The magnificent and gloomy Gothic Prague at the same time is one of the favorite places for tourists from all over the world to celebrate the New Year. Here this holiday is called Silvestr. Prague in the winter looks even more interesting in the light of the colored iridescent lights. This city is affordable and diverse in terms of entertainment. Both young tourists, elderly couples, and families with children come here. Everyone is busy.
Features of the New Year in Prague
During the winter holidays, the temperature ranges from -5 ... + 5 degrees. Sometimes it's sleet, but it’s hard to see drifts here. However, in order to enjoy excursions and walks, it is necessary to carefully select clothes. It is also important to book tours in advance, as this is the peak time and many tourists tend to get to Prague for holidays. Immediately after buying a ticket, you need to book a hotel.
It is best to rent a room in a hotel that will be close to the city center. In the center on New Year's Eve all the most important things happen.If the center could not be accommodated, then it is better to find a hotel near the line of transport. Taxi will cost much more on holidays, so this should be taken into account when planning your route. A separate item of expenditure should be excursions, as in comparison with other European countries, here they are more expensive. It is more profitable to choose sightseeing tours.
The most popular are:
- Sychrov Castle and the Granat Turnov Factory - 60 euros;
- Prague through the eyes of a local resident - 23-30 euros;
- Sightseeing tour "New city and Vysehrad" - 60 euros;
- Karlštejn and Konopiště Castles - 30 Euro;
- Jewish quarter - 19 euros.
How and where to celebrate the New 2019 in Prague
Locals specifically relate to the celebration of the New Year - they are trying to leave this time outside the city. Thus, the capital remains at the complete disposal of tourists. Despite this, a small part of the population still remains in the city and on New Year's Eve it dissolves on the square in a crowd of foreigners.
For walks, you can choose the Old Town Square, where the main Christmas tree of the country, Wenceslas Square, the second most important city, Prague Castle, Lesser Town Square, Nerudova Street, will stand. There are also some of the best Christmas fairs in the world that you should definitely visit.
In Prague, the main salute is launched on January 1 in the evening on the occasion of a national holiday. It usually lasts about 10 minutes and looks magical. Best of all, fireworks can be seen from Manesov Bridge, Chekhov Bridge, from the Air Gardens, from Petrishin. After this great event, people go to clubs and restaurants to continue to celebrate the New Year. New Year's Eve is also saluted, but not as large-scale.
Numerous stalls with trdelniki and mulled wine will be set up on the main square next to the country's largest Christmas tree. Solemn lighting of the Christmas tree occurs every day from December 2 to January 6. All this goes under the music and cries of the crowd. Festive mood and design will continue in the city until January 7.
For holidays, transport works as usual, so that for tourists who do not know the city, there will be no problems. Metro runs at intervals of 6 minutes, trains - 20 minutes. Trams run only at night with an interval of 30 minutes. Those who plan to ride the cable car to Petrin should know that it is open from 09:00 to 18.00. On pre-holiday days it will work until 23.20, and the metro until 02.00.
New Year's Eateries of Prague
In Prague, a huge number of all kinds of pubs, restaurants, cafes and eateries. The choice is wide, but to make it quite difficult. The city center is more popular, so local places are often completely full. Prices on the menu here are higher by about 15%. In addition, on holidays the hosts still thrown over. Reservations for New Year's Day and Christmas are recommended in advance, at least 2 weeks before the planned banquet. To do this, just call, and in 2-3 days once again confirm your order. At some distance from the center and on the periphery, with places easier, but booking is also desirable. The best restaurants on the outskirts are located in the areas of Smichov, Vinohrady and Zizkov.
January 1, few of the owners will open their places. Moreover, January 1 is celebrating a significant date here - the Day of Restoration of Independence. Restaurants will not open until 17:00, so food and drinks on the morning of January 1, it is better to stock up in advance.
As for attractions, then on holidays most of them do not work.
Reviews of tourists who met the New Year in Prague
Those who visited Prague for the New Year are in a hurry to share their tips and feedback. They talk about the fact that in the center of the city there is the largest crowd consisting of both tourists and locals. It is better not to stand still, move, because in every corner of the square there is a lot of interesting things and there is something to see. It is useful to ask the tour operator for a brochure about upcoming events in Russian.
On the Chekhov Bridge is usually crowded. Those who want to see fireworks in a larger place should head for Manesov Bridge.Also, tourists are urged not to be afraid of the fact that shops and catering establishments do not work. Those that remain open for the holidays is enough.
Some do not recommend celebrating New Year in restaurants, as this makes it difficult to feel the taste of a local celebration. It is better to replace the meal in a restaurant with a noisy get-together in the city. But this is a matter of taste. You can dance in local places, but this is not accepted by the Czechs.
Prague is a great place for relaxation and new experiences. It will delight tourists, regardless of the purpose of the visit. New Year's spirit will only add warm pleasant emotions to the trip. Having carefully studied the specifics, you can make an excellent plan and lead the time with maximum benefit. Having worked a bit on routes and searching for hotels or tours, you can see almost all the main sights, and also not miss a single significant pre-holiday event. And all this for quite reasonable money and in excellent conditions.
