Explore Prague's Wenceslas Square and New Town

Explore Prague's Wenceslas Square and New Town

When we started our Prague Foodie Tours at the top of the Wenceslas Square in Prague’s New Town, showing its historical importance was easy: we’d just whip out our iPad and show photos of people celebrating Czechoslovakia’s independence in 1918, the Nazi troops parading on the square in 1938, the Soviet tanks in 1968, and the Velvet Revolution that ended Communism in late 1989.

Yes, Wenceslas Square, one of Prague’s natural crossroads and a place when the locals meet to venture into the historical centre, where they work and shop (but rarely live) is a place where history was repeatedly made. It has been losing its splendour in the past decades as it lost some high-profile retail shops to Old Town’s Pařížská street and as it became the nearest Prague had to a red light district at night. Think Champs-Élysées, but in Prague.

So the locals may be a bit grumpy about the current state of the square, and look forward to plans of its revitalisation, which - after years of empty promises - seem to be finally picking up speed.

The Wenceslas Square is not just a photo opportunity to capture the monumental National Museum towering at the top of the avenue (year, the „square“ is not really a square), but a great place to spend a day, or a half of it, breathe in the history, have a meal and a drink, and wonder through the webs of walkthroughs that connect the buildings around it. So if you’ve done the Old Town and the Castle District during your Prague trip, the Wenceslas Square is a great place to explore, especially on a rainy day in Prague.


New Prague openings of 2021 - Have you been?

New Prague openings of 2021 - Have you been?

At the end of every year, we write a piece on new openings in Prague. And every year we’re surprised by how many good or decent places actually opened. And boy oh boy, while 2021 sure was a difficult year, we have edited our count down to 50, which means nearly one opening per week. Not too shabby. And this list is by no means exhaustive - it’s just a list of places that have entered our radar and are or are supposed to be good.

And like every year, we’ve made a cheat sheet for you to print out and out it in your wallet or on your fridge, in an attempt to remind yourself that there are still places in Prague you haven’t been. Feel free to scroll down for a download.

Anyway, let’s go down recent memory lane and see what opened in 2021.


Covid Situation and Restrictions in the Czech Republic, F/W 2021 edition

Covid Situation and Restrictions in the Czech Republic, F/W 2021 edition

So here we go again. When we posted our last post about the covid situation and restrictions in late June, we may have honestly thought it would be the last one: after a slower rollout, vaccines were widely available to anyone who wanted them, our infection numbers were low, and the future was bright.

Well, some five months and one general election later, we entered a pretty brutal fifth wave in November 2021: the number of infections were breaking all previous records, and our hospitals started to fill up with mostly unvaccinated patients.

Right now it seems the peak of this wave is behind us, and the numbers of infections, hospitalisations and Covid-related deaths have been steadily falling, and some of the restrictions have been lifted.

So let’s look at what the situation and restrictions are, how did we get here, and what may be our way forward.


2021 Prague Christmas Dining and NYE Dining Guide

2021 Prague Christmas Dining and NYE Dining Guide

So after last year’s Christmas lockdown, take-out boxes and a whole lotta eggnog, Christmas dining is back in 2021. We’ve been personally eating out on Christmas Eve for years now, for one simple reason: we can’t be bothered. Spending the special day in the kitchen, alternating between swearing and drinking, and then trying to avoid all talk of politics when the in-laws get in (add more wine) and listen to them talk about how „grandma’s potato salad wasn’t done like this“? (Is there any wine left?) Thank you but no, thank you.

Now, eating out on Christmas Eve means a clean kitchen, a visit to a few relatives in their messy homes, a nice dinner and then getting back to your squeaky clean, fragrant-candle-smelling home to give and get presents. And if you’re visiting Prague as a tourist, it’s honestly the only option.


Breaking News: Our Christmas Vouchers are out!

Breaking News: Our Christmas Vouchers are out!

So your partner has everything he or she may want, and you have nothing to buy them for Christmas? Wrong! They don’t have our amazing Christmas vouchers yet, do they?

Our vouchers are a gift that keeps on giving - first, it’s a beautiful letter with a personalised thank you note that glorifies both the giftee and the giver. Second, it gives your loved one(s) access to a tour or an experience they will absolutely friggin’ love some time later on.

Also, giving a Taste of Prague experience makes you 40% more attractive, as conclusively proven in a recent survey conducted by the prestigious University of Our Moms.

So how can you become Mr and/or Ms Perfect this Christmas and turn your Christmas experience to eleven? Read on.


Taste of Prague’s Local Christmas Buying Guide 2021

Taste of Prague’s Local Christmas Buying Guide 2021

So Christmas is around the corner and let’s be honest here: if you want to buy online but haven’t got around to it, and Christmas is three/two/one week(s) away from now, don’t fool yourself: that gift ain’t never arriving on time for Christmas. (Thank you, broken global delivery chains and Covid!)

So it’s a good idea to shop local. And that’s where we step in: we have recently recorded a podcast about Czech-made gift ideas, but it’s in Czech only, and if you don’t listen to our podcast (why not? We mean, honestly…), we figure we will also write a blog post about it. These also serve are great souvenirs from Prague, of course, regardless of season. So enough chit chat, here we go.


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 66 - Prague Michelin Guide with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 66 - Prague Michelin Guide with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Tento týden se vracíme k Michelinům v Praze. Kdo ocenění získal, kdo ho ztratil… a má to všechno vůbec smysl? Používáme průvodce od Michelinu? A jak by pražský průvodce Michelin vypadal podle nás? No a kdyby nám to někdo řekl před týdnem, asi tomu neuvěříme, ale rozebereme i Českého slavíka. Ach jo. V pekle právě mrzne.

Doufáme, že se vám tenhle díl bude líbit!


Prague Michelin Guide 2021

Prague Michelin Guide 2021

So the new Prague Michelin guide is out, uncharacteristically in the autumn, but hey - anything’s possible in a covid year.

If you follow us for a while, you may know we love to hate the Prague Michelin guide. On one hand, it undeniably helps the businesses included, and you can’t argue with the heritage, but there are some very weak points about it - the writing is average at best (try to read a few to a Prague foodie to see if they recognise the restaurant), the categories are chaotic (whatever Eska serves, „traditional cuisine“ - as suggested by the Michelin guide - ain’t it), the results and the judging are anything but transparent, and the whole guide rarely sails off the beaten path. Read the whole rant here if you care. (It also includes more standard descriptions of the restaurants awarded a star or a Bib Gourmand.)

That said, whenever the French culinary deus ex machina descends on Prague once a year to tell it how it fares culinary-wise (read this sentence again just to get a real feel for how ridiculous this is), it is an event worth noting. So despite all the criticisms, we’re jumping on the bandwagon and comment on the results. So what changed since 2020?


Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 65 - XMas Presents with Zuzi and Jan

Taste of Prague Czech Podcast, Ep 65 - XMas Presents with Zuzi and Jan

[Note to all English readers: This podcast and its description are both in Czech. Please look for English episodes of the podcast. Thank you!]

Vánoce, Vánoce přicházejí… a vzhledem k narůstajícím problémům v globální logistice a vzhledem k nevyhnutelnému lockdownu je možná fajn letos vyrazit na nákupy dřív než 23. prosince. (Teď mluvíme hlavně k sobě.) Takže jsme se rozhodli nahrát podcast o dárcích, a to zejména z českých (a moravských) luhů a hájů. Tak co bychom si pod stromečkem přáli? Umění? Alkohol? Zážitky! Lockdown? Všechno bude!

(A zároveň probereme i minulý týden - covid, Landa, Britney, svoboda!)

Možná vám tenhle díl přijde hodně vhod a doufáme, že se vám bude líbit!