Alternative Prague: escaping the tourist trail
21.07.2023 - 08:17
/ roughguides.com
Prague is one of Europe’s most visited cities. Millions of tourists come to the Czech capital each year for its romantic hilltop castle, its intricate astronomical clock and its statue-lined medieval bridge.
And 2018 is busier than ever, with the city celebrating 100 years since the founding of Czechoslovakia. Yet for all its headline attractions, some of Prague’s most unique experiences are to be found away from the tourist trail. From strange sculptures to nuclear bunkers, here are six alternative activities to enjoy in the Czech capital.
Once the city’s industrial centre, Holešovice has in recent years reinvented itself as a bona fide hipster hub. Former factories and industrial spaces have been transformed into everything from artisan coffee shops – such as the shabby-chic hangout Vnitroblock and the Bitcoin-only café Paraleni Polis– to centres of contemporary art, including airship-topped art gallery DOX and innovative theatre space Jatka 78.
Spend an afternoon wandering the tram-filled streets of Holešovice and you’ll also stumble upon other hipster-tinged highlights, including upmarket Asian-fusion restaurant SaSaZu, riverside craft beer pub Pivovar Marina and steampunk music venue Cross Club, notable for its retro-futuristic scrap metal interiors.
After all that, you may need a breath of fresh air. Head to the beautiful Stromovka Park for a pond-side picnic or climb the hill to Letná Park for views over Prague’s majestic Old Town.
When exploring Prague's enchanting atmosphere, make sure you have a comfortable place to stay, and our guide to the best places to stay in Prague will help you do just that.
Holešovice © Milan Humaj/Shutterstock
David Černý has gained an international reputation for his unusual, provocative sculptures. Remember the London bus doing press-ups back in 2012? Or the map of the EU in Brussels that managed to insult every member state? Well, Prague is David Černý’s hometown… and his odd artworks are everywhere.
His best-known city sculptures include Babies, a series of faceless toddlers climbing Žižkov Tower, and Horse, an homage to the famous St-Wenceslas-on-horseback statue, except this time with a lifeless horse. But lesser-spotted works include Piss (two male figures urinating on a map of the Czech Republic), Hanging Out (a life-sized figure of Sigmund Freud dangling from a rooftop) and Franz Kafka’s Head (a gigantic metal bust of Kafka composed of 42 layers that separately rotate). Oh, and then there’s Brown-Nosers.
METALmorphosis by David Černý © Paul Carter Photography/Shutterstock
Prague may be best-known for its frothy beer, but the locals are also partial to another less-intoxicating tipple: tea. The Czech capital has some remarkable tea shops, but they’re usually found