Where to Stay in Prague

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Where to stay in Prague?

What is the best area to stay in Prague? The answer to this question is rather subjective and depends on the reason why you are coming to Prague. This page’s objective is to provide an overview of the most typical places to stay in Prague and their strengths and weaknesses given a particular interest, e.g. sightseeing, nightlife, or shopping.

Summary & quick links:

Where to stay in Prague for sightseeing & atmosphere

Most people come to Prague to enjoy its unique historical sceneries and atmosphere. There are two main historical districts in Prague which are perfect for these things: the Old Town and Lesser Quarter, the oldest parts of Prague. They are very close to one another – in fact, they are separated only by the river (the Vltava), which you can cross on the 600-year-old Charles Bridge.

Prague Old Town

The Old Town is a bit bigger and more lively than Lesser Quarter. The centre of Prague Old Town is Old Town Square (the square with the Astronomical Clock and Tyn Church). Old Town also includes the Jewish Quarter. Some of the finest restaurants and shopping streets are situated either directly in the Old Town (e.g. Parizska, Celetna) or along its borders (Na Prikope Street). Old Town is considered the primary tourist district in Prague and has the highest concentration of hotels.

Lesser Quarter

Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana in Czech) is the area among Prague Castle, Petrin Hill (a huge park with a small copy of Eiffel Tower at the top), and the river. It is as old as the Old Town and also has beautiful old houses (many of them are more like palaces). Lesser Quarter is the government and embassy district of Prague. It is usually quieter than the Old Town (except the main tourist trail between Charles Bridge and Prague Castle), but has many very typical Czech restaurants. Lesser Quarter is a fine place to stay, with a bit of a romantic or upscale feel.

Where to stay in Prague for nightlife

Many people come to Prague to enjoy its nightlife (because the beer is cheap and the girls are beautiful, thought not necessarily easy). Prague has several good areas for nightlife, with high concentration of pubs, bars, and clubs. Both the above mentioned districts (Old Town and Lesser Quarter) offer plenty of nightlife venues, but they are targeted at tourists, which means that prices are higher (the beer is not really cheap in the Old Town) and foreigners outnumber locals in most places (one such place is Karlovy Lazne, the largest club in Central Europe with 5 floors, located next to Charles Bridge).

Wenceslas Square

Good areas for nightlife, where you can meet a good mix of tourists and local people, are especially Narodni Street and Wenceslas Square. Wenceslas Square (the square with the horse statue at the top end) is the unofficial centre of modern Prague). Bigger venues at and near Wenceslas Square include Duplex or Lucerna Music Bar (Lucerna is a very traditional club in Prague). There are many hotels at and around Wenceslas Square: 4 or 5 star hotels are directly at the square, while cheap hotels are in the side streets, especially between Wenceslas Square and Main Train Station.

Andel and Smichov

If you are looking for places where locals prevail (and the beer price reflects that), you can try the surroundings of Andel Metro Station (the district of Smichov, about 15 minutes walk south of Lesser Quarter). There is a good concentration of hotels near Andel and room rates are often lower compared to the main centre of Prague.

Where to stay in Prague for shopping

Almost all the places listed so far are good for shopping, except probably Lesser Quarter which is only good for buying souvenirs. If you want expensive boutiques, go to Old Town (Parizska, Na Prikope). If you want big shopping centres, there are two of them at Namesti Republiky (eastern border of Old Town; a 5 star hotel district) and a big shopping centre at Andel. Wenceslas Square has shops of various kinds all around.

Where to stay in Prague if you are on budget

In general, cheaper hotels can be found away from the historical centre, but not necessarily far in some cases. Stay away from Old Town and Lesser Quarter. Good budget places to stay in Prague include Florenc Station and the surrounding Karlin district, or the already mentioned Andel Station and the district of Smichov. There are also several cheaper hotels in Holesovice (near Prague Expo Centre and Sparta Stadium). All these places are still within easy walking distance from Old Town and if you don’t want to walk, they also have frequent tram or metro connections.

Where is the best place to stay in Prague?

I hope you now have a basic idea about where to stay in Prague for what. Nevertheless, there’s no need to overanalyze it, because Prague is not really a big city. Almost all the attractive places are within walking distance from each other.

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Topics: Prague Hotels, Hotels in Prague city centre, Lesser Quarter hotels, Old Town hotels, Places to stay in Prague, Wenceslas Sq. hotels, Where to stay in Prague