Prague! (part 1)

At the beginning of October (from Sun 6 to Wed 9) I've been in Prague -such a beautiful city!- with Alessio, my boyfriend (I know that "boyfriend" sounds quite silly, but we are not engaged, so how can I call him??). In these posts I would like to let you know some advice. I will divide the posts into 6 parts: how to get, accomodation and food in a first post, what to do&see, souvenirs and transports in the second. So, enjoy reading! P.s: I have to tell you that my trips are usually VERY low cost, because Ale and I are students, and we haven't a lot of money to spend. At the moment the change is 100 CZK= 4€ (more or less: I suggest you to pay always in CZK rather than euros, because paying in euros is not so convenient).

HOW TO GET: I booked a flight with EasyJet (I think it was May or June, so 4-5 months before), and it didn't cost a lot (from Milan about 60 €). When we arrived at Prague airport, we withdrew 150 € each (this money was enough), at a favorable price. Then we had to go to the city centre: the cheapest solution was by bus, 32 CZK + 16 CZK per luggage. Be careful: the ticket seller doesn't accept 500 CZK banknotes, you need smaller banknotes or a credit card. We took the bus 119 (runs every 10 minutes) that led us to Dejvicka underground stop (line A). From this station you can easily reach your hotel. You can also use the bus ticket for the underground (it lasts 90 minutes).

Apartments Emma (the brown and red building)

ACCOMODATION: I always book with Booking.com, and so was this time, too. We stayed at Apartments Emma, in a studio room, for 40 € per night per room. The place was very nice, the apartment was really good (we also had umbrellas in case of rain!); there was a small kitchen, and in the morning or in the evening we could cook something. The guy who welcomed us (I can't remember his name, sorry!) explained us everything: what to do and see, where to eat, how to get to different places etc. The accomodation isn't in the city centre actually, but there is the tram just outside the hotel; and, if you don't mind walking, there is a beautiful walk along the river and in 25 minutes you are in the city centre. The apartments haven't a hall, as they are in a builiding where other people live: you have your own keys to get in and out.

FOOD: in Prague there are a lot of places were you can eat good food at a cheap price. 

Café Mistral's Fish&chips

1-The first evening we went to Cafè Mistral (Valentinska 11/56, near Charles' Bridge), a very nice place. It was nothing exceptional, I eat fish and chips (139 CZK, about 5,5 €). In the same zone of Cafè Mistral there were a lot of pubs. Ah, in Prague you have to leave tips (5-10% of the total). 

Bageterie Boulevard in Narodni triva

2- Next day we ate in a Bageterie Boulevard: it's a kind of fast food, but an healty one (more or less). You can also choose the type of bread: I spent 69 CZK for a Tunakova (tuna sandwich) and Alessio spent 89 CZK for a sandwich with roastbeef. We drank an home-made tea for 37 CZK (p.s: in Prague beer is usually less expensive than water, half a liter is about 55 CZK!). There are some Bageterie around the city. 

The closest is the bohemian style dish,
the other is the goulash

3- In the evening we were looking for a place to eat Czech specialities, and we found U Dvou Sester (Melantrichova 10, near the Old Town Square). Wow! The Czech cousine is not so light! We ate a Bohemian-style braised beef in cream sauce, bread dumplings and cramberries (very good! And it was just 180 CZK) and a traditional Czech beef Goulash with dumplings (180 CZK too). Bread Dumplings are a sort of boiled bread (so, instead of put them in the oven, they boil them, or this is what I think): they are enough to make you feel satiated for the whole evening. 

Pizza and soup at Giovanni's

4- We also went to an Italian restaurant (please, don't do it if you aren't in Italy: this is not Italian food!), as it was very late and most restaurants had already closed. The restaurant was Trattoria by Giovanni and we were quite lucky: Alessio ate a Pizza Vesuvio (don't eat it, the ham is Prague Ham, nothing to do with the Italian one) and I ate a Zuppa di Orzo: this soup was really good, it seemed to be home-made (and it was a lot for 60 CZK). 

Ceasar salad

5- Last day we went to Cafè per lei (Karlova 154/17), we ate a very rich ceasar salad with tomatoes, bacon, toasted bread, parmigiano cheese and chicken (170 CZK). 

Best Pancakes ever!

6- One morning we decided to go out for breakfast, and we have been to Café Louvre (Narodni 22): I ate the best pancakes ever (69 CZK) and Ale ate a traditional Czech breakfast (109 CZK) with orange juice, ham, butter, boiled eggs, chocolate and apple cake. The bread was not included (12 CZK). The Café is on the second floor of the building.

Potatoes dumplings

7- In Venceslao square there were some food stands (I don't know if they are open the whole day, as we went there in the evening), were you can eat some street czech specialities, as Prague ham or potatoes dumplings with sauerkraut and ham. Be careful: the prices are often for 100gr of products, not for a dish! In fact we spend 117 CZK for potatoes dumplings (39 CZK per 100gr).

Trdelnik!

8- Last but not least, the Trdelnik! It is a kind of bread with sugar, cinnamon and almonds, so good! It is sold in different places around the city, like Venceslao square, the old town square or the castle for 50/60 CZK.

Chocolate gingerbread

9- No, the Trdelnick wasn't the last! I forget to talk about a small bakery: Pasta Krusta (via Karlova, be careful: looking in the internet I found out that this name is also used for a restaurant, but I haven't been there). We ate a delicious chocolate gingerbread for 42 CZK.

...wating for the next post? I promise I will publish it as soon as possible! See you!