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Tags: Thanksgiving Alternatives / Thanksgiving Travel / Travel Deals / Fall Travel / Virgin / Virgin Vacations / Prague / Prague Travel / → All Tags

Six Nights In Prague Over Thanksgiving For $669? See Ya, America!

Are you a last-minute planner when it comes to big holiday travel times like Thanksgiving in Christmas? Yes, we are too, especially because everything looks so darn expensive and plain booked up. This year, it's either another Thanksgiving of ordering Chinese takeout or booking it out of the country for some autumn appeal overseas...like in Prague.

Remember that it's not Thanksgiving over in the Czech Republic, so that means no dinner reservations or pressure to eat cranberry sauce. Virgin Vacations seems to have the best deal we've seen for this, with a 6-night hotel, airfare, and daily breakfast starting at $669 per person. Sure they have other deals for Thanksgiving to Barcelona, London, Paris and Rome, but the Prague trip sounds like the most fall foliage and old school charm for the lowest price.

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Tags: Day Trippin' / Prague Travel / Churches / Ewan McGregor / → All Tags

Visiting The Church of Bones in Prague

Some tourists head to Prague for the Czech beer. Others, apparently, head to a spot nearby Prague instead, for the piles of bones.

We first heard about the Church of Bones--formally known as the Kostnice Ossuary--when Ewan McGregor stopped in here during his Long Way Round motorbike odyssey. It's a creepy collection of over 40,000 human skeletons, with all these bones carefully arranged by monks to decorate a small Catholic chapel. The skeletons are thought to be remains of people who died in the 14th and 15th centuries, but no matter how old they are, seeing the skulls staring out at you all around the church is more than a little disconcerting.

But it's fascinating, and easy to get to on a day trip out of Prague to a town called Kutna Hora. You can take the hour-long bus trip from central Prague for about $6 return and once you get there, admission costs 50 Czech crowns ($2.50). We recommend not souveniring any bones on this trip; a 500-year-old skull might be quite hard to explain at customs.

Related Stories:
· Church of Bones - Kostnice Ossuary [Official Site]
· Czech Beer Still Tasty After NYT Treatment [Jaunted]
· Ewan McGregor Completes 20 Country Motorcycle Tour [Jaunted]

[Photo: lyng883]

Tags: Airports / Prague Travel / Ruzyne / PRG / → All Tags

How to Survive 'The World's Most Alienating Airport'

Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport

In one sense this clip isn't totally inaccurate. Every airport has its own quirks. Ruzyne Airport in Prague is no different - empty information desks, lost luggage, and the occasional empty cash machine that still debits your bank account. There's a reason they're trying to privatize it.

Getting into and out of Prague can also be a hassle. We strongly recommend that you avoid the fixed-priced taxis. Instead avail yourself of bus #119, which runs about every 10 minutes and takes you to the beginning of the city's gorgeously efficient metro.

None of which compares, of course, to the angst-ridden existential ennui uncovered by the Onion's intrepid correspondents as shown in the clip. They call the airport Franz Kafka International Airport but just like the security checkpoint officer who stamped the word "Liar" on a passenger's hand, the Onion is just poking fun. Don't try to book a flight using airport code FKI or anything.

On the other hand, any report that implies that there's a European airport more infuriating than Alitalia-dominated Da Vinci/Fiumicino - in jest or otherwise - is just plain untenable.

What do you think is the most 'alienating' or infuriating airport? Let us know!

Related Stories:
· Airports coverage [Jaunted]
· Prague's Franz Kafka International Airport Named 'World's Most Alienating' [The Onion]

[Front door photo: Solja]

Tags: Romantic Travel / Prague Travel / Travel Deals / → All Tags

Prague Is Calling All (Cheap) Romantics

If your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other hasn't taken you to Prague yet, we recommend dropping seriously heavy hints. This weekend's UK Times reported that it's a bargain time to go, which will appeal to those looking for a cheap date, and also romantic because for once, the streets aren't too jam-packed.

Prague in winter is cold but undeniably pretty with a layer of snow, and what better weather is there for snuggling up with your sweetheart? It helps that most of the best hotels are offering rooms for nearly half price right now after tourism's dropped off (there goes that bad global economy again).

Apart from wandering the snow-dusted cobblestone streets hand in hand, you can also explore Prague Castle, gaze lovingly at art in the Veletrzni Palac, or take a walk through the woods of Petrin. If all that fails, there's always Czech beer to put you in the mood.

Related Stories:
· Instant Weekend: Prague [UK Times]
· Czech Culture: Czech Beer [Jaunted]
· Prague Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: alan.devlin]

Tags: Where Is / Celeb Travel / Jason Mraz / Colbie Caillat / → All Tags

Jason Mraz In His New Video?

Low-key crooner Jason Mraz went all out for his new music video "Lucky," which places him and singer Colbie Caillat on two dream vacations. We've figured out one--now we need your help to crack the other.

Despite claims online that he shot the vid in Luxembourg, Mraz, who recently performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, is cruising through the streets of Prague in an old-timey car. Included are several shots of historic Old Town Square, which is given the "Vanilla Sky" treatment and appears to be empty. (It probably never is in real life, right?)

Now it's your turn: Where is Colbie Caillat in this video? She's on a beach that we think looks sort of Everglades-y, but we could be wrong about that. Keep in mind, Mraz's last video "I'm Yours" was shot in Kauai and Oahu, while Caillat recently shot her own video "You" in Seal Beach, California. Leave your best guess in the comments!

Related Stories:
· Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat, "Lucky" [PerezTV]
· ScarJo Fetes Peace Prize Winner [Jaunted]
· Singer Colbie Caillat Films Video at Seal Beach Pier [OC Register]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Active Travel / Summer Travel / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags

Active Travel: Be Careful Out There Edition

We're all about trying out new adventures, but people in the Czech Republic may have started to take things a little too far. So far this year, 56 Czech tourists have died while traveling abroad.

Officials chalk it up to people being a little less careful when they're away from home. The "it can't happen to me" syndrome also appears to be a leading risk factor. Adventure seekers seem to have caused a spike in the numbers as well, as more and more people are looking towards mountain climbing, diving and other active vacations.

Most recently, one tourist perished will attempting to climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Trying new things and enjoying the outdoors is essential, but keep an eye on those local guidelines and safety warnings. And watch out for logs!

Related Stories:
· Number of Czech Tourist Deaths on the Rise [Prague Post]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Terry Wha]

Tags: Culture Travel / Summer Travel / Film Festivals / Oscars Travel / → All Tags

Film Festival Travel: The Czechs' Cannes

The Czech Republic is a popular shooting location for directors looking to cut costs, as a back-drop to modern-day thrillers like "Wanted" and "Casino Royale," fantasy worlds like in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" or the past ("Amadeus," Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist"). This weekend, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (running through July 12) celebrates the fruits of some of those labors, but also the exploding film markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

In addition to the fest's official selection, it presents a special "East of the West" award to a pool of films made in and by crews from Germany, Hungary, Austria and the Baltic states. German actor-director Armin Mueller-Stahl (you know him as the Russian Mafia godfather in "Eastern Promises") exhibits not a film, but a set of his paintings at the festival.

Just in time for "Swingtown," Ukrainian-American director Paul Mazursky is dusting off his bed-swapping classic "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," and Czech-born Oscar winner Markéta Irglová will play a concert July 10 with her "Once" co-star, bandmate and beau Glen Hansard.

Don't forget: It's pronounced CAR-la-vee VAR-ee.

Related Stories:
· 43rd Annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival [Official Site]
· Movie Set Travel: Casino Royale [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the Grandhotel Pupp, a Karlovy Vary landmark used in "Casino Royale": tofufah]

Tags: Movie Set Travel / Angelina Jolie / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: Wanted

Summer's big action-adventure flicks are finally surfacing and "Wanted" won't disappoint. Angelina's back as a gun-toting, ass-kicking secret society trainer for a young man who finds out his father was an assassin. (You can barely tell she'll soon be a mother of 5!)

Wes Gibson (James McAvoy) is a boring office drone popping anti-anxiety meds when he meets Fox (Jolie) and finds out his father was a member of a secret society of assassins called "Fraternity." Fox takes him under her wing and trains him to bring out his own special powers and avenge his father's death. It's a comic book come to life, in which all the characters are stunning.

"Wanted" was shot in stunning Prague, so this Friday we offer you some cool things to check out in the Czech capital.

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Tags: Dubai Travel / LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / Europe Travel / Smartwings / → All Tags

LCC Travel: Eastern Europe to Dubai Sounds Smart

For a cleverly named European LCC, Smartwings doesn't get a lot of air time. That's because it's not as smart as it sounds ... or is it?

Smartwings is based largely out of Prague and if you want to fly from the Czech capital to anywhere in southern Europe (read: anywhere warmer and sunnier), you've got lots of choices. They also have a few routes out of two other Czech cities, Brno and Ostrava.

The most curious route is a new addition. Smartwings added flights from Prague and Budapest to Dubai last month. This is definitely one of the first low-cost long-haul flights to come out of central and eastern Europe, and it opens up interesting possibilities for flying from Europe to Australasia for a lot less. So maybe Smartwings really is smart.

Related Stories:
· Smartwings [Official Site]
· New Budapest to Dubai Route Opened [CarRentals]
· Site Scramble: Smartwings [Jaunted]

[Photo: mr_nhw]

Tags: Europe Travel / Festivals / Prague Travel / Edinburgh Fringe Festival / Summer Travel / → All Tags

Getting Fringed at Prague's Festival

The grand cities of Eastern Europe are holding festivals left, right and center: We talked about the Budapest Fringe Festival in the spring and now it's time for the Prague Fringe Festival, which runs from May 25 to June 1.

It started back in 2001 and is closely modeled on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. There are all kinds of performances to be seen at the Prague Fringe, from shadow puppets from Cyprus to Czech theater and pretty much anything else you can imagine.

Tickets are cheerily cheap for all the performances--on the opening Sunday they're just 100 crowns (just over $6). That's cheap enough that if a particular edge of the fringe doesn't suit you, you haven't lost much. You can always abandon the show for a good Czech beer instead.

Related Stories:
· A Guide to Prague's Fringe Festival [Guardian]
· Prague Fringe Festival [Official Site]
· Spring into Budapest in 2008 [Jaunted]

[Photo: christopher.woo]

Tags: Clubs / Night Clubs / Public Transportation / Trams / → All Tags

Prague's Party Trams

If you're the nightclubber type when traveling, yet loathe showing up at hot spots in foreign cities stone cold sober and haggling over cab fare, head to Prague. They've got the perfect solution: Tramix, a tram-based club. Yep, it's a standard streetcar with a full-on party happening on board, including room to dance and mobile bars.

Tramix travels around the city about once a month, picking up locals and visitors alike and transporting them to area clubs revved up and ready to party. They claim that "euphoric entertainment has no limits on board" and guest count can range from 60-150, depending on the car Tramix takes over next.

The trip's generally around two-and-a-half hours and costs about $18. Partiers can buy tickets in advance on Tramix's site. Definitely beats paying a cab driver for just an ordinary ride.

Related Stories:
· Tramix [Official Site]
· Prague: A Moveable Feast [NYT]
· Prague coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Poslouchej]

Tags: Crime / Bridges / Czech Republic / Big Things / → All Tags

HOWTO: Steal A Bridge (Czech Style, This Time)

We always say to beware of thieves when traveling, but we're usually expecting them to steal a wallet or passport. But the recent crime wave in Europe that we've been following seems to be all about stealing really, really big things.

First, there was the case of the stolen beach in Hungary. Next, a stolen bridge in Russia.

This month, a bridge was the target again, this time in the town of Cheb in the west of the Czech Republic, very close to the border with Germany. A railway bridge weighing four tons, thankfully on a currently unused piece of track, was mysteriously taken away.

Police believe the thieves would have sold it for scrap. We think souvenirs might be in order too, a bit like chunks of the Berlin Wall. So watch out for men in a Prague square offering you genuine Soviet-era railway remnants.

Related Stories:
· What's the Biggest Thing You've Stolen? [IOL]
· HOWTO: Steal A Bridge (Russian Style) [Jaunted]
· HOWTO: Steal A Beach (Hungarian Style) [Jaunted]

[Photo: DaniVDM]