Top Tips For a Holiday in Prague

As a private driver specialising in Prague airport transfers, I shuttle all kinds of visitors around this spectacular city, from couples on romantic weekends to solitary history buffs looking to study the architecture. Any guide book can tell what the major sights of Prague are, but only a local can give you the inside tips that can turn a good holiday into a great one. This is just a selection of some of my personal tips to help you get the most out of your holiday in Prague...

Beat The Crowds

Prague attracts millions of people every year during the high season, and it isn't a big place! If you don't fancy queuing to see the major sights or elbowing your way through the crowds in the Old Town, get up early – you'll beat the queues simply by setting your alarm clock nice and early, so see the big sights first thing in the morning and relax in the afternoon.

If you really want the city to yourself, consider a trip during the off season (November to March). It gets very cold in the winter, but the prices are lower, the crowds are non-existent, and Prague can be magical when the snow falls!

Watch Out For Dodgy Taxis!

It isn't good form for a Prague airport transfer driver to bad mouth his competitors, but in the case of Prague, it really is justified. The official taxi cab companies, like AAA, are fine to use, but beware the unlicensed independents! They are notorious for targeting and massively overcharging foreign tourists on holiday in Prague, and there are even rumours they have links to local organised crime. So stay with the licensed taxis!

Stop Off At The Prague Flea Market

Most visitors travel to Prague for its architecture or for its night life, but for an authentic experience of how the locals live, jump off at the Kolbenova metro station on a Saturday morning and head to the Flea Market. With everything you could imagine on offer from jewellery, clothes, antiques and communist kitch, it's a great place to explore, a world away from both the grandeur of the old town and the bustling bars of the city centre.

English is unlikely to be spoken (always a good sign that you are off the beaten track), so grab a phrasebook (or just a pad and paper to write down prices!) and haggle away for some of the finest, and cheapest, souvenirs that you are likely to find in Prague.

Stay Away From Wenceslas Square At Night

Prague is a beautiful city, but the cheap beer attracts plenty of stag nights and boozy crowds. Luckily, all the main bars are concentrated into a relatively small area, making them easy to avoid if its not your scene. Above all, stay away from Wenceslas Square at night. Pimps and touts for sex shows congregate here, and they can be aggressive, persistent and unpleasant to deal with. So unless you are in town to explore the seamier side of its night life, it's best to stay well away!

Grab A Coffee At The Cafe Louvre

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the Cafe Louvre is a great place to stop off and recharge your batteries during a hard day of sight seeing. Stay away from the bizarre 'English Breakfast', and instead enjoy fine coffee and a great atmosphere. People rave about the friendly service (your average Czech waiter tends to be fairly gruff, having dealt with one too many stag parties in their time), and with Franz Kafka and Albert Einstein as past regulars, it comes with good references!

So follow these tips (and make sure to ask your Prague airport transfer driver for a few more!) and you'll be all set to enjoy a great trip to Prague.