Alicja has worked for Stag Republic just over a year now. She has movie-star-looks and adores a good party.  We thought it was time to introduce her:

1) Where were you born?
Lodz, Poland

2) How long you’ve been working as Stag Republic guide in Krakow?
Since September 2009

3) Which languages do you speak?
Polish, English and a little bit of Spanish and German

4) What music do you like?
House, Pop and Electro

5) What is your favourite movie?
Stardust, Casino, Gone with the Wind and classic films like that

6) What do you like to do in your free time?
Spending time with friends, mostly clubbing

7) Favourite club in Krakow? And why?
Prozak - great music, lots of happy people, it’s a place where you can really feel Krakow’s spirit

Favourite Krakow stag activity and why?
Shooting- love the power and adrenaline rush

9) What’s the one thing you tell all your stag groups?
That it is their time to have fun and to leave everything behind. What happens in Krakow, stays in Krakow

10) Funniest stag group story?
With one of my groups we danced in the rain, in the middle of Market Square, singing „Time of My Life” and we pretanded we were performing for „Dancing with the Stars”

Oh yes, it’s Ono! She’s exotic, dazzling, intelligent and loads of fun. We asked her the usual questions we ask our Stag Republic guides - read on for the not so usual responses:

Where were you born? I was born in Ulan Bator. (or Ulaanbaatar - the capital and largest city of Mongolia)

Which languages do you speak? I speak French, Mongolian, Hungarian, and English and I just started to learn Japanese.

What music do you like? My favourites are punk and californian punk.  I like some rock bands too, but at parties I like techno and hip-hop.

What is your favourite movie? I don’t really have just one, but The Dark Knight is amazing. I also like Tim Burton movies like Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland.

What do you like to do in your free time? Traveling, traveling , traveling! I love to meet people from different cultures, that’s one of the reasons why I chose this job.  I also do sports, mainly extreme sports.  I love concerts, I play several instruments (clarinet, flute, guitar, citera).  I love horse-riding too.

Favourite restaurant/café/club in Budapest? And why? I like almost all the restaurants on Liszt Ferenc square and the ones on the Danube. My top choices are Spoon, Menza, Café Vian and Minyon, which is next to the Deák square. I love being near the Liszt Academy of Music - where many of these are located. I don’t have to explain why I love to be next to the Danube: views of the Royal Palace,the Parlaiment, Gellért Hill. For me, besides a delicious menu, those views make for a perfect lunch or dinner!  I also like Obuda Island -  it’s full of clubs, and if you don’t like one, there’s another one just ten metres away. During winter I like Club Play, and several clubs on Buda side.

Favourite stag activity and why? Pub Crawls, club crawls and boat cruises. These are the activities when I can talk to everyone in the group a lot, and get to know each of them better. I can talk about Budapest’s history or nightlife, depends on what my group is interested in. The boat cruises are simply beautiful.

What’s the one thing you tell all your stag groups? ENJOY BUDAPEST!

Funniest stag group story? Once, the stag just disappeared during the pub crawl. We were all very worried about him, and the entire group was looking for him for more than two hours. We went back to the clubs where we’d been, called him a millions of times, but he just didn’t answer. We went back at the hotel, we asked the Dj in Morrisons if he could make an announcement - we did everything we could but  just couldn’t find him. After all that worrying and looking, he was finally found, passed out in the toilet at a club.  Maybe handcuffing the stags to the guides would prevent this from happening again… HA! like our guides would go for that…

Book your stag party in Budapest now - Ono, and a plethora of other lovely, local guides are available for pub crawls and loads of other activities. Call 0845 686 0619 for details!

TIP #14 – Set up a kitty, and make it fair

A kitty is a great way of maximising the efficiency and speed of ordering drinks, but make sure everyone gets good value out of it. The kitty won’t be purring long with five guys on Red Bull Vodka and five on beer, so decide in advance who pays what and whether fines should come out of the kitty.

TIP #22 – Know how to tip

It is not good form to leave all your change behind on the table when you leave. When handing over a larger denomination of change, let the staff know how much you are paying in total and you will receive the correct change, with the tip deducted. So if the bill comes to 7,140 HUF, for example, give the waiter 10,000 HUF and say 8,000 HUF and he will bring you back your 2,000 HUF change. Beware, saying “thank you” can be taken to mean “keep the change”.  If you’re paying by card, it’s best to tip the server with cash anyways.

If you’re heading to Budapest or Krakow for a stag party during the World Cup - never fear! Stag Republic will make sure you don’t miss a minute. Here are a few ways to catch the World Cup matches even if you’re abroad:

World Cup, Burgers and Beers - Stag Republic will guarantee prime seats in a top sports pub, scrumptious burgers and enough beer to keep everyone happy.  Both in Budapest and Krakow from 25 GBP per person

Another, cheaper alternative: Book a guide who will take you to the best outdoor venue(s) for watching the matches. Afterwards they can point you in the right direction for great party spots in Budapest and Krakow. Or if you’ve already booked a pub crawl with us, just make sure to ask the guide to include a stop to watch the match somewhere, she’ll be happy to accommodate!

Mini World Cup:  Re-create that great footy feeling by booking 5-a-side or even a Full Pitch Football match against local competition.  5-a-Side Footy from 16 GBP per person in Budapest, from 17 GBP per person in Krakow. Full Pitch Football match from 39 GBP per person in Budapest, from 22 GBP per person in Krakow.

Call us on 0845 686 0619 for more information or send us an email on info@stagrepublic.co.uk

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Budapest stag guide Annie had the pleasure of hosting a group 29 fine Irish lads who were in Budapest to play Hurling and Gaelic Football. She was kind enough to document the event in pictures:

For more information on these Irish sports here’s a great article: http://bit.ly/bG32o2

Yes! Another lovely guide! Can you believe it?! We here at Stag Republic consider ourselves VERY lucky. Zsofi (or Sofia for you monolinguists) has oodles of experience guiding stag groups through party-infested Budapest. We asked her the usual questions - and we got some very entertaining and unique answers:

Where were you born?
In the coolest city of Central Europe - that’s where you guys are heading now - Budapest.

What languages do you speak?
Perfect English, beer German and a bit of pulling Greek.

What are you studying or where do you work?
I’m a biology student in Szeged - sounds nerdy, but I’m used to the funny faces when I mention it. The white coat fits me well.

What music do you like?
It really depends on my mood: One day I feel like French electro, dubstep, then Brit-pop and than some d’n'b. But deep down, I’m an electro-rocker-punk who will always luv The Smiths.

What is your favourite movie?
“You talkin’ to me?!”

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a student, my free time is my life.  I spend it doing various things like hanging out with friends and my two incredible sisters. I like long walks, nice talks and never-ending parties.

Favourite alcoholic drink and favourite food?
Beer and a cup-a-noodle is the perfect combination! A nice glass of white wine always works and when it’s getting late I  go for a vodka redbull.

Favourite restaurant/café/club  in Budapest?
Klassz is a lovely little restaurant, with a special athmosphere on Andrássy út, one of the most beautiful boulevards of Budapest. For brunch and early drinks I go to Cafe Most!.  Aaaand when it’s about nightlife I usually just let my instincts guide me around the many great clubs in the 6th, 7th and 8th districts. Merlin, West Balkán, Corvinteto, the list is pretty long…

Favourite stag activity and why?
Shooting, it’s actually one of my hobbies! Lads, you need to try the Extreme Shooting package. Pub crawl and then thermal baths the next day - I think this is the best combination (just like beer and cup-a-noodle).

What’s one thing you tell all your stag groups?
Not to mess around with bouncers! They usually don’t speak English and they always know better.

Funniest stag weekend story?
I have so many of them. I always love when the groups are in fancy dress (even though it’s a bit harder to get in to places, but I sort it out). Once I had a group of 25 sportsmen, the stag was a swimmer in Speedos. They had the funniest drinking games. Whenever someone blew the whistle everyone had to sit down on the floor and the last person to sit had to drink all of his drink in one go. I was the judge so I had the power to choose anyone I wanted!

Tip #3 - Don’t leave the organization to the last minute
The more the best man has organised before departure, the better chance he has of sitting back and enjoying the ride.

Tip #47 - Book a stripper dinner, or take a boat cruise
Stag Republic can organise a stripper for your exclusive entertainment at almost any venue, so why risk getting ripped off and beaten up in some shady club?

“Oh, sweet Caroline
Good times never seem so good…”

Introducing Stag Republic guide Karolina.  She livens up any stag party, and will make sure you and your mates really have a great time. We asked her a few questions, so you can get to know her better:

What do you study?
In June I will complete my studies in marketing and tourism management. I really enjoy specialising in these two areas.

How long have you been working as a Stag Republic rep?
I’m quite new at Stag Republic. I started in January of this year. Working for Stag Republic gives me the opportunity between my studies to do what I love to do: practice my English and discover other cultures.

Interests/hobbies/sports?
I like traveling very much and discovering new places. In my free time I go to the gym ( I do that twice a week). I also like riding my bike around my neighborhood. I also love reading my favourite authers - Paolo Coelo and Vladimir Nabokov.

Favourite Stag Republic activities? And why?
Because I’m new, I’ve only tried pistol shooting so far, but I like it very much. I gave it a try myself and it was much harder than I thought. I would love to try Go-Carting.

What’s the best thing about being a guide for Stag Republic?
I love getting to know different people, listen to their life stories, showing them around Krakow, and making sure they have maximum fun on all their activities.

What’s one thing you recommend each stag group MUST do when in Krakow?
Everyone should definitely check out Market Square, walk around the entre square enjoying the open-air cafés and people watching. In Spring I also recommend chilling out on the banks of the Vistula River. There are beautiful views of the city and of Wawel Castle.

What is your favourite restaurant, favourite bar, favourite spot to relax in Krakow?
The best restaurant in Krakow, in my opinion,  is Baroque Restaurant & Cocktail Bar. In the morning they offer great coffee, fresh-squeezed juice and delicious snacks. They serve tasty lunches, magnificent evening dinners (fusion kitchen), and of course excellent cocktails. The restaurant is very classy,  the interior combines elements of Baroque and modern design.

My favourite club is on Market Square - Cien Club - one of the most famous night clubs in Krakow. There are two dance floors with great house music. I especially like the  ‘Ibiza’s Most Wanted’ evenings, when the best DJs from Ibiza and Poland rock the house. There are always loads of people and loads of fun!

Funniest stag group story:
All my groups are funny and nice.

Okay Karolina, we get it. We’ll wait till you do a few more tours to get a reeeeeally good anecdote out of you! 

See you in Krakow soon!

For those looking for a more sophisticated stag party experience, wine tasting is a great alternative.  Here’s a little advice about tasting wine, an excerpt from a Stag Republic news article, read it in its entirety here:  http://bit.ly/dyPl5l

To spit or swallow: that is the question

If you want to truly tune in to the nuances of the individual wines then it is usually recommended to spit out the wine, after swirling it around your mouth to all its corners, as the alcohol inevitably catches up with your taste buds. As the alcohol takes a grip, you’re senses dim but that’s not to say it still won’t taste good. It’s just that you’ll have a tougher job describing it.

When you book a stag party package in Budapest hotel, airport transfers and a pub crawl are all inclusive. Our Budapest pub crawls are the best, not only do they include a lovely, local guide to show you around, first round of beers free - but you also get free entry into one of Budapest’s top nightclubs and free entry into Budapest’s top stripclub.

A sampling of one of the nightclubs we frequent with stag groups: