Two of our Music Tour Specialists, Ally and Delphine, have just returned from a week in the Czech Republic where, at the invitation of our local partners Czech Tourism and the Prague Concert Company, they had the opportunity to explore one of our favourite music tour destinations, Prague.
Prague offers a heady mix of prestigious venues, appreciative audiences, welcoming locals and delicious cuisine. Find out what Ally and Delphine thought of the Czech capital in this, their Prague trip diary.
Monday 19th October:
On arrival in Prague, we were met by our driver who took us to our hotel, which was just 30 minutes from the airport. The Hotel Duo is a 4* hotel with fantastic facilities including a swimming pool and bowling alley. This, along with the large lobby and en-suite bathrooms make it a great option for groups.
That evening we enjoyed our very first Czech meal, goulash with dumplings, at the hotel restaurant. It was delicious!
Tuesday 20th October:
After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, we were taken to a trade show called Travel Meeting Point, which was organised by Czech Tourism. There we held meetings with local suppliers, such as hotels, tourist boards and music venues.
After spending the day at the trade show, we then had the opportunity to enjoy a dinner cruise on the Vltava, an activity that is also available as a lunch option for our music groups.
The cruise was fantastic, as it allowed us to see all the main sights of Prague by night. It was a really enjoyable evening and we nearly won a trip to Karlovy Vary, a lovely spa town outside Prague!
Wednesday 21st October:
After a good night’s sleep, our coach was waiting for us to go to Kutna Hora, about an hour and a half outside of Prague. The city is known as the ‘national treasury’, thanks to the many silver mines in the area. The city in part fuelled the boom of the Czech kingdom and the centre is full of spectacular architecture, leading to its becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
We visited the city’s most famous Gothic church – the St. Barbara Cathedral, the Italian court, and the world-famous Sedlec Ossuary, which is believed to hold the remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 people. The ossuary is macabre yet fascinating, as the bones have been arranged highly decoratively, including in the form of giant bells in all four corners of the chapel.
After lunch, we returned to Prague where we were dropped off for some free time.
We decided to walk through some of the city’s many different areas, including the Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Lesser Town (Malá Strana) and Castle district.
After a brilliant but long day, we were pleased to check into the second hotel of our trip. The NH Hotel is located on the outskirts of the city and is a beautiful, modern 4* hotel. Another great accommodation option for groups, the NH Hotel offers large rooms and parking facilities for coaches.
That evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant with our local agent, the Prague Concert Company. It was another delicious meal made even better by the spectacular views of the city from the roof bar!
Thursday 22nd October:
After a rich buffet breakfast, we met Jan, from the Prague Concert Company and took the tram for our first visit of the day to the Czech Museum of Music. Public transport in Prague is quite affordable and the tram ticket cost us just 110 Czech Koruna (about £3) for the day.
In just 10 minutes we arrived at the Czech Museum of Music. This is a really great venue which is suitable for most ensembles. The museum is located in the Lesser Town which, according to Jan, is the most romantic area of Prague.
We then walked along Charles Bridge and made a wish (as per the legend)!
We saw many potential venues such as the famous and impressive Saint Nicholas Church; the wonderful Church of the Holy Saviour; the very interesting Church of Saints Simon and Jude; the breathtaking Smetana Hall at the Municipal House; the magical Dvorak Hall of the Rudolfinum; the Emmaus Monastery and the beautiful Korunni Chapel.
We then had an amazing lunch at the Municipal Hall’s café, which is a must, the highlight being their fabulous homemade cakes! Most of our groups have lunch or dinner there when on a music tour to Prague.
We later had dinner at the Sudicka restaurant, which provided wonderful food and a great atmosphere, and is also available to our groups.
Friday 23rd October:
After a really good breakfast (the best in town, apparently!), we met our taxi driver, who was waiting for us, and headed back to the airport.
After a smooth flight we arrived back at East Midlands Airport and eagerly returned to the office to share our experience of Prague with our colleagues! After having experienced for ourselves just how much the Czech capital offers for music groups, we cannot wait to help more groups plan an exciting school music tour to this fantastic city.
A special thank you to Katarina from Czech Tourism, and to John Tregellas and his team from the Prague Concert Company!
If you are interested in arranging a school music tour to Prague for your students, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be very pleased to share our first-hand experience with you to create a tailor-made itinerary to suit your group.
Wondering what performance opportunities to expect from a school music trip to Prague? Check out this fab video of Taplow Youth Choir performing at Karlovy Vary! A huge thank you to our local partners, the Prague Concert Company, for sending us this video.
Taplow Youth Choir in Karlovy VaryBig thanks to our partners, the Prague Concert Company, who sent us this fantastic video of Taplow Youth Choir performing at Karlovy Vary during their recent Halsbury Music trip to the Czech Republic!
Posted by Halsbury Travel on Monday, 2 November 2015