Of the fall-winter trips that merit “Best Bargain of 2005,” I nominate the week-long visits to Prague selling for as little as $699 from Denver by way of New York.
Considering the distance flown, the quality of the accommodations and the destination, these six nights in the Czech capital should be considered by any American looking for a quick and refreshing holiday break through Dec. 31.
And similar transatlantic flings are offered by a host of U.S. tour operators (see below) that capitalize on the low, offseason costs of Prague to create worthy competitors to the bargain-priced fall-winter packages to London.
The destination is a fairy-tale city untouched for centuries by the ravages of war, a giant “Old Town” lying under the gaze of a storybook castle where alchemists once worked to transmute lead into gold. It has amazingly inexpensive opera performances ($3.20 for the cheapest locations, a maximum of $37.50 for best seats in the house); a thriving museum scene; multiple under-$20 theaters; classic Czech pubs where you can have a meal with beer for under $10 (try that in London!); and “gastro pubs” in the center operated by Pilsner Urquell beer and offering an eclectic mix of food. And it has a hauntingly evocative old Jewish quarter that is fascinating to stroll.
This extraordinary city of 1.1 million on the Czech Republic’s Moldau (Vltava) River has been the unchallenged touristic hit of Central Europe in the years following the fall of the Iron Curtain. The country is now part of the European Union, and with its increasing prosperity have come high prices for travelers during the busy warm-weather months. But the Czechs are not using the euro until 2008, and Prague remains far less expensive than similar capitals in Western Europe.
A Czech specialist, Summit International (summittours.com, 800-527-8664), operates the air- and-six-night-stay package selling for $699 from Denver, which is available until Dec. 31. For stays in January, consider a shorter, cheaper package offered by Gate 1 (800-682-3333, gate1travel.com) for as little as $399, but for only four nights in Prague. Two other Czech specialists, Tatra Tours (212-486-0533, tatratravel.com) and Paul Laifer Tours (800-346-6314,laifertours.com), offer air and six-night stays for as little as $549 and $719 in the month of January. The month also marks the start of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, and the city has prepared dozens of events; they are all listed at mozartprague2006 .com, and advance tickets are available at czechphilharmonic.cz, pragueexperience.com and bohemiaticket.cz.
For general information, call the Czech Center in New York at 212-288-0830 or go to czechtourism.com or prague-info.cz.
