Where is Prague?

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Category: Blog

Created on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 10:02

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 14:10

Published on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 10:02

Written by Farouk Hamzi

One will say why are you writing such an article about where is Prague? We all know where is Prague, false! Still people in Europe and mainly in North America asking "what is Prague", not even "where is". So we thought it would be worth talking about the layout and main characteristics of Prague, the capital of the Czech republic.

Prague Layout and Weather

Prague lays in the center of the country, crossed by the largest river in the Czech Republic, the Vltava. Prague has been Bohemia's main city since the 9th century and the capital of Czechoslovakia till the end of communism era in 1989. It has an oceanic climate with warm summers and cold winters with snow cover from November till March.

Borders of the Czech Republic

The Czech republic itself is bordered by four countries: Poland to the North, Germany to the West, Austria to the South and Slovakia to the East. As the Czech republic is member of the Schengen Agreement since 2004, there are no border checks between all these neighbor countries.

Position of Prague in Europe

Prague is also called "the heart of Europe" as it's the most central in comparison to other capitals in Europe, it's even more in the west than Vienna, so Prague is not considered anymore as an Eastern city.
For example, you can drive to Prague 4 hours from Berlin or Vienna,  5 hours from Frankfurt and 9 to 10 hours from Amsterdam or Paris. The flight from most European capitals takes from 1 to 2 hours.

The city's inhabitants

Prague is home to around 1.3 million inhabitants comprised of majority of Czechs and minority of Slovaks also as Germans, Ukrainians, Russians and Gypsy. Immigration brought to Prague some economically dynamic communities of Vietnamese, Arabs and Turks.

Farouk Hamzi admin@apartmentplan.cz

Parking in Prague, Information about the City's Parking Zones

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Category: Blog

Created on Friday, 11 May 2012 11:12

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:13

Published on Friday, 11 May 2012 11:12

Written by Farouk Hamzi

Parking in central Prague is rarely easy and can often be quite a headache. To park your car, you have the choice between parking on the street or in a car park, between the cheaper peripheral or the city centre. It is strictly prohibited to double park, to park in spaces reserved for the disabled or for deliveries.

If you decide to park in the street, please note that as a general rule it is payable from Monday to Saturday, 8h00 to 18h00. Night time and Sundays are free. Parking meters accept coins. The machine will give you a ticket in exchange, which should be placed behind your windscreen, clearly visible from the outside.

Car parks, of which there are many in Prague, are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can be identified by a white “P” on a blue background, and can usually be found in busy shopping, tourist or business areas. Tariffs vary depending on the neighborhood: in the city centre and busy tourist areas, you need to allow around €1.50 for 1 hour and €25 or more for 24 hours. On the outskirts of Prague; prices are lower and you might pay on average from €0,30 to €1 for 24 hours. There are a number of Park & Ride lots located at many metro stations outside of the city center, e.g. at Chodov, Letnany, Palmovka, Skalka, Zlicin, Nove Butovice, Radlicka, Opatov, Ladvi, Rajska zahrada, Cerny most, Nadrazi Holesovice, Bechovice, Hostivar, Radotin and Rajska Zahrada.

Recommended parking (for 24 hours and more) in the district of Prague 1:

• Parking Rudolfinum - Alsovo nabrezi 12, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 24 per day.
• Millenium Plaza - V Celnici 10, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 24 per day.
• Garage Opletalova - Opletalova 9, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 30 per day.
• Garage and Parkung Complex Wilsonova - Wilsonova 2, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 34 per day.
• Hotel Intercontinental - Namesti Curieovych 5, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 38 per day.
• Parking National Theatre - Ostrovni 1, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 38 per day.
• Slovan Garage - Wilsonova 77, Prague 1 - Approximate price: EUR 50 per day.

Prague Halal Guide: Mosques, Restaurants & Muslim Food Shops

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Category: Blog

Created on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 22:23

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:13

Published on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 22:23

Written by Farouk Hamzi

Prague Halal Guide: Mosques, Restaurants & Muslim Food Shops

History of Islam in the Czech Republic

The first person acknowledging Islam visited Prague around 964-965 was ibrahim ibn Jaqub, a merchant from Al Andalus (Spain under the Muslim ruling). His memoirs were later published to become one of the first accounts about Prague and Central Europe in the Islamic world. Later on, during both sieges of Vienna, Ottoman army reached Moravia and commerce between Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire rose by the 19th century.

A law from 1912 recognized Islam as "state religion" and officially allowed its presence in the region. The first Muslim community was established in 1934. In 1991 the Center of Muslim communities was established and mosques were opened in Prague and Brno. In 2004 Islam was officially registered and the community is thus eligible to obtain funds from the state.

Nowadays Muslims in Prague and the Czech Republic

Muslims in the Czech republic are from Bosnia-Herzegovina and former countries of Soviet Union also as Egyptian, Syrian, Tunisians and other North Africans and Middle Eastern countries. Hundreds of Muslims in Prague and the Czech republic are also Czech converts.

Mosques in Prague

The Mosque in Prague City Center

Islamic Foundation in Prague - Information Center and Mosque in Central Prague
14 Politickych Veznu Street, Praha 1,
Prague, Praha 1 10100, Czech Republic
Politickych Veznu Street is close to the main post office. The Mosque is in front of Istanbul Restaurant. Metro: Muzeum (line A & C)
Phone: +420 224 227 903

The Islamic Center in the center of Prague consists of six parts, men prayer part, women prayer part, W.C for men, W.C for women, library, and office. The mosque is on the upper floor of the Pasaz Jiriho Grossmanna shopping center, above an exchange office. Take the stairs or the elevator up one floor to get to the mosque's entrance.
 
The center is opened daily from 12:00 to 22:30 in the summer season and from 11:00 to 21:00 in the winter season. The center offers all information for the new Muslims and also to those interested in Islam. They can communicate by Czech, English, and Arabic. Islamic Foundation in Prague is a nonprofit organization that was created to meet the needs of practicing Muslims in Prague and Czech Republic.

The Big Mosque in Prague 9-Kyje

Islamska nadace v Praze - Prazska mesita
Blatska 1491, 198 00 Prague 9
Phone: (+420) 281 918 876
Fax: (+420) 281 917 414
Metro: Cerny most
Bus: Ronesova

Halal Shops in Prague

Al Barakah Halal Shop, Prague

Address 1: Senovazne namesti 6, Prague 1, Tel: +420 608 937 051
Address 2: Panska 4, Praha 1, Pasaz Cerna Ruze, Tel: +420 608 937 013
Nearest Metro Stop: Hlavni nadrazi Metro, Namesti Republiky Metro
Nearest Tram: Tram Jindrisska, Tram Masarykovo nadrazi, Tram Hlavni nadrazi, Tram Namesti Republiky.

Galaxy Halal Food, Prague

Address: Opletalova 20, Prague 1, Tel.: +420 224 282 214
Nearest Metro Stop: Muzeum Metro, Hlavni Nadrazi, Mustek
Nearest Tram: Tram vaclavske namesti, Tram Muzeum, Tram Jindrisska

Farah Halal Shop, Prague

Address: Myslikova 5, Prague 1, Tel: +420 224 930 704
Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 19:00, Saturday: 9:00 - 17:00

Barakat Halal Shop, Prague

Address: Puskinovo nam. 14, Praha 6, Tel: +420 777 666 515

Halalko s.r.o, Prague

Address: Kubelikova 1051/47, Praha 3 - Zizkov, Tel: +420 222 715 714

Halal Meat s.r.o, Prague

Borivojova 76, Praha 3, Tel: +420 222 230 520
Fresh Halal meat, free delivery inside Prague, prepairing celebration and parties, hotels and restaurants catering.

Shalamar Pakistani and Indian Shop, Prague

Address: Lipanska 3, 130 00 Praha 3 - Zizkov, Tel: +420 222 713 522
Opening Times: Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. Sunday - Closed
All kinds of Pakistani and Indian spices, Lentils, Basmati rice, Fresh Vegetable, Sweets, Bollywood Movies, Pickles and Chapati Flour.

Halal Restaurant and Fast Food in Prague

Istanbul Kebab, Prague (Turkish fast food)

Address: Politickych veznu 933/17, Praha 1 (in front of the Mosque), Tel: +420 777 917 384
Nearest Metro Stop: Metro stops Muzeum and Hlavni nadrazi
Nearest Tram: Tram vaclavske namesti, Tram Muzeum, Tram Jindrisska
Opening hours: Monday - Sunday: 09:00 - 22:00
Great sandwiches and good choice of delicious food in a buffet at reasonable prices.

Hanedan Halal Restaurant (Turkish Cuisine)

Address: Jindrisska 20, Praha 1, Tel:  +420 224 21 53 33
Nearest metro station: Mustek.
Turkish cuisine in an alcohol free restaurant, child-friendly, with disability access and a delivery service.

Hallal Fast Food, Prague (Pakistani Fast food)

Ruzova 10, Prague 1, Tel: +420 222 248 107
Metro: Muzeum
A reasonably priced halal curry in a clean, minimalist atmosphere and delivery at 15kc/km.

Picadilly Halal Gyros, Prague (Fast food)

Address: Opletalova 928/20, Prague, Tel: +420 60 807 7782
Serves Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine, sandwiches, various kinds of pizza, shawerma, kebab, and more.

Chez Amis Halal Fast Food, Prague

Address: Spalena15, Prague, Tel: +420 224 932 277
Opening hours: From 10 am to 8 pm
Located in between the Old Town and New Town, right in front of the Lazarska tram station. Fast food with home cooked flavor, serves gyros, felafel and lamb mains.

Ariana  Restaurant, Prague (Afghan cuisine)

Address: Ramova 6, Praha 1, Tel: +420 222 323 438
Opening hours: Mon - Sun  11am - 11pm
Specialties of Afghan Kitchen, Kebabs and Vegetarian Specialties, Interior in style of Persia, Romantic Atmosphere, Center of historic Prague - 10 minutes from Old Town Square.
Remark: Even though they mention that they are a halal restaurant, they serve alcohol!?

Rana Pakistani Restaurant, Prague

Address: Na Dedince 12, Prague 8, Tel: +420 721 809 084
Opening Hours: Mon - Fri: 11:30 to 23:30 / Sat and Sun: 12:00 to 23:00
Remark: Even though they mention that they are a halal restaurant, they serve alcohol!?

Mailsi Halal Restaurant, Prague (Pakistani Restaurant)

Address: Lipanska 1, Praha 3, Tel: +420 222 717 783
Getting there: Tram 5, 9 or 26 to Lipanska
Opening hours: Daily: 12:00 - 15:00 / 18:00 - 23:30
All kinds of Pakistani and Indian spices, Lentils, Basmati rice, Fresh Vegetable, Sweets, Bollywood Movies, Pickles and Chapati Flour.
Remark: Even though they mention that they are a halal restaurant, they serve alcohol!?

Important: Not all doner kebab fast food shops in Prague serve halal meat, and some of them even serve pork and alcohol. Most halal shops will have a “halal” sign in the entrance of, better to ask first if the food is halal or not.

Muslim Friendly Accommodation in Prague Apartments

Muslim family friendly serviced apartments in Prague old town and the Wenceslas Square, a large scale of apartments from tourist standard to high luxury. We provide 24/7 assistance in several languages including Arabic, information about Prague main spots and advices also as the possibility of arranging halal food delivery.

Some of the recommended apartments are apartments Attic Olivova and apartment Attic Klimentska. For more information, please visit our Prague apartments page or feel free to contact us.

Prague "Salat" Prayer Times

References and resources about Islam in Prague and the Czech Republic 

Portal of Islam in the Czech Republic.

Zabihah.com guide to Prague halal eating.

Czech scientist women and men converted to Islam.

First Czech Mosque opens in 1998  (BBC archive).

Islam in the Czech Republic (WikiPedia).

All rights reserved © 2011 ApartmentPlan.cz® Farouk Hamzi admin@apartmentplan.cz

How to tell if an Apartment in Prague is Luxurious?

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Category: Blog

Created on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 21:44

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:13

Published on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 21:44

Written by Farouk Hamzi

How to tell if an Apartment in Prague is Luxurious?

After the boom of the apartment rental business that started to compete with hotels in a parallel way, nowadays it's quite usual to find apartments in Prague categorized in a similar way as hotels, from basic two star to luxury high standing five star apartments. To avoid confusion and unpleasant surprises at the arrival, travelers are advised to learn carefully about the characteristics of luxury apartments and distinguish them out of the crowd. Following are some of the main points that one can consider while searching for a luxury apartment in Prague, this is our personal approach, so we believe there could be more criteria:

The area of Prague the building is located in

Even though we cannot really limit the luxury districts of Prague to the Old Town and the Wenceslas Square surroundings, those both areas are more common for luxury travelers. One of the highly rated accommodation in such location is apartment Attic Olivova in the Wenceslas Square which is dazzling with luxury shopping galleries, pubs and restaurants while the Old Town at few steps away offers lots of charm and concentrates most of the historical sights in Prague also as the Parizska street and its prestigious designer shops.

The size of the apartment

While the size is not the unique criteria for a luxury accommodation in Prague, but enough space is a must for telling if an apartment is luxurious, usually apartments with over one hundred square meters and with two bathrooms are more preferred by exigent clients who wish to avoid hotel rooms. Luxury apartments also offer terraces with chill-out atmosphere as in apartment Attic Klimentska.

The equipment and furniture of the Apartment

This is a very important point, while most of the apartments in Prague are equipped with the "cheap" Ikea furniture and low-end electronics, owners of luxury apartments spend their time selecting the most adequate wooden floor, designer furniture and invest large amounts in quality equipments and last generation electronics also as modern kitchen and mosaic tiling bathrooms, add to that anti allergy mattresses and quality bed linen.

Services provided by the apartment rental company

Once a traveler books an apartment in Prague he's not only hiring a living space with some nice furniture but a full service that can be exclusive if the chosen property is a luxury one. The service starts from the meeting point at the airport with the transfer service usually offered free of charges and provided with luxury Mercedes-Benz limousines and skilled multilingual drivers. The rental company should offer 24/7 phone assistance for the client during his stay in Prague.
Inside the apartment services should be complete and fulfill the level of the described luxury apartment like the air-condition, the security door, the alarm, the Internet, the satellite TV also as the welcome pack and ironing facilities. 

Farouk Hamzi admin@apartmentplan.cz

Czech Koruna Info

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Category: Blog

Created on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 21:25

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:13

Published on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 21:25

Written by Farouk Hamzi

Czech Crown Currency Conversion Exchange Rate & Tips

• The Czech Republic started the new Czech Koruna (Kc or CZK) on the 8th of February 1993 when it replaced the old Czechoslovak Koruna from the communist era.
• The word Koruna means in English Crown.
• The ISO 4217 code of the Czech Crown is CZK and the local acronym is Kc.
• One koruna equals 100 haleru (abbreviated as "h", singular: haler, nominative plural: halere).
• The coins are: 1 Kč, 2 Kč, 5 Kč, 10 Kč, 20 Kč, 50 Kč  Check how the coins look like.
• And the banknotes are: 50 Kč, 100 Kč, 200 Kč, 500 Kč, 1000 Kč, 2000 Kč, 5000 Kč  See also the banknotes.
• The value of 1 EUR is around 24 CZK and the USD is worth 17 CZK
• In Prague the best currency to use for paying is the Czech Koruna, many shops and restaurants welcome the Euro, but they may overcharge for the exchange rates.
• So better to exchange Euros or USD into Czech Koruna in an exchange office or at the bank upon arrival, many exchange points are in the Wenceslas Square and around the Old Town. Carefully with their commission rates, most of them show 0% commission but then they may charge an extra commission, so better to ask firmly for the exact amount that one will get.
• It's advised to avoid changing money on the street, some guys are offering such service but it usually turns into a theft.
• It's also recommended to exchange in small amounts depending on expenses and not to carry big amounts of cash.
• Using the credit card to withdraw money from the ATM cash machine or paying with the credit card is also possible almost in all shops and restaurants, but then again the bank exchange rate may be deceptive.

Czech Crown Convertion Tool

Use the following Czech Koruna currency converter for converting your home currency (USD, EUR, GBP...etc) into Czech Crown and vice versa. You will get an actualized exchange rate for the concrete date when you are realizing the conversion. Please also consider that the currency rate may slightly vary from what you may get in exchange offices and banks here in Prague.