Winter weekend in Prague - (Christmas Markets optional 😉)

Our next event will be a trip to the historic and beautiful city of Prague, capital city of Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic). The core dates to overlap with fellow members of the Mix and Mingle group are the long weekend of Friday 28th November to Monday 1st December, but obviously you can choose your own dates according to what suits your own calendar and pocket, but the Mix and Mingle social engagement will only be between those dates. We will coordinate and communicate all details via a dedicated whatsapp group, but almost certainly we will have time at both of the 2 prime Christmas markets that are due to open this weekend at Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) and Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) 5 minutes walk from each other, maybe a bus or walking tour of the historical sights, and for sure some food and drink! We will prepare a short-list so decisions can be made by consensus at each of the Mix and Mingle social occasions. Personally I would love to go to the Czech Collegium 1 hour performance including Carmina Burana (O Fortuna - think music from Old Spice adverts) and Bolero (music from Torvill & Dean skating) at the Spanish Synagogue on the Sunday early evening, but there are plenty of other options! Maybe Saturday night at the Radio Kiss Millenium Explosion at the O2 Arena is more your bag (easy metro Line B or tram travel to Českomoravská).

Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, with a population of 1.4m (2021 census, compared to Brighton and Hove’s 277,000). It's a city full of beauty, of stunning Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque era buildings, and of majestic squares which survived with negligible bombing in WW2 due to being deep within mainland Europe. It was given UNESCO world heritage status in 1992. A large part of the city is pedestrianised. There are many museums, concert halls, opera houses, theatres and churches. There are excellent options for dining, drinking and nightlife, plenty of day trips available - such as charming river cruise along the Vltava River, hop on/off bus tours and walking tours (Prague Castle to Wenceslas Square via Charles Bridge only takes 30 minutes walk time) and ice skating in Wenceslas Square. Basically there’s tons to do and see if you’re willing, otherwise a wonderful place to just chill-out and people-watch if that’s your thing.

Link to further details of the Christmas markets and Prague visitor information: https://www.pragueexperience.com/events/christmas-markets.asp

We can discuss and agree which of the many options open to us we might do on a day-to-day basis, as we meet up socially or via the whatsapp group.

For optimal opportunity to join in, aim to find accommodation relatively central, with Old Town Square ideal, but anywhere on the metro lines, tram or bus routes will be fine. Further out, ideally close to metro and tram routes will be much cheaper and public transport is frequent, easy and cheap, so is also viable. Buses are really for the out-of-town routes, and not recommended for a weekend visit.

Expect it to be cold! The average temperature is -1°C (30°F), but it can deviate typically in the range +10°C to -10°C. Don't be surprised by snow or sunshine! Bring warm clothes, hats, gloves and suitable footwear.

I’ve put some tourist board photos, maps, and flight prices in the picture album for your information. As at right now (9th Oct), return flights from Gatwick via Easyjet for Friday 29th Nov to Monday 1st Dec are from £169 to £252 with 3 flights per day operated by Wizz or Easyjet. Hotels via Trivago range from £114 for the 3 nights to £346 depending on your taste and pocket, of course. I’ve also included a screen-shot of AirBnB options - they are more expensive for single occupancy at £300 to £400 but you may be able to combine with others to get the prices of a joint stay down. Obviously prices may go up or down, this is intended just to be indicative.

The local currency is Czech Crown (Korun/Czk) - currently £1 will buy you about Czk27. Small businesses and market stalls often prefer, or can even insist on payment in cash. There are a couple of cash ATM at the arrivals hall at the Airport and generally available in the city. Czechia is in Europe, so relevant visa and passport rules apply. The new biometric system will, of course, be in operation, so if this is your first time into Europe since its implementation then expect some delay at immigration. Please make appropriate medical insurance arrangements. There are plenty of cash machines, but may charge a fee. English is widely spoken in Prague, especially among the younger generation. There's only one airport serving Prague - Václav Havel. Public transport to/from the airport is viable and frequent, but there's no direct metro link, so have to take a bus and then change (route 100 from airport to out-of-town Zlicin metro station - then take metro line B into the city, or route 59 from the airport and then change at Andel, which is like a transport hub for buses and metro line B - a bit bewildering but you can get buses, trams and metro to anywhere from there). You will need the 90 minute ticket for the combined journey. Or get a taxi - from experience I recommend pre-booking tick tack +420 721 300 300 (they do speak English) or www.ticktack.cz, but there are airport taxis (yellow) available at the airport. A ticket for the Prague Public Transport Network permits travel on the Prague Metro, trams and buses (unlimited switching between transport modes) for a set period of time: 30 minutes (30czk), 90 minutes (40czk), 24 hours (90czk), 72 hours (330czk) and one month. Buy the ticket from roadside machine (or kiosk at Arrivals at the Airport), but make sure you VALIDATE the ticket (starts the clock ticking for validity period) when you get on-board - slide the ticket into the yellow machine at the entrance to the bus or station and it prints the time/date stamp on the ticket. Only validate once, then continue to hold that ticket for the remainder of its validity time.