I%26#39;m planning to stay at the Clown %26amp; Bard Hostel in the Zizkov area of Prague. Has anyone stayed here before? It seems like a lively place to stay before I head to Cesky Krumlov for a couple of days of recovery. What about the surrounding area? Based on maps I%26#39;ve seen it appears to be away from all of the tourist areas. Hopefully I can experience Prague with the locals in this part of town with out the tourist mark up. I%26#39;d love any insight on this place. If anyone knows of a better place let me know so I can do some research. Thanks in advance.
Troy
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Funky, Borivojova used to be quite a run down area, but I have not been there recently, and not convenient for public transport. I don%26#39;t know how much they are charging so for any alternatives can you tell us what are you willing to pay?
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I%26#39;m trying to spend as little as possible. I have no desire to stay in a hotel. At least not in Prague. When I stumbled upon it on hostels, there were alot of positive reviews. I%26#39;ve realized that price is not always indicitive of quality. And I do not want to stay in the city center.
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That%26#39;s fine, my comment relates to the area which I would not recommend.
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party zone, the street with the most pubs in Prague btw. Czech out www.travellers.cz/en/hostels-apartments.php
they also have one in CK and provide a shuttle service but I don%26#39;t know if it runs year round.
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Hi Funky Tee,
I didn’t stay at the Clown and Bard but did pass by during one of several trips exploring the neighborhood this past fall and noticed through a window a happy bunch of people in what I gather is a communal area of the hostel.
The neighborhood definitely won’t make it onto a postcard but I found it pleasant. Starting from Jiriho z Podebrad metro, I visited the Church of the Sacred Heart (I found it closed during the day but open for mass one evening. It is modernist in style and quite a change from all the Gothic and Baroque) then off along Slavikova st. (which has many little grocery shops and fruit and veggie places where locals were picking up provisions) made a right at Krkonosska where you’ll come upon a small circular park where you can stop for a drink/food at U Sadu (cozy place where every inch of wall space has been decorated with mostly tools. Patronized by locals but also many young, backpack types so they have an English menu and their own t-shirts for sale) then a few metres over to the T.V Tower (really neat at night when it’s lit up in red/white/blue and Cerny’s babies crawling up-very iconic of Prague and makes for a great photo op) and then two blocks over to the Akropolis (a music venue with alternative and “world” music acts: www.palacakropolis.cz and the attached very casual restaurant with tasty, inexpensive food) The Clown and Bard is about a block from there. I liked walking along very untouristy Slavikova st. and would estimate walking time from the metro to the hostel to be 10-15 minutes without any pit stops. I assume that the hostel can give you info regarding night trams you can take after the metro closes.
From what you’ve written I think you would find the location to be suitable style-wise but whether walking distances are manageable, especially in the early morning hours, obviously varies from person to person.
By the way, I rented a private apartment in Holesovice district, also not postcard material, and it was a couple blocks from Sir Toby’s hostel. If you are considering iSir Toby%26#39;s, I can give you some info on that neighborhood, as well.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for the insight. I would love some info on the neighborhood where sir tobys hostel is located. For me, its a toss up between the two. I thought about staying in both since i%26#39;ll be in prague for 5 nights but I don%26#39;t know if it is worth swapping hostels at all.
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Personally, I would not go anywhere near Borivojova. The hostel in Delnicka is in a much better area, good for transport, and there is a supermarket at the end of the road (corner with Argentinska). I would say, a much better choice.
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Hi Funky Tee,
We visited Sir Toby’s quite a few times to use their Internet service in the lobby. It seemed like a very busy place but the reception staff was very friendly. One staff member offered us info on day trips even though we weren’t guests there.
The neighborhood is not touristy and I’ve heard it described as working-class with an industrial past. It is very quiet in the evenings but has a liveliness in the mornings with people heading off to work.
The hostel is mid-way between the Vltava and Nadrazi Holesovice metro stations, estimating about a 15-20 minute walk from either metro. From Vltava you can take the 1, 3, 5, trams/25 night tram to Delnicka stop (couple minutes walk to the hostel) or the 12 tram from Nadrazi Holesovice to Delnicka stop. The 12 tram runs to Mala Strana but we found it made a large, time consuming loop in our neighborhood that made it less useful to us when heading to the center. The Vltava metro station is in a really awful spot surrounded by poorly lit overpasses and underpasses. I don’t mean to say it’s dangerous (I felt perfectly safe even in the early morning hours) just that it makes a bad impression, especially at night. Through an underpass you access the western (or higher ground) part of the Holesovice neighborhood, which has more amenities, more local pubs and better transport connections to the center and access to Letna Park. I preferred that area but I don’t know of any hostels in that section. Transport to/from the neighborhood and center often requires transfers but I think it is ok for a short stay. We often found ourselves heading to the western part for pubs (near Strassmayerovo namesti).
From Vltava metro, heading in the direction of the hostel, it is a quick walk (or two tram stops) to the large outdoor market that takes up several blocks and is largely patronised by locals. Stalls carry the usual market stuff: luggage/purses, clothes, some glassware and lots of useless knick knacks. There are Czech fast food stalls and a McDonalds. Once you’ve walked through the market you will be just a few blocks from the hostel. The streets have a few secondhand shops, cafes and some small stores for provisions. We ate at a pizza/pasta place a few doors down from the hostel; the below ground room is cozy and the food was fine but importantly it was one of the few places serving food until midnight (can’t remember the name, “pet something”) A few blocks over on U Pruhonu street is restaurant Mollo 22, contemporary design makes it look fancy but the prices are reasonable. Also on U Pruhonu is Club Mecca dance club (everyone dressed up and a hummer parked outside) Near N.Holesovice metro is the more casual Cross Club. Pivni Galeri is also on U Pruhonu. (beer lovers heaven, weekly offers of beer from other areas and glasses and paraphenelia of every brand. Weird hours, noon to 9:00 pm, and we found they weren’t always open during these hours.) Two supermarkets in the neighborhood, Billa on Argentinska and Albert, a few blocks from the Delnicka tram stop (much cheaper than the small shops).
Argentinska is a large street with heavy traffic (calm at night) and not enjoyable for walking but it gives fastest access to either metro station and has a gas station with a small provisions store open very late (stopped in at 2 am) for emergency supplies.
I understand your interest in switching hostels so that you can get a feel for two neighborhoods. For this reason I would in future stay in Zizkov as I already have a good sense of Holesovice. Maybe knowing that Clown and Bard is in party central and that Toby’s is in a very quiet neighborhood will help you decide. IMO, go to Clown and Bard, then visit the Holesovice neighborhood for a few hours and see if you think it’s worth switching mid-trip.
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I would choose Zizkov over Holesovice - well I actually live around the corner from Clown %26amp; Bard and the area is absolutely fine; lots of restaurants, bars, locals.
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Martina, I have friends who live in Skroupovo namesti, and I agree with you that it is a fine area, but Borivojova??
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