First time visiting Prague? Here’s what to do and where to go; the very best of what you should see. Returning visitor? We’ve got a few undiscovered gems and things you might have missed out on before
If you’ve never been to Prague, you’ll find there are two very distinct sides to it. On the one hand, it’s Disneyland (in the nicest possible way). It’s very pretty, very old, and very, very busy, particularly in summer. Don’t worry, though — you can see the tour groups coming from a mile off and there are plenty of little side streets to duck down as they pass. On the other hand, that’s exactly one of the charms; when you duck down a side street, you might find that wonderful view, that ancient pub, that curious sculpture that you can call your own little secret. It’s worth visiting time and again. So, with that in mind, here are the six best things that we’ve narrowed down for the interest of anyone coming to the Czech capital.
Prague for first-timers
Tourist favorites (without being too touristy)
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Find the smaller parts. You’ll naturally gravitate towards the Old Town, and that is pretty, but if you cross the river and go to Malá Strana, you’ll find one of those interesting areas that are touristy in a single-stream type of way. Turn off the main cobbled hill and head down any of the side streets to find cozy, wood-paneled pubs to try huge plates of traditional Czech food.
Find the best view
Walk over Mánes Bridge and head up to Letná. Yes, Charles Bridge is the most famous, but it’s a hideous tourist trap of crap buskers and even worse caricaturists. However, if you go up the river and cross over using the next bridge, you get a lovely view back down the river to take photos of Charles Bridge with the castle behind. Then head up to the wooded area of Letná on the far bank and sit in the park with a beer.
A tower of fun
On the west bank of the Vltava, you can walk up to Petřín Tower (it’s the one that looks like a mini Eiffel Tower). In this park, you can find all sorts of weird distractions including a mirror maze, a rose garden, a cathedral, and, amazingly, the world’s largest stadium!
If you’ve been to Prague before, try these
So, you’ve done the big things, bought an overpriced beer on the Old Town Square and now you’re looking for more local things to do. Well, we’ve got a few of those too…
Football fever
Catch a (smaller) game of football. Currently there are five Prague clubs plying their trade in the top two Czech leagues: Sparta and Slavia are the two big teams, but for a more intimate experience, head to Bohemians (socially-conscious, former team of Antonín Panenka of penalty fame), Dukla (historically very successful, the grounds boast a good view of the city but are a bit of a pain to get to), or Viktoria Žižkov (cool part of town, excellent beer and food). You’ll generally be welcomed a lot more warmly than at one of the big teams.
Historical horniness
At Kožná 1, you’ll find the first and only museum in the world dedicated solely to mechanical sex devices. Over three floors, you’ll marvel/squirm at some of the things humans have designed purely to get their rocks off. Helpfully, even if you can’t get around how some of these things work, there are plenty of mannequins posed in demonstrative positions. (I mentioned this place, along with several other quirky Prague museums, in this article on unusual places in the Czech Republic.)
Give peace a chance
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Opposite the French Embassy is what’s known locally as the Lennon Wall. Despite the objections of the local police, this graffiti-covered wall has become a landmark as it’s constantly changing with Beatles-related daubings. Sketches, lyrics and quotes cover every inch of this piece of anonymous, suburban Prague.
That’s Prague in brief
There’s so much more to see and do than this brief article can cover, so search Kiwi.com Stories to read more travel inspiration, or head over to Kiwi.com to book your flight to Prague and see it all for yourself!
