5 Things To Know Before Going To Prague

Move over Paris; voted by TimeOut as the most beautiful city in Europe, Prague has become a desirable (and affordable) destination for travelers looking to have a great time on a budget. Before you start packing your bags, take a look at these five things every traveler should know before their trip to the Czech Republic's stunning capital.

1. It's Easy To Feel Like Royalty

This 17th-century palace now houses the Czech Senate

Once the residence of an imperial general, the Wallenstein Palace provides a great (and free!) opportunity to feel a little more royal.

Enjoy its ornamental pools, lush garden, and baroque statues. If your royal highness needs a coffee in the Malá Strana neighborhood, there’s a cafe close by hiding in the back of an old-timey magazine store.

 
Address for the Wallenstein Palace and Garden: Valdstejnska zahrada, 118800 Prague, Czechia 

Address for Cafe Dobrá trafika na Újezdě: Újezd 37, 110 00 Malá Strana, Czechia

Walk along the Charles Bridge on your way to the palace

2. The City Has An Interesting Past

The Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004 and has only been its own country since its break from Slovakia in 1993. Like many eastern European cities, Prague is formerly communist, and you'll come across many statues and plaques commemorating the people's fight for democracy.

This plaque commemorates the Velvet Revolution; a peaceful transition of power that ended the country's 41 years of one-party rule.

3. There's More Than One Cool Neighborhood

Walking in the streets of Karlín

Sandwiched between the imposing Vítkov hill and Vltava river, Karlín is a great place to spend your time if you want a break from the tourists.

While Karlín has recently garnered some attention for being one of the world's coolest neighborhoods, it’s really small (only about four streets wide). If you run out of photo ops in this trendy corner of the city, there are luckily many other places in Prague you can wander around, admire beautiful apartment buildings, and get great coffee.

The Letná Neighborhood

Cafe Letka is one of my favorite spots in Prague, located just across the river from the historical district. Here you can find modern homemade treats like frosted cinnamon buns and carrot cake. (Address for Cafe Letka: Letohradská 44, 170 00 Praha 7-Letná, Czechia)

Morning sun at Cafe Letna

The Žižkov Neighborhood

I don’t know about you, but I like to plan my days around coffee. Žižkavárna Cafe is a cool and friendly place to grab a cup and enjoy the tree-shaded streets of the television tower district. (Address for Žižkavárna Cafe: 17, Kubelíkova 1477, Žižkov, 130 00 Praha, Czechia) 

Žižkov district in the afternoon

4. It's Artsy

Casual artsiness along the Vlatva River

From creepy crawling baby sculptures to Art-Nouveau cinemas, Prague's creative art scene accommodates all tastes and interests. Located in a beautiful passage is Kino Lucerna, a historical movie theater often holding foreign film festivals. 

This is a great place to spend an evening after a day of sightseeing; look out for Czech artist David Černý's controversial upside-down horse statue hanging outside of the entrance.(Address of Kino Lucerna: Vodičkova 704, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia)

5. It's A Literature Buff's Dream

Have you ever entered a surreal world in which all your plans, preconceived notions, and expectations fell to pieces? If you've applied for a visa perhaps you have, or maybe you've just read some books by Prague-born author Franz Kafka.

The Head of Kafka rotates twice every hour and includes 42 mirrored panels

Considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, literary icon Franz Kafka is still honored in the streets of Prague today, thanks to the fantastic visions of artists like David Černý.

Černý has a number of public statues in the city, including a giant rotating sculpture of Kafka's head (Address for Head of Kafka: Charvátova, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia)