While Prague receives many accolades for its beautiful architecture and cheap beer its residents have developed a reputation as some of the least welcoming people in Europe. I’d come across this stereotype both in accounts from several friends who’d been there and in articles I’d read. Stories of miserable faces, a hatred of tourists and the worst rip-off taxi drivers in Europe have helped created this negative image.

This was one stereotype I was very keen to explore further. I have written previously on the nonsense of rating countries in order of friendliness (Why a Top 10 Friendliest Countries list is nonsense) and was keen to put this belief to the test in Prague. I cannot accept that anyone can place a quality such as friendliness, happiness or their opposites and apply these to an entire population.

Think about it this way. You probably live in a street or an apartment building. How would you feel if someone from another part of town formed an opinion on your character or personality based on your post code? “Oh, everyone in Albert Road is miserable. I know, because my uncle went to school with a man who used to live there”. Ridiculous, isn’t it? Or how about this one: “I just love the people in St Albans. My car broke down there once and a man pushed it to the side of the road and then a woman made me a cup of tea while I waited for the repair man. It would never have happened in my town”.

It is of course complete nonsense, yet we persist in characterising entire nations based on our momentary experiences with sample sizes of a handful of their population.

There are friendly people everywhere. There are also those in every town or city who will not give us much attention when we pass them by. Sometimes they are wrapped up in their own thoughts, perhaps they are having a bad day (happens to us all, wherever we are); or maybe the local culture is one where people are more reserved and less inclined to talk to strangers. BUT….

Reserved, modest, respectful, serious does not indicate unfriendliness.

There is no doubt that in some cultures we will find smiling faces greeting us more readily than in others: parts of south east Asia and areas of eastern Europe are at two ends of the scale here. Yes, these are real differences. But you can be sure that anyone who takes the time to get to know a fair sample of Estonians/Ukrainians/Albanians will find that they are every bit as warm, friendly and hospitable as the Thai or Lao people that they encounter who will greet them immediately with broad smiles.

And so to Prague. Was it the bastion of nasty, sneering locals that I had been led to believe? There were friendly locals who had a laugh and joke with us; and yes, there were surly waiters who clearly didn’t enjoy their jobs and couldn’t fake otherwise. There were those who returned our smiles when we said hello and others still who couldn’t care less. In short it was pretty much like any other big city. I couldn’t say that Prague was any less friendly than anywhere else I’ve been. But then I didn’t expect to find otherwise.

Have you been to a place that you could really class as unfriendly? I mean, not just in the pushy towards tourists and wanted a share of their dollars way, but genuinely unpleasant? I love to hear if such a place exists.

Disclosure: I was invited on my weekend to Prague (along with wife) by bmibaby and Birmingham Airport

Are the people in Prague really unfriendly? is a post from: 501 Places

Narrow cobbled streets, a world-famous bridge, an architecturally splendid castle complex and a higher concentration of eye-catching classic buildings than perhaps any of its illustrious rivals. Is Prague the perfect European city?

Well, it’s certainly not flawless, but it is perhaps as near to a perfect example as you’re likely to find of what appeals most to visitors who flock to Europe from every corner of the world. I was lucky to travel on a recent press trip to Prague, especially so as my wife was also invited and we were given a fairly open itinerary.

A disclaimer should follow here. Yes, the opinions expressed here are my own. Were my experiences in Prague influenced in any way by the fact that I was being hosted by generous sponsors? Of course they were, although we didn’t do things that much differently to what we would have done on a private trip.

We had two days to explore Prague and get to see its main attractions. It was not enough of course, but then it never is. Any advantage of being there before was lost on us; it had been 1997, I was busily preparing my speech for a conference at which I would be speaking, and Princess Diana’s funeral was taking centre stage on every Czech TV station. This time thankfully there were no such distractions and we managed to do the city a little more justice. Here are just a few of the highlights for us.

Architecture

I lost track of the number of times I exclaimed ‘Look at that building!’ to my wife. On every street in any direction another stunning masterpiece seemed to stand out and dazzle us. We were fortunate that the walking tour that Czech Tourism provided for us was conducted by Marina, a lady with a passion for architecture. She patiently explained to us the different influences of the ne0-classic, function, cubist and art nouveau styles.

I wish I’d made notes as I would already fail an exam in Prague architecture, such is my lousy memory. Taken as nothing more than simple eye candy however, the buildings certainly made their mark. Given how the buildings were apparently neglected during the communist years it is clear that much hard work has gone into their recent restoration. It’s not too hard to venture away from the main tourist lanes and see some of the town houses and offices crumbling at the edges, but even these have a grandeur about them that offers hope that they will be preserved and restored in time.

The main sights

Charles Bridge is probably the number 1 site in Prague. Crowded with tourists, vendors and a smattering of beggars it is hardly a peaceful or romantic setting. By all accounts we needed to be there before 9am to capture its true magic; sadly on both mornings we failed miserably in this. It is of course ridiculously photogenic spot; I may just need to airbrush out a few hundred folks from my pictures. We did manage to visit the bridge just after sunset one day when the crowds were relatively light.

The famous Astronomical Clock in the town hall attracts a swarm of tourists who, at the stroke of each hour, point their cameras eagerly at the moving figures that appear from the 15th century timepiece. The square opposite the clock was seriously crowded on a freezing cold day in early March; I can only guess how crowded it gets in the summer months.

The cathedral and castle area dominates the skyline and forms a natural backdrop to any picture from Charles Bridge. You can walk freely around the complex and only pay for access to the buildings you choose to visit (or buy a combination ticket). We chose to climb the cathedral tower, and blessed with a clear day we enjoyed superb views across the city.

Lesser known sights

Without enough time to do more than scratch the surface of this complex city we picked a few places to visit and left many more for another visit.

The Museum of Communism is a compact museum ironically positioned in the same building as one of the city’s many new casinos. Relics of Prague from its days behind the Iron Curtain include a mock-up of a grocery store with authentically empty shelves. A 20 min video (with English subtitles) tells the dramatic and often painful history that the city endured in the 40 years of Soviet domination.

Petrin Hill dominates the west city, and at its summit is the alluring site of what looks like a replica of the Eiffel Tower. The tower itself is a popular attraction to climb and from there you can enjoy panoramic views of the Old Town. Entrance to the tower is 100K (around €4) which is the same as the cost to climb the cathedral tower; I would personally choose the latter. Regardless, Petrin Hill is a large park where families come to relax and passing tourist can sit and watch a small slice of local life.

Prague’s historic arcades link the main central streets with ornate hidden walkways, often hiding grandeur and opulence on a scale that surpasses the more celebrated outdoor buildings. Some of the best are found off Wenceslas Square; in one in particular (under the big Marks and Spencer sign) you can find a wonderfully atmospheric cafe in a pink marbled hall, with a statue of a man riding an upside-down horse at the entrance).

The seedy side

I suspect that Prague has lost its mantle as the stag night capital of Europe (beer is cheaper in other Ryanair destinations these days). That said, there are still groups of loud drunken twentysomething (mainly British but not exclusively so) stumbling between the many Irish bars the Old Town has to offer. It’s now a mainstream tourist activity with young girls acting as stag party guides, leading the groups on a pre-arranged (and presumably commissioned) trail.

In an effort to appeal to this tourist demographic there is even a Museum of Sex Machines positioned with little regard for taste at the entrance to the main square. Presumably it seems like a good place to visit after 10 pints of traditional Czech Guinness, but I didn’t get to find out this time round. Strangely enough the museum closes in the evening, probably denying it of a ready audience.

A walk through Prague does involve passing scores of touts who are selling concert tickets, boat rides or trying to lure you into their restaurants. Again I wonder how much worse this will be in the summer months. Thankfully they are polite, not pushy and can easily be dismissed with a smile and a shake of the head. An inevitable price of being such a major tourist magnet?

Sponsor Thanks

Sincere thanks to bmibaby and Birmingham Airport for organising an excellent weekend and of course for inviting the two of us along. Thanks also to Czech Tourism and for their kind hospitality and also to Prague Airport for hosting us in their VIP lounge – if only every airport experience was that good!

Prague: still the best weekend break in Europe? is a post from: 501 Places

It’s hard to believe that the UK has been smoke-free for less than four years. For much of my adult life I longed for the day when I could enjoy a meal in a restaurant without having my senses of taste and smell overpowered by someone lighting up at a neighbouring table. Once the ban came into force it took no time at all to take this new liberty for granted.

So it is perhaps a wise move from time to time to venture into certain parts of the world where smoking is still permitted in indoor public spaces, if for no other reason that to remind ourselves how the old order really was.

Prague is a great example. We stepped into several cafes during our recent weekend in the city and were taken back instantly to the murky past of pre-2007 Britain. In most places we entered you would find at least one smoker per table. We found no segregation of smoking and non-smoking tables. I was reminded of the wise words of a waitress at one of our favourite Chinese restaurants when we lived in the north-east of England: “You want no-smoking table? Then don’t smoke. It’s non-smoking table.”

In one particularly lively Prague bar where we fancied a meal, we were shown to the room in the basement. The smell hit us before we entered and as we stood briefly by the door the visibility across the room was similar to that of a foggy December morning. We were out of there in a flash. Although the atmosphere appeared lively I could no more enjoy eating a meal in such a place than having a picnic inside a sewerage farm. In the end we ate in a place devoid of that convivial buzz but where we could at least taste the food we ate.

When we got home we indulged in another ritual that disappeared with the advent of smoke-free Britain. Every item of clothing, however little it was used, was immediately thrown into the laundry pile in order to rid it of the stench of another person’s pleasure. I was reminded of the concept of choosing to wear an old shirt for a night out ‘as it had to go in the wash anyway’.

It now seems quite archaic that a state will permit smoking in public when so much of the world appears to have accepted the argument against it. Some countries (the Czech Republic is a prime example) are still grappling with the demands of the anti-smoking lobby and the competing arguments of those businesses that fear losing money as a result of such a ban. We can judge the relative power of influence of each side within any national or state government by their current smoking laws.

For now the smokers of Britain, Italy and elsewhere will head to these European outposts of cigarette tolerance and enjoy the chance to light up freely with a beer or coffee. As for the rest of us, a brief return to a misty tobacco-filled bar can remind us just how much a single piece of legislation changed our own social environment for ever.

Disclosure: I was invited for my weekend in Prague (along with my wife) by bmibaby and Birmingham Airport.

Lost in the mist of time: Prague, a smoker’s haven is a post from: 501 Places