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Is Prague a good place to visit with kids?
Prague is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but the fact that the city is built on five hills means that when visiting with children you need to plan your trip carefully. This city was built by Europe’s finest architects and artists over the course of more than 600 years; its spired buildings, famed bridges, flowing river and cobbled streets maybe breathtaking and charming, but they can be hard work with children in tow. This is a city full of wonderful places to see and visit, but families should certainly be aware that there is a lot of walking involved and most children will soon get tired and bored. A buggy for younger children is essential. My advice would be to plan your visit carefully and spend just 2 or 3 days in Prague before venturing out into the rest of the Czech Republic to see many of the other wonderful attractions the country has to offer.
The
centre of Prague is basically one big landmark, monument and historic
site, spread across three districts—the Old Town, the Lesser Town
and the Jewish Quarter. The problem for families is that it’s all
best visited on foot because public transportation only skirts the edges,
taxis can be quite expensive, and most significantly a lot of the old
city (which has many steep hills) is zoned for pedestrians only. A good
route to follow is that known as the Royal Way, the ancient coronation
route between the Powder Gate (Prasna Brana) and Prague Castle (Hradcany).
I would recommend starting at the castle and doing the route in reverse,
which would mean travelling downhill and ending in the Old Town area,
where you’ll find many reasonably priced food and drink options
after a hard day’s walking. Most of the attractions in this area
are free of charge and a CZK100 ticket (about £2.30 or $3.60), which
is good for three days, will get you into the cathedral, basilica, old
royal palace and powder tower.
The
Castle, is an oasis of quiet, enclosed gardens and parks which separate
it from the bustle of town life. Children enjoy harassing the two unsmiling
guards at the main front gate of the Castle who unflinchingly tolerate
photographers and tormenting tourists. The guards change on the hour with
an elaborate ceremony daily at noon, which is well worth watching if you‘re
in the area. Heading down from the Castle is the famous Charles Bridge
which stretches majestically 660 yards from tower to tower. All the pillars
on the Stone Bridge are mounted with statues, works of the famous 18th
century sculptor, Matthias Braun. It‘s a pleasure to walk across
this wonderful monument which affords great views of the city and river,
as well as the opportunity to see and hear the talent of local artists
as you cross from the castle area of the city into the Old Town.
The centerpiece of the Old Town is the square (Staromestske Namesti) and Old Town Hall (Radnice), which boasts the famous Prague astronomical clock. Children are fascinated by the clock‘s moving figures who do their thing at the top of each hour. From the Old Town Square wind numerous narrow streets and alleys full of remarkable sights, including churches, cathedrals, galleries and museums, antique shops, and centuries-old wine and beer cellars. Ornate Paris Street (Parizska) leads out to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), where several synagogues house museum exhibits. Celetna leads to the Powder Gate (Prasna Brana), a tall stone building that was once used for the storage of gunpowder. The striking building with the dome and large mosaic to the left of the tower is Municipal House (Obecni Dum), glistening after a three-year renovation. This art-nouveau masterpiece houses the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the spectacular Smetana Hall, three restaurants, space for travelling art exhibits, reception rooms for dignitaries and a gift shop. The café on the ground floor is an excellent place to stop and re-charge the batteries – the coffee and choice of mouth-watering pastries are personally recommended!!
You
can continue from here to Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti), which
is not so much a square as a broad, gently sloping, very commercial street
with the National Museum (Narodni Muzeum) at the top and Mustek at the
bottom. St. Wenceslas (Sv.Vaclav) sits astride his giant horse at the
top of the square where Warsaw Pact tanks moved through in 1968 and Jan
Palach set himself on fire to protest against that invasion (see the small
memorial to him a few yards in front of Wenceslas’ statue). Many
thousands of angry Czechs gathered here in November 1989 to demand the
end of communism.
There are many other museums and places of interest to visit in Prague
and here are a few suggestions based on what may be of particular interest
to children:
Marionette Theatre & Museum of Marionettes - Located near the Charles
Bridge in Karlova.
The Czech Republic is renowned for its puppetry and this presentation
of theatrical productions using a combination of puppets and music will
enthral the whole family. They have daily performances at 17.00 and 20.00.
(Museum open 12.00 – 20.00)
Toy Museum – Located in the Highest Burgrave‘s House, Prague
Castle.
Unique exhibition of old toys.
Toy Museum(Muzeum Hracek) – Jirska
The second largest collection in the world of dolls and classical toys
from the last 150 years.
Sportcentrum Duo (Hotel Duo) – Strizov, Teplicka
The centre has 12 modern bowling lanes, swimming pool, health and fitness
centre.
BEYOND PRAGUE .…………
(Also see feature – The Czech Republic
for Families)
There‘s lots of beautiful countryside in the Czech Republic and many interesting places to visit. The country is divided into regions; Central Bohemia is the area around Prague with the majestic Karlstejn Castle, Krivoklat Castle and Krivoklat forest and Lany Chateau, where Presidents relax. Eastern Bohemia is the home of the Krkonose Mountain and Orlicke Mountain and is often referred to as Bohemian Paradise. Decin Chateau, Frydlant Chateau and Strekov Chateau belong to Northern Bohemia, and the spa towns of Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne and Frantiskovy Lazne, are in Western Bohemia. The Sumava, or Bohemian Forest, mountain range and its foothills, with dark lakes in the shade of majestic trees, are part of Southern Bohemia. The region of Southern Moravia is best known for its wine and Brno, the second largest and second most important city in the Czech Republic.
Interesting places to visit include:
The Western City Wild West in Boskovice - an entertaining area that has been created in the natural setting of a former sandstone quarry. It closely reminds visitors of the adventure western movies with the Wild West being shown by the citizens of this outstanding tourist attraction. Theatre performances in the amphitheatre of the Wild West City are already well known and every year the scene changes to suit a new play which is adapted to suit visitors of all ages. (Small charge) Trappers Fort with the storytelling of the fur hunters, a stylish Tavern restaurant, trappers shop, Indian decorations and souvenirs, accommodation, campfires, small Zoo and Boot Hill. (Free entrance) The Indian Village has accommodation in a teepee, see an Indian grandfather, tomahawk and spear throwing, archery. (Free entrance)
Main Street has saloons, souvenir shops, short performances showing the Wild West lifestyle, children games, country balls, horse riding for public and many other attractions. Accommodation, live music and dancing, artificial rain for the hot summer days. (Free entrance)
For further information check out the website.
www.wildwest.cz
Jicín - the Capital of Fairy Tales is a wonderful place to visit. Every year, they make sure that the legacy of the Three Fairy Godmothers is fulfilled!!
- To fill Jicín with colour and joy through singing, painting, dancing, to offer a variety of performances presented by dance and theatre companies: to enjoy exhibitions of toys and children’s books: to set out an expedition through the Enchanted Forest - on foot or on pony.
- To encourage creativity and activity by offering everyone a chance to test their skills and talents: people are invited to get involved instead of just sitting back, observing, and then clapping at the end.
- To provide a fun meeting place for all people big and little, old and young, disabled, local and from far away; a place where everybody will be greeted with a smile and warm welcome.
All the information is on the website:
www.jjicin.cz/pohadka
Plays for children in English
Vlado Kulíšek & Radek Michalko - pantomime
Theatre Fortissimo: http://www.fonografik.cz/fortissimo/ang/Ang.text.htm
Black Theatre (Divadlo Animato) - http://www.volny.cz/black.theatre/index.htm
ZOO’s in the Czech Republic
If you are worn out through culture, or the children are clamouring for
other diversions, a visit to several of the numerous zoological gardens
is definitely recommended. Local zoos are associated in the Union of Czech
and Slovak Zoological Gardens, which is a member of the European association
EAZA
ZOO Brno
www.zoobrno.cz
ZOO Decín
www.zoodecin.cz
ZOO Dvur Králové
www.zoodk.cz
ZOO Hodonín
www.zoo-hodonin.cz
Zoopark Chomutov
www.chomutov.cz
ZOO Jihlava
www.regionalist.cz/zoojihlava
ZOO Lešná-Zlín
www.gedip.cz/lesna/
ZOO Liberec
www.zooliberec.cz
ZOO Ohrada
www.zoo-ohrada.cz
ZOO Olomouc
www.olomouc.com/zoo
ZOO Ostrava
www.mmo.cz/zoo
ZOO Plzen
www.zooplzen.cz
ZOO Praha
www.zoopraha.cz
ZOO Ústí nad Labem
www.zoousti.cz
Cycling in the Czech Republic
Bicycle tourism has become a definite trend of the day and the Czech Republic offers a plethora of tourist destinations that are easily manageable on bicycle. Road and mountain bicycles can be hired and accommodation and catering of various categories are available in the main tourist centres as well as in towns and on special routes. Special maps of cycle ways can be purchased from book shops, information centres and numerous small vendors.
Horse Riding in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic ranks among those countries with a long tradition of horse-breeding, equestrian sports and horse races. The country can offer many clubs and farms engaged in horse tourism. Many horse stables and tourist riding schools operate courses in horse riding and open-air rides, and provide tasty refreshments and accommodation within their grounds. Horse riding schemes can be supplemented by cultural activities – visits to castles, chateaux, picture galleries and museums.
Spas
The Czech Republic is noted for its extraordinary number of mineral and
thermal springs. Thanks to their abundance and our knowledge of their
advantageous medical effects a unique spa tradition has been created.
The most famous spa towns – Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne and Frantiskovy
Lazne - with their hotels, dance halls and promenades, in the past became
places where the European aristocracy frequently gathered.
Water Sports
Numerous dams in Bohemia and Moravia offer excellent conditions for bathing,
swimming and for other water sports during the summer months. Local sports
clubs and camps situated by the water rent out sports equipment for yachting
and windsurfing.
Babylon is a holiday area in the west of Bohemia, close to the border with Germany, famous for its large natural swimming pool and surrounded by forest. It is situated on the slopes of Cesky Les, near the town of Domazlice. The Babylon Centre has a new Aquapark and a great place to visit.
Useful Information
www.visitczechia.cz
(Czech Tourist Authority)
www.pis.cz (Prague Information
Service)
www.cz-museums.cz
(information about museums)
www.travelguide.cz
(information about travelling in the Czech Republic)
Travel to Prague
Czech Airlines are very child-friendly and genuinely go out of their way
to cater for children. They provide selective gift packs for very young,
young and older children as well as children‘s competitions. Children
get their own Czech Airlines Junior Passport, which enables them to collect
points for each journey and claim prizes.
Public transport
Driving in Prague is very difficult and the best way of getting around
the city is by using public transport. Prague‘s public transportation
system consists of the Metro, tram and bus network and a funicular to
the top of Petrin Hill. Visitors can purchase short-term tickets valid
for 1,3 or 7 days, and these are very good value and a much.less stressful
option to driving!
Accommodation
Corinthia Towers Hotel and Corinthia Panorama Hotel both have very good
family rooms and leisure facilities, including swimming pools on the top
floor with wonderful views across the city.
Baby-sitting
If you have a baby or very young children you can hire a baby-sitter or
child minder in most parts of the Czech Republic at a very reasonable
cost.
email: info@gowithkids.com