It’s Not Too Late to Plan for Prague

There’s still time to plan a holiday sojourn in Prague, according to a new travel and tourism center that says it has affordable accommodations in the historic Czech city that is chronically short of hotel rooms.

The Czech and Slovak Service Center in Washington, D.C., established this summer to help American companies and entrepreneurs do business in Czechoslovakia, offers assistance to the leisure traveler through its Golden Spire Travel division.

Although the center can reserve rooms in several of Prague’s better--and expensive--hotels, its best deals are to be found in bed and breakfasts in historic Old Town.

Prices range from $27 to $34 per person per night for private or semi-private accommodations, including breakfast. A $30 booking fee plus a deposit of $7.20 per person per night must be paid in advance.

The center is the brainchild of Robert Miller, a Czech, who says his staff can also arrange tours of the city and countryside, purchase tickets for various cultural events, including the opera, and help travelers with special interests.

His recommendations for a holiday visit? “I would take walking tours, perhaps of Old Town or the Jewish Quarter and, if possible, a daylong excursion in the country. There will be lots of music in beautiful places, especially by (Czech composer) Jakub Jan Ryba and there will probably be a ‘Don Giovanni,’ (which was first performed in Prague). The newly remodeled National Theater is very nice and the Smetena Theater is splendid.”

For information and reservations, call (202) 638-5505.