Prague continues to attract millions of tourists every year

By Pavla Horakova Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague has been a popular destination for tourists from around the world. Whatever the time of year, there is always something worth seeing in the capital of the Czech Republic. If you are planning to visit Prague at Easter or any time this year, Radio Prague has done some research for you.

We contacted two men who can speak with authority about tourism and the city. First we spoke to Prague city councillor Igor Nemec. He is responsible for tourism and the preservation of historical monuments in Prague. Radio Prague asked Mr Nemec what it is about Prague that attracts millions of tourists every year.

"The complete spirit of Prague, everybody knows the special atmosphere in Prague and that's why they are coming to Prague. We have 2200 monuments, which are listed on the UNESCO heritage list. And for example last year, 9.000.000 people visited Prague, which means that Prague is the seventh most visited city in Europe. And we are proud of that."

Vaclav Novotny is the director of Prague Information Service, an organisation providing tourist information, reservation services, guides, interpreters and even newspaper clippings to visitors of Prague. We asked Mr Novotny what improvements his organisation has prepared for visitors this year.

"Well, Prague is beautiful as usual. We are working very hard on improving the information service, and as a matter of fact, any service offered in Prague. We have a network of information offices throughout Prague and we are trying to offer the information in the best way, which means up-to-date, fair and comprehensible for tourists. One of the ways we do it is installing tourist signs which should enable the tourists to find their way as smoothly as possible."

And can tourists look forward to any newly restored monuments in Prague? Vaclav Novotny.

Prague Information Service

"Speaking about what is really new in Prague this year: we are going to reopen the Petrin Tower which is a copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is just 60 metres high, but on the other hand, it is placed on a hill, which has 240 metres, so altogether it is 300 metres - the same scale as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I could recommend to everybody to contact our website, which is www.prague-info.cz, and they could gain any information about anything being held in Prague and I am sure that everybody will find everything they are looking for."

That was Vaclav Novotny, the director of Prague Information Service. Let me just repeat the address once again: it is www.prague-info.cz and you can find everything you want to know about Prague there, from accommodation to zoos. And if you are not sure what clothes to bring with you, you can also check the current weather on the website.