Hello,
We are a family of 4, with 2 kids aged 10 and 11 and are thinking of a trip to Prague in mid-March 2009. We%26#39;d be taking the train (from Munich) and looking to rent an apartment for a week and have narrowed it down to 2 possible units.
One is located on Opatovicka (looks to be near the river and the island of Slovansky Ostrov) and the other is in Vinohrady district.
Since we%26#39;ll be relying on walking and taking trams and subway, we want a good location that%26#39;s safe and close to grocery stores and transit.
Speaking of safety, I%26#39;ve heard that you have to be concerned about being pick-pocketed in Prague. Is it really that bad? We%26#39;ve travelled around Germany, Italy, Belgium and Ireland and felt quite safe in all those locations.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Darren
|||
I%26#39;d say Opatickova fits your requirements better. Close to the big Tesco market and the 22 tram line which takes you up to the castle. Also closer to Old Town Square by foot.
Prague is generally safe, odds of getting robbed are low. Most people have no problem and don%26#39;t report seeing anything. But there are pickpocket gangs that operate in crowded tourist areas and restaurants. Busy trams, like the 22, are targets -- they use distraction techniques like blocking your way. Don%26#39;t put valuables in easily accessible places (purses/backpacks). Don%26#39;t put purses on the backs or under restaurant chairs. Just be aware of your surroundings and you should be OK.
And do not take rogue taxis off the street. They will almost certainly rip you off. Reputable radio taxi companies like AAA, City Taxi, and Sedop are generally OK.
|||
You will be just as safe in Prague as you were in the places you mentioned. I would stay in the Opatovicka apartment. The Vinohrady area is beautiful but very hilly. Old Town side is flat and the castle side is hilly.
|||
... and mid-March isn%26#39;t the height of the tourist season, which is when the pickpockets are out in force. Just keep your wits about you, especially when getting on and off trams (no. 22 is infamous for this).
But you%26#39;ll be fine, Just make sure you validate your tickets on trams/metros, etc.
|||
Thank you so much. I was leaning more towards the location closer to Old Town on Opaticka.
We would be taking a taxi from the train station to the apartment as we will have luggage. What would be a reasonable taxi fare from the station to Opatovicka (it looks to be only about 2 km)? I assume most taxis would carry 4 passengers with luggage.
|||
As a first-timer in Prague and looking for a centrally located apartment in the near the Old Town I think you should seriously look at Arcadia Residence. It consisitenly gets rave reviews, and they have apartments located dead center in the Old Town. Additionally, Pasqual arranges private drivers and checks on his tenants daily. Also, breakfast is brought to you in each morning. All for a very very competitive price. I%26#39;ve been to Prague once, and my second trip is coming up in June 2009. This time we%26#39;re staying at Arcadia Residence%26#39;s Kozna apartment.
tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g274707-d655299…
|||
Taxi would probably be 100 CZK. 150 at most I%26#39;d guess.
There are some taxi stands called %26quot;Fair Place%26quot; where drivers are supposed to be honest. Might be one at the train station. Make sure they turn on the meter. If the fare goes up by more than one crown at a time, then it is rigged.
|||
Brewsta: If a tourist notices the fare going up by several crowns each time (rigged) then what should the tourist do or say? I%26#39;ve read some real horror stories about taxi drivers being confronted, and then they turn violent. I am very interested to know.
|||
Never had a problem with AAA taxi.
|||
Good question. It happened to me just once. I just started yelling %26quot;Turbometer!%26quot; (that%26#39;s the name they have for it) and pointing at it. And magically, it started going up by one crown again (they have a hidden button that can make it jump). Keep your eye on it and make sure the meter is visible.
If that doesn%26#39;t work, start saying you%26#39;ll call the police. You should get a receipt. But if you fear for your safety, I don%26#39;t know what to tell you (a taxi driver would not likely take me on in a fight).
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
TripAdvisor staff removed this post because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum posting guidelines with prohibiting self-promotional advertising or solicitation.
We ask all of our members to keep their forum messages free of self-promoting advertisements or solicitation of any kind - members affiliated with any tourism-related business should not include commercial contact information or URLs in their forum messages.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 9:00 am, December 29, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment