I’ve lived in Prague all my life, so I am a true Pražák. I grew up in a 16th century house in the medieval quarter of Mala Strana, where palaces and townhouses slope down from Prague Castle toward the Vltava River.
As a child, I played in the orchards and chestnut gardens of Petrin Hill, dawdled up the cobblestoned streets to my first school just under the Castle, and sipped the head off beer I fetched in a ceramic jug for my father in one of many dingy pubs in the area.
I discovered a taste for public affairs and news during the watershed 1989 Velvet Revolution that ended communist rule and I was hired by Reuters as a junior reporter in 1995. I have since covered the Czech Republic’s path from post-communist reforms to NATO and the EU. As chief correspondent for the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 2008, I have also covered the often diverging policies of the two neighbours.
I have seen many changes to my city during this time, including the restoration of the neglected historical centre during a boom of private enterprise after the Velvet Revolution. The renewal brought souvenir shops and other tourist traps for the cheap beer-chasing crowd. But in recent years, fine dining restaurants, bistros, microbreweries and art galleries have also moved in.
When people ask about visiting my hometown, here is what I tell them:
Meander: While the main historical sites either side of the river in Mala Strana and the Old Town are definitely worth seeing, I recommend getting lost in the back streets of the historical centre and starting early to avoid the crowds. Take a stroll across the 14th century Charles Bridge and view modern art at the Museum Kampa. Walk up Petrin Hill or take the funicular (city transport tickets apply).
Climb the Petrinska Rozhledna, a copy of the Eiffel Tower, for fantastic views of the old city and the Vltava River below. Stroll through the Petrin Gardens to Strahov Monastery and Prague Castle, and on through the Castle Gardens to Letna Park, where a 15-metre (50-ft) statue of Joseph Stalin used to stand before the former Soviet leader fell out of vogue and the statue was demolished.
Hot spots: Letna, developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, has become a favourite hip, urban district in the past two decades with dozens of bars, cafes and small restaurants. Try Mr Hot Dog bistro for fabulous sliders, Peperoncino restaurant for Mediterranean food and a nice garden, Bar Cobra for cocktails, or Cafe Lajka for coffee or beer brewed on site. You can enjoy a drink under chestnut trees at Letensky Zamecek in Letna Park, overlooking the river and Old Town below. To the north, stroll through the former royal hunting grounds of Stromovka Park to another up-and-coming district, Holesovice, home to the Dox Centre for Contemporary Art.
Makeover: A new, white-concrete pedestrian bridge will take you from Holesovice to Karlin, a former working-class and factory area that suffered devastating flooding in 2002. Since then, it has had a complete makeover, and now features a wide mix of cafes and eateries.
Beer culture: Czechs are proud of their Pilsner-style lagers, which must be served draught with a thick-foam head. “The brewer brews the beer, the tapmaster makes it” is the mantra. Beer culture has blossomed with the advent of dozens of microbreweries in or around Prague that have mastered lagers, ales and other beer styles. Many pubs and bars have microbrews on tap, or try them at the source at Klasterni Pivovar Strahov in the 12th century monastery near the Castle, or at the modern Dva Kohouti in Karlin.
Tenderloin: Czech food is a mixture of influences from across central Europe. The one meal that is considered truly local is “svíčková”, tenderloin roast on root vegetables with creamy sauce, accompanied by bread dumplings and a dollop of whipped cream, cranberries and lemon. Heavy but delicious. Try it at Kuchyn, a place at the Castle that has great views.
Metamorphosis: Until World War Two, Prague was home to large German and Jewish communities that defined much of its cultural legacy. Novelist Franz Kafka is the most famous literary representative of the pre-war era. For a broad sample of stories by Czech authors from all eras, look at Paul Wilson’s “Prague: A Traveler’s Literary Companion.” For a tale of the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, who was one of the Holocaust’s architects and was known as the “Butcher of Prague,” read “HHhH” by Laurent Binet.
Mass transit: Prague is very safe and doesn’t have any no-go zones. Use the efficient system of trams, subways and buses. Trams and buses run through the night. But remember you can walk through large swathes of the city.
The local angle: The blog of Prague-based travel writer Mark Baker chronicles his decades of travelling around the region, including Prague under late communism and his brushes with the secret police.
Day trips: West of Prague, Krivoklat Castle, a royal residence dating back to the 12th century, is a nice choice for those looking for something different from the over-visited Karlstejn Castle. The nearby village of Broumy is home to one of the country’s best microbreweries, Matuska, where beer is served in a tap room based in a converted bus stop.
To the east, the former silver mining town of Kutna Hora is home to St Barbara’s Cathedral, medieval palaces and Sedlec Abbey, where you will find a popular medieval ossuary (bone church), with pyramids, ornaments, candle holders and chandeliers made of human bones and skulls, dating back to the late 15th century.
Final tips: Make eye contact when toasting. Offer to take your shoes off when visiting someone’s home. Offer your seat to elderly passengers on public transport. Tip 10% in restaurants, unless the service is outright bad.
DATA POINTS
Price of a cappuccino: CZK 80 ($3.20) at mamacoffee, Prague 2
Great place to see a sunset: Riegrovy Sady park, Prague 2
Souvenir for the kids: Traditional wooden puppets, CZK 390 ($15.80), Ceske hracky a loutky, Prague 1
Largest university: Charles University, 54,000 students
Popular car: Skoda Octavia (Jan Lopatka/Reuters)
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