Prague

Prague, Czech Republic

”Mother Prague has clutches,” Franz Kafka wrote nearly one hundred years ago. Prague’s convoluted streets may keep you in those clutches loving every second of it. Anyone who has wandered around the city's cobbled streets and Gothic alleyways and seen the moon hover behind the towers and pinnacles of Europe’s most beautiful capital will definitely come back.

Population:

Approximately 1.31 million

Currency:

1 koruna česká (Kč - CZK) = 100 haléřů = 0.039 Euro

Emergency Numbers:

Emergency: 112
Police: 158
Ambulance: 155
Fire Brigade: 150

Opening Hours:

Shops are open Monday to Saturday 09.00-16/17.00. Many shops close on Sunday, but the biggest shopping malls and the shops around the tourist areas remain open.

Newspapers:

Lidové noviny
Mladá fronta Dnes

The City

After the ’Velvet Revolution’ in 1989, Prague became an international metropolis with all the usual trappings, but it has also managed to successfully retain its unspoiled local character. The Czech capital is small and compact, with hospody (beer-houses) that offer the world’s best beers stationed on every street corner. The most important areas are the central districts of the city: Staré Město (Old Town), Josefov, Nové Město (New Town), and Malá Strana (Lesser Town). These are best explored on foot. In recent years, the district of Vinohrady (Vineyards) has established itself as the district favoured by Pražani (the Prague inhabitants), and the restaurants and cafes lie closely packed.

When you visit Prague, it is worth remembering that not only does the city boast an impressive history, which stretches back many hundreds of years, but it has also fostered prominent architects, artists, and designers of the 20th century. Prague was once the centre of Central European modernism, a fact which today, after a long period of dictatorship, has almost faded into oblivion. During recent years, modernist Czech architecture and interior design have experienced a recovery, and there is nearly always a good exhibition to see.

Do & See

The Czech capital is small and compact, with hospody (beer-houses) offering the world’s best beers stationed on every street corner. The most important areas are the central districts of the city: Staré Město (Old Town), Josefov, Nové Město (New Town), and Malá Strana (Lesser Town). These are best explored on foot.

Dining

Many international cuisines have been introduced to the Prague restaurant scene, but the Central European fare still dominates. Classic Czech meals include Svíčková (roast beef with cream sauce), and the national dish, Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (pork with sauerkraut and dumplings). These can be had at any hospoda — beerhouse — along with a cold pilsner.

Cafés

Prague has always been a good town for cafes. Around the turn of the last century this meant large middle class premises — which re-opened during the 1990's — and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, a lot of smaller, cosy cafes with bric-à-brac décor were opened.