Where to shop in Prague

The new Prague Foodie Map is here! Bigger, fatter, badder.

The new Prague Foodie Map is here! Bigger, fatter, badder.

So the day has arrived and we are happy to announce the third itineration of what our moms, and the voices inside our heads, say is by far the best food guide to Prague - the Prague Foodie Map.

This version did not come easy to us. Originally scheduled “before Christmas”, it took us over half a year to finish. And let us tell you, a lot of things can happen in six months on Prague’s food scene, which has led to many, many, many rewrites. This was the first full version we wrote as parents, and in many way, the process showed. But at the end of the day, we feel that writing the guide as parents has added a completely new dimension that the guide lacked before. (And no, we’re not talking about sleep deprivation.)


Taste of Prague Czech Christmas Gift Tips and Guide

Taste of Prague Czech Christmas Gift Tips and Guide

Gotta love Christmas shopping. If Christmas is the holiday of calm and peace, Christmas gifts are the stuff calm and peace are made of. You can say that gifts don’t matter, but explain that to the eight-year-old when he unwraps the “really, really warm” knitted socks from grandma, when all he wanted was a Nintendo. And grandma ain’t winning the “Grandma of the Year” award this Christmas, either. Yes, a gift can make or break a Christmas celebration.

And that’s where we come in. We have set up a list of our recommended Czech Christmas gift that will satisfy kids and adults alike. Just like Haribo gummy bears. Think about this list as poor man’s Goop. And we’re not selling any weird jade eggs, either.

Here’s Taste of Prague’s Czech Christmas shopping tips and guide.


Taste of Prague's Czech Christmas Gift Guide

Taste of Prague's Czech Christmas Gift Guide

Yes, Christmas is coming in three days or so, and if you are like us, you have just started freaking out when you realized you have no Christmas presents for your loved ones. And your in Prague and you have no idea what to buy as the perfect Czech Christmas present. Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. 

We have put together a small Czech Christmas Presents Guide for your convenience and pleasure. We asked ourselves a simple question: „What should you buy as the perfect Christmas present from Prague?“ It took us some time, but here’s our answers. You will see we’re quite a diverse bunch. Or are we? 


Prague off the beaten path: Dlouha street

Prague off the beaten path: Dlouha street

We’ve said it once and we will say it again: picking the right place to eat or drink in Prague’s historical centre can be tricky. The thing is, most of the venues in the areas exposed to tourism are not really frequented by the locals and you have to cherry-pick them to find the good, authentic local spots. Prague can get very touristy at times. Just wait until you get here and you'll see what we’re talking about.

Luckily, there are a few places in the centre that are exceptions to the rule. One of them is the Dlouha street. Just a few steps of the madness that is the Old Town Square, with the Astronomical Clock that the locals are careful to avoid around the full hour (if you’ve been to Prague, you understand), the Dlouha street is a refuge that offers some great places to eat, meet and great with the locals. If you are in the Old Town area, you can spend nearly the entire day in the Dlouha street and its surroundings eating, drinking and even enjoying some culture and walks. Don’t believe us? Here are some of the options.


Introducing Taste of Prague Foodie Guide!

Introducing Taste of Prague Foodie Guide!

You may have noticed we have been neglecting this Prague blog a bit. It’s a mix of various factors. First, we’re now in the middle of the high season for our Prague food tours, and our time to write about the nice places we’ve found is quite limited these days. Also, the heatwaves did not help. We get super lazy above 35C/95F, and honestly, you can’t blame us. And then there was another thing. A (not so) secret project, if you will.

It is not every day we get to introduce an entirely new product here. But this is the day. For a few months now, we have been slowly working on a small foodie guide for Prague. We’re 99% there, and with a bit of luck and effort, the guide will go to print next week. It should be ready and out some time in September. Question: have you ever worked on a project, spent seven days doing the first 80% and then the next seven months trying to finish the remaining 20%? This is that project for us. Trust us - we can’t wait to see it in print.


Prague local favorites: Botas 66

Prague local favorites: Botas 66

The guests of our Prague food tours often ask us about souvenirs they should get from Prague. We think you have to be smart when it comes to buying souvenirs anywhere: it has to be something relatively small, something that will survive the journey in your luggage unharmed, and something that has a story behind it you can later tell your friends when you show off what you brought home. Botas 66 sneakers (or trainers for those reading this in the UK) meet all these criteria.


One-day in Prague: Best things to do in Prague?

One-day in Prague: Best things to do in Prague?

Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way at the beginning: visiting Prague for one day only is not, ehm, the ideal scenario. Prague has so much to offer that you will definitely wish you’d stay longer. You’ll see. That said, we are well aware that we get far less vacation time than we all deserve, and sometimes you want to try to see as much as possible. 

Inspired by guests who have recently stayed in our rental apartment, we have prepared an emergency, one-day, try-to-see-it-all-in itinerary for Prague. Setting up an itinerary like this is about compromises. But we have tried our best to create an itinerary that will mix the local with the famous, and throw in some great bites on the way, of course. Just remember: Prague is a bit hilly and the streets are cobblestoned, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare mentally for a long walk. You’re in for a looong walk, but hey: you brought it on yourself. Visiting Prague in one day? Crazy.


Czech sweets you should buy and try

Czech sweets you should buy and try

A beautiful crystal chandelier? A larger-than-life painting of the Prague Castle? A 4-feet Moser vase? No. None of these are great gifts when you want to bring a cheap, fun souvenir from Prague to your colleagues, classmates or friends in your chess team. But some classic Czech sweets, candies and chocolate bars? That’s an entirely different story: they are cheap, fun and also unique to the Czech environment. Not something you’d give your loved one for Valentine’s Days, sure, but they are lots of fun for the right person.

Now, of course, you can go very, very wrong with choosing the right kind. Not all of classic Czech sweets taste great or - more importantly - have a story behind them. Because let’s be honest: story sells. Even gifts. You want a sweet or a bar that has a rich history, something that has a track record behind it, something that was the primary cause behind our first cavities, drilled without anesthesia when the whole school went to the dentist like we used to do in the last years of Communism (but that’s an entirely different story). You want some sweets we grew up with. You want sweets like those listed in this post.


Prague off the beaten path: Veverkova street

Prague off the beaten path: Veverkova street

Letna, the district we love and recommend for a visit, has always been a place that attracted creative people. Heck, it’s the district that the National Gallery and the Academy of Fine Arts call home, after all. It is also the district of our rental apartment, so it must be good, right?

Recently, a small section of a small street in the middle of Letna has become a tiny hub for young creative types: the Veverkova street. A stretch of no more than 50 meters between the Kostelni and Milady Horakove streets accommodates a handful of places that offer fun shopping and eating opportunities. And because shopping and eating are two of our favorite things especially when we travel - and because Zuzi bought two Christmas presents for Jan there - we have to write about these venues. Some may be familiar, some may not. But they are all small, authentic and creative in their own right and create a sense of a small community.