Our fourth visit to Prague, but the first staying at the Merkur (previously stayed at the now closed Central). This hotel proved to be almost identical to the Central, although our room was bigger than usual. Rooms are basically furnished but spotless. If you want luxury, don't stay here, but if all you need is a clean comfortable room, decent buffet breakfast and helpful friendly staff, then the Merkur ticks all the boxes. Hotel is about 15 minutes brisk walk from the centre of Prague, but handy for the Florenc Metro station. Nowhere is really beyond reach in this city though. We used the Metro to reach Vysehrad and walked back through Smichov, Mala Strana and over Charles Bridge. Metro is simple to use - just buy a ticket from a tabac (there is one next door to the Merkur), validate it, and off you go. Next visit we will use the trams as well. Great bars to visit include Pivovarsky Dum and Pivovarsky Klub - both have good beer and food. For a real example of a proper Czech working man's pub, try the Branik just off Wenceslas Square. Only go if you don't mind cigarette smoke! For entertainment, catch Jamie Marshall at either Red Hot and Blues, or Fatboys Bar playing a selection of his own excellent material and rock and blues covers. Tip: try to speak a bit of Czech - a "Dobry den" (good morning) or "djekuju" (thank you) said with a smile, goes a long way. Also, don't be thrown in bars where there are long tables with some seats taken and some seats empty. Just ask if the seats are free "je tu volno?" (literally "can I join you") and hopefully you'll be in. Don't try this in the Golden Tiger though, cos every seat is a local's seat! Prague is a wonderful city with many beautiful things to see, get off the beaten track, away from the crowds and see what you discover.

On arriving at the hotel we were greeted in English which all of the hotel staff spoke very well. The hotel was very clean and the staff were polite & helpful. It is only 10 minutes walk from the City centre.

We took an Introductory Walking Tour from the Old Town Square, which we found very useful and gave us an idea of the place and what to look out for. Good English speaking Prague guide. To be recommended.Our "Romantic Dinner" that we'd planned on our wedding anniversary didn't quite turn out how we'd planned. We had to share a table with 4 others. They were good company, but it wasn't quite what we'd expected. It could have been a disaster.Took an extended 4 hour grand walking tour of the city and castle. Tiring, but with a break in the middle for a coffee. Good English speaking guide, but she had a very strong Prague accent so it wasn't always easy to understand her. Needed very good shoes, which we had, but our legs really ached after a few days tramping over the cobbles. Beautiful city. Well worth a visit. Wonderful, inexpensive food.