Sleeping in Prague — Rick Steves Prague & the Czech Republic (12th Ed, 2023)

Peak months for hotels in Prague are May, June, and September. Easter and New Year’s are the most crowded times, when prices are jacked up a bit.

I rank accommodations from $ budget to $$$$ splurge. For the best deal, contact hotels directly by phone or email. When you book direct, the owner avoids a commission and may be able to offer a discount. Book well in advance for peak season or if your trip coincides with a major holiday or festival (see the appendix). For some travelers, short-term, Airbnb-type rentals can be a good alternative; search for places in my recommended hotel neighborhoods. Many apartments in the city center are available for short-term rentals (Airbnb is the largest provider).

For more details on reservations, short-term rentals, and more, see the “Sleeping” section in the Practicalities chapter.

OLD TOWN HOTELS AND PENSIONS

You’ll pay higher prices to stay in the Old Town, but for many travelers, the convenience is worth the expense. These places are all within a 10-minute walk of the Old Town Square.

$$$$ Hotel Metamorphis is a splurge, with solidly renovated rooms in Prague’s former caravanserai (12th-century merchants’ hostel). Its breakfast room is in a spacious medieval cellar with modern artwork. Some of the street-facing rooms, located above two popular bars, are noisy at night (Malá Štupartská 5, +420 221 771 011, www.hotelmetamorphis.cz, hotel@metamorphis.cz).

$$$$ Hotel Maximilian is a sleek, mod, 71-room place with Art Deco black design; big, plush living rooms; and all the services and comforts you’d expect in a four-star hotel. It faces a church on a perfect little square just a short walk from the action (Haštalská 14, +420 225 303 111, www.maximilianhotel.com, reservation@maximilianhotel.com).

$$$ Design Hotel Jewel Prague (U Klenotníka), with 11 modern, comfortable rooms in a plain building, is three blocks off the Old Town Square (RS%—use promo code “ricksteves10” online, no elevator, Rytířská 3, +420 224 211 699, www.hoteljewelprague.com [URL inactive], info@jewelhotel.cz).

$$$ The Dominican has 28 luxurious rooms in a still-functional, 14th-century Dominican monastery. Rooms are historical, many with original medieval wooden ceilings, and the hotel has a pleasantly small feel (breakfast-350 Kč extra, for a better deal try the recommended cafés on Řetězová, hotel entrance on Jalovcová, +420 224 248 555, www.axxoshotels.com, reception.dominican@axxoshotels.com).

$$$ Brewery Hotel u Medvídků (“By the Bear Cubs”) has 43 comfortable rooms in a big, rustic, medieval shell with dark wood furniture. Upstairs, you’ll find lots of beams—or, if you’re not careful, they’ll find you (RS%—use promo code “oldgott” online, “historical” rooms cost slightly more, apartment available, Na Perštýně 7, +420 224 211 916, www.umedvidku.cz, info@umedvidku.cz, manager Vladimír). The pension runs a popular beer-hall restaurant with live music most Fridays and Saturdays until 23:00—request an inside room for maximum peace.

$$$ Unitas Hotel, in a former convent and communist prison, ironically offers plush comfort and bright, airy rooms. The premises formerly served as interrogation cells for the likes of Václav Havel (Bartolomějská 9, +420 224 230 533, www.unitas.cz, unitas@unitas.cz).

$$ Hotel Haštal is next to Hotel Maximilian (listed earlier) on the same quiet, hidden square. A popular hotel even back in the 1920s, this family-run place has been renovated to complement the neighborhood’s vibrant circa-1900 architecture. Its 31 rooms are comfortable and insulated against noise (RS%; free tea, coffee, and wine; air-con, Haštalská 16, +420 222 314 335, +420 725 369 369, www.hastal.com, info@hastal.com).

$$ Green Garland Pension (U Zeleného Věnce), on a central cobbled lane, has a small-place feel rare for the Old Town. Located in a thick 14th-century building with open beams, it has a blond-hardwood charm decorated with a warm and personal touch. The nine clean and simply furnished rooms are two and three floors up, with no elevator (RS%, family room, closed Jan-March, communication in off-season may be slow, Řetězová 10, +420 222 220 178, www.uzv.cz, pension@uzv.cz).

UNDER THE CASTLE, IN THE LESSER TOWN

Several of these listings are buried on quiet lanes deep in the Lesser Town, among cobbles, quaint restaurants, rummaging tourists, and embassy flags. For locations, see the map on the next page.

$$$$ Hotel Nerudova 211 has eight suites and two apartments situated in a splendid Baroque house once owned—and redesigned—by renowned architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. A thorough restoration highlights the period details, including painted wood ceilings, frescoed walls, and tile stoves. It’s a family-run operation, and it shows in the service and attention to detail (family rooms, Nerudova 14, +420 601 211 000, https://nerudova211.com, info@nerudova211.com).

$$$$ Hotel Sax’s 22 rooms are decorated in a retro, meet-the-Jetsons fashion. With a fruity atrium and a distinctly modern, stark feel, this is a stylish, no-nonsense place (air-con, elevator, free tea and pastries daily at 17:00, Jánský Vršek 3, +420 775 859 694, www.hotelsax.cz, hotel@sax.cz).

$$$ Hotel Julián is an oasis of professional, predictable decency in an untouristy neighborhood. Its 33 spacious, fresh, well-furnished rooms and big, homey public spaces hide behind a noble Neoclassical facade. The staff is friendly and helpful (RS%, family rooms, air-con, elevator, plush and inviting lobby, summer roof terrace, parking lot; Metro: Anděl, as you leave the Metro station go left and take tram #9, #12, or #20 for two stops; Elišky Peškové 11, Praha 5, +420 257 311 150, www.hoteljulian.com, info@julian.cz). Free lockers and a shower are available for those needing a place to stay after checkout (while waiting for a flight or train, for example).

$$$ Dům u Velké Boty (“House at the Big Boot”), on a quiet square in front of the German Embassy, is the rare quintessential family hotel in Prague: homey, comfy, and extremely friendly. Mellow Kuba, the second generation in charge and a film producer in winter, treats every guest as a (thirsty) friend and always has a supply of good advice and stories. Each of the 12 rooms is uniquely decorated, most in a tasteful, 19th-century Biedermeier style (RS%, cash only, cheaper rooms with shared bath, family rooms, children up to age 10 sleep free—toys provided, Vlašská 30, +420 257 532 088, www.dumuvelkeboty.cz, info@dumuvelkeboty.cz). There’s no hotel sign on the house—look for the splendid geraniums in the windows.

$$$ Mooo Apartments, in a meticulously restored 500-year-old house built around a secluded balconied courtyard, offers 13 spacious apartments with kitchenettes (no breakfast, some rooms without air-con, down the staircase from Nerudova at Jánský Vršek 8, +420 277 016 830, www.mooo-apartments.com, castle@mooo-apartments.com). For supplies, use the Žabka convenience store diagonally across the way. Mooo has an additional, larger location in a hip part of New Town.

$$ Residence Thunovská, just below the Italian embassy on a relatively quiet staircase leading up to the castle, rents six rooms in a house that once belonged to the Mannerist artist Bartholomeus Sprangler. The renovated rooms are historic and equipped with kitchenettes and Italian furniture. The original chimney that runs through the house is inscribed with the date 1577, and the rest of the house is not much younger (RS%, breakfast extra—served in the next-door café, Thunovská 19, look for the Consulate of San Marino sign, reception open 9:00-19:00, +420 257 531 189, mobile +420 721 855 880, www.thunovska19.cz, resthunprague@gmail.com).

IN THE NEW TOWN

These hotels are in urban neighborhoods on the outer fringe of the New Town, beyond Wenceslas Square. But they’re still within several minutes’ walk of the sightseeing zone and are well served by trams. For locations, see the “Hotels and Restaurants in the New Town and Nearby” map, later in this chapter.

$$$ Hotel Cube sets itself apart with its distinctive angular design and appealing location on a quiet street just behind the National Theater, five minutes by foot from the sights and near a popular nightlife area. It’s a good option if your style leans more toward cool and modern than warm and traditional (family rooms, Křemencova 18, +420 251 019 811, www.hotelcube.cz, hotelcube@hotelcube.cz).

$$$ Mosaic House’s 90 rooms range from tiny to spacious, including 10 with outdoor terraces. It’s a “green” hotel, fueled by 100 percent renewable energy, and though it’s large, it manages not to feel impersonal: Each room is individually designed, with accents—mainly pictures and books—featuring a prominent Czech cultural figure. The large reception area, café, library, and spa all have a casual, stylish vibe (just off Karlovo Náměstí at Odborů 4, +420 277 016 880, www.mosaichouse.com, info@mosaichouse.com).

$$ Hotel 16 is a sleek and modern business-class place with an intriguing Art Nouveau facade, polished cherry-wood elegance, high ceilings, and 14 fine rooms. Guests are primarily interns at the nearby general hospital (RS%, back rooms facing the garden are quieter, triple-paned windows, air-con, free tea, elevator, limited free parking, 10-minute walk south of Wenceslas Square, Metro: I.P. Pavlova, Kateřinská 16, Praha 2, +420 776 245 960, no website, adam.sneider@vfn.cz).

$$ Hotel Anna offers 26 bright, simple, pastel rooms and basic service. It’s a bit closer to the action—just 10 minutes by foot east of Wenceslas Square (elevator, Budečská 17, Praha 2, Metro: Náměstí Míru, +420 222 513 111, www.hotelanna.cz, sales@hotelpro.cz).

AWAY FROM THE CENTER

Sleeping just outside central Prague can save you money—and gets you away from other tourists and into more workaday residential neighborhoods. The following listings are great values compared with the downtown hotels listed earlier and are within a short tram or Metro ride from the center.

Beyond the Castle

$$ Hotel Adalbert occupies an 18th-century building in the Břevnov Monastery (one of the Czech Republic’s oldest monastic institutions, founded in 993). The monastery complex is the ultimate retreat for those who come to Prague for soul-searching or for anyone seeking a quiet place away from the bustle. Join the Benedictine monks for morning (7:00) and evening (18:00) Mass in the St. Margaret Basilica, a large and elegant Baroque church decorated with unusual simplicity. You can help yourself to the monastery fruit orchard and eat in the atmospheric pub (Klášterní Šenk). The hotel itself caters primarily to business clientele and takes recycling and water conservation seriously (free parking, halfway between city and airport at Markétská 1, Praha 6, tram #22 to Břevnovský Klášter; 5 minutes by tram beyond the castle, 20 minutes from Old and New Towns—see the “Greater Prague” map on here; +420 220 406 170, www.hoteladalbert.cz, info@hoteladalbert.cz).

Near Letná Park

$$$ Art Hotel is located near Letná Park (a great spot for beer gardens), in a prewar district packed with cafés and local flavor that’s just a 15-minute walk from the Old Town or the castle. The 24 classy rooms are decorated with original artwork, and in the summer there’s access to a courtyard garden (behind the Sparta soccer stadium at Nad Královskou Oborou 53, Praha 7; take tram #1, 8, 25, or 26 to Sparta, one stop from Hradčanská metro—see the “Greater Prague” map on here; +420 608 340 356, www.arthotel.cz, booking@arthotel.cz).

HOSTELS

Prague has an abundance of fine hostels just outside the center—each with a distinct personality, and each excellent in its own way. To locate the first three listings, see the “Hotels and Restaurants in the New Town and Nearby” map, on the next page.

¢ Hostel Elf, a 10-minute walk from the main train station or one bus stop from the Florenc Metro station, is the wildest of these hostels: fun-loving, ramshackle, and covered with noisy, self-inflicted graffiti. They offer cheap, basic beds; a helpful staff; and useful services—free luggage room, no lockout, free tea and coffee, cheap beer, and a terrace (private rooms available, reserve four days ahead, Husitská 11, Praha 3, take bus #133 or #207 from Florenc Metro station for one stop to U Památníku, +420 222 540 963, www.hostelelf.com, info@hostelelf.com).

¢ Sophie’s Hostel, on a quiet street a 10-minute walk from the top of Wenceslas Square, has a modern design in an Art Nouveau building. There’s a shared kitchen as well as a hearty breakfast prepared by a real chef—not exactly the norm for hostels (private rooms and apartment available, Melounova 2, Praha 2, around the corner from I.P. Pavlova metro stop, +420 210 011 300, https://sophieshostel.com, info@sophieshostel.com).

¢ Czech Inn Hostel, two tram stops from Náměstí Míru metro in the expat Vinohrady neighborhood, has a cool design mixing natural wood, lacquered cement, and exposed brick. There’s a basement bar that regularly stages concerts and stand-up (cozy private rooms and apartments available, take tram #4 or #22 from Náměstí Míru two stops to Krymská, at Francouzská 76, +420 210 011 110, www.czech-inn.com, info@czech-inn.com).

¢ Sir Toby’s is in a 1930s working-class neighborhood—a popular residential and dining-out area that’s a 12-minute tram ride from the center (for location, see the “Greater Prague” map on here). The owners have taken great pains to stamp the place with character: hardwood floors, a back garden with tables made out of sewing machines, rooms filled with vintage 1930s furniture and photographs, an on-site pub, and a friendly staff (private rooms available; from the main train station, take Metro line C red to the Vltavska stop, then tram #1, #14, or #25 to Dělnická; at Dělnická 24, Praha 7, +420 210 011 600, www.sirtobys.com, info@sirtobys.com). The owners also run two contemporary-design hostels in Vinohrady.