Prague, Czech Travel and news portal

Verdi Festival in Prague 2008

2008-07-21T22:57:00.002+01:00

The annual Verdi Festival in Prague is due to take place between August and September 2008 in the main Opera House. The Verdi is excellent and if you know or even if you are nnew to Verdi, this is certainy worth attending.

Everything Verdi is very much the nature of this annual festival and over the course of almost 4 weeks, several Verdi operas are performed to full audiences.

You can find out lots more information via the Opera website at www.opera.cz and Prague aparments can be booked for the festival also.

Prague’s Golden Lane

2008-06-03T16:08:00.003+01:00

Around 1597, the emperor Rudolph II ordered to built a street within his castle complex lined up on one side with small and colourful houses for the castles guards. Later when alchemists and goldsmiths moved into the houses, the street got its new name “Golden Lane”.

By living in the castles they didn’t have to pay guild dues and were protected by the high walls. Franz Kafka and his sister have been the most famous residents, occupying the blue house number 22. It was here where he started writing his famous work “The Castle” and when you walk through the narrow streets with its dead ends, you will understand why he got the inspiration for the book.

Today the little busy lane is probably the most crowded street in the entire city, packed with visitors from all over the world, and these tiny, brightly painted houses host gift shops selling paintings and other arts and crafts to attract the tourists. If you follow the eastern lane and climb up the stairs at the end, you’ll reach a spot from where you’ve a magnificent view of Prague.

Kutna Hora – A day trip from Prague

2008-05-12T15:17:00.002+01:00

Kutna Hora- Parts of this small silver heart of Medieval Europe with its many historical Gothic buildings are part of the UNESCO heritage since 1995. The city was once one of the richest and most important royal towns in the world between the 13th and 16th century due to its silver mines and in the 14th century there have been as many people living in Kutna Hora as in London. Even the well-known Prague Groschen which was at that time the hard currency of Central Europe, was minted here using silver extracted from the local mines.

If you are in town you should make a visit to Church of St.Barbara which is dedicated to the patroness of miners, Hradek with the Medieval silver mine Osel, the Italian Court which first has been the central royal mint and later turned into the grand royal residence by King of Bohemia Wenceslas IV and, of course, you shouldn’t miss the Chapel of All Saints in a nearby cathedral.

The chapel is also called Bone Church because it is made from the bones of 40.000 people. The town is situated 65 km east from Prague and you can get there easily by bus (70 min) or by train (55 min).

The 'Mystic Skate Cup'

2008-05-03T16:44:00.002+01:00

Dating back to almost the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Mystic Skate Cup in Prague has been one of the biggest skate boarding events in Europe since the early 1990´s. The events are split between Street-Style and Free-Style.

The customized facility at Stvanice proveds the perfect backdrop for both genres of skating. Free-stylers strut their stuff on rails and ramps while the adreline junkies go for big air on the immense half-pipe. And with a 30,000US 1st place prize, you can be assured the skaters will go for it all.

And what´s a great skating event without a stellar party to follow... For the whole week (July), promoters throw lavish partys for all the atheletes and reverlers. For more information about the event: http://www.wcsk8.com/. And Holiday Velvet for all your accommodation needs in Stare Mesto and Prague.

Summer Shakespeare Festival Prague

2008-04-21T17:02:00.003+01:00

From the 25th June until the 9th September the Supreme Burgrave’s House close to the Prague Castle is the host of the summer exhibition of William Shakespeare. The Czech Shakespeare festival was introduced in 1994 and also takes place in Brno and Bratislava.

New on the agenda for this year is ‘Othello’. The Summer Shakespeare Festival is the oldest and biggest open-air theatre festival in the Czech Republic and was at the beginning of 90s originally initiated by President VÁCLAV HAVEL.

In 2008, it is certain that the programme of the Shakespeare Summer Festival will continue to be a major cultural event in the Czech Republic, having long since surpassed its significance as a mere summer showcase of theatre. For more information www.shakespeare.cz/

Tram 91: Getting around Prague, Czech

2008-04-07T15:00:00.003+01:00

There are many ways to do a sightseeing trip through the city where you are on holiday. In most cases there is a tourist bus or you can rent a bike to go through the city.

In Prague they have a different kind of sightseeing transport. It is called tram 91. The line operates on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from the 22nd March until 17th November.

It departures from termini from 12.00 to 17.35 hrs always on the hour. The tram makes a trip through Prague with a few stops and gives a nice impression of Prague. There is also a possibility to buy a drink or have a small snack on board of the tram.
For more information go to the Prague Tram site.

Latest Prague apartments news: Several new apartments in Prague have been added including to the Nove Mesto, Stare Mesto and Smichov areas. All new apartments are available for short-term rental.

Prague in the month of May

2008-03-10T14:23:00.003Z

Prague is one of the few cities around the world where you can go every time of the year. In winter you can enjoy a wonderful winter wonderland outside the city, and in summer the city is glistening in the sun. Especially May is a month you shouldn’t miss in the Golden City. –

It all starts on the 1st of May when people celebrate Labour Day and have their picnics everywhere in the parks. The Prague students also celebrate Majales which is a spring festival with a parade from Jan Palacha, near the horse at the top of Wenceslas Square, to the Old Town Square.

A further ritual in May is that couples make a pilgrimage to the statue of Karel Hynek Macha placing flowers at his feet. On the 8th of May the Liberation Day is celebrated and on the 10th the Prague International Marathon takes place. It is said to be one of the most attended marathon worldwide and thousands of people line up on the historic streets to cheer on the runners. Before the actual highlight, there are many smaller events and activities like a city run of about 10 km or a run for families. After the run, be prepared for an enormous street party with live acts and music everywhere.

Prague: A side visit

2008-02-27T15:11:00.003Z

If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs and can’t stomach another Czech beer, you might want to get some fresh air and take a visit to Loket. Only two hours away, Loket is a lovely town not far from the famous west Bohemian spa towns. Founded in the 12th century, the ancient town of Loket is dominated by a Medieval castle fortress.

In 1434 the castle and the town was given by the Emperor Zikmund to the Šliks, under whom expensive modifications of the castle took place. After the development of the town a long period of stagnation occurred, the gradual end of which was manifested by the building of an ostentatious early Baroque town hall and a broad minded modification of the church constructions. Later it was rebuilt as a prison and is well worth a visit. Trains and buses run every day to Loket from Prague.

- For apartments in Prague you might want to try the Stare Mestro area. - For flights I woul recommend Czech airlines.

Public Transport in Prague

2008-02-25T16:20:00.003Z

These days there are many ways to get to Prague and to move around the city. There are a lot of low-budget airlines flying to Prague, like Easyjet, Ryanair, Germanwings, Sky Europe etc. But another possibility is to take the train. Every two hours there is a train leaving from Berlin, that takes you in 4 hours and 45 minutes to the centre of Prague. This seems to be a little long but the views from out the train are amazing.

About Prague’s Public Transport itself. Prague has 3 metro lines, A (green line ), B (yellow line) and C (red line). The entire track is 54.7 kilometers long and counts 54 stations. Every 4 minutes there is a train passing by and during rush hour even every 2-3 minutes. There are three major cross over stations: Florenc, Můstek and Muzeum that have access to the centre.

Besides the metro there is a very large tram network of 141 kilometers and around 1000 vehicles. The network consist of 26 day lines and even 9 night lines. So most of the areas are covered with access to the public transport. And if not you can always take a taxi, but remember to agree on a price before you get in, else they will rip you off.

Prague Events: Witches Night

2008-02-19T11:11:00.004Z

If you are planning on visiting the fairy-tale city of Prague in the end of April, then you cannot miss the notorious Witches Night in Prague (Paleni Cardojenic). A celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring, Witches Night occurs on April 30 on the night before Saint Phillip and Saint Jacob's Day. Locals once believed that witches would invade the city by air bringing bad-luck and misfortune.

In their efforts to ward off evil spirits, city folk would construct large bonfires to keep them afar.
Nowadays, the witches are comprised of straw which the locals place throughout the city and burn along with large bonfires. Groups gather to sings songs and roast sausages.

Book World Prague 2008 is another event which can be a lot of fun and which will take place in Prague between the 24th and 27th April 2008. This is a hig buge fair which takes place at the Industrial Palace in Prague. Travelling to Prague and looking for Prague vacation rentals and Prague apartments for your stay?