Travel Tips for Prague, Czech Republic

Hi! I went to Europe last November and I still haven’t gotten over it. So here is my small way of giving back!

Prague is the capital city of Czech Republic and going there should be on anyone’s bucket list, I swear! If you want to know more about its history and specifics, you can surely google it. What I will do here is to to detail what we did during our visit and share a few tips and comments for anyone wanting to do a DIY.

MEANS TO ACCESS:

We came from Basel, Switzerland and used a local airline (Easyjet). This took us an hour and a half.

Not sure about direct flight from Manila, although I heard that KLM is accessible.

You may also use the train which will take you more than 12 hours (from Basel), so we decided against it. But if you do take this option, please be reminded that trains in Europe leave on time. So if it says 21:13, they leave at 21:13. You may buy train tickets online and Prague is accessible to almost any European country.

For us Filipinos, you will need the Schengen Visa for entry.

ACCOMMODATION: (Oooops, forgot to take photos of the hotel. But highly recommended!)

For accommodations, we stayed in Hotel Perla. Booked directly on their website since there was an ongoing promo that if you stay for 3 nights or more, you will get free one way airport pick up. Other benefits also included free sauna entry and free tea and coffee facility (I think this costs 5euros). We also had good wifi access and breakfast. There were free postcards available and you can also buy stamps from the reception. You will need to request weighing scale (for luggages) if you need it. No complimentary bottled water. Airport pick up (private service) costs 29 Euros or 680KC. You will have to pay directly to the driver much like most of taxi services.

WHERE TO GO

CHARLES BRIDGE: It's true what they say, Prague has amazing view whether day or night, but especially at night! Go to Charles Bridge and you will see the difference. It's as if you are truly living in a fairy tale world, with background music (since a lot of musicians play there for money).  Sadly, there were a lot of beggars lining up the streets.

Charles Bridge

OLD TOWN:

Charles Bridge separates the Old Town and Lesser Town. We were at the Old Town section which includes the following:

Astronomical Clock: Go up the tower. You will see the panoramic view of the city. Don't worry, there is a lift available. Also every end of hour, you will see the 12 apostles peep out from the clock tower. Death strikes the time.

Wenceslas Square - There are a lot of shops and hotels here. It's known to have a lot of prostitute but I'm not sure if I saw any. It was quite safe in my opinion.

Watch opera at Strani Opera. This is the oldest opera in Prague. I actually fell asleep mid act 1 but it was fun to attend one. It was actually cheap. 460KC for 2 already. You can also watch orchestras which are available in a lot of churches. Buy the tickets right before the show because you can totally negotiate the price. From 700KC per adult, we were able to bargain for 2 tickets at 500KC.  

LESSER TOWN:

Lesser Town has the St. Nicholas church which closes at 5PM (during winter). It costs 70KC per person. But honestly, no need to go inside and pay. Go to Infant Jesus church instead. It closes at 530PM and it's free. Plus, there is a Filipino store in front of it and there are a lot of Filipinos visiting this place. Buy stop Nino figurines and have them blest by a priest. Go up to their museum. It showcases a lot of Sto. Nino robes and we have one from the Philippines.

There are 2 towers connecting the Charles Bridge. We opted to go up on the Lesser Town tower side. It costs 90KC each and there are 140 steps. There are 2 gold statues there that you may touch along Charles Bridge. Prayed that I will still be able to come back. And just bring wine/beer and just lounge on the corner at night.

You can also go around the Mala Strana area, Kafka museum and Prague castles when you visit the Lesser Town party. Go first to the Castle. It will take you 2-3 hours to go around it. More, if you want to read all the descriptions. To go to the castle from Old Town, just take tram 22. Then just walk downhill to Lesser Town.

If you want to get a guide for the castle, the meeting point is just in the middle at every hour. I don't think there's a private guide. Don't forget to pay for the castle tickets and photo permit. We paid 350 KC each which includes most of the entrances.

OTHER TIPS:

Currency in Prague is Czech Crown (CZK). Euros are hardly accepted. We had our Euros converted in the airport since we were warned against doing so in other areas. 1 CZK = 2 PHP (approximately).

Scribble on the Lennon Wall!

By the way, please check your change after buying something. 2 old ladies(sadly) tricked us when we were buying some street food.

Tips are usually 10-15% everywhere.

We didn’t use cabs because that would have been too expensive. Only tried the tram when we visited lesser town for the Prague Castle. But I believe learning the Tram is fairly easy. Walked almost everywhere because the view is so different, so beautiful! So please wear comfortable shoes because there are cobbled stones everywhere!!!

If you’re from the Philippines, sun sets really early at 430PM during winter. Weather was around 15 degrees Celsius and we were lucky that it didn’t rain the whole time we were there.

There was a church just by the Charles Bridge. We heard mass and they were playing the organ. It was really nice even though we didn't understand the whole thing.

Big services so we just usually ordered one dish to share. Then buy on the go food elsewhere. Have coffee and beer anytime, anywhere. Beer here really tastes good. Try Pilsner Urquell and Gambians!!! Don't forget to try weed as well if you’re feeling adventurous (haha!). There are a lot of chips and chocolates and whatnots available in souvenir shops. I was able to bring home some souvenirs (lollipops and chocolates) with cannabis in them.  I also saw a condom with cannabis, haha!

You can also check out the Jewish quarters. There are different pricing depending on which places you want to go in and check out.

Try these: sausages with the cabbage, chicken skewers, old Prague ham, trdelnik with ice cream in Good Food resto, goulash, absinthe!!! roasted pork, roasted duck (although Paris has better duck), dumpling (but this is actually similar to mashed potatoes), mulled or hot wine (Yuck! But try it for experience!).

If you are a wine lover, buy from the supermarket and see how cheap they all are. We were able to buy 90KC for sparkling wine!!!

Check C&A and Gate stores. They have very cheap clothes and jackets. We were able to buy a leather jacket for 580KC.

Anyway, I think 3 days would be enough. We had a lot of free time because we stayed for 4 days (and our flight was at night during the 4th day).

BUDGET:

DAY	ITEM		AMOUNT	COMMENT
Day 1	Hotdogs	KC	170.00
	Water	KC	16.00
	Hot wine	KC	35.00
	Donut	KC	80.00
	Ice Cream	KC	120.00
	Grocery	KC	120.00	90 for sparkling wine
	Dinner	KC	350.00	Goulash, Dumpling, Roasted Pork, Beer
	Opera	KC	460.00	Total for two.
Day 2	Tip	KC	20.00
	Bell Tower	KC	240.00
	Prague Castle	KC	700.00	350 each Entrance fee
	Post Card	KC	10.00
	Stamps	KC	150.00
	Kebab	KC	150.00
	Hot Choco	KC	35.00
	Ham	KC	240.00
	Tram	KC	48.00
	Resto	KC	510.00
	Palace Photo	KC	50.00
	Ice Cream (Mcdo)	KC	50.00
	Candles	KC	40.00
Day 3	St. Nicholas	KC	140.00	70 each
	Candles	KC	20.00
	Sto Nino Pendants	KC	100.00
	Lesser Town	KC	180.00	90 each
	Coffee	KC	143.00
	Tip	KC	15.00
	Drinks	KC	306.00	Absinthe, Beer
	Tip	KC	30.00
	Concert	KC	500.00	250 each
	Hotdog	KC	60.00
	Chicken Skewers	KC	100.00
	Kebab	KC	285.00
	Lollipop	KC	20.00
	Chocolate	KC	99.00
	Water	KC	49.00
	Ice Cream	KC	120.00
Day 4	Postcards	KC	12.00
	Taxi	KC	680.00
	Kebab	KC	175.00
	Sausage, beer	KC	120.00
	Photo souvenir	KC	120.00
	Water	KC	60.00
	Chocolates	KC	198.00
	Taxi Driver	KC	65.00
TOTAL			7,191.00
Budget per pax			3,595.50

SCHENGEN (TOURIST) VISA APPLICATION: ITALY (as of AUGUST 2015)

Finally done with the submission. Now, will have to wait 10-15 working days for the result (here's to hoping!).

For the meantime, let me explain how I completed all the requirements. 

SCHENGEN VISA:
The Schengen visa is valid for 26 countries. You may see the complete list of countries here. Do note that UK and Ireland are not part of the list. So if you plan to go to these two (along with the others from list), then there may be separate visas for them. 

WHERE TO APPLY (MAIN DESTINATION):
If you're planning on spending your vacation in only one country, then you may submit your application to their embassy. If you're planning to visit several countries, then you have to compute for the number of nights you will stay in each country. Place your application on the country with the longest stay (in nights). If you have 2 or more countries with the same number of nights, then place your application on the first country you will enter. 

As for me; since Italy is our main destination, then this is where we lodged our application. If you want to know which embassy is the strictest or most lax (I heard Switzerland though), I can't say. I've been searching through the net and really, different people have different experiences (I stopped reading at some point because I didn't want to be more paranoid than I already am). So we just decided to be honest with our application. 

REQUIREMENTS:
The following will be the required documents (for tourist visa) that I have submitted as of August 19, 2015. However, please check this as the requirements may have changed since then. 

Word of advice: As a guide for me, I printed out 2 copies of the list of requirements: one for original and the other one for photocopies which I ticked off one by one as I completed each requirement. I also had two separate envelopes for them :)

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL VISA APPLICANTS:
1. Original old and valid Passports (with no less than 3 months validity over the visa expiration but please consider the 6 months validity of the passport as required by immigration). 

2. Photocopy of the Biographical page and last page of the valid passports, previous visas and immigration stamps in all countries. 
COMMENT: Do not forget the biographical pages and last pages of old passports.  (Fortunately, they have a photocopy machine in the reception area but it costs PHP2 for a short bond.) As for the previous visas and immigration stamps, I photocopied them together (a page had 4 passport pages). They accepted it. 

3. Completely accomplished Schengen Visa application with one (1) recent passport-sized or 2x2 colored photo with white background.
COMMENT: 
a. DO NOT STAPLER the pages or glue the photo! 
b. I would suggest to give a 2x2 photo. They didn't accept my passport-sized one because my face was too near/too big(?). Luckily, I brought a lot of pictures. Once they've accepted the photo, they will glue it on the application form.
c. Do not leave anything blank. Put N/A if not applicable. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR TOURIST VISA [ORIGINAL AND PHOTOCOPY]
4. Letter of Introduction

5. Certificate of employment & approved leave of absence
COMMENT: Our company indicated in the COE the approved days of my LOA. 

6. Declaration of annual income (ITR)
COMMENT: In my case, I gave the 2014 ITR. 

7. Bank certification accompanied by account history in the form of either passbook or statements of account, credit card statement
COMMENT: I gave the following:
a. Bank certification for my peso account. Attached 1 year account history. Why 1 year? I am considered an infrequent traveler since I haven't traveled to any of the Schengen states. If you have for the last 5 years, then you would only need to provide 6 months account history. 
b. Bank certification of a joint dollar account (time deposit). I didn't provide any account history. 
c. Most recent credit card statement. I called the free information center prior to my submission to ask how many months I need to provide. There is no requirement for the months so it is up to you. 
d. You may also provide payslips, properties, land titles, etc. 

8. NSO issued birth certificate
COMMENT: I recently applied for Japan visa so we had an extra. Information center agent advised me that as long as the NSO was obtained within the year, it was ok. 

9. Itinerary, confirmed round trip flight booking and hotel vouchers or booking under the name of the traveler. 
COMMENT: 
a. Please ensure that the Schengen application form, itinerary, flight and hotel bookings are CONSISTENT! 
b. Itinerary: You can see sample itinerary on the net. 
c. Flight booking: We bought ours months ago because BDO was having a travel sale. (That is a different story.) Anyway, we made sure that in the off chance we had our visas disapproved, we can refund the tickets (for a fee). Embassy also accepts confirmed reserved tickets.
d. Hotel booking: We booked through booking.com. We made sure that the hotels we reserved have free cancellation and pay later options. Also, don't forget to indicate in the bookings the names of all travelling. 

10. Travel insurance with a coverage of at least 30,000 euros (with 15 days allowance beyond travel period.) 
COMMENT: You may see list of accredited companies here. We chose Malayan Insurance since this is the cheapest (haha!) and I've always used this in my other travels. Unfortunately though, this cannot be refunded if the visas get disapproved. (Other insurance companies offer refund though.) Don't forget the 15 days allowance. So for us, since we're travelling 23 days, I have to get 38 days (or more). NOT LESS. 

11. Visa Processing Fee and Service Fee in cash. 
COMMENT: I paid exact amount of PHP4632.00. Breakdown is PHP2962.00 for the visa and PHP1400 for service fee. You may call their free information center to ask how much the total fee is (as exchange rates might have changed). 

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER: 
I placed everything in a long brown envelope. Do not seal it because they have to check your requirements. Also, you have to arrange your requirements based on the checklist. Keep the original and photocopy of each requirement together. The receptionist there will give you the list (also found in the website) but I opted to print out a copy.  

APPLICATION FORM:
Don't forget to refer to your passport for your personal details: 

#2 - If you're single, write your surname. I wrote N/A and via.ph guy erased it so that I will write my surname.

#11 - Write N/A

#17 - Don't forget to write your mobile number on the Telephone number (s) field. 

#19 - 20 - Be consistent with what is written in your COE. 

#22 - Schengen countries that you will be included in your itinerary. 

#23 - Schengen country that you will first step on based on your itinerary. 

# 24 - Single Entry if you will stay in Schengen the whole vacation. If you have plans to go to UK/Ireland/any country not part of the Schengen list in the middle of your vacation, then tick on two or multiple entries (based on your itinerary). 

# 28 - If you will be visiting a non-Schengen country and visa is needed for that country. Also note that you have to acquire visa from that country before the Schengen one. Write N/A if not applicable. 

#31 - If visiting several countries and staying in a hotel, write the hotel of your main destination. Write 'and various' after. 

SETTING AN APPOINTMENT:
You can only set an appointment 3 months prior to your planned travel and not longer than that. 

There are three options:
1. Through their online booking here. This is direct to the Italian Embassy so you won't need to pay the Service Fee of PIASA (amounting to PHP1,400.00). I tried this one, by creating an account and checking the available slot for appointment. Upon checking last July 30, they are already fully booked until NOVEMBER 2015. My flight will be on October 31. So...no. Haha! This also made me panic a little because I initially thought that I might not be able to get an appointment earlier than November. But obviously, that's not the case. 

2. Through their call center here. I called August 7 and the earliest appointment they can give me was August 19. That's a week and a half. I think that November is basically low season? So it might take you longer if you're planning on going there during the peak season. Also, you may book for your companion to lessen the charges. Please prepare the following information before the call to avoid prolonging the call (it's PHP32.00 per minute, for pete's sake!):
1. Passport details (you and all your companions). My friend had an ongoing passport renewal process when I called so I made sure that I mentioned that. They accepted it and just reminded me to bring the new one during the actual appointment. 
2. Contact details (email, home address, phone number, mobile number of you and all your companions)
3. Itinerary (how many days, countries you will be heading. Be consistent with your itinerary to be submitted). 

Before the end of the call, the agent will tell you your booking reference number. You will have a separate reference per appointment. 

The call lasted about 20 minutes because I had to wait for my friend's details.

By the way, the appointment here means submission of all requirements. No interview and you have to proceed to the Allegro Center (where via.ph is) and not to the Italy Embassy. Dress code is not strict, just be presentable (but of course!). 

Unfortunately, because of some system bug in the DFA, my friend was not able to obtain her passport in time. She called the morning of AUG 19 to have the appointment rebooked. (Just in case you are asking if they will allow rebooking.)

3. They allow walk-in applicants. I don't know the process for this though but I saw a sign in the via.ph office. 

FREE INFORMATION CENTER:
Please do not hesitate to call their free information center at 8459200, available Mondays thru Fridays from 8AM until 5PM and Saturdays from 8AM until 12NN. I called twice, thrice, always with so many questions. The agents were always very patient with me. 

ONE LAST THING:
If you want to know your chances of being approved, I'm sorry but I cannot help you out with that one. I DON'T EVEN KNOW MINE. HAHA! Just provide all the requirements and be honest with your requirements. 

If I don't get approve, then I will definitely go to HK this November and just burn money there. That's what I call making lemonades out of lemons! ;) 

AMBER HONGKONG: TWO MICHELIN STARS

I wanted to try Amber because it was recently announced as the Asia's 6th best (down from 4th) and World's 38th best (down from 24th) restaurant for 2015! Alas! My uncultured tongue won again. I do not understand what the big fuss is all about as far as the food is concerned. But, the wine selection is a completely different kind of story. Service was superb. Conversation with the girls was unforgettable (lasted 4 freaking hours!). I just couldn't keep my smile from showing every time I sipped wine. :D Yes, #sexandthecitygoal 

There is really nothing to lose so please try the Weekend Wine Lunch when you set out for Amber HK. If you think about it, the HKD888 + 10% service charge spent for 6 courses with 4 wine pairings and a welcome champagne is cheap. 

1.) Breads, canapes and amuse bouche: We didn't get to try the famous foie gras lollipop :( I had more fun trying these out than the actual dishes. And no, I still have no idea what I ate. Haha! 

Breads

2. For starters, I chose the boops boops fish (light cured & smoked in watermelon juice with coriander puree).

You may choose the hokkaido sea urchin as this is Amber's signature dish. Will try this out next time I come back with the boyf (additional HKD260).

3.) For middle course, I chose Australian Abalone (black pepper & vinegar seasoned tomato compote braised then crisped oxtail & its jus)

 4.) For the main course, I chose the line caught hapuka (with minestrone stew of haricots tarbais fava beans, young onion & vine tomatoes). 

Hahaha! I don't normally eat beans, but my god. This was the main course, for crying out loud! I finished this until the very last bite! Hahahaha! The beans were edible enough. 

6.) Of course, the cheese.  My favorite was the camembert. I think, it was cured for 3 years? Meh. Don't quote me on this one. (I'm just an ordinary citizen trying to social climb, hahaha.) I was already stuffed at this point.

 7.) Time for desserts! I will definitely come back for the raspberry chocolate cremeux!

Yellow peach <3 <3 

Raspberry sorbet with Alpaco Chocolate Cremeux <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 Interior and menu: 

The petit fours and coffee or tea. Happy birthday, my friend! Btw, they also gave my friend macaroons for her birthday :) 

I forgot to take photos of the champagne and wine. Special mention to the casa marin 2013 sauvignon blanc from chile. I've been trying to scout it here in the Philippines. 

Tip: For those who would not like to drink alcohol such early in the day, you may opt for the non-alcoholic pairing. My pregnant friend did and she enjoyed it as well. 

I was too full (from food and laughter) and on the verge of being drunk by the end of the meal. Time went by so quickly! We were lucky enough that Chef Richard Ekkebus came out of his kitchen by the time we were leaving and was kind enough to give in to our request for a photo. (Star struck moment for me!) Anyway, will be back to try out the dinner set. Hopefully, I would appreciate the main course more by then!   

7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong 
Budget: HKD977 (PHP5814.53)
http://www.amberhongkong.com