So, the must haves on the checklist in Prague:

  • The Old Town Square – do: visit the church, galleries, the tower with the astronomical clock (be there at full hour for the figurine show), don’t: get lunch here, go to the wax figurine museum, buy anything from the russian gift shops 🙂 there is a crystal glass gallery shop on the corner with Celetna street. The only place where to get real quality bohemian glass (Moser).
  • The Charles bridge – do: go here after midnight or early morning if you want to see it without all the people
  • The Prague Castle – do: go inside, see the church from the inside, see the catacombs, see the golden street, don’t: want to meet our president, he’s a pig 🙂
  • The Loreta in Prague (close to the Prague Castle) – do: be here for when the bells are playing at full hour
  • The Municipal house – do: get tickets for a concert here, top concert hall, or just get a guided tour inside

Some of my favourite places:

  • The Vyšehrad castle – do: see the old rotunda chappel, see the church, enjoy the view from the ramparts – Prague is the only capital in the world that has two castles that can see each other
  • The Letná park – do: enjoy the views of Prague from the path on the edge of the hill
  • Žižkov tower – do: go to the observation floor at the top, possible: get lunch here, fancy restaurant
  • The Petřín tower – do: get to the top, great view
  • The Jerusalem Synagogue – on of the hidden gems, very beautiful architecture but now being renovated
  • The Henry’s tower and the Powder tower – possible to see from the inside as well i think
  • St. Longin’s Rotunda – another hidden gem 🙂

Pubs/restaurants:

  • Kulový blesk – craft beer pub – 15-20 beers on tap usually. Good Czech cuisine. Not a chain restaurant, more of a unique place.
  • The Ambiente restaurants – especially the ones called Lokál (5 of them) – typical czech cuisine (they usually give you extra dumplings and sauce for free if you ask for it and still have meat left on your plate), they serve Pilsner Urquell beer from the tanks (the best quality you can get)
  • Potrefená Husa – the same as for Lokál restaurants
  • U Zlatého Slona – directly in the center, not too overpriced though. Good for beer.

Fancy restaurants:

Bars:

Music:

  • not recommended: Karlovy Lázně Club, Nebe Music Club – they are total mainstream and quantity over quality and I just don’t like it 🙂
  • Otherwise just google, lot of places for different music in Prague 🙂

The transportation in Prague:

  • The public transport in Prague is one of the best in the world. You can buy a one way (30 or 40 CZK), 24 hours (120 CZK) or three days (330 CZK) tickets using your phone or by buying them in most of the news stands / tobacco shops. Use Google maps to find routes and stations – it gives you several options of public transport for most of the destinations, or you can also use the IDOS website.
  • For taxi services, use UBER or Bolt or Liftago apps. It is the cheapest and I have never heard of any problems with them. Do not get a taxi on the street, especially not in the center and during the night. They will probably overcharge you by three to four-fold. If you can’t / don’t want to use UBER, always call for a taxi from your phone. Good ones: AAA, Modrý Anděl, TickTack. Save the numbers in your phone. They are all professional and can speak english.

Special Czech drinks and beers:

  • Beers – don’t go for Gambrinus and Staropramen from the tap, they are the cheap ones. Otherwise anything is good, pretty much. My personal favoriets are Pilsner Urquell, Pilsner Urquell Master, Bernard (jantarový) and Staropramen Granát (it is not the basic cheap version).
  • Wines – from czech wines I usually go for one of these varieties: Pálava (original Czech variety, usually semi sweet or even sweet), Grüner Veltliner (Veltlínské zelené), Reisling (Ryzlink Rýnský) or Chardonnay. But most of the czech wines are good. If you shop in a grocery mall, any bottle over 150 CZK is already pretty good 🙂 
  • Becherovka – original czech herb liquer from Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary). Bit similar to Jeagermesiter, but much smoother and better. Served ice cold as a shot. Can be served in combination with tonic water – cocktail called Beton. 
  • Plum brandy – Slivovice – very commonly home made in the Moravia region (around Brno). Made from plums, pure transparent liquer, usually 40 – 52%. Served as a shot. Can be also made from apples, pears, appricots, cherries and other fruits, but the one from plums is the most common. In the best case, try to get a home made one. Hard to get by in Prague though. The ones sold in stores are decent, but far from the top quality. Try the farm markets in Prague 🙂 
  • Absinth – if you feel adventurous. Go at least for the 60-70% ones. Has a historic tradition in Czechia and the Czech brands are well renowned. Do it the sugar burning way – Method #2 in this guide. Do not drink it at the end of the night if you had your fair share already. If you do, it will probably be the last thing you remember from that night 🙂
  • Tatra Tea – this is a special Slovakian drink but it is absolutely awesome. Go for the 52% version – black bottle.

Food

  • Czech cuisine is very specific and tasty. It is focused on meat and either dumplings or potatos as a side. There is a lot of traditional czech meals, just go to a restaurant serving a czech cuisine and take your pick. Just be sure to try something with dumplings and sauce at least once, like Svíčková. From special dishes deer or boar meat is usually quite well made, typically with plum sauce or rosehip sauce.
  • To get authentic countryside food – smoked meat, cheese, sweets, etc. visit the farm market – each saturday on the Victory square (between metro station Dejvická and the university campus). There are other markets around the city too, but i don’t know their exact itinerary and locations.    

Outside Prague:

Czech has a very good public transportation system, usually there is a connection to every village by bus or train, for anything larger than 1000 inhabitants there are several connections per day. 

Use the IDOS website for finding a connection – tickets can be bought online for all of the trains and most of the buses. Ticket in your phone is sufficient for all the trains and most of the buses – the site notes, if you have to print the ticket.

There is also quite an active BlaBlaCar community in Czechia, so you might try that as well.

For tourist maps outside of Prague, use this website (very detailed, includes all the tourist and cycling trails), or buy Shocart brand maps in paper (bookstores or infocenters). Czechia has one of the most advanced system of marked tourist trails in the world. You can’t get lost. 

  • The Karlštejn castle – 20-30 min by train, several trains per day
  • Kutná Hora – a UNESCO lsited historical town – cathedral, bone church, narrow medieval streets – 50 min by train, several per day
  • Český Krumlov – most of my foreign friends who have seens this town claim it is the most beautiful town they have ever visited. Also UNESCO. Also canoeing or kayaking is very popular here on the river, recommended. You can rent everything you need, including a guide from several companies. 3 hours by bus / train from Prague
  • Bohemian Paradise – towns Jičín and Turnov – Jičín is my hometown and is a really beautiful historical town (although not as much as Kutná Hora or Český Krumlov) with uniquely architected baroque landscape and many historical monuments. The Bohemian Paradise protected landscape area and a UNESCO Geopark is one of the most pretty places in Czech, with sandrock cities, castles, chateaus and cultural sightseeings. Turnov is a town on the other side of BP, it is famous for its garnet production. 1 hour by bus to Jičín from Prague. A rental car is handy to drive around Bohemian paradise (or a mountain bike)
  • Brno and the Moravian Karst – Brno is the second largest city in Czechia, also with a great historical center. Very close to Brno is the Moravian Karst with several publicly accessible karst caves with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Guided tours, including a stunning boat ride on an underground river. There is also a very nice new information center on the caves and nature conservation. If you are around Brno, there are lot of wineyards to the south. If you like wine, be sure to visit one 🙂 2,5 hours by train (do not take the bus, common traffic jams on the highway to Brno)
  • Pilsen (Plzeň) city – the voted cultural capital of Europe, historical center, the home of the Pilsner urquell beer brewery, and the place where lot of festivals and other cultural events take place. 1-1,5 hours by bus

Few pieces of general advice:

  • Especially the older generation usually doesn’t speak much English. The general reaction if you ask something is that the give you a weird smile, mutter something under they noses and hurry off. If you need to ask for directions or anything, aim for the younger people. Grandmas will not be able to help you much.
  • The crime rate in Czechia is generally low, however be aware of pickpockets in larger cities, especially on the public transport and trains and do not leave your luggage unattended anywhere. The police is generally nice and friendly, but you can stumble upon a jerk too. You don’t have to be afraid to walk outside in the night. Even if you by accident end up in a homelless den or something, you will just get some surprised stares and that’s it. 
  • The healthcare is very good, the emergency response time for anywhere in Czech is under 20 mins, usually under 10. The number to call is 112 for ER, firemen and the police as well.
  • Pedestrians have the right of way on the zebra crossings, but not with trams! Watch out for them. And watch out for taxi drivers as well, they drive like crazy in Prague, haha 🙂
  • The subway in Prague does not have any turniquets, you need to validate your one time ticket upon the entrance to the station (or upon the entry to the tram or bus) – look for a small yellow box with a lighted green triangle on it. The inspectors are unforgiving and if you don’t validate your ticket, don’t have one or your ticket will be expired, you will be fined 800 CZK, if they catch you. And they are out there all the time 🙂 
  • Do not give anything to the beggars! You can spot them from time to time in Prague. It is a mafia business. If you really see a miserable homeless guy, offer them food or something, otherwise they will hand the money over to their “boss” or will just buy booze. All the homeless people are eligible for social benefits and food rations at the homeless shelters, so they actually don’t need to beg.
  • Public drinking is forbidden in the center of Prague, usually not anywhere else. However, if you do drink outside, the police will usually just give you a warning at first, if they see you.