Hello All,
We will be driving Frankfurt to Berlin via Prague over 2 weeks in late June. I am apartment shopping at the moment and struggling to figure out parking. Am I better off renting in Prague 1 and using public garage (at possibly high cost) or going with a place in Prague 6 with street parking. We will likely drive there, park, and then drive again only upon departure as we only have 3 days in Prague.
thank you!
Suzi
We spent a month is Prague this past summer and had a car the whole time. Just a couple of thoughts...
Street parking is very difficult in Prague. Most non-permit parking spots are meter fed so that really wouldn't be practical for 3 full days. Much of the parking, especially in places where you might rent an apartment, will require residential permits.
If you must have a car then I would suggest finding a parking garage attached to a mall. We always parked in the Palladium mall in the city. It's relatively reasonable compared to many other European cities...about $30 for each 24 hours. It's at the Namesti Republiki which is an easy walk or metro ride to the city center. There is a metro station right in the mall making it very easy to access anywhere in the city and then get back to the car. The garage is open to the mall and the metro 24 hours a day. It has very wide parking spaces, is very modern, patrolled by security, and well-lit. Nicer and more well-maintained than most parking garages that I've used here in Los Angeles.
Part of the reason we chose this mall is that it's very easy to drive to and is close to the city center. There are several other beautiful malls on the way in to the city that are also on the metro line and near the main motorways where you wouldn't have to drive into the center. Here's a link to several ideas for you. With a good GPS you can just punch the name into it and you can get turn-by-turn directions.
My one caution would be that there is just a ton of construction that is constantly going on in the center of Prague. We wasted about 2 hours one morning trying to get around a tunnel closure to find parking we had heard was convenient. We never made it and ended up backtracking and stumbling on another place to park by sheer luck. I really suggest finding a mall that's near one of the main arteries going into the city and taking the metro in to wherever you will stay in the city.
An entire month in Prague with a rental car with parking at $30 per day...you spent $900 on parking??? That's unbelievable.
The OP wanted to know about parking in Prague and the viability of street parking vs. public parking since they are trying to decide which district of the city to stay in. I only shared our experience with parking in the city center and what was most convenient, easy, and cost-effective for us. I don't think I implied that I spent $900 on parking! I also never said that I had a rental car. I merely said that when we parked in the city center we did so in mall parking garages, the Palladium Mall being most convenient for us because of it's location off of a main artery into the city, it's connection to a metro station, and the fact that their car would be accessible 24/7. I was trying to share options, and had noticed that most malls charge about $30 per 24 hours. Since the OP is only going to be in Prague for 3 days I thought this might be a good option for them since they plan to park the car and leave it for this entire period of time.
We were staying in a village about 20 minutes outside the city and had access to a car at no charge in addition to parking at the home we stayed in. We are home exchangers and traded cars with our exchange partners in addition to our homes. We often drove into the city for the day and also took day trips out into the surrounding area.
I hope this explanation quells your disbelief.
So very helpful, thank you!!
We ended up renting an apartment in Mala Strana - Hradcany, about 3 minutes from the Charles Bridge. The apartment owners said we can park at Rudolfinum for 650 CZK per day. I am not really clear where that is, but hey, all part of the adventure, right!? We are only there 3 days, so I think this will be just fine.
We can always park at Palladium, too, if this spot doesn't work out. Really, thank you so much!
You're welcome! Having a car is always a bit stressful but I'm glad to hear that you will have access to parking near the apartment you have chosen. So much easier.
Get a good GPS...you are in the absolute heart of Prague. Traffic isn't horrible but, being an old city, the streets go every which way and you can't just go around the block if you miss a turn! Keep your passport and IDL on you in case you are pulled over by the police for doing something illegal by mistake...I know from personal experience. I got pulled over for accidentally driving in a bus/tram zone...once he saw my passport he let me go but I have never been so nervous in my life!
650 per day is about 26 American dollars per day, give or take...totally worth it! The exchange rate right now is amazing...even touristy Prague is quite cheap. For every 100 koruna it's about 4 US dollars. When I was there last summer 1/2 pint of beer was about 35 - 40 koruna. The cheapest I saw was 29. Your money will go far!
You're staying in a great part of the city...enjoy your trip!
