Two new INNSIDE hotels are the perfect basecamps to explore Paris and Prague.
With the INNSIDE brand’s two newest hotels, the Meliá group offers guests the chance to explore two thriving cities. One of them lies in Prague’s historic centre, where you can travel in time from the Middle Ages right through to the modern day. The other is located in Paris’ international airpor t, Charles de Gaulle, the gateway to one of the world’s most visited capitals.
Over the course of the twentieth century alone, Prague was embroiled in the collapse of the colossal Austro-Hungarian empire, the creation and dissolution of Czechoslovakia, two world wars, one totalitarian Nazi occupation, one Soviet occupation, the failed Prague Spring, the successful Velvet Revolution and finally, in 1992, the birth of one of Europe’s youngest nations—the Czech Republic. All that in just one century. A stroll through the streets of its historic centre reveals the remnants of over a thousand years’ worth of European culture, from medieval to modern times, like an open-air museum.
Starting in the Old Town Square, the epicentre of not only Prague but all of central Europe, you’ll come across an invention that has been a source of wonder for 600 years: the Prague Astronomical Clock, mounted on the wall of the town hall. This is also where the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the spectacular Church of Saint Nicholas are located. On the way to Prague Castle, the biggest medieval fortress in the world, you’ll find the Charles Bridge, adorned with gothic towers and a parade of Baroque statues, which leads into the Malá Strana district. Continue on down Pařížská (Paris) Street and you’ll reach Prague’s Jewish quarter, Josefov. Traditionally home to antiques dealers and the legend of Golem, today it’s been taken over by big businesses and fashion boutiques. The area’s old cemetery and six synagogues have remained intact, including the 19th-century Spanish Synagogue with its exotic Moorish style. Wenceslas Square may best illustrate the changes that occurred in Prague during the twentieth century, but the Powder Tower perfectly embodies its reputation as ‘the City of a Hundred Spires’. Construction began on this superb late-Gothic tower in the 15th century, and was completed in the 19th century (in the meantime, it was used to store gunpowder).
Amid trams and cobblestones, it’s easy to navigate Prague’s old town in terms of space—but when it comes to time, the city’s complex history proves harder to grasp. This unique setting is the backdrop for the new INNSIDE Prague Old Town, the brand’s first hotel in the Czech Republic. It features 90 modern guest rooms, each equipped with all the usual attributes and amenities of INNSIDE by Meliá, including a coffee machine and a minibar. Bikes are also available to rent, promoting a sustainable form of travel to help guests explore the city. The hotel is just 15 kilometres away from Vaclav Havel, Prague’s international airport.
On the other side of the continent, Meliá Hotels International is consolidating its European presence with the opening of another hotel in Paris. Guests can enter the INNSIDE Charles de Gaulle, the brand’s first hotel in France, before they’ve even set foot outside the airport. It allows travellers in transit to relax before the next leg of their journey—or easily escape to the heart of the city. After London, Paris is the second most popular European city for international tourists, with around 17 million visitors each year. The ‘City of Lights’ boasts some spectacularly iconic main attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame: one of the world’s oldest Gothic
cathedrals, and the setting for Victor Hugo’s tragic story of Quasimodo the hunchback and his beloved Esmeralda. Peek between the gargoyles for some of the city’s most romantic rooftop views, or attend an event below; it hosts organ performances, Gregorian chant concerts and polyphonic mass. Next, head to the daily flower market on Île de la Cité next to the Louis Lépine square, and wander among street musicians along the Saint-Louis and LouisPhilippe bridges.
Paris is teeming with temples of art, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre. And there’s no shortage of small, lesser-known museums either; the Cognacq-Jay Museum, for example, is housed in a historic mansion in the Marais district, featuring a collection of 18th-century works amassed
by the founders of La Samaritaine, a famous Parisian department store. Of course the Louvre is a must-see, with nearly 8 million visitors every year, all of them racing to see the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa and other works by Leonardo da Vinci. The 12th-century building itself is fitting for the artistic splendour within; it’s the world’s most photographed museum, and the most popular on Instagram.
The new INNSIDE Charles de Gaulle stays true to the brand’s urban design, targeted at millennials and both business and leisure travellers. The hotel has a total of 266 guest rooms and ten spectacular lofts, and is firmly committed to environmental responsibility. It’s time for every traveller—whether young in years or young at heart—to go forth and conquer Old Europe.