Old Town / Náměstí Republiky

Hotel Paris Prague

★★★★★

Hotel Paris is a love letter to Prague's Art Nouveau age, and one of the most atmospheric historic hotels in the city. It was built in 1904 on a corner in the Old Town, in a neo-Gothic style with Art Nouveau ornament, and it stands directly opposite the Municipal House, the great Art Nouveau concert hall and civic palace, about a hundred metres from the Gothic Powder Tower, the old gateway to the Royal Way. Inside, the public spaces are a feast of period detail: mosaics, tiles, carved wood, brass fittings and stained glass, especially in Tony's Café and Bar, which keeps the look and feel of a Belle Epoque café. The hotel is literary as well as architectural. It is the hotel of Bohumil Hrabal's novel I Served the King of England, where the hero works as a waiter, and the novel's film adaptation was shot here, which gives the place a special affection among Czech readers. The five-star rooms and suites are furnished with replicas of original Art Nouveau furniture, with modern comforts including smart TVs, minibars and air conditioning, and bathrooms with underfloor heating. The style is classic rather than cutting-edge, and that is its charm. The location puts you in the most elegant corner of the Old Town: the Municipal House, with its concerts and its glorious café and restaurant, is across the street; Old Town Square is about ten minutes on foot along Celetná; the shopping street Na Příkopě and Wenceslas Square are a few minutes away; and the Náměstí Republiky metro station on line B is around the corner. It is ideal for first-timers, lovers of Art Nouveau, and anyone who wants old-world grandeur at a lower price than the river-view luxury hotels.

Location: the hotel is on U Obecního domu, the little street behind the Municipal House, so you can step out to the Powder Tower and walk the Royal Way down Celetná to Old Town Square and on to Charles Bridge, about twenty minutes. The Náměstí Republiky metro and tram stops nearby connect you to the rest of the city, including the main railway station for day trips. Republic Square hosts one of Prague's Christmas markets in Advent, from 25 November to 24 December 2026, so December stays are especially festive.

Living in it: rooms vary in size and outlook, as is usual in a building of this age; corner rooms and those facing the Municipal House have the most character, and the suites are worth considering for a special stay. Breakfast in the Art Nouveau setting is a pleasure. Even if you stay elsewhere, it is worth stopping in for coffee at Tony's Café, and pairing it with a tour or a concert at the Municipal House opposite.

The trade-offs: the hotel has no river or castle views, and the area around Republic Square is busy during the day. But for the price of an upper-middle hotel in Western Europe, you sleep in a genuine historic landmark, in a superb location for walking and transport. Book it if you love architecture, literature or the idea of Prague in 1904.