Recommended Hotels

Prague has long been one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. The shortage of accommodation which marked the immediate post-communist years is a thing of the past; new hotels are constantly being added to the city’s stock, the majority of them at the upper end of the scale. Some are of outstanding quality, located in historic buildings or featuring the best that contemporary designers have to offer.

Accommodation is relatively expensive and good budget accommodation – such as small, family-owned hotels – is lacking. However, the situation is improving. It is always best to reserve your room well in advance, especially from June–September and at Christmas time, this way you can get better prices and special offers. Rates given below are for the cheapest double room per night in high season and may be listed in euros. Room taxes of 21 percent and a small municipal tax may be extra, so check before booking. Breakfast is not always included. Disabled access is generally better in the more modern hotels.

The following hotel recommendations – price categories indicated in euro symbols – cover all areas of the city, including large and small hotels with local and international management.

If telephoning Prague from outside the Czech Republic dial 00+420 before the numbers listed.

€€€€€ over Kč6,000

€€€€ Kč5,000–6,000

€€€ Kč4,000–5,000

€€ Kč3,000–4,000

€ below Kč3000

Old Town and New Town

987 Prague €€€€€ Senovázné náměstí 15, Prague 1, tel: 255 737 200, www.987praguehotel.com. In the north of the New Town is this über-chic design hotel. With Phillip Starck fixtures and Aera Saarinena and Arne Jacobsen furniture, it epitomises a certain kind of northern European cool design. Great if you like it, but this is not the cheapest place in town.

Adria €€€ Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square) 26, Prague 1, tel: 221 081 111, www.hoteladria.cz. This bright, yellow-hued hotel in an enviable position on Wenceslas Square features 89 rooms with polished wood furniture and green-and-gold fixtures. You can book theatre tickets and sightseeing tours at the front desk. All rooms here have internet access, room service and satellite television. Several rooms are suitable for guests with disabilities.

Four Seasons €€€€€ Veleslavínova 2a/1098, Prague 1, tel: 221 427 000, www.fourseasons.com/prague. Everything you would expect from this well respected hotel chain, this 161-room hotel on the bank of the River Vltava offers stunning views. All rooms have luxury down pillows and duvets, mini-bar, high-speed internet access and CD players. Spa and fitness centre. Restaurant, bar and 24 hour in-room dining.

Gran Hotel Praha €€ Staroměstské náměstí 481/22, Prague 1, tel: 221 632 556, www.grandhotelpraha.cz. This beautiful hotel occupies three historical buildings on the Old Town Square. Rooms have wooden beams and period furniture, along with internet access, satellite TV and air conditioning. It may be a little on the noisy side, but it has a great view of the Astronomical Clock, especially from the baroque Café Mozart on the first floor.

Hotel Josef €€€€ Rybná 20, Prague 1, tel: 221 700 111, www.hoteljosef.com. A sleek designer hotel near the Jewish Quarter. The interior, designed by Eva Jiricna, has stone-and-glass bathrooms attached to minimalist rooms with DVD and CD players. None of this is cheap (up to around Kč7,000), but it does make a change from the often heritage-heavy accommodation available elsewhere in the city.

Maximilian €€€€ Haštalská 14, Prague 1, tel: 225 303 111, www.maximilianhotel.com. This new hotel close to the Jewish Quarter and St Agnes’s Convent is a bargain for both its position and the clean lines of the modern rooms. The rooms have nice little designer touches and comfortable beds, some have good views over the Old Town. As an added bonus the hotel contains the Planet Zen Wellness Studio.

Mosaic House € Odborů 4, Prague 2, tel: 221 595 350, www.mosaichouse.com. This beautifully designed hostel has 55 shared and 41 private rooms, all with private bathrooms; the top-floor ones have terraces with views of the city. The hostel provides the facilities of a four-star hotel. Guests are invited to party at the La Loca Music Bar and Lounge.

Museum Pension € Mezibranská 15, Prague 1, tel: 296 325 186, fax: 296 325 188, www.hotelmuseum.cz. A fantastic pension in a very central location next to the National Museum. Rooms are very large and all face a quiet garden courtyard. Excellent value for money and perfect for families. Great buffet breakfasts.

Palace Praha €€€€€ Panská 12, Prague 1, tel: 224 093 111, www.palacehotel.cz. Just a quick walk from Wenceslas Square, the Art Nouveau Palace Hotel is arguably one of the most luxurious and elegant hotels in the city. With its extravagant Art Nouveau décor and bathrooms lined with Carrara marble, each room provides a long list of amenities to impress the discerning traveller, including air conditioning, mini-bar, and internet connection. Its sister hotel, the Art Deco Imperial Hotel (www.hotel-imperial.cz), will appeal to lovers of the later art form.

Paris €€€€ U Obecního domu 1, Prague 1, tel: 222 195 195, www.hotel-paris.cz. The Hotel Paris, situated next to the Municipal House, was one of Prague’s finest establishments when it was built in 1904. Today it has been totally refurbished and is once again at its dazzling best. If you don’t stay here, at least visit the Café de Paris for a drink. Facilities include gourmet restaurant, fitness room, Brandeis Clinic (aesthetic medicine), 24-hour room service. 86 rooms and 20 suites.

Yasmin €€€€€ Politických věznů 913/12, Prague 1, tel: 234 100 100, www.hotel-yasmin.cz. In a street running parallel to Wenceslas Square, this stunning designer establishment is linked to Prague’s most famous thoroughfare by an arcade. Its 196 luxurious rooms and suites in shades of green and grey are fully equipped. Its public spaces are adorned with unique sculptures and other features, and there is a bar, a noodle restaurant and an interior garden.

Castle district and Lesser Quarter

Aria €€€€€ Tržiště 9, Prague 1, tel: 225 334 111, www.ariahotel.net. In the same street as the US embassy, this addition to Prague’s growing array of accommodation is distinguished by its musical theme and by the sumptuousness and design quality of bedrooms and public spaces. Some rooms overlook the baroque Vrtba garden and there’s a stunning rooftop restaurant.

Design Hotel Neruda €€€€ Nerudova 44, Prague 1, tel: 257 535 557, www.designhotelneruda.com. A stone’s throw from the castle, this 1348 building now has a minimalist modern interior. The rates reflect its location, but the rooms are clean and comfortable, and there is a pleasant café space with good coffee and hot chocolate, overlooking the busy climb up to the castle.

Domus Balthazar €€–€€€ Mostecká 5, Prague 1, tel: 257 199 499, www.domus-balthasar.cz. A design hotel in the heart of Malá Strana with modern furniture complementing the old beams of the rooms. It is in a quite busy location but the hotel is very convenient for most of the sights in the centre of town and the rates are fairly reasonable. It has a sister hotel, Domus Henrici, near Prague Castle.

Dům u tří čápů €€€€ Valdštejnské náměstí 8, Prague 1, tel: 257 210 779, www.hotelthreestorks.cz. This newly opened design hotel close to the Waldstein Palace is excellent. Very chic, all clean lines and modern furniture, but without disturbing the original fabric of this historic building. The rooms are not only beautifully done but also very central and quiet, and the restaurant is also recommended.

Dům u velké boty €€–€€€ Vlašská 30/333, Prague 1, tel: 257 532 088, www.dumuvelkeboty.cz. This small B&B is in a superb location. The building dates from the early 17th century, and care has been taken to ensure that the interior and furniture maintain the historic feel. Lovely comfy beds, spotless bathrooms and friendly owners all go towards making this one of the best places to stay in the city. Cash only.

Hoffmeister €€€€€ Pod Broskou 7, Prague 1, tel: 251 017 111, www.hoffmeister.cz. This family-owned hotel is situated near the foot of the Old Castle steps and is less than five minutes’ walk from Malostranská metro station. Each room is individually and well furnished with original art by Adolf Hoffmeister, father of the present owner. Rooms have air conditioning, TV, Wi-fi, phone and mini-bar. Facilities include an on-site spa, a gourmet restaurant and a café with a pretty terrace.

Mandarin Oriental €€€€€ Nebovidská 459/1, Prague 1, tel: 233 088 888, www.mandarinoriental.com/prague. This impeccable establishment in one of the most tranquil parts of the Lesser Quarter has been carefully inserted into the historic fabric of a medieval monastery. Faultless service and a range of facilities including a unique spa set in a restored chapel.

Savoy €€€€ Keplerova 6/218, Prague 1, tel: 224 302 430, www.hotelsavoyprague.com. An elegant Art Nouveau hotel overlooking the spires of the castle district. Rooms are decorated in lush red, bathrooms in marble and chrome. Amenities include 24-hour room service, a hair salon and a restaurant serving Czech and international cuisine.

U Krále Karla €€–€€€€ Úvoz 4/170, Prague 1, tel: 257 531 211, www.ukralekarla.cz. This baroque building (it took its present form in 1639) is in a quiet and convenient location at the top of the hill, looking out over Petřín Hill. The big rooms have rustic decor with vaulted or painted wood ceilings. Facilities include a restaurant and lobby bar, and free parking.

further afield

Hotel Absolutum €€€ Jablonského 4, Prague 7, tel: 222 541 406, www.absolutumhotel.cz. This modern, somewhat businesslike hotel is a good place to stay if you are looking for a bit of luxury at a reasonable price. The rooms are nicely done (as are the bathrooms) and spacious. The Salut restaurant is a good place for lunch.

Andel’s €€€ Stroupežnického 21, Prague 5, tel: 296 889 688, www.vi-hotels.com/en/andels-prague. All sharp angles, glass and rough stone, Andel’s is flanked by a shopping mall and various eateries. Rooms are designed in minimalist style with glass desks, concealed lighting, Wi-fi and DVD players. There is also a restaurant, health club and conference centre. The historic centre is a short tram ride or two Metro stops away.

Angelo €€€ Radlická 1, Prague 5, tel: 234 801 111, www.vi-hotels.com/en/angelo-prague. With its cheerful Jazz Bar, this designer hotel is a good place to stay outside of the city centre. The rooms are nicely done in black, red and yellow. The building is perhaps better looking on the outside than from the rather corporate corridors, but for a business hotel it is pretty decent.

Pension 15 € Vlkova 15, Prague 3, tel: 222 719 768/222 721 800, www.pension15.cz. Spotless, if slightly spartan rooms with shared bathrooms and apartments at very good prices. Well-run and modern, this is an excellent budget option not far from the tram stops on Seifertova. Breakfast and parking for additional charge. Cash only.