

I like meat, but might pass on 'sparrow' and 'pork knee' (I'll have to google what they are).

The hotel has a Deer restaurant attached - quite like venison.


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## vickster (8 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> I like meat, but might pass on 'sparrow' and 'pork knee' (I'll have to google what they are).
> 
> The hotel has a Deer restaurant attached - quite like venison.


It's not actually sparrow (it's a pork dish) and pork knee is basically a pork knuckle (think the piggy version of kleftiko)

Don't forget to see the Jewish quarter, the old graveyard is fascinating


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## cisamcgu (8 Sep 2019)

Also, be careful near windows, Defenestration was "invented there"


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## snorri (8 Sep 2019)

The ceiling murals in Prague Central Station were spectacular, I hope they have survived the modernisation programme.


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## vickster (8 Sep 2019)

Getting around by Uber is really cheap, if you can't be bothered with public transport

If you like live jazz, we had a fun evening here
http://www.redutajazzclub.cz/


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

vickster said:


> Getting around by Uber is really cheap, if you can't be bothered with public transport
> 
> If you like live jazz, we had a fun evening here
> http://www.redutajazzclub.cz/



Might just do that !


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## Cycleops (8 Sep 2019)

Seem to have a very active Opera programme and very reasonable too. If you haven't been before please go, you'll love it, a fantastic experience. Italian operas are the best I always think.
https://www.music-opera.com/en/city/republique-tcheque-praha.html?p=2


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## Hacienda71 (8 Sep 2019)

I went there on a stag weekend 15 years ago. I don't think any of the recommendations I could make would be suitable.


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## GM (8 Sep 2019)

We went there in March 2001, blooming freezing but still had a great time. As @Cycleops said make use of the opera house, still good value although it only cost us under a tenner and we had our own royal box  ......push the button you'll love it!


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

Hacienda71 said:


> I went there on a stag weekend 15 years ago. I don't think any of the recommendations I could make would be suitable.



Went on a stag do to Budapest two years ago - could recommend a few places as we were mainly old farts. We walked 22 miles over the 3 days...what's that about..... I think about 18 miles were when we were sozzled and no-one could actually follow google maps - we got a taxi back. We'd wandered miles the wrong way.


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## Beebo (8 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> The hotel has a Deer restaurant attached.



Sounds expensive.


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2019)

Beebo said:


> Sounds expensive.



"Doe" said my wallet ! 






I'll get me coat.


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## skudupnorth (8 Sep 2019)

Prague Technical Museum is interesting along with a bar called U’Fleku which might have gone too touristy now but I enjoyed it when we went back in 2003.


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## fossyant (9 Sep 2019)

skudupnorth said:


> Prague Technical Museum is interesting along with a bar called U’Fleku which might have gone too touristy now but I enjoyed it when we went back in 2003.



The Technical Museum came up as a good place to visit.


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## SpokeyDokey (9 Sep 2019)

cisamcgu said:


> Also, be careful near windows, *Defenestration *was "invented there"



I do like a new word (for me).


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## Donger (9 Sep 2019)

Saluki said:


> I
> Pro-seam is Please
> Pivo is beer
> Cava is coffee
> ...



The only Czech I remember: (1) "Dva piva prossim" (two beers please) and (2) "Kde ye Hrad?" (Where is the castle?). That latter one was resolved by someone gently grabbing me by the shoulders and turning me around 180 degrees. It had been right behind me! Oddly, exactly the same thing happened to me in Verona, when I used pretty much my only Italian to ask "dov'e l'arena Romana?"

I went to Czechoslovakia as a teenager back in the days of the old Warsaw Pact. Back then it was only expensive in that they made you buy a considerable amount of their currency upon entry to the country, and it was illegal to take any of it back out with you when you left. We ended up dining in all the finest hotels to try to get rid of the money and avoid having to just give it back at the end. I have a feeling this was what they wanted, so that they could corall all the foreigners together and keep them under observation. There was almost nothing in the shops to buy, and what little you could find was ridiculously cheap. Tram fare anywhere in Prague was just 2p and it was about 20p for a half litre glass of wonderful local lager. How things change.


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## skudupnorth (9 Sep 2019)

fossyant said:


> The Technical Museum came up as a good place to visit.


It is very interesting but not good if you don’t like heights ! There is a walkway around the main exhibition hall on each floor and it is high


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## MarkF (9 Sep 2019)

I would not go in January, no way, l would not get any pleasure walking around in (maybe) sub zero temps! I went to Rotterdam in January and went to the chip museum (€7).......twice, just to get warm, late spring for me, before the crowds turn up.


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## steveindenmark (29 Dec 2019)

Did you book it? 

My brothers just come back and loved it. He said the weather was not bad at all.


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## fossyant (29 Dec 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> Did you book it?
> 
> My brothers just come back and loved it. He said the weather was not bad at all.



Yep,

All set for the 8th - 5 days/4 nights. Got an itinery sorted out. First night booked in The Deer restaurant and we plan on seeing how it goes - we have two places I'd like to eat, but we may do lunch as we aren't into eating 'late'. Castle, library near Charles bridge (apparently one of the worlds most beautiful, plus has an astronomical tower for views), gardens near the castle with the mini Eifel Tower..


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## BoldonLad (29 Dec 2019)

Hope you enjoy it. We drove to Prague, on a whim, whilst touring Germany. That was about 2004. Had a great time, although we did get pulled over for inadvertently breaking some motoring rule. Policeman was very friendly (although armed ), and fined us equivalent to £10, no receipt issued.


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## Andy in Germany (31 Dec 2019)

Roger Longbottom said:


> It was a quiz question in our local recently. Being the only Welsh person in the pub for once had it's advantages.
> Ffenestr being Welsh for window, originally from Latin I believe.



Interesting, "Fenster" is the German word: I didn't realise they were so close.


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