If you love Vietnamese food, you should check out the so-called little Hanoi aka Sapa, situated in Prague.

TTTM Sapa, located in the south surround of Prague called Písnice, is a wholesale market where you can buy a lot of stuff (the majority of the items sold comes from Asia of course). Actually it’s like a town in a town with different amenities for the Vietnamese community: restaurants and bistros (including bubble tea places) beauty salons, a school, a temple etc.

I’m a big fan of Sapa especially because of the food. I like the Vietnamese groceries, where you can buy different ingredients for Asian cuisine that you can not buy anywhere else (or they are way to expensive) – various vegetables and fruits, herbs, sauces, frozen prawns, alive crabs, strange looking meat, tea, rice, tofu and much more…

Besides checking the shops you should definitely eat there. The criteria of a good place to eat is simple: eat where local people eat. Places which are oriented in one type of food are usually the strike home. My favorite place is a tiny place named Hai Há – the have the best bún chả- it is rich and savory.

P.S. if you go to Sapa by bus, you can take bus 113 from metro station Kacerov (C line) – that is the best way. A second option is the bus 198 from Smichovske nadrazi metro station (B line). 

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Sapa | Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Vietnamese) | Bún chả CZK 90.00
Libušská 319/126 | Praha 4
09:00 – 20:00 daily

The farmers’ market craze hit Prague in the spring 2010. It started with one or two test runs, with reserved support from the local city administration. But as soon as the maddening crowd started lining up for Czech-grown veggies, home-baked pastries and gluten-free sausages, every city district wanted to have a market of their own. Now, there are over thirty markets happening on different days all over Prague.

This was a long-time coming. After the fall of communism, and the fast economic growth of the country, informal markets fell out of favor. People flocked to supermarkets and hypermarkets. Recent years, though, have seen a reverse trend. Many city dwellers, frustrated with getting Spanish tomatoes and EU-sourced honey, even in the corner stores, have started seeking out locally grown and organic produce along with a nicer shopping experience.

Now, the Jiřák market looks similar to the food markets in West European cities that have a much longer history. Except, that the proportion of fresh produce to other products is much lower most of the year. Vegetables, fruit, dairy products and meat all come from Czech farms, and the vendors are surprisingly eager to tell you where their farm is located and even invite you to visit. In addition, there are always one or two fish stands, and you can find hand-made ceramics, Moravian wine, jams, pastries, the lot.

In the summer months, there is often live music, grilled meat and beer on tap, giving it a somewhat Czech beer garden feel.

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Jiřák Farmers’ Market | Shopping, Snacks, Festivals & events
nam. Jiřího z Poděbrad | Praha 3
Wed & Fri – Sat 08:00 – 18:00

I often hear from my friends and family that this cake and that tart were much larger and cheaper a certain time ago! What the cause is for these thoughts is a deep question – maybe we grow and the cakes do not. Well, in this sweetshop you can be sure the sizes are like in those childhood days, but, honestly, I cannot bet on the prices as well.

Erhartova Cukrarna is not only interesting simly because of the perfect desserts they prepare, but also because of the location. In this very spot the sweetshop has been located since 1937 when the building was built. The pure functionalist interior was very gently renovated just few years ago and, truly, it is a miracle the interior was not destroyed during the last era.

The new unobtrusive design is balanced by a rich variety of the desserts. From little soft cookies to large heavy cakes for cream lovers, I believe each of you can choose the right one. Of course you can sit inside and accompany the cake with a coffee. Here is another important message for quality lovers – all desserts are prepared right in the sweetshop and the bakers are using high-quality and natural products like real cream. And that is rare to see these days.

Continue to Stromovka (check the Stromovka article) to walk after all the sweets you could not resist to eat or to Bio Oko (check the Bio Oko article) to see a nice movie!

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Erhartova Cukrarna | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Apple Strudel CZK 25.00
MIlady Horákové 56 | Praha 7 | +420233312148
10:00 – 19:00 daily

Sitting by the river in a restaurant named after that same river – what else do we need. I officially confirm that Saturday February 25th 2012 was the first spring-like day this year and I had a beer outside of the Restaurant Vltava and I did not freeze. Between the Hamburk boat and the Nautilus boat, directly on the riverside, is a simple wooden building that was built there shortly after the Second World War. Until now, it serves its original purpose and after restitution belongs to the family which built it.

I love to ride my bike along the river and to stop there for one beer or two. During spring and summer, the riverside is very popular for walks and cycling. In the afternoon, when the sun shines directly on this side of the river and the time is slowing down, enjoy the light dancing on the water level. Restaurant Vltava offers also some nice Czech meals, usually average quality. I would recommend small meals going along with beer. The restaurant is located in the centre and you can afterwards continue your walk almost anywhere.

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Restaurant Vltava | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Czech cuisine) | Large Pilsner CZK 39.00
Rašínovo nábřeží 2084 | Praha 2 | +420224930015
11:00 – 22:00 daily

La Casa Blu pub is cozy inside and on one of the most cozy places of Prague! On a street corner like from old times, in the heart of Jewish town, very near to all attractive sites of the city, is a bar founded by Prague Chilean Jorge Zúñiga and is called the ‘Hispanic’ pub, café and bar.

Inside is always a welcoming environment and I can right now think of several moods the bar was in when I spent some time there. Nicely smelling lunch time, offering its tasty fusion of tex-mex and Latin cuisine. Lazy summer afternoons with chilling cocktails. A totally busy night where crossing 10 meters from one side of the bar to another took an hour, because the motion characterized by the situation was more Brownian motion than a walk. I am looking forward to hearing about your experience!

When visiting, enjoy the food – soups, nachos, salads, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, quesadillas and other delicious meals. As for drinks, your will get anything you wish, starting with coffee, beer, vine, a wide variety of spirits and last but not least cocktails. The bar became non-smoking after a local referendum among customers.

Spanish speaking visitors will be pleased by Spanish speaking bartenders. I met at least one every time I spent one warming moment there.

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La Casa Blu | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Cappucino CZK 44.00
Kozí 15 | Praha 1 | +420723446002
Mon – Fri 11:00 – open end, Sat 12:00 – open end, Sun 14:00 – open end

The swimming pool in Hotel Axa is always convenient and easily accessible. I got used to visiting it when I lived around the corner and I continued going there even after I moved quite far. Ok, it is quite small (25 x 12 m) and I am not saying to go there in case you are training for a national swimming competition, but listen to the pluses before searching for different one.

In Axa you pay per minute, so even if you decide to leave earlier, you pay just for time you really spent with swimming and drying you hair. In case you will get bored after 15 minutes, no need to feel ashamed to leave. Axa has one of the ‘hottest’ water in Prague – also my grandmother confirmed this quality has been stable since the sixties. Last but not least – music is played to keep you motivated and fast.

Other convenient services are the sauna, for men and women or strictly for women, available massages or the solarium. After swimming, cool down in the bar and get some snacks.

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Bazen Axa | Relaxing, Snacks | Price per minute CZK 1.00
Na Poříčí 40 | Praha 1 | +420222323967
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 09:00 & 12:00 – 13:00 & 17:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 21:00

There are average beers, huge amount of highly valued micro-brewery beers, but there is only one Pilsner Urquell. And the Pilsner Urquell served in the pub ‘U Veverky’ is in the best shape it can be. Non-pasteurized, kept in tanks, draught by skilled barmen, is a real pleasure for any beer lover. Usually, you can just nod and the next beer will land on your table with no asking. Try using the phrase ‘Dobry den, Plzen’ meaning ‘Hi, I want a Pilsner’, and you might survive the whole evening with this sentence!

The food offered is generally expressed as treats your stomach will like before the beer lands. The chef composes with his hands and heart the very best symphony of Czech cuisine. I recommend ‘Svickova’ with 6 dumplings, which is the cult Czech meal. Inside is smoking and non-smoking area and in the summer an outside garden and a ‘yard’ for few stand-up beers under a shelter. Beer drinkers look a bit funny being held in a sort of pen, but they are standing there definitely with their consent.

‘U Veverky’ means ‘By a squirrel’ and the bartenders are really so quick with the beer like they have a squirrel gene. Pure Czech pub, I love every single piece of it!

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Hospoda U Veverky | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Czech cuisine) | Large Pilsner CZK 34.00
Eliášova 324/14 | Praha 6 | +420223000223
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 00:00

Every railway station has it – a pub, where the strangers gather, where you kill some time between the trains. And based on my research such pubs also attract locals and are usually of a lower quality. On the other hand, ‘nadrazka’, which is an expression to any pub located within a railway station, is somehow away from everyone’s attention, because it’s usually despised. Under these conditions it can evolve into an interesting appearance. Like this one!

Railway station Dejvice also has its ‘nadrazka’. Dejvicka nadrazka offers low price, though from a limited choice, drinks (beer, vine, basic spirits and non-alcoholic drinks) and has even a grill for some snacks. During the day you will find it quiet and occupied with local barflies. When you choose a night with a concert, Nadrazka Dejvice can be very crowded and busy. But the local bartender is the fastest beer tender I have ever seen and if you are lucky you will meet him as well.

The concerts are usually for the rough types, starting with punk and rock up to cross-over. But who does not like being rough sometimes. In case you are interested you can actually arrange your own concert as well.

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Nadrazka Dejvice pub | Bars, Music, Snacks | Czech Rum CZK 16.00
Václavkova 1 | Praha 6 | +420777340029
09:00 – 00:00 daily

As you enter the front space of Dobra Trafika on Korunni you find yourself in a normal cafe combined with a trafika – or a newspaper and tobacco shop. But when you enter the main room in the back, you actual feel like you’re in someone’s living room. And it has to be noted, that this someone collects random old furniture, likes to play boardgames and used to smoke.

The backroom is filled with random chairs, a big comfy couch, an old armchair that you have to fall into at least once, and similarly haphazard objects on the walls. One of my favorite things about Dobra Trafika has always been the backyard, which, although small, is quiet and peaceful for great summer-time conversations and real Vinohrady courtyard feel. Recently, they made a kind of wooden shed extension of the cafe, taking up half of the yard, so you can sit there even if it’s raining or not so warm out.

The cafe has an absurdly long list of exotic teas and coffees (they even have a shop selling them separately two doors down) and serves up small and curious snacks like half a pita bread filled with apple and cinnamon or banana. There are also books sold at the front.

This place is great to come and just relax, feeling slightly cut off from the world in the quiet back room or the yard. The service is usually not that speedy, but in a place like this, it really doesn’t have to be.

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Dobrá trafika | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Cappuccino CZK 35
Korunní 42 | Praha 2 | +420737907635
Mon – Fri 06:30 – 23:00, Sat 07:30 – 23:00, Sun 09:00 – 23:00

Ladronka might have been a calm and empty park a few years ago. But since the city hall renewed the paths and added free open air fitness stops, the park is crowded with bikers, in-line skaters and runners. Luckily there are still few places to rest, so do not fell pressed to come and sweat only.

In the middle of the park is an ancient manor, which gave the park its name and the history of the place sounds according to modern hurried times like this: vineyards of Charles IV. (14th century), manor of Filip Ferdinand de la Crone (17th century), destroyed (19th century), housing for few families (first half of 20th century), store house (second half of 20th century), housing for squatters and center of alternative culture (1993 – 2000).

In Ladronka park you can go running, in-line skating, play Frisbee, beach volleyball (CZK 300.00 per hour), and do hundreds of other activities you think of when you see an opened green plane. If you love in-line skating, rent a pair of skates in the manor. The rental is opened from Mon – Fri 14:00 – 20:00 and from 10:00 – 20:00 on weekends. One pair for 1 hour costs 90 CZK and gets cheaper with every person. You can also rent a ball, frisbee, pétanque or badminton set, which must be really interesting in use on this windy hill.

Get sporty! Or just go for a walk for one beer .

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Park Ladronka | Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Tomanova 1/1028 | Praha 6
24 hours daily