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Prague, also known as Praha in Czech, is the captial and largest city in Czech Republic, while Kutná Hora is the second important town after Prague historically. Both cities have many famous cultural attractions which had survived the violence and destruction during the 12th century in Europe.
Leisure trip at a glance
Country: Czech Republic
Period: 18 Jun to 20 Jun 2010
Flight timings:
18 Jun: LX 1460, BSL–PRG, ETD 1105 ETA 1230
20 Jun: LX 1461, PRG–BSL, ETD 1340 ETA 1505
Air tickets: Return tickets at SGD 279.75 per person (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation: Hotel Ibis – Praha Old Town (18 to 20 Jun)
Currency exchange rate: CZK 100 = SGD 6.65 (Jun '10 period)
No VISA application is required for Singaporean on short stay up to 90 days. For other countries, do check with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic. Total damage was about SGD 450 including flight tickets, airport taxes, transport, food, hotel and admission charges, excluding personal expenses.
Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:
Day 1 – Morning flight LX 1460 from Basel Airport (Switzerland) to Ruzyně Airport (Prague). Took the airport shuttle to the nearest station and went to hotel to check-in. Visited Municipal House, Powder Gate, The Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square, Old New Synagogue, Pařížská Shopping Street, Hard Rock Café, Charles Bridge, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Schwarzenberg Palace and Loreta. Had dinner in one of the restaurants at Hradčany area. Went back to Charles Bridge, Old Town and Powder Tower to take night pictures of the famous buildings before heading to hotel.
Day 2 – Took tram no. 22 to the Prague Castle; visited Old Royal Palace, St Vitus Cathedral, and Basilica of St George. Went to Palladium Shopping Mall for lunch and boarded the mini-coach bus to Kutná Hora for a half-day tour, which includes Sedlec Ossuary, Saint Barbara Church and the Italian Court as part of the itinerary. Went back to Prague and visited Wenceslas Square. Had dinner at KFC and went to National Theatre, and Rudolfinum.
Day 3 – Had early lunch at Palladium Shopping Mall again and boarded flight LX 1461 back to Switzerland.
Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is an international airport (photos below) is located 6-km northwest of Basel (Switzerland), 22-km southeast of Mulhouse (France) and 70-km south of Freiburg (Germany).
The airport is one of the few airports in the world to be operated by 2 countries, namely France and Switzerland. Interestingly, this airport has 3 different IATA codes; Swiss code: BSL (Basel), French code: MLH (Mulhouse), and International code: EAP (Euro Airport). Due to its strategic location, passengers can choose to exit from this airport either to Switzerland, French or Germany (left photo below). To reach Basel train station from the airport (or vice versa), passengers just need to board bus no. 50 which took about 10-mins (right photo below).
Prague-Ruzyně Airport
Prague-Ruzyně Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe. Most flights depart from the North Terminals (Terminal 1 and 2), while the South Terminals (Terminal 3 and 4) handle a few irregular flights and VIP flights. The IATA code for this airport is PRG.
The departure terminals are large complex with over 85 shops and restaurants (left photo below) opened from 0700 hours to 2100 hours. Even the linkway connecting the boarding gates to the main complex has souvenir shops for last minute shoppers (right photo below).
Transportation
Transport Tickets
Upon arriving at Prague airport and after leaving the custom, do look out for the Public Transport Information Kiosk (left photo below). There are several choices of tickets available which permits passenger to travel in all modes of transportation (metro, tram or bus):
- Basic transport ticket cost only CZK 26 which is valid within 75-mins.
- Limited tickets is also available at CZK 18 which is valid only for 5 metro stations (excluding station where it is validated) between all metro lines but no longer than 30-mins in total.
- However, we bought a 24-hours ticket at CZK 100 (right photo below) from the kiosk. Other tickets include 3-days and 5-days tickets.
Beside kiosks, transport tickets can also be bought at any tobacco shops in Prague.
It is important to validate the transport tickets before any ride!
Tickets can be time-stamped (validated) by slipping in into one of several boxes (left photo below) in the tram or bus as you board, or at the metro stations before entering the metro platform (right photo below). Tickets are not checked upon boarding, but uniformed or plain-clothes inspectors often make their rounds will ask passenger to show their tickets. An unstamped ticket is invalid, it will be confiscated and the passenger will incur a fine of CZK 700.
Be aware of false inspectors! But these deceivers can be easily detected by requesting them to show their identify card.
Getting in/out of the Airport
The easiest way to travel out from the airport (Exit D) is by bus no. 119 (left photo below) which departs daily to the metro station Dejvická (right photo below) of Line A. The whole bus ride from the airport to metro takes about 20-mins. Likewise on the last day, we followed the same route back to the airport.
Prague Metro System
The whole metro network is divided into 3 main lines (left photo below), in which each represented by its own color: Line A (green), Line B (yellow) and Line C (red). The metro operates daily from 0500 hours to midnight.
The metro platform is spacious and well lit (right photo below) with contemporary elements in its design (bottom photos). However elevator is rarely found within the metro stations. The train condition does not give the feeling of Russian-built, because all trains were replaced in 2008 with new ones by Siemens.
Below is the video clip taken during one of my train rides:
Prague Trams
Trams in Prague cover a large area of the city in various types (photos below) that were installed over the century. Generally trams in Prague can be grouped into 2 categories, namely daytime and nighttime. Daytime tram operates from 0430 hours to midnight, and nighttime tram (no. 51 to 59) operates from 0030 to 0430 hours.
To me, trams in Prague are equivalent to city buses that provide another efficient means of transportation. To experience tram ride, my recommendation is to take tram no.22 from the city area to Prague Castle, which passes through many historical buildings, such as the National Theatre and St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Accommodation
Hotel Ibis – Praha Old Town
Booked this hotel via the internet one month before the actual trip at a slightly discounted price. After some email correspondences, we managed to get a suite room for 3 adults at 84 EUR (inclusive of 10% VAT) per night without breakfast, instead of the original quoted price 111 EUR. We stayed in this hotel for 2 consecutive nights. The hotel is well located; 5-mins walk from the nearest metro station Námestí Republiky, and besides the largest Shopping Mall in Prague, Palladium. The suite room of 36.4-meters2 was spacious (left photo below) with a LCD television (right photo below) and a huge bathroom (bottom left photo). There was free wireless internet available too.
Breakfast was not included in the hotel package, but we paid additional 11 EUR per person during the 2nd day stay. Breakfast was good with a wide selection of breads, cereals, meats, cheese, fruits and yoghurts, in which all served till mid-day (bottom right photo).
Interesting Observations:
- Drainage and flammable underground pipe covers are beautifully embossed with city logo (photos below). Do look out for them during your visit.
Travel Tips:
If you are a museum lover and staying in Prague for at least 3 days, then it is advisable to get a Prague Card. This Prague Card provides free admission to over 50 top Prague attractions, heavily discounts to all city's major museums and a Prague Tourist Guidebook.
Each card costs CZK 790 per adult and valid only for 4-days. However public travel pass is not included as part of the package.
Useful Links:
My Czech Republic:
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/index.html
Prague Official Travel Guide:
http://www.prague.fm/
Prague Welcome:
http://www.praguewelcome.cz/en/
Prague Experience:
http://www.pragueexperience.com/index.asp