Know Before You Go! Part 2: Prague, Czech Republic

For the next couple of blogs, I will hopefully have guest writers, starting with today. Today's guest writer, is Kevin, my brother-in-law. Just for those visual readers, here is a photo of Kevin and my dad wearing their cool new shoes they bought especially for the trip (trying to break them in).

Prague: “It’s like going into Wisconsin.”

John: "Come on, it's Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick them up, and we zip right out again. We're not going to Moscow. It's Czechoslovakia, it's like going into Wisconsin."

Russell: "Well, I got the shit kicked out of me in Wisconsin once. Forget it!" -Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in Stripes

The above quote has nothing to do with anything related to the trip, but, whenever possible, I think it’s best to reference Stripes. In fact, if you have not seen Stripes, you should stop whatever trip planning you are doing and watch it. (Apparently we're renting Stripes tonight...)

Also, Prague will be the only place we are visiting that was part of the Soviet Union, which explains why John and Russell were going in there in Stripes. As the only place with remnants of Soviet Control, we may want to try to check out the Lennon Wall. It is a wall with the graffiti protesting the ban of western pop music in Prague in the late `80s.

General Information about Prague per Fodor’s:

Tipping: Service is not usually included in restaurant bills. In pubs or ordinary places, simply round up the bill to the next multiple of 10 (if the bill comes to 83 Kc, for example, give the waiter 90 Kc); in nicer places, 10% is considered appropriate for good food and service. In taxis, round the bill up by 10%. Give tour guides and helpful concierges between 50 Kc and 100 Kc for services rendered.

Language: Czechs are taught English in school, so most people in Prague speak English. Outside of Prague, English is less common. Sometimes people mix English and German at the same time when trying to communicate with foreigners. The Czech language itself is a Slavic language and is similar to Polish. Some of the translations seem unpronounceable. A few common words are “hello” (ahoj or Dobrý den); “good-bye” (na shledanou); “beer” (pivo); “bathroom” (toaleta); “do you speak English” (Mluvíte anglicky).

Note: it is considered rude to speak loudly in public in Prague (great custom). (....you would think so Kev. Another side note from the experience I (Maggie) had, to Europeans, Americans are loud.)

Hours: If we are planning on going to museums, most close at 4:00 p.m.

Restrooms: Public restrooms are more common, and cleaner, than they used to be in the Czech Republic. You nearly always have to pay 5 Kc to 10 Kc to the attendant. Restaurant and bar toilets are generally for customers only, but if you're discreet no one will care if you just drop by to use the facilities.

Dining: Classic Czech fare is best sampled in a hospoda, or pub. These local joints have menus that usually include dishes for which Czech cuisine is justly famous: pork and sauerkraut with bread dumplings, roast duck, beef stew, and, for the vegetarian, fried cheese.

Prague is now known to have more diverse food offerings. We probably need to check menus online to find places with seafood and vegetarian dishes (although fried cheese on a bed of sauerkraut seems like an excellent vegetarian option to me) before deciding where to eat. Prague has a lot of places with WiFi where we can try to check out menus in advance(not sure if our hotel does). When I translated a couple menus, it seemed like the first four dishes tended to be some type of pork. I also saw on No Reservations that the menu will notate how many grams of food you are ordering and that beers sometimes are ordered according to degree ⁰. This notes the maltiness of the beer.

Pivovarsky Klub and U Medvidku seem like a couple of cool traditional pubs to visit and both were on No Reservations.

I did read a review of one pub that said if you don’t like beer and smoking, don’t come. Smoking seems to be prevalent in pubs. Fodor’s said that nicer restaurants do tend to have non-smoking sections.

It is advised to be careful of restaurants around Old Town and other tourist attractions, as these areas are known for tacking on phony charges and overcharging.

Cover charges (couvert) are common and legitimate in Prague. They will appear in small print so we may miss them until we get the bill.

Photo link