All articles by Tomáš Jungwirth (19)

In a small street near the tram-stop Národní divadlo there is an exceptional place. It is somewhat hidden – it is very easy to just walk by, not even realizing there is a bar. I consider myself as a sort of an expert concerning the Prague pubs and clubs but if it hadn’t been for a friend of mine who showed it to me recently, I might have just died without even knowing this place. And that would be a shame.

First of all – Al Capone’s bar is not just small – it is tiny. I guess if twenty people fit in, it feels already crowded. However, most of the time, there are just about two or three, so you will easily find a spot. Second: this place has a very exceptional atmosphere. I don’t even know why – but if you walk through the narrow hall into a small room – you feel like entering another world. Or more precisely: this place feels as if you were stoned even if you are not – the weird haze, the grave light, the silent music, the pictures of gangsters on the walls…

And third: it is just so cheap! Honestly, it might be the cheapest bar in Prague I know, when it comes to drinks and cocktails. „A Long island ice tea for less then 100,- CZK? You must be kidding me.”, is what I said during my first visit. But they weren’t and I had a great time. Try yourself!

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Al Capone’s | Bars | Cuba libre CZK 60.00
Bartolomějská 3 | Praha 1 | +420224241040
Mon – Thu 17:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 03:00, Sun 18:00 – 00:00

Atmosféra is a favourite student place. It is spacious, consisting of three separate parts, two rooms and a garden with tables in between them. The rugged space even provides two entrances from various streets. And also makes this café somewhat more interesting.

On the walls you’ll find oldschool-like satiric posters usually with some smiling face and text saying for instance „Tequila – have you hugged your toilet today?” on them. In Atmosféra, there is also a table-football, a very popular pub-game in Prague.

It is not just the interior and equipment that makes it visit-worthy. It is very much thanks to the food. It is cheap, rich and tasty. You can for example buy half a kilo of there-made fried potato slices which they serve with three different dressings. It is a fair snack for four (or food for two ) and costs only 70 Crowns. They also have great Mexican specialities. And five types of cold cheap draft beer… Not to forget, they have a free Wi-Fi access.

Atmosféra is located right in the center, five minutes from Charles Bridge or National Theatre (check the National Theatre article). If you are ever around, hungry and thirsty, you must care for a visit!

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Atmosféra | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (International) | Pilsner, 0,5 l CZK 35
Smetanovo nábřeží 14/ Karolíny Světlé 33 | Praha 1 | +420222222114
Café 11:30 – 01:00 daily | Pub 12:00 – … | Garden 11:30 – 22:00 daily

In the very north of Prague, quite near the place I live, there is a very nice spot. It is a hill called „Baba” (”a grandma” ). You can easily get there by tram No. 20 to the terminal stop „Podbaba” and then walk up the hill. Also, it is possible to take the bus line 131 from the stop Hradčanská, get out at „U Matějě” (where there is a fancy church with a cemetery) and then walk north-west. It is a very nice walk through the woods of „Divoká Šárka“.

The hill has an interesting history. For instance, according to archaeologists, it has been inhabited since the stone age. Up on it you will find a strange ruin. Surprisingly enough, its history is not confirmed. There are several theories – the widest-spread claims that it is a former wine-press built in 1622. Another says that it is a regular building newly-built at the beginning of the 19th century, other that it used to be chapel. No matter which of them is true, it is a nice spot which is even lit at night.

From there you can see a large part of Prague that you won’t enjoy anywhere else (for instance the sewage plant on the largest island at Vltava in Prague). The park around is a great place for sports or chilling out. If you prefer to walk, follow the red tourist sign, which will lead you to the forests of Divoká Šárka. Enjoy!

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Baba | Relaxing | Free
U Matějě | Praha 6
24 hours daily

In the very centre I spotted a very nice place I visit quite often since then. You can easily get there by trams 3, 9 or 14 and get out at Vodičkova stop but it is also just a five-minute walk from Václavské náměstí. It is called a “café”, it is a regular restaurant, though. The menu is rich and the prices reasonable.

The name comes from the fact that it started as a place where the employees would be rehabilitated or rehabilitating drug users. However, you couldn’t make that out just like that as the personnel are very kind and compliant. It is a place for the whole family as there are separate smoker and non-smoker rooms, free wi-fi and even a small playground for the kids. At the same time they sell Czech-made ceramics.

Really cool is the design of the interior, menus and so on. Everywhere you can find advertisements from the beginning of the 20th century – most of the time they are really funny and worth seeing. I visit café Therapy most often for a beer and a “Tartar” steak (a minced raw steak you eat with toast, onion, garlic and pepper), it is just awesome. Come and try!

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Café Therapy | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Czech) | Beer 0,5 l CZK 27.00
Školská 30 | Praha 1 | +420284825515
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 23:30, Sat 12:00 – 23:30, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

Prague is a very green city, which I find particularly important. In the center there is quite a lot of parks while the outskirts are full of woods. One of the nicest is the hardwood forest at the foothill of Chuchle, at the southwest of Prague. By legend, it is even a magical forest and under one of the trees near the cemetery there is supposed to be a treasure chest…

It is a great place for a family walk or a picnic. You can also find there a so-called „mini zoo” which was originally a first-aid station for wounded or ill forest animals. But then came the idea of making it a place you where you can actually show the animals. So they built the surrounding-fitting runs and cages and these days you can find there all sorts of deer, boars, owls, wild cats or even a bobcat.

My very favourite place is the somewhat hidden church with a surprisingly large cemetery. If you manage to look through all the leaves (or in winter ) that spot offers a nice view of the river and a part of Prague. It is very silent and often feels even somehow deserted.

Chuchle forest is very comforting in the summer. In the fall you will find all kinds of colourful leaves but you may have most fun there in the winter. If you manage to rent a bobsleigh or something like that, the hill will make for a perfect place to use it…

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Chuchle forest | Relaxing | Free
Velka Chuchle | Praha 5
24 hours daily

Finally, after spending six months in Brussels, the famous piece of art „Entropa” is in Prague! You can find it in DOX – gallery of modern art, in Holešovice (where there’s obviously a lot more to see than Entropa, but more about that later ). I guess that most of you have already heard at least something about it but if you haven’t, let me tell you the story.

Entropa is a sculpture created by a famous and great artist David Černý in honour of the Czech EU presidency. The creation itself, was a mystification – as Mr. Černý said that it is a common work of artists from all 27 countries of the EU. That later turned out to be a lie, but it was too late to cancel the project. And so Entropa was successfully installed in Brussels in January 2009.

This piece of art has caused a lot of controversy. It is a 16 x 16 meter plastic, showing the EU countries in a very satiric way. Each country is symbolised by some of its stereotypes, for instance Slovakia looks like a Hungarian sausage, France is covered by a sheet with the word „Gréve” (strike). Bulgaria, shown as a construction of Turkish toilets, even brought up an official protest and was dispatched later on (but is back on today).

The whole Entropa is very colourful and I could probably spent hours enjoying just the sight of it. However, many people dislike it and think that it is a humiliation of European nations. Go see it yourself and have your say – the exhibition is prolonged until the end of April, 2010!

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Entropa at DOX | Art & culture | Entry CZK 180
Osadní 739 | Praha 7
Wed – Fri 11:00 – 19:00, Sat – Mon 10:00 – 18:00

Just below the Prague castle there is a so called “Deer-ditch” a beautiful green spot. This name comes from the deer hunts that used to take place there since the 16th century. Later the ditch was split into two by a rock dam. However, in 2002 a very classy tunnel once again draw those parts together. Since the 20’s until the 50’s, the ditch worked as place for bear-keeping. Later, it was made a military area, not open for public.

Not sooner than in the 90’s it was once again made accessible for the public. And that is definitely remarkable, since the place is unique and worth visiting. Although a ditch, there are also places such as a look-point favoured by president Masaryk already.

Through the ditch runs the small creek “Brusnice” plus there are some streams you can even drink from. I very much recommend visiting this place on a warm evening, it feels very relaxing. However, beware, the place closes at 6 pm and then becomes a military-secured area. From a personal experience I can’t recommend climbing over the fences…

And also important to know – Jelení příkop is entirely closed for visits during the winter!

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Jelení příkop | Relaxing | Free
Jelení příkop | Praha 1
Apr 1st – Oct 31st 10:00 – 18:00 daily

The name tells it all. Café in Seventh Heaven is a very favourite student café in Prague known for its practical location, great atmosphere, nice interior, wonderful coffee and wine. It is very cozy especially in the winter. What makes it most of all visit-worthy: it is a place to chill, work, eat and party. Us, locals, go there even alone, since it is quite certain, that some of our friends will be already sitting there…

If you visit this place, I would recommend going up the stairs. There’s even a comfy couch in the top floor as well as a nice sight out from the windows and, most of all, a stylish model of a human-sized „god” sitting on a swing.

The Café provides a free wi-fi service, which makes it a great place to go to with a laptop and work a bit. You can meet some well-known journalists, economists or politicians there doing precisely that. If you are a non-smoker, they have a special room just for you.

The waiters are usually very compliant, although often a bit stoned – it is a forgivable thing, though, I guess. The prices are not lowest but still reasonable – as I said, the usual visitors are students. Just be ware – you can get easily addicted to Café in Seventh Heaven and start spending days and weeks there!

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Kavárna v Sedmém nebi | Coffee & tea | Caffee Latté CZK 45
Zborovská 68 | Praha 5
11:00 – 23:00 daily

Újezd is an area where many of the Prague locals spend their time. There aren’t many tourists, it’s in the centre, there’s number of nice bars and cafés, the Petřín hill is just across the road…

One of the best-known bars is (surprisingly) called Klub Újezd. Open since 1990, it is a night-life classic. It started as a music club but live music performance was forbidden some ten years ago. It’s no big deal, though – it is a great place to visit anyway.

Currently, Klub Újezd is a three-floor bar. In the basement there is a small bar, a few tables, a DJ’s stage and a table-football. The first floor is more spacious with a large bar. But, if you plan a party, you should definitely make a reservation to the second floor which feels somehow most comfortable of all. It, among other, offers a very nice sight at the street and Petřín hill.

What makes Klub Újezd unique, are the decorations and paintings. For instance, on the walls there are paintings of strange persons with disfigured faces – as well as many other, sometimes even more pleasant scenes. Plus, the whole club works also as a free gallery – of photography, usually.

Thanks to its very late closing-hours, Klub Újezd is a very common place for late-evening or early-morning chill-outs. Add very reasonable prices and you’ve got a place you have to visit!

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Klub Újezd | Art & culture, Bars | Pilsner, 0,5 l CZK 35.00
Újezd 18 | Praha 1 | +420257316537
First floor bar 11:00 – 04:00, The rest 18:00 – 04:00 daily

Half way between the Charles bridge and Národní třída, you will find a café I very much recommend visiting. It is called Krásný ztráty and it has become quite famous here, so famous in fact, that a regular TV talkshow is being recorded there. Krásný ztráty is a place where a lot of interesting people gather. It is one of the few places where you can find students, intellectuals and celebrities at once.

Although it is called café, once again it has the character of a regular restaurant. They cook all day and the food is great, although the prices are quite high. I can particularly recommend visiting this place for a breakfast or a brunch. The place is calm with a very nice design of interior. So if you are in the centre and need to work a bit, you know where to go (they have free wireless LAN).

Apart from being a café, a bar and a restaurant, Krásný ztráty is also a wine shop a book shop, a gallery and an occasional music club or theatre stage. There are many events taking place there so you might want to check that out at their website.

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Krásný ztráty | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (General)
Náprstkova 10 | Praha 1
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 01:00

Just by the river, near Klárov, there is a place many tourist guides will lead you to. It is a nice small square where there is the famous Franz Kafka museum. I haven’t visited it once, although I am a fan of Kafka’s work. Maybe it actually is worth visiting but I want to draw your attention elsewhere.

What I am talking about is the strange-looking sculpture in the middle of the square. You will find there two cooper persons peeing into a strange bowl. Their waists move so that it looks even more life-like. The funniest part which a lot of people don’t realize, though, lays on the ground. Those guys pee into a bowl shaped like the Czech Republic. Once again, this proves David Černý’s (artist of Entropa i.e.) skills and vision.

We Czechs aren’t a particularly proud nation. On the other hand it seems that from time to time we don’t have a problem with making fun of ourselves, which I find quite appealing. Artist like Černý thus have many fans, me among them. Others might possibly find his work insulting or obscene.

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Miska Republika | Art & culture | Free
Cihelná 2 | Praha 1
24 hours daily

Kampa is a very beautiful area in the downtown of Prague – just near Újezd. It mainly consists of a large park from where there is a nice view of the river and the other part of the city.

People go to hang out there, smoke a water-pipe, throw a frisbee… It is also a place of culture, though. There is quite a nice museum there and most importantly a lot of outdoor exhibitions take place at Kampa – such as for instance quite recently an exhibition of various phone booths.

Not to be forgotten, there is a great refreshing place there. It is situated inside what used to be a water-mill. Its atmosphere is truly charming. Plus there is a pleasant backyard. In the summer though, I prefer to have a beer draught into a plastic cup and go outside to chat at the benches or sit on the grass.

Many interesting or famous people are spending their evenings in Mlýnská kavárna. For instance, David Černý, the author of Entropa (check this article about Entropa), Miska republika | +420608444490
12:00 – 00:00 daily

Just by the river, some six kilometres south of Podolska vodarna lays the local’s very favourite cyclo-road. Of course you will not find only bikes there but also a bunch of in-line skaters as well as pedestrians.

It is not only its length which makes it so attractive. It is also the position at the outskirts of the city, in the green area. It is a great place for a picnic or various outdoor sports. By the road, there are several ‘refreshing’ spots where you can get a cheap cold beer or a Kofola – the popular Czech coke drink (which I really recommend trying, we, locals, love it – what about you? ).

A trip there makes for some sort of cultural event, too. That is thanks to the number of great graffitis placed at the so called ‘legals’ – concrete spots by the river on which it is completely legal to spray.

If you own a bike or feel like a long walk, you can go even further than the previously stated 6 km and reach the ‘real’ nature near Zbraslav (where there’s even a small zoo and a former Celtic settlement). Enjoy!

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Modřanská cyklostezka | Relaxing | Free
From Podolí to Komořany | Praha 4
24 hours daily

Dejvice are a very unique part of Prague. One could even say that they are a „city inside a city”, you can find there everything you need for life. There are shops, restaurants, bars, parks, woods… As I moved there half a year ago, I started discovering the secrets of this city quarter. The Dejvice locals showed me quite a lot of nice places (Check this link for other nice Dejvice pubs) – Restaurace na Urale above all of them.

The name comes from the name of the street „Uralská” (most of the streets and lanes in downtown Dejvice are called after some war heroes or Russian places or people). It is a restaurant but lots of locals just go there for a beer. They offer the traditional Gambrinus and Pilsen beer for very reasonable prices. The service is usually very compliant, even so much that you will probably get a new beer before even finishing the previous. Call it weird, we consider it an advantage.

The menu offers a rich traditional Czech cuisine. I can recommend ordering for instance some of the „bramboráks” (sort of potato-pancake). Also, you should try their pear brandy, they even put bits of pear in it and it is just soo tasty!

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Na Urale | Bars, Restaurants (intern) | Gambrinus beer, 0,5 l CZK 24.00
Uralská 9 | Praha 6 | +420224326820
11:00 – 02:00 daily

One of the places to visit at Újezd is definitely Popocafépetl. There are actually four Cafés of this name in Prague (Na Struze, Italská, Melantrichova) – this is the only one which works as a music club, though.

When you find the a bit hollow entrance and walk down the stairs to a what used to be a mid-age cellar, you will immediately smell the unmistakable odour. Then you walk into the small and only mildly-lit club with an original and sort of old-school decoration and the party can begin. You can order a coffee, beer, wine or basically any cocktail you name for a very reasonable price.

Virtually every day there is a concert on. Pick yours: Fridays and Saturdays there will be a DJ playing 80’s, 90’s and dance music, live gipsy bands play Sundays, Latino Mondays and other live concerts the other days. Just check out the program at their website. The entry is mostly free or up to 100,-. I would just very recommend making a reservation since the small club is often very crowded.

Last but not least, Popocafepetl doesn’t basically know anything like a rigid closing-time. They just close when there are not many people left – which can be either at 02:00 or 05:00. Therefore, it’s also a great place to hang out after you’ve been kicked out from somewhere else and still feel like partying…

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Popocafépetl @ Újezd | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Stella Artois, 0,5 l CZK 39.00
Újezd 19 | Praha 5 | +420602277226
16:00 – 02:00 (officially) daily

What is very lovely about Prague is the number and size of „green” spots. There are not only parks – if you manage to get a little bit further from the center, you can get to „real” nature, as well. One of the locals’ very favourite places to spend nice weekend mornings, afternoons or evenings is Prokopské údolí.

Located in the south-west of Prague, it is just about twenty minutes from the centre. It’s useful to take a bus (104 or 120) from the stop Na Knížecí (Metro stop Anděl) – and get out at Hlubočepská. A bike path begins there which will easily lead your steps. If you actually have a bike, don’t hesitate and ride it – walking is also fine, though.

The place is lovely in fall or winter. In fall, you will particularly enjoy the cool mist that covers this deep valley as well as the colorful leaves of all kinds. In winter, especially when there is snow, the place is very silent and feels a little bit like another, distant, world – and yet it is still so close to the city.

I would recommend taking some snacks and wine too, as there are number of places for a small picnic… For instance by a pond, laying some fifty meters up north from the main road. It used to be really messy, but things seem to be getting better…

If you feel a bit like some action, I would also recommend going up the hill and seeing Prague from Barrandov rocks. It is quite high, but definitely worth it!

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Prokopské údolí | Relaxing
Hlubočepská | Praha 5
24 hours daily

Some twelve years ago, the perhaps most famous Czech author of cartoons died. His name was Jaroslav Foglar and he was famous for his cartoon books „Rychlé šípy”, about a group of honest and genuine boys. Their adventures took place in a city quarter which haven’t really existed. However, it is said that the so called „Stínadla” (shadow-city) were inspired by the narrow and dark lanes in the area between Národní třída and Národní divadlo.

Along with Újezd this is also an area where most of my favourite bars, pubs and Café’s are. One can imagine that some hundred years ago, there have been lots of passages through the backyards of the houses and such. Almost all of these (which used to be really popular all around Prague) have been closed until these days, though. Luckily, there is one really cool passage still open, at least most of the time.

It is a true shortcut, if you want to get to the tram stop „Lazarská” from inside this area. However, I walk there just about any time I have the chance. It leads from the lane „Opatovická”, to „Spálená” street. You will be walking through a backyard which will feel like as if time has stopped running there seventy years ago. Of course, it is a bit filthy and smelly place, but that helps building its character. If you have the chance, see for yourself! Just don’t get locked up inside.

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Průchod u Lazarské | Relaxing
Opatovická – Spálená | Praha 1
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 21:00

You will not only find bars and cafés at Újezd. On the corner, there is also a shop you might not have seen before. In Czech, this kind of shop is called „vetešnictví” (literally „junk-shop”) and they were quite popular some hundred year ago. There are not many left these days and that makes this one even more special (I bet it has been there for at least a century)

In this shop you can get just about anything. Old postcards, sewing machines, musical instruments, books, maps, dishes, coffee pots, beer bottles – to start with. Everyone will probably find their sort of thing and won’t leave bare-handed. The prices are naturally very low, although perhaps if you start speaking some other language than Czech, you might get a mark-up.

When you come in, it feels like another world. Most of all in winter, when it is freezing outside, it is a great place to vait for a tram to come… The room is very dark and crowded with all kinds of stuff. I would recommend visiting on a cold winter day, it is particularly nice to go and see this warm and dark place, then. Oh, and if you are really broke, you can sell some stuff too…

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Vetešnictví na Újezdě | Shopping
Vítězná 12 | Praha 1
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 17:00, Sat 10:00 – 12:00

It is a place you will probably find in all regular city-guides. However, as it is not directly in the center, many people (even the locals) just miss the opportunity to visit it, which is definitely a shame. Vyšehrad is an important place in Czech history, appearing in many national myths and legends (most of which appear in this book).

There are basically two ways to get there. Either you can take the Metro „C” and get out at the stop „Vyšehrad” – it is still a small walk, but that shouldn’t bother you. Or – and I prefer that one – you can take the tram to the stop „Podolská vodárna” and walk up the hill. Up there, there is not only the majestic and huge church and an ancient rotunda, but most importantly a spacious and calm park.

Vyšehrad is nut just a summer place. Thanks to all the trees, it is very beautiful in the fall. And when its freezing and the city rests under a pillow of snow, Vyšehrad is a place for a nice silent walk. The great view of the city (from different places at Vyšehrad, you can see different parts of the city and get a complete picture) makes it a somewhat relaxing spot.

Up on the hill, there is also a cemetery called „Slavín” at which the Czech heroes and heroins of the past two centuries rest. Surely worth seeing!

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Vyšehrad castle | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Vyšehrad | Praha 2
Park: 24 hours daily