Prague Travel Blog, Apartments Advice by Prague Local Travel Consultants

Rothenburg Trumped by Prague

To commemorate the Smithsonian Presents Travels with Rick Steves magazine -- now on sale online, and at newsstands nationwide -- Rick is blogging about the 20 top destinations featured in that issue. One of those destinations is Prague, Czech Republic.

I'm currently on a Central European swing, updating my guidebooks: Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Munich. Being back in Prague reminds me of how that city first broke down the Iron Curtain in my guidebooks many years ago.

On a research trip back in the 1990s, I was on a train heading to Rothenburg to update the ultimate medieval town in Germany, as I did nearly every year. For a decade, I'd been diligently visiting to check the woodcarvings, walk the old wall, visit the toy museum and the medieval crime-and-punishment museum, and check in with old friends who run the hotels and restaurants that serve the town's hordes of tourists. The work was almost mechanical. Socially, it was a happy homecoming. The ramparts and cute lanes were filled with my readers, who cheered me on. I loved going to Rothenburg.

This was just a couple of years after the end of the Cold War. The obvious new frontier of European tourism was the mysterious East. The former Warsaw Pact countries were now wide open and eager to welcome Western travelers. I knew that sooner or later, I'd tackle the region and expand my guidebook coverage there. But it was overwhelming, and, psychologically, it was easy to just keep redoing the Rothenburgs of Western Europe. I was daunted by the job -- a bit lazy...dreading the unavoidable truth that if I was to cover Europe, I would now need to stretch east.

Prague Luxury Apartments

I was rattling down the tracks in the direction of Rothenburg, when I realized the very train I was on would end its run in Prague. I started comparing the value of spending the next three days in Rothenburg versus doing a groundbreaking research stint in Prague. I stayed on that train and didn't get off until the Golden City of a Hundred Spires. I jumbled my itinerary a bit to accommodate the new job, and what followed was one of the most exciting and rewarding weeks of research I can remember. I left with Prague now in the realm of what we covered.

That first Prague chapter needed a home, and the only home we had for it was splicing it into our existing Germany, Austria & Switzerland guidebook. What was called "GAS" in my office would now be "GASP." (Over the years, GASP became GAS, then GA...until finally there were separate guidebooks for each of the four destinations, including Prague.)

With the beautiful co-author partnership of Honza Vihan (our good friend and super guide from Prague), Prague joined the elite league of cities that merited their own Rick Steves guidebook (along with London, Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome). Cameron Hewitt took this Czech nucleus and expanded into another five countries (which I termed the "Louisiana Purchase" of Europe) -- Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia -- co-authoring my Eastern Europe guidebook, and then two others (on Croatia & Slovenia and Budapest). Today Eastern Europe is fully integrated into our Europe-wide program, with four different guidebooks and six different bus tour itineraries.

And it all started in that year when Rothenburg went unresearched and a seed was planted in Prague.

Development of WheelTug Electric Aircraft Drive System Supported by Prague Airport

Prague-Ruzyne Airport has become the world's first airport to support development of a new technology enabling aircraft to use on-board electric motors to taxi between terminal gates and runways. The new WheelTug(R) system is expected to reduce aircraft emissions, fuel consumption, and noise at airports, and to improve safety, airlines' schedule reliability, and both airline and customer convenience at airports.

Prague-Ruzyne International Airport, named the Best Airport in Central and Eastern Europe will become WheelTug's Flagship Airport in Europe and will be a world leader in encouraging cleaner air, less noise, and greater fuel efficiency, safety and operating efficiency within airports. The WheelTug system is projected to reduce aircraft taxi-mode fuel consumption and CO2 emissions both by 66%, and to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 75% per flight cycle.

An agreement between Letiste Praha, a. s., operator of the Prague Airport, and WheelTug plc, developer of the WheelTug system, states that Prague Airport will actively assist WheelTug with development support during testing and certification. "This support includes necessary airport assistance, as well as facilitation of smooth co-operation between WheelTug and other organizations at the airport including airport handling services and air navigation service provider," stated Jiri Pos, Member of the Board and Executive Director of Aviation, Operations and Property Management at Prague Airport and he added: "The team of Prague Airport Consulting will also be working with WheelTug to adapt existing operating procedures, checklists, and operating regulations to achieve maximum benefit from WheelTug systems at Prague and at other airports."

"Prague Airport is a wonderful addition to the WheelTug team," said Isaiah Cox, WheelTug's CEO. "As we move development from initial tests through to certification and product launch, we need to work closely with an airport to ensure that the WheelTug system is compatible with, and optimized for, airport operations. We are gratified to be working with such a forward-thinking and environmentally responsible airport as Prague."

Prague Apartments Rentals

Five free things to do in Prague

But that’s before I had the chance to visit the city in the company of a few special people – a former dissident, a monk, and a would-be prince – who each showed me that sometimes you just need to delve a little deeper to find something amazing and unexpected. Let me share a few examples.

Milos Curik is a pre-Revolution dissident and former postal worker who now is a location-spotter for movies and one of the country’s finest tour guides, with his own company, Arts & Music Travel. Milos adores cubist art, fiercely proud that Prague is the only city in the world that has cubist buildings in addition to artwork. Chattering away, he takes me directly to Old Town’s Museum Ceskeho Kubismu (Museum of Czech Cubism), housed in an earth-toned building designed in 1912-1913 by Josef Gocar—“a supreme example of how a modern building can be incorporated in a historic core,” Milos says.

I had seen the building before, but never noted its portal and capitals in fabulous cubist style. Inside, Milos runs from one masterful work to the next, pointing out his favourite ceramics and furniture, paintings and sculptures, including Otto Gutfreund’s celebrated “Anxiety” the first cubist sculpture. “And now I’m going to show you something truly special,” Milos says. We weave through ancient cobblestone streets, stopping in a small square, Jungmannovo namesti, off Wenceslas Square. In front of us stands a funky cubist lamp post, the only one in the world. “What’s fascinating about Prague,” Milos says, “is that it’s truly a city of history; you can find many different architectural styles right next to each other.” Sure enough, next to the cubist lamp post stands a Gothic church, a functionalist building, and a secession building – a theme that reverberates throughout all of Prague.

Prague Luxury Apartments

I meet Father Juan in the lobby of The Augustine hotel in Mala Strana, or Lesser Town, where I’m staying. He tells me that the Augustines had lived and prayed in this monastery since the 13th century, until the Soviets took it over in 1948. After the fall of communism in 1989, with their monastery in ruins, the few surviving monks forged a unique partnership with the Rocco Forte Collection, which converted some of the historic buildings into an upmarket hotel. The monks continue to work and live in their part of the cloistered complex—a new twist on a hotel’s pledge to provide peace and quiet.
Father Juan leads me through the cloisters to the lavishly baroque Church of St Augustine and St Thomas, whose dome I can see from my room. We creep up a tiny, spiral staircase and enter the ancient library, filled with hundreds of rare, dusty books. There are ancient choral books, medical books, and philosophy works, many with centuries-old pencil notations in the margins. Several tomes lie on a table in the middle of the room, and Father Juan flips through one, a geography of China, dating from the 1600s. There’s a beautiful painting at the front but other pictures are missing. “The Soviets,” he tsks.

And then I meet a prince. Well, he would have been one if the Communists hadn’t forced his family to flee the country in 1948. William Lobkowicz, a nobleman whose family line dates back to the 14th century, was born in the United States in 1961 but, upon the Soviets’ departure, he ventured to his ancestral homeland to track down family heirlooms and then restore the family palaces.
One of the palaces – Lobkowicz Palace – located within the walls of Prague Castle, Lobkowicz has opened as a private museum. I take time to explore the palace’s meticulously, artfully presented rooms, where there are priceless paintings (including “Haymaking” by Pieter Brueghel the Elder and two Canalettos); and music (Beethoven’s original scores for the 4th and 5th Symphonies, Mozart’s revisions of Handel’s Messiah).

William Lobkowicz takes me to the museum café, to its balcony overlooking Mala Strana’s red rooftops and all of Prague beyond. Leaning over the rail, he points out various landmarks related to his family history, including St Augustine and St Thomas church. “That’s our church. All of our ancestors are buried there,” he says.
Later, I walk through Old Town, past the astrological clock and its tourists in waiting, and by Municipal Hall (Prague’s most prominent art-nouveau building). A sign advertises a concert by the Prague Philharmonia, and, I think, “Why not?”
After the first mesmerising ensemble, the conductor, Kaspar Zehnder, mentions its famous composer, Jan Malek; he turns around and gesticulates to the audience. A man with wild grey hair finally totters up to the stage, and the crowd breaks into furious applause. It’s the famous composer himself.
At intermission I sip a glass of champagne, smiling to myself. I had really done it – I had discovered so much more than just the obvious sights in this multi layered, ever surprising city.

Romantic Feeling Around Charles Bridge in Prague

We join the tour by descending a polished wooden staircase from the quay to where a small motorised barge is moored under one of the 16 arches of the 650-year-old Charles Bridge. My husband, who has an uncanny knack for stating the obvious, comments how less crowded it is under the bridge. Yet, having battled the tourist hordes crossing the bridge, the 31 gesticulating statues of saints and the odd pickpocket, I think I can see where he is coming from.

Upon boarding we accept a free lager and, as we sit, a complimentary ice-cream, the combination of which makes for a novel touring experience in itself. As we coast away from the moorings on the Vltava River towards the Certovka Canal, the massive timber battens clamped to the bridge's stone pylons come into view. Designed to break the ice, they prevent the river from freezing over. Not since 1953 has the mighty Vltava, Prague's aptly named "wild river", been allowed to form ice. Only dog-eared postcards I find for sale in the Old Town attest to its glorious past as a skating playground.

On the right bank we see the black roof and golden crown of the Czech National Theatre, one of the symbols of national identity built from citizens' money contributed during the Revival, and famous for introducing works performed in the Czech language. The statue of the composer Smetana, best known for his symphonic poem Vtlava- Die Moldau, surveys us from the shore.

On the Hradcany bank, ancient red-roofed houses, hanging gardens and cobbled lanes ascend from the water's edge up to the walls of the imposing Prague Castle. Behind, the Gothic spire of St Vitus Cathedral soars. Aromas of goulash and garlic drift from waterside restaurants. "If you are rich, go there, very nice. If not so rich, don't go there," is the advice from our guide.

Apartments near Charles Bridge in the Mala Strana

We drift past the crimson umbrellas of Cafe Marnice, shaded by the lush green trees that occasionally drop pistachios on to its customers. Once a working mortuary, the cafe is popular with tourists but apparently less so with the more superstitious among the locals. "I hear the coffee is to die for," quips my husband.

While distracted by the visual feast of Prague's panorama -- the parapets, bridges, medieval towers and Baroque mansions -- we have slipped into a canal known as the Devil's Stream (Certovka), so-called because a notoriously villainous old woman once lived beside it. Flowing between Mala Strana and the emerald oasis of Kampa Island, the canal was originally built as a defensive moat around the monastery. It is as if we have glided into the Middle Ages: rows of burghers' houses are pressed together, a churning wooden mill wheel traverses the stream and ducks paddle by.

Prague Holiday Apartments, the Unique Alternative to Prague Hotels

Prague holiday apartments are built with a philosophy to offer a bespoke service in tailor-made properties to ensure that one stay is as effortless as possible. This attitude and aim of the renter is maintained for both a short term tourists and as well as long term tourists. These serviced apartments are an ideal solution for the tourists who are looking for the ultimate housing solutions. Prague serviced apartments are superbly appointed and furnished and top of it what sets them apart is the level of service and their commitment towards the tourists. Services offered in these apartments are offered in a manner so that complete comfort is provided to the tourists. These serviced apartment are well looked after by the dedicated team, who go to every length to offer a personalized yet professional service to make one trip as comfortable as possible.

A service apartment can be the perfect option whether one wants to book this apartment for a day, week, month or a year. Prague serviced apartments are a great cost effective alternative to restrict hotel rooms. On average it is 15-30% cheaper than Prague hotel accommodation of an equivalent quality. This serviced apartment prides itself on offering valuable and impartial advice that is tailored as per the tourists need that keep them well within the budget. Living in Prague serviced apartments, whether for a short or extended stay, is a truly amazing experience. These apartments offer magnificent and breathtaking views of Prague Castle and Charles Bridge. Ideally located and luxuriously furnished these serviced apartments take one away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Prague serviced apartments are perfect blend of style, comfort and professional service. These serviced apartments are perfect for leisure and business travel as well as executive relocation. Designed by renowned interior designer these serviced apartments have a vibrant and soothing style. Located at the heart of Prague city, this magnificent temporary accommodation solution offers a high level of privacy in a stress-free environment. All these Prague serviced apartments are decorated in soft and light atmosphere with simply shaped modern design, dining area, fully equipped with kitchen, TV, DVD player, CD player, high speed internet access and telephone. Some of the other facilities that are provided in these apartments are lift, concierge, secure entry system, maid service available, satellite TV, telephone, fax, broadband / ADSL connection, fully equipped kitchen, conference room, business facilities, health club, swimming pool, gym, sauna club room, parking etc.

Prague Apartments Attracting More & More Tourists 

Prague Apartments offer more flexible accommodation for tourists compared to a hotel room in Prague. You can benefit from these Apartments in Prague and its requirement that they are available for one night or several months. To provide tourists at home and feeling Prague Apartments are fully furnished and equipped with latest equipment and facilities necessary for a house. Most of these apartments in Prague are located in areas within the historic center of Prague. Wide option is available to tourists in terms of size and style of the apartment and you can find amazing range of luxury apartments in Prague, budget, and traditional style of the animated tranquility.

Other major advantages are associated with apartments in Prague. Tourists can find peace, comfort and privacy to a greater extent that they can be found in a hotel room. Apart from that, tourists can also live in these apartments without complying with the strict rules and regulations as tourists are completely free to live on their own terms and conditions. In addition, these apartments in Prague, is also much cheaper than hotel rooms and offers much more convenience and comfort. Prague rental apartments are ideally located, and all monuments and places of visits are on foot. In addition, you can reach easily and quickly too many shopping areas, restaurants and bars and other entertainment options to spend their free time in a big way.

Prague Affordable Apartments

To improve economic and apartments in Prague, it was to search online to find an ideal apartment in accordance with its needs and requirements. There are many websites that provides accommodation in Prague at an affordable price. These sites are the best choice we can reserve apartments well in advance through their websites online and, moreover, very easily and decent service is offered to tourists during their stay in Prague these apartments. The comparison of these apartments with hotel rooms in Prague, there are apartments in Prague is the best option is offered as a tourist with a comfort, privacy and service.

Emirates to Take Over Prague in July 2010   

Emirates is launching its new Dubai-Prague service on July 1.

The new service presents a 'crystal clear' opportunity - nearly a thirdof all exports from the Czech Republic to the UAE are glass products,which can be seen in chandeliers and other decorative features inhotels across Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE, said a spokesperson.

'Bohemian Glass is probably the best known of the glass to be producedin the Czech Republic and Emirates SkyCargo already carries this viaroad to connect with Emirates' Vienna flights,' said Ram Menen,Emirates' divisional senior vice president, Cargo.

As well as bringing glass products from the Czech Republic to Dubai,Emirates SkyCargo also ships them to other parts of the Middle East,the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Far East.

In 1993, trade between the Czech Republic and the UAE stood at justunder USD 26 million (AED 95 million). In 2008, that figure had shot upto USD 678 million (AED 2.4 billion), according to figures from theCzech Foreign Ministry. A number of Czech companies have offices in theUAE. Other commodities being shipped include electrical equipment forthe construction industry, jewellery, electronics, computer components,beverages, data process machines, machine tools, cars and car parts.Car giants Hyundai and Toyota have both established production plantsin the Czech Republic.

Prague will be Emirates' 24th route into Europe and the second in theregion to be launched this year after Amsterdam, which started on May 1.

The Dubai-Prague route will be served by an Airbus A330-200, offering27 seats in Business Class and 251 seats in Economy. EK flight 139 willleave Dubai at 1030hrs and arrive in Prague at 1450hrs. EK 140 departsPrague at 1620hrs and gets into Dubai at 0010hrs the following day.

Emirates already employs more than 80 Czech nationals, most of whom are cabin crew, based at the airline's home base of Dubai.

On May 12, the airline held a major road show event at Zofin Palace inPrague, introducing hundreds of travel industry guests and VIPs toEmirates and Dubai - in readiness for the July 1 launch.

 Where to stay?

Try Prague Luxury apartments or also Charming Hotels in Prague 

Prague Apartments are Still the Most Affordable

No doubts Prague is worth visiting and that is why it is able to attract lots of visitors every year. This city is famous for the Vitava River, Charles Bridge, night view of Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and other historical monuments. You can also plan to visit Prague because Prague Apartments have made it affordable for you. You can easily accommodate in any apartment and they are no less good than any four star hotel you can find in Prague. It has been listed by the UNESCO as world heritage site. If you are three to four couples planning to visit Prague, these apartments can be a better option for you.

Prague offers apartments which you can easily afford. Moreover by choosing an affordable accommodation to stay you can save money for shopping. If you search for an Apartment in Prague you can find that most of the apartments are part of a condominium or a villa that offers individual lodging system. You find different Apartments in Prague suiting to the needs of different people like studio apartment, multi bedroom apartments, luxury apartments, romantic apartments, delightful holiday attic apartments and many more with individualistic characteristics and designs.

Prague Old Town Apartments

You can also find apartments located near the historical centers of Prague including the area of New Town/Old Town, Prague Castle, the famous Kings Road, Korunni Avenue, Vodickova Street and a lot of worth staying places. Getting an apartment at these places is really wonderful because you feel more close to the culture of Prague. You can find Prague apartments ranging for higher to lower, you can choose according to your needs and also according to your pocket. This is the best thing with these apartments that they suits to the budget of most of the people who contemplate to visit Prague.

Prague Wenceslas Square Apartments

Prague is a city where you would like to come again and again and Prague apartments always welcome you. As the apartments are readily available in Prague, you can easily book an apartment for you. This is very simple because it can be done online. If you check the Internet, you can find lots of websites offering apartments with their charges and the facilities they are catering to. You are charged for the apartment not according to the number of people you are staying therefore you can also invite your friends as well as you can hold business meetings. Book a Prague apartment to be free from the tension of accommodation when you visit Prague before you reach there.

The Last Prague Open, because of the Financial Crisis 

The Prague Open will not return to the WTA Tour schedule after thisyear's edition because of financial problems. Organizers lost its majorfinancial partner and will not be able to organize the event on clay atthe Stvanice stadium.

The last Prague Open is scheduled for July 12-18. The WTA tour returnedto the Czech capital after seven years in 2005, with Dinara Safina ofRussia winning the first edition. Sybille Bammer of Austria won lastyear.

Apartment Skalecka close to Prague Open 

The ECM Prague Open is a tennis tournament held in Prague, the capitalof the Czech Republic (note that the 1996 edition was held in KarlovyVary and the 1999 edition in Prostějov). Held since 1992 butinterrupted between 1999 and 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTAInternational Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts. Thetournament also featured an ATP Challenger Series event from 1996 to2008.

Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report Published for 2009

Though there has been a slowdown in demand for vacation rental apartments and furnished apartments due to the recession, the long term trend for the Paris Furnished Apartment Market remains positive.
The 6th edition of the Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report was just published. The report contains a look at the vacation rental and furnished apartment markets in Paris during the 2nd half and full year of 2009. With nearly a decade of experience in the Paris apartment market and 1000’s of apartment rentals per year, ApartmentPlan.fr has the necessary information to provide the most up-to-date information in a timely manner.

The 2009 2nd half and full year Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report from New York Habitat contains the latest information about Furnished Rentals in Paris. The report provides information from 2007, 2008 and 2009 for comparison purposes. The report includes data on apartment prices, neighborhoods, types of rentals and more.

Some conclusions from the 2009 Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report include:
    
- The recession continued to affect the Paris market. Both prices and the number of rentals fell in 2009.
- A unpredictable euro conversion rate made people more cautious about traveling to Paris
- People were more prudent when booking accommodations and often chose less expensive studios over more expensive 1-bedroom apartments.

This report contains graphs, data and charts on the Paris vacation rental and Paris furnished apartment markets for the 2nd half and full year of 2007, 2008 and 2009. All Paris Furnished Apartment Market Reports can be found on the Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report website.
Some of the key information provided in this report includes:

- Average price of vacation rentals per night
- Average price of furnished apartments by month
- Average length of rental for vacation rental and furnished apartments
- And more
Average price of Paris Furnished Apartments in 2007, 2008 and 2009
The graph included in this release is an example of the information provided in the report. The graph seen here is average price of Furnished Apartments in Paris in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In the report there are many other graphs that help to explain the current Paris market.

“Paris remains the driving force in the tourism industry in France and as a result Paris is one of the top destinations for tourists in the world,” says market report creator Brian Lowenberg. He goes on to say, “Though there has been a slowdown in demand for vacation rental apartments and furnished apartments due to the recession, the long term trend for the Paris Furnished Apartment Market remains positive.”

The 2009 2nd half and full year market report as well as all previous reports are available in PDF format on the Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report webpage. The New York Habitat blog is a great location for the latest news and tips about the Paris apartment market and is update on a daily basis.

ApartmentPlan.fr has great experience in the furnished apartment rental market, specializing in vacation rentals, like this Paris 1-bedroom accommodation  and furnished apartments like this Paris 2-bedroom rental  Paris, London and the South of France. The company is a fully licensed real estate broker. The company has offered rentals in Paris since 1996. Though the recession has been tough on the Paris Furnished Apartment market, New York Habitat remains in a strong position to continue to grow. Our team of real estate professionals has weathered the storm of the recession and look forward to continuing to work with clients and apartment owners to rent apartments in Paris. Click here to view our Paris Apartment offerings.