Prague Blog

You can’t visit Prague without bumping into St. Wenceslas, in Czech Svaty Vaclav. There is St. Wenceslas Square, which is probably the most important square in Prague because here take place all big demonstrations – last most significant was during the Velvet revolution in 1989 against communism.

On Wenceslas Square there is a statue of St. Wenceslas on a horse, which is by the way a great meeting point and a must for every tourist. In Prague Castle you can find Chapel of St. Wenceslas in st. Vitus Cathedral. Czech crown, a great symbol of Czech Republic, is called after St. Wenceslas as well. There used to be a 20 CZK banknote with his portrait, now it is however replaced with 20 CZK coin. St. Wenceslas is simply everywhere.

What is so special about him?
He is a patron saint of Bohemia, and so every time when the Czech nation was in a stew, Czechs prayed to St Wenceslas to help them. An old legend says that a huge army of knights sleeping inside some mountain in the Czech Republic will awake under the command of St. Wenceslas to help Czechs in time of ultimate danger. And since the Czechs had to go through both First and Second World Wars, Hitler’s rule as well as Stalin’s control without the help of St. Wenceslas, one may only wonder what an ultimate danger is going to be like!

But why Wenceslas? Who was this famous guy who ordered to build the future St. Vitus Cathedral on the Prague Castle? Was he real?

He is known in the English speaking world as the subject of the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas” – yes, it is the same Wenceslas as the one on the Wenceslas Square – Duke of Bohemia, born in 907.

Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother, St. Ludmila. She was a kind and a wise woman, and Wenceslas loved her dearly. When he became the Duke, he listened to her advices carefully and fulfilled many of her wishes. This, however, made the mother of Wenceslas very jealous. She wanted to suppress the influence that Ludmila had on her son, and wished to rule herself. So she ordered to kill her mother-in-law! St. Ludmila was strangled when asleep!

This angered Wenceslas and had his mother exiled. And ruled happily till he was murdered by his younger brother who was power-mad! Wenceslas was hacked to pieces on his way to church in 929 or 935. His beloved brother became his successor. Oh, those medieval times!

After his death, Wenceslas was canonised as a saint due to his martyr’s death, as well as several purported miracles that occurred after his death. His feast day is September 28, and since the year 2000, this day is a public holiday in the Czech Republic – celebrated as Czech Statehood Day.

You can see St. Ludmila, the grandmother of St. Wenceslas, on the statue of St. Wenceslas. She is standing on his right. Around her neck is what she had been strangled with.

Chinese cuisine is representing one of the richest cuisines in the world. It comes from different regions of China and has become widespread in all parts of the world – you can find Chinese restaurants nearly in every country! It is known that Chinese cuisine made outside China differs significantly from the original, but less is known about it’s differences from country to country. So why not to try the Czech version in?

There is a Chinese restaurant in Prague where you can eat as much as you can for a fixed price, and the price is really convenient! Per person you pay only 120 CZK and you can eat from 11:30 a.m. to 15:30 p.m. to one’s heart’s content! This special offer applies for workdays, that is Monday to Friday.

It is a help-yourself bar, what means that you see all the dishes. It is a really good idea, I think, because it’s easier to choose what you want to eat if you can actually see it and smell it. And in this restaurant you can choose from 10 warm dishes including soup, plus 2 salads. Offered are the most popular Chinese dishes such as Fried Chinese noodles with vegetables, Fried chicken wings, Chicken „Kung-pao“, Spring rolls and others.

The offer of this help-yourself bar is really wild and everyone who likes Chinese cuisine will find something he/she likes. And you can eat till your pants won’t fit anymore or, if you don’t like it, try something else since you are not limited at all.

And the other great thing about this help-yourself bar is that you don’t have to wait for the food to be made and served! It’s great when you are in a hurry. And you can buy it as a takeaway too.

This extraordinary Chinese restaurant is called Peking Restaurant and is situated in Prague centre at the very entrance to the subway station I. P. Pavlova (red line C). You can also take trams number 4, 6, 10, 16, 22 or 23. And in case you don’t find anything you like, which I think is quite impossible, there is, of course, a regular written menu where your taste buds will find what they are looking for.

You so have to see this! I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best exhibition in Prague taking place this summer, maybe this year! And I am not ashamed to say that those are the best photos I have ever seen.

I am talking about the Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s large format photos that are now exposed to curious visitors of Prague’s park Kampa. The exhibition is called “The Land of the Beautiful Unknown” and is introducing 120 large-format images taken from helicopter. And when I say large, I mean 180×120 cm.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, French photographer, started to take those pictures now shown in Prague in 1990. Since then, over half a million photographs have been taken in more than 100 countries. All from above. That is why this exhibition is also known as Earth from Above. And only 120 of those pictures were chosen for the exhibition. They are really the best of the best!

This Arthus-Bertrand´s exhibition has already been to about one hundred cities around the world. So far, nearly 60 millions of people have seen it. Arthus-Bertrand´s aerial photos bring us really unusual view on things. He documents the endless beauty of Earth and shows us how small we are compared. It is truly fascinating to see all those magical colours!

The exhibition is no doubt breathtaking. It’s open for public for free 24 hours a day until October 31 at Prague 1 – Kampa Park, Lesser Town. You can reach it when taking the stairs from the Charles Bridge. It is worth going both during the day as well as at night!

As a tourist in a foreign city you may come into a situation where you will need help but your clever guidebook will stay silent and your mother will be miles away. What to do then? Well, first of all, don’t panic! You can solve this on your own. Just ask a local!

How easy you may say, however, not every Praguer know your native language. Unless you can speak Czech, this may cause huge misunderstanding on both sides! But don’t worry, you should pretty much always succeed with English. It is just the question of whom you ask.

The safest pick is of course the policeman. Unfortunately, not every policeman speaks English or other foreign language. They should, however the reality is some place else.

Students are always a good choice. English is taught nearly at every school or university in Prague. And it should be fresh in their heads. Don’t be afraid to speak to those 15 years old and up – their English should be sufficient. University students are a strike home.

Praguers in their thirtieths and fortieths should be able to help you too. However, don’t forget that for forty years, during the communist era, English was not the language number one to be taught in the Czech Republic. It was Russian.

So, what is the conclusion? Don’t be afraid to talk to Czechs, they are usually happy and ready to help a polite tourist. When asking a question, try to slow down and not use slang. It is always good to have a map on hand when asking for a direction.

If English is not working, try other languages. And if you can’t find a language that both of you understand, try to „talk“ like a mime – that is the universal language of all.

Without any doubt, the nicest view of the Prague Castle is from the river. If you don´t feel like swimming, you can very easily rent a boat and comfortably admire the fantastic castle complex together with the Charles Bridge, National Theatre and others.

It´s a really romantic thing to do! But I would not recommend it only to lovers. I would recommend it to everyone who wants to take a break from walking around the city but at the same time wants to do something new and exciting.

You can rent a pedal-boat or a rowing boat, whatever you prefer. There are even some boats looking like swan for a rent. For a 70,- CZK the boat is all yours and you can fit in 4 adults. For 60 minutes you can cruise round Prague´s islands and enjoy the magical views. When on the Vltava river, you have the chance to wonder at the unknown angles of the truly unique architectural complex. It is worth it!

And where do you find those rent-a-boat places? They are on the island Zofin near National Theatre or by the Charles Bridge. They are open till 10 p.m., so you can also enjoy night views of Prague.

Enjoy your cruise!

Have you seen any Czech movie? Probably not and that’s a pity. Don’t you think that once you are actually in Prague it is the best time to change it?

They say that when you are in a foreign country you should try the food that is typical for the country. Shouldn’t it be the same with local movies? At least you have now a great chance to see one.

Czech film maker Zdenek Sverak and his Elementary School (Obecna skola, 1991) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and his movie Kolya (Kolja, 1996) won it. Hrebejk’s Divided We Fall (Musime si pomahat, 2000) also received an Oscar nomination. So they can’t be that bad!

I know, you may object that there is a problem called language barriers. Czech is a hard language, one of those hardest in a world. But how about English subtitles?

There is a cinema called Kino MAT, it is at Karlovo Square 19. You can get there very easily with a tram number 4, 6, 10, 16, 18, 22, 23, 24, or with a subway – yellow line B, just get off at station Karlovo Namesti. Here they play Czech movies every day at 6 p.m. or at 8:30 p.m. with English subtitles and one ticket costs 99 CZK.

I hope you will find it interesting.

After the sunset, it´s the time to explore another side of Prague. Prague is not only about the Castle, Charles Bridge, Krizik’s fountain, old churches and museums. It is a pulsuting city with entertainment for everyone.

If you find yourself near the Old Town Square, feeling thirsty and music-hungry, there is a great bar nearby that you have to visit! It´s furnished all in Hawaii style, which is great especially during those rainy days. Its wooden interior and dimmed lights give the place a warm and relaxed sense. It is really romantic too. The bar is called Aloha. Sounds great, doesn´t it?

Aloha Wave Lounge, as the full name reads, is a stylish café, restaurant and cocktail lounge, ranging from thirties to the sixties. The food there is really exotic, but so are the prices for it. Nevertheless, the drinks are for reasonable prices and I won´t exaggerate if I say they make the best cocktails there maybe in the whole Prague. And trust me, they offer a tuns of cocktails! Just to name some of them: Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Mojito, Caipirinha, Bloody Mary and so on.

After 10 p.m. there is either a live DJ or a band, and on the dance floor you can dance the night away! They play R’n’B, Pop, Rock, Latino and on Wednesdays and Saturdays they play 80s and 90s.

Above all, there is no entrance fee, which is great, and Happy Hours are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Just one last thing – the address – it´s Dusni 11, Prague 1 (two blocks from Parizska street, 5 minutes walk from green subway station Staromestska).

As tourists are usually mad about Prague, they – unfortunately quite often – tend to forget to buy a ticket for their ride. But this pettiness can, at the end, cost you a fortune!

If you are lucky enough to meet a controller when travelling with public transportation without a valid ticket, you can get a fine amounting to 950,- CZK! For that price you could buy yourself about 40 pints of beer!! If you pay the fine off hand, it will be reduced to 400,- CZK, which is definitely better than the first option, but still is quite a money.

So why to risk the unpleasant acquaintance with the controller? One ticket for an adult (non transfer) costs only 14,- CZK and is valid for 20 minutes. For a ride that last up to 75 minutes (on weekends and past 8 p.m. it´s 90 minutes) you pay 20,- CZK. That´s not even one beer!

Now, tell me, isn´t it better to pay 20,- CZK and enjoy the ride with the bus, tram or subway than to be worried all the time when on the public transportation and risk the penalization?

And where do you buy the tickets? You can buy the tickets by the bus driver for a slightly higher price. However, you can´t buy them in trams or when in the subway. So what to do? You can find them nearly in all stores where they sell cigarettes and newspapers. They are called „trafika“ over here. Or you can buy them near bus and tram´s stations, and in all undergrounds – look for yellow boxes. You just choose the ticket you would like, press the button as many times as how many tickets you want, and then put in corresponding amount of money.

When on the tram, bus or when entering the subway station, don´t forget to mark the ticket! Holding a ticket that is not marked is the same as travelling without one!! So don´t fail to put the ticket into the little yellow box inside the bus, tram or when entering the metro station. The yellow box prints the exact time and from that time on you can travel anywhere for 20, 75 or 90 minutes, depending on the ticket.

If you assume you will use the public transportation a lot or will stay for more days, it´s worth it to get a ticket that is valid for the whole day (24 hours), 3, 7 or 15 days, a month or more. Those „special“ tickets you can find at Information Centres (Informacni stredisko), e.g. at metro station Muzeum (line A and C) and Mustek (line B).

It is really smarter to buy yourself a ticket and mark it right after you get on a public transportation, so you can enjoy the holiday at full.

Do you want to take a break from Prague sightseeing? Do you believe that shopping goes hand in hand with travelling? Do you wish to go somewhere where you can spend the day away without worrying about the weather forecast? The solution for you who answered yes to any of those questions is the shopping centre called Centrum Chodov.

It is without any doubt the biggest mall in Prague, even further in the Czech Republic. The best thing about it is that it is situated right next to the subway station Chodov (red line C), which means that you can’t get lost by any chance, seriously! The other great thing is that you can reach it in about 20 minutes from Prague’s centre when taking the tube.

I have to confess I am one of those happy visitors. I was there last Sunday. Since this summer has been exceptionally hot, I decided I need a new swimsuit. I planned on spending there no more than an hour considering I had one simple goal – to buy me a bathing suit. This was, however, not a simple task at all after I found out how many stores there are and that pretty much all of them have sales!!!

There are all my favourite brands plus much more at one spot. Any brand you can thing of is there. You name it, you got it. And they are all selling now with great discounts up to 70 per cent. Now tell me, how could I leave after only one hour? That is nearly impossible!

Centrum Chodov will offer you wide range of stores and services. On the area of 55.000 square meters you can browse in 210 shops, drink in Europe so popular coffee or tea and please your taste buds with a cake or two in 12 cafés, and appease hunger in 11 restaurants. There is a hypermarket as well.

And my swimsuit? I didn’t buy any, but this doesn’t mean I wasn’t successful. I ended up buying something else. The sales were so tempting that I bought myself clothes I do not really need, and forgot all about what I came here for. But the prices were so convenient I couldn’t leave it there! My swimsuit will have to wait.
So if you have a buying fever or just want to experience what I did, do not hesitate, since the summer sales won’t last too long, and come visit Centrum Chodov. You won’t leave emptyhanded, I do believe so. Moreover, if you go now, you will be leaving the mall with the thought not that you threw out more hard-earned-money, but rather that you saved some by shopping so advantageously.

And the most wanted information at last – the Centrum Chodov mall is open every day, shops from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m., the hypermarket from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m., and restaurants from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. Enjoy it!

During hot summer days like those we have right now back in Prague (check weather forecast), there is nothing better then to go to the beach. But there is a little problem with that – Czech Republic doesn’t have any sea! What to do then?

The solution is quite easy. You don’t have to have a sea in order to have a beach. You can visit a beach on the riverbank. And there is such a place in the very heart of Prague!

The 1st Prague beach is not only for sunseekers who want to top up their tans. There is a pretty big, 15×7 meters long, swimming pool that floats in the Vltava River. You can play beach volleyball, badminton or petanque on payment of a small fee. Sunbeds, sunshades as well as the swimming pool are included in price.

The 1st Prague beach on the Vltava River will welcome you with 500 tonnes of imported sand, 236 deckchairs and 1080 cubic meters of a pool water. Of course there is a playground for kids, as well as a restaurant with a bar, where they make a great Mojito.

At the evening serves the 1st Prague beach as a dancing place, live concerts take place here as well. Together with other entertainment, such as special night events called Fire & Coctail Show or Tropical Night and others, is 1st Prague beach the place to party!

The 1st Prague beach is along the west bank of the Vltava River by the Horejsi nabrezi (alongside the Botel Admiral), in between Palackeho and Zeleznicni bridges, just three blocks from the metro station Andel. The beach is open every day till the end of September from 9:30 a.m. For the whole day you pay 59 CZK; students 39 CZK ; kids and seniors 29 CZK.

Enjoy yourselves and stay cool in hot days!