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After residing in Prague for just a few years, I’m lastly sharing my listing of surprising issues to do in Prague! If you need to reside like an area whereas visiting Prague — not within the boring means, however within the superior means — you’ll LOVE this listing.
Prague is an enormously standard metropolis to go to — however most vacationers come for just a few days and follow town middle. They go to Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock, the Lennon Wall, Prague Castle, and possibly pop into the Vinohrady neighborhood for a meal in the event that they’re feeling a bit offbeat.
There’s nothing fallacious with that, however because of this, it appears like Prague is 2 cities. The metropolis middle — the Old Town and New Town — is stuffed with vacationers and companies that cater to them. The surrounding neighborhoods, nevertheless, are practically 100% locals and have a totally totally different vibe and feeling.
That’s a giant distinction from Paris, Barcelona, or London, for instance. In these European cities, vacationers are inclined to enterprise out into totally different neighborhoods. But in Prague, even skilled vacationers have a tendency to stay to town middle and never enterprise far past.
As a consequence, I’ve put collectively an inventory of issues that my Prague mates and I like to do. You’ll discover plenty of foodie issues on this listing, from the place to search out Vietnamese egg coffees and essentially the most decadent větrník pastry on the town, in addition to some close by hikes and bike journeys that Prague locals love, quirky touristy actions just like the beer spa, and a few meals you’ll always remember.
Prague is a improbable place to reside — and with this listing of surprising issues to do in Prague, maybe you’ll begin feeling like an area your self.
So that is my name — transcend the usual issues to do in Prague! You’re going to adore it right here.
This submit was revealed in April 2023.
Unusual Things to Do in Prague
Hit Up a Food Festival
If you’re visiting Prague on a weekend in spring, summer season, or fall, guess what — you’ll seemingly come throughout not less than one meals competition! Food festivals are one among my favourite issues about residing in Prague — they’re standard and diverse and occur on a regular basis.
How do you discover meals festivals in Prague? I like to recommend having a look at Facebook Events. They will at all times let you know what’s happening.
In the meantime, there are occasions you may hit up weekly, spring by means of fall — just like the Dejvice Farmers’ Market, which takes place at Trhy na Kulaťáku on Saturdays, 8:00 AM-2:00 PM. This market has a number of meals sellers in addition to a number of ready meals stalls and makes an ideal spot for breakfast!
Another weekly meals market, Farmářské tržiště Náplavka, takes place on Saturday mornings and afternoons at Náplavka, on the banks of the Vltava River, on the japanese aspect simply south of Palackého náměstí.
If you’re visiting in late June: Prague Ice Cream Festival takes place the final weekend of the month at Výstaviště Praha, with extra ice cream than you can ever eat!
If you’re visiting in July: The French Market at Kampa takes place the week of Bastille Day (July 14), on the northern finish of the Charles Bridge, and encompasses a assortment of French meals stalls with reside music.
If you’re visiting in September: Americke Street within the stylish Vinohrady neighborhood turns right into a competition with meals from all around the world, reside music, good cheer, and good instances. (I satisfied Charlie to go to Chile for our honeymoon after we had the Chilean wine right here!) This often takes place the second weekend of September.
If you’re visiting in May or September: Pivo a Burger (Beer and Burger) often takes place as soon as in May and as soon as in September on Karlínske nam., in my neighborhood of Karlín! This competition options all types of burgers, beers, and fascinating surprises. (Beware the scorpion pepper burger. We truly needed to go house to drink milk after making an attempt that one!)
Rent a Bike and Pedal Along the River
Czechs are very lively and outdoorsy folks, and a typical Czech weekend includes biking, mountain climbing or snowboarding, adopted by a pub go to. One of the methods I’ve a typical Czech weekend is to hire a motorcycle and spend just a few hours having fun with the surroundings.
I’m NOT comfy biking in cities — however Prague has a beautiful car-free biking path that runs alongside the japanese aspect of the Vltava River. And as a result of Prague is a small metropolis, it doesn’t take lengthy earlier than you’re surrounded by forests and mountains.
Rekola is a straightforward bike-sharing program in Prague. Just obtain the Rekola app and it’ll present you the places of bikes all around the metropolis. Navigate your approach to one and it’s yours!
I like to recommend selecting up a motorcycle and heading east (and north) alongside the Vltava River. Keep following the trail and shortly Prague goes from city buildings to inexperienced mountains and cute little cottages. You’ll move some bridges and a stretch of the river the place you may go whitewater kayaking, then proceed so long as you’re having fun with your self.
Once you move the kayaking space, you’ll see there are a LOT of tiny riverside pubs. These make an ideal place to cease in for a beer or lemonade, then proceed additional down the river or head again to town!
Go Axe-Throwing
Axe-throwing has turn into a preferred offbeat exercise over the previous few years, and Prague now has its personal, very Czech axe-throwing spot: The House of Axes! Definitely one of many extra quirky points of interest on the town lately.
Head into this basement venue and also you’ll be given your personal throwing vary with targets, together with a tutorial on methods to skillfully throw the axes so that they hit the goal.
This is a superb exercise to do with mates, because it’s a aggressive exercise and also you by no means know which one among you would possibly develop into the axe-throwing prodigy. It has nothing to do along with your athletic capability! Some individuals are simply uncannily good, proper off the bat.
And sure, alcohol is served. My mates and I made a decision to go fancy and drank svařák — Czech scorching mulled wine — out of cute little teacups in between our throws.
Enjoy a Fancy “Business Lunch” for Cheap
Here’s a secret — a few of Prague’s costly eating places have less expensive lunch menus. Remarkably cheaper lunch menus. And it tends to be solely locals that find out about them, however these are fabulous locations to splurge.
Two of my favourite eating places that do enterprise lunches are Taro and CottoCrudo.
Taro serves outrageously good fare, all served with seats dealing with an open kitchen, so it’s higher for one or two folks than a giant group. (And the dinner menu is EXPENSIVE. Like, milestone birthday costly. Dinner was improbable, however lunch is much better worth for cash.) The four-course lunch menu is 750 CZK ($36 USD).
CottoCrudo is the restaurant on the Four Seasons. The small out of doors seating space has an ideal view of Prague Castle, and I’d advocate reserving forward there for the view, particularly when you go to in summer season. Don’t miss the enjoyable cocktails, too! The two-course lunch is 525 CZK ($25 USD) and the three-course lunch is 625 CZK ($30 USD).
FIELD is one other high-end Prague restaurant with a enterprise lunch — they usually have a Michelin star — however they’ve not too long ago raised the worth of their enterprise lunch. Now it’s 1100 CZK ($52) for 2 programs and 1350 CZK ($64 USD) for 3 programs.
FIELD remains to be value consuming at, and the service is improbable — nevertheless it’s not fairly as value it anymore as Taro and CottoCrudo.
Go Surfing on the Vltava River
If you’ve been to Munich, you’ve in all probability dropped by Englischen Garden to observe the river surfers on the Eisbachwelle. But not many individuals know that Prague options river browsing as nicely!
This wave is a comparatively new growth within the metropolis, and whereas it doesn’t draw the loopy spectator crowds of Munich, it’s simply one of many coolest uncommon issues to do in Prague. Definitely a singular expertise.
Since I doubt you packed a surfboard on your journey to Central Europe, I like to recommend becoming a member of a browsing tour that may present the gear you want. Biko Adventures provides browsing group excursions within the afternoons. You don’t must be an skilled surfer; you solely have to know methods to swim. Cowabunga!
Try a Beer Bath or Private Spa
The Czechs love beer a lot, you may even bathe in it. Well, sort of. The Beer Spa provides you an opportunity to wash in brewer’s yeast whereas having fun with consuming Krušovice beer instantly from the faucet. Afterward, you chill out on a mattress of straw.
You can e book beer baths for one or two folks, both sharing a bath or with separate tubs, 2000-3300 CZK ($93-154) for one hour. I’ve performed this and it’s enjoyable and distinctive, however simply needless to say the extra you drink, the extra you’ll should pee.
And when you’re not up for a beer tub, think about reserving a non-public spa. There are a number of spas in Prague which you can e book privately — your personal non-public sauna and jacuzzi for 2 hours. Look for the phrases “private wellness.” (Some include beds, Prosecco, and fruit and have a little bit of a love resort really feel. Even so, I believe these are a few of the finest locations for exhausted mothers who want stress-free time alone!)
Spa Spa in Letná is one which I significantly advocate. You can e book a two-hour period for 2490 CZK ($116 USD) or in a single day for 5990 CZK ($280 USD).
Visit Sapa — Prague’s Enormous Vietnamese Market
As quickly as you get to Prague, you would possibly discover that there are Vietnamese eating places all over the place. Sometimes it looks as if there are pho retailers on each block. There’s a motive for that!
During the communism years, the Czech Republic supplied a visitor employee program to their fellow communist nation, Vietnam. Plenty of Vietnamese folks came to visit and selected to remain long-term, lots of them opening eating places.
While most of those visitor employees got here from North Vietnam, lots of them had kids who went again to Vietnam, traveled the nation, and opened new Vietnamese eating places in Prague that includes specialties from each nook of Vietnam.
But the largest Vietnamese hotspot in Prague is Sapa Market, situated on the sting of Prague. Sometimes referred to as “Little Hanoi,” Sapa is a melange of Vietnamese retailers, cafes, and eating places — and it’s one of many largest Vietnamese markets exterior Vietnam.
Spending just a few hours at Sapa is without doubt one of the distinctive issues to do in Prague, although take note this isn’t a vacationer attraction. Ask earlier than you are taking picture of anybody. I like to try what individuals are ordering on the eating places earlier than deciding what I would like. If you’d prefer to plan your journey forward of time, Taste of Prague has a good information to visiting Sapa, together with what to eat on the totally different eating places.
Kasárna Karlín
Here’s a spot that locals love that you just’ll by no means discover in a guidebook. Kasárna Karlín is a giant open courtyard in my neighborhood of Karlín that was as soon as a barracks. Inside the courtyard are a number of cafes and bars, artwork galleries, playgrounds for teenagers, sculptures, a hearth pit, and out of doors sitting areas.
During the summer season months there are many occasions within the evenings — suppose concert events, film screenings, and different reside performances. But even when nothing’s on, it’s a fabulously nice place to seize a beverage and sit back for just a few hours.
Some of my neighbors consult with Karlín as “Small Berlin.” This place positively captures that feeling — it’s a inventive, various world. And that’s earlier than you get to the bar seating in a former swimming pool…
Learn How to Properly Pour a Czech Beer
If you don’t know by now, the Czech Republic is house to the very best beer on the planet. And it’s low cost, too. It’s not cheaper than water anymore (they handed legal guidelines about that awhile in the past, however guests love repeating this statistic), nevertheless it’s improbable nonetheless.
You can drink the beer just about all over the place — however when you’re a beer aficionado, think about taking a beer-pouring class with Lokal. You’ll discover ways to correctly pour totally different sorts of Czech beers, from a conventional na dvakrát pour to the mostly-foam mlíko to the blended gentle and darkish řezané to my favourite, the teeny-tiny šnyt that appears too lovable to drink.
At 3,800 CZK ($176), this course doesn’t come low cost. But when you’re genuinely excited by diving into Czech beer tradition past simply consuming it, that is one of the best ways to turn into an skilled, and one of many coolest uncommon issues to do in Prague.
Ride a Paternoster
Prague is house to a number of paternosters — open elevators that run constantly. They look intimidating to get on — the American me was questioning, “Is this even SAFE?!” earlier than we jumped on and had been whisked to the highest.
Of all of the paternosters in Prague, the one in Prague City Hall on Old Town Square is essentially the most well-known one, however as a substitute, I like to recommend you are taking the one at Lucerna Palace (Palác Lucerna) simply off Wenceslas Square. This constructing is house to a spectacular rooftop terrace and lovely views of the Prague metropolis skyline, and you may order drinks.
Hop on for a enjoyable trip and hop off once you attain the highest ground! Admission to the rooftop terrace is 100 CZK ($5).
And when you keep on, don’t fear — you received’t be turned upside-down! You’ll keep right-side-up earlier than coming down once more. (Paternosters are a few of the finest locations to get video for TikToks or Reels about Prague.)
Visit Únětice
While there are plenty of cool day journeys from Prague, one that you just virtually by no means seen on lists is the city of Únětice (OON-ye-tee-tsa). This city is situated on the sting of Prague, however getting there’s the enjoyable as a result of it includes a protracted stroll or bike trip. It doesn’t have a ton of vacationer worth, nevertheless it’s one thing Czech folks like to do on weekends.
You can get to Únětice by driving a motorcycle or strolling. If you’re strolling, take the prepare to Roztaky U Prahy cease, then stroll to the top of a fairly road referred to as Tiché údolí and observe it till it ends. The road (it means “silent valley” in Czech) turns right into a mountain climbing path by means of the forest. After about an hour of strolling, you attain the city.
If you’re biking, hire a motorcycle as really helpful above and trip alongside the japanese aspect of the Vltava River, then cross it by the tiny ferry at Klecanky-Roztoky. From right here, head down Tiché údolí and observe the trail till you hit city.
So what do you do in Únětice? Make like a Czech: park your bike and have a hearty lunch at Únětický Pivovar, the brewery, which dishes up quite a lot of Czech dishes. My private suggestion? Get the potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat — a few of the finest issues on the menu. You can even get duck with potato pancakes, goulash with bread dumplings, grilled pork tenderloin in pepper sauce, and vegetarian quiches and salads.
Afterward, head to a close-by cafe, U Lasíků, which makes a superb number of koláčy (Czech truffles). Grab a koláč with a espresso or lemonade and take within the peaceable environment earlier than heading again to town. What a stunning approach to spend a day and get to get pleasure from one of many hidden gems of the Prague space.
Have a Větrník in a Hidden Garden
If you will have a candy tooth, it is best to strive my favourite Czech pastry — the větrník (VYET-er-NEEK). The větrník is just like a profiterole or cream puff — it’s two halves of a spherical choux pastry with two sorts of cream within the inside (vanilla and caramel lotions), topped with a layer of caramel sauce on prime.
Věterníky are SO good, however my favourite place to have one is Gardens Restaurant. It’s situated proper off Wenceslas Square within the New Town, nevertheless it’s a bit hidden at the back of an alley. Once you arrive, you may benefit from the beautiful inside of the little restaurant, or dine exterior within the greenery-filled backyard. (I’m going for simply espresso and pastry, which is ok.)
And their větrník is much more excessive than common, with three various kinds of cream, hazelnut praline, chocolate glaze, and caramelized nuts. It is completely decadent, and once you pair it with the magical setting, it makes a stunning factor to eat in Prague.
(Ready to strive extra větrníky? I really like the basic větrník at Eska, an avant-garde restaurant and low store in my neighborhood. Sometimes they function differing types — they as soon as had a scrumptious apricot větrník. Cafe Savoy is one other Prague restaurant that receives plenty of accolades for his or her větrník.)
Join an Ecstatic Dance Party
Have you heard of ecstatic dance? These sober dance events are a sensation all around the world, however they’re actually beginning to turn into a factor in Prague! Ecstatic dance is all about letting the music transfer you, with none exterior forces spoiling the expertise.
There are 4 guidelines to ecstatic dance: 1) Everyone is sober — completely no medicine or alcohol. 2) No speaking, simply motion and dancing. 3) No photographs or movies. 4) You should be barefoot!
My buddy Ondřey, whom I initially met whereas backpacking in Central America, now runs Ecstatic Dance in Prague! Parties happen each different Friday, typically on boats moored within the river, beginning at 7:00 PM with the dancing over by 10:00 PM (hell yeah, early birds).
You can see the web site right here, nevertheless it’s all in Czech. I’d advocate trying out their Instagram web page, which at all times has a hyperlink to the subsequent occasion. Tickets are often 500 CZK ($24 USD) when you purchase prematurely.
Visit a Cocktail Bar with a Secret Invisible Menu
Prague’s not simply concerning the beer — we love our wines and spirits as nicely! Prague is wealthy with cocktail bars, that includes basic and authentic libations made with native liqueurs.
One Prague cocktail bar particularly value visiting is Anonymous Bar. Hidden on a quiet road within the coronary heart of the Old Town, this mysterious bar has a darkish inside and servers who put on Guy Fawkes masks.
You order your first cocktail — maybe a signature cocktail that includes a hearth present, or the blood cocktail that is available in its personal blood bag (eek!).
Then it comes time on your second drink — they usually convey you the key menu. It’s invisible, in truth — and there’s a black gentle key that allows you to learn it. These cocktails are unique to individuals who stick round for a second drink — and I can guarantee you they’re a few of the finest ones on the menu.
One cocktail that we ordered was served in an Elmo glass. The different was served in Wilson the volleyball.
(Interested in visiting extra Prague cocktail bars? Two I particularly advocate are Bugsy’s Bar and L’Fleur. They’re situated across the nook from one another really easy to go to in a single outing!)
Climb Atop a Teeny Tiny Eiffel Tower
Standing on the sting of the river and searching towards Prague Castle, you would possibly discover a tiny steel constructing on the hill to its left. Is that…an Eiffel Tower? Kind of!
Petřín Lookout Tower, situated on prime of Petřín Hill, was initially constructed in 1891 for the Jubilee Exhibition. While a duplicate of the Eiffel Tower, this model is simply 20% of the scale of the Parisian authentic.
Today, you may climb the tower (know that it has 299 steps earlier than setting out). Climbing it prices 150 CZK ($7 USD); there’s an elevator which you can take for an additional price.
There’s a funicular that runs to the highest of Petřín Hill from Ujezd within the Malá Strana neighborhood. And don’t miss strolling across the prime of the hill — in addition to the tower, there are many good gardens, playgrounds, and wooded areas value exploring.
Try a Vietnamese Egg Coffee
If you’ve been to Vietnam, you in all probability dipped a toe into the nation’s strong espresso tradition, having fun with tiny cups spiked with sweetened condensed milk. And when you had been actually fortunate, you might need come throughout the confection that may be a Vietnamese egg espresso.
The Vietnamese egg espresso, or cà phê trứng, is a candy dish that provides blended egg yolk to the sweetened condensed milk earlier than including the espresso, giving it a consistency extra like marshmallow fluff.
Vietnamese egg coffees are a bit powerful to search out in Prague, however there’s one place left the place I like to get them. Cà Phê Cổ is a classy, fantastically embellished restaurant within the Vinohrady neighborhood that serves up egg coffees together with their scrumptious menu (I really like their Cơm Gà Hội An, Hoi An-style hen and rice). They even have a location in Brno when you’re heading that means.
Hike the Posázavská Stezka
Czechs like to get out and hike on the weekend, and there are many hikes inside a brief journey of Prague. An incredible average hike is the Posázavská Stezka, situated inside an hour’s prepare trip from Prague.
This is a wonderful and fascinating hike that has plenty of up and down, together with views alongside the Sázava River. It feels a lot farther from town than it truly is.
Take the prepare from Prague to Kamenny Přivoz station and take it again to Prague from Petrov u Prahi, which ought to provide you with 2.5-3.5 hours of mountain climbing. And the Czech custom is to complete your hike with a beer — so ensure you do this! There’s a pub proper on the Petrov u Prahi prepare station.
A little bit of a warning: I used to be shocked to see a number of accomplice flags at bars on this strolling path. Judging by the Western decor that accompanied them, I believe the house owners had been trying “Americana” fairly than what the flag truly communicates. Just preserve that in thoughts.
(Want to do extra mountain climbing in Prague? A stunningly lovely place to go to, although a lot farther from town, is Bohemian Switzerland, which is technically within the Czech Republic, on the border with Germany. You can e book a mountain climbing day journey from Prague with Airbnb Experiences right here.)
Try Exclusively Central European Wines at Veltlin
You could know your means round a wine bar, however have you ever had the very best of what Central Europe has to supply? It may not be as well-known as Bordeaux or Rioja, however we make plenty of first rate wines in South Moravia, Czech Republic.
An incredible place to pattern these wines in Prague is Veltlin, a small wine bar within the cozy, tree-lined neighborhood of Karlín. I reside in Karlín, and it’s the right place to have a non-touristy expertise in Prague.
What makes Veltlin particular is that they’ve relationships with all of the wine suppliers that fill their bar — solely Central European wines, taken from the boundaries of the previous Hapsburg Empire. Ask for a glass of white they usually’ll pour you what they’ve chosen that day — maybe one thing Czech, nevertheless it may simply be Austrian, or Slovenian, or Hungarian.
Round out your go to with just a few nibbles — cheeses and meats that come from native producers. And they typically placed on group tastings, that includes the works of a winemaker or specializing in a small area or varietal.
(Interested in visiting one other wine bar in Prague? Vinograf is one among my favorites and near the middle.)
Ride an Antique Car Boat on the River
Walk over a bridge on the Vltava on a pleasant day between spring and fall and also you’ll see the river dotted with boats. You’ll see some common paddle-boats, some large swans — and a few vintage vehicles which have been remade into paddleboats!
The vehicles are the best ones of all, and renting one among these is unquestionably one of many extra uncommon issues to do in Prague.
My one large suggestion is to put on satisfactory solar safety — there’s completely no shade once you’re out on the river. Sunscreen, a hat, and a long-sleeved shirt or jacket will serve you nicely right here.
There are just a few totally different firms with boat leases based mostly on Slovanský ostrov, one of many islands within the Vltava. Rentals begin at 300 CZK ($14) per hour.
Feast on Dinner Off the Bone at Kantyna
Kantyna is one among my favourite eating places in Prague and a real, native Czech expertise. This butcher store restaurant serves a few of the finest native meat within the Czech Republic, and is a carnivore’s delight. (Don’t come right here until you eat crimson meat and/or pork.)
But essentially the most particular factor Kantyna does is “Dinner Off the Bone” — the butcher’s dinner that they placed on just a few nights every week. At this dinner, you’re served a multi-course feast that includes a number of Kantyna’s finest cuts, together with a number of uncommon and lesser-loved cuts. You’ll additionally get a welcome drink and a tour of the kitchen, all for 1,980 CZK ($92 USD) every.
Be able to eat adventurously! At this dinner I’ve had luxurious crispy pig’s ears and the very best tripe I’ve EVER had anyplace. Because it’s Kantyna, every thing is completed tremendous, tremendous nicely. One of the pleasures is having carpaccio sliced in entrance of you by hand.
Note that lately Kantyna are not taking particular person bookings, and as a substitute require a bunch of 6-12. But if in case you have a large enough meat-loving group visiting Prague, that is one among my favourite celebratory dinners within the metropolis.
And don’t overlook the same old issues to do in Prague.
And now that we’re on the finish, I’ll add some extra widespread issues to do in Prague. Of COURSE it is best to go to Old Town Square and watch the Astronomical Clock because it chimes the hour. (Just don’t get a beer proper on Old Town Square. Those cafes are massively overpriced.)
You ought to stroll throughout the Charles Bridge to Malá Strana, taking within the views, and go to Prague Castle (value touring the citadel grounds!) and Petřín Hill. Tour Prague’s Jewish Quarter, Josefov, and go to the outdated Jewish cemetery. Take within the wealthy historical past of town and see why Historic Prague is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wenceslas Square is on plenty of itineraries nevertheless it isn’t THAT nice…it’s the worst elements of Times Square with none cool neon. And whereas a number of locations go all in on absinthe, it’s not practically pretty much as good because the cocktail bars I discussed above.
On the identical degree, don’t really feel a necessity to go to the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments or the Sex Machines Museum. There are higher issues to do in Prague.
See the Dancing House, designed by Frank Gehry, and have a drink within the cafe on the prime. Have a beer on the beer backyard in Letna Park. Take a photograph in entrance of the John Lennon Wall when you really feel compelled to take action.
Prague’s Christmas Markets are pretty, although I’ll be trustworthy — Vienna’s and Munich’s are significantly better.
Go on a Prague meals tour (they embrace Kantyna!), or a historic pub crawl, or a historic strolling tour. Even the various Prague strolling tour for a guided tour concerning the Prague of right now — not the Prague of the previous.
But whether or not it’s your first time in Prague or your tenth, I hope this listing has impressed you to go a bit past the same old Prague itinerary and get off the overwhelmed path. Enjoy your time in my adopted metropolis!
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Have you been to Prague? What’s your favourite uncommon factor to do? Share away!