The Czech capital is Eastern Europe’s poster girl – all slender Gothic spires and Baroque curves. But beyond soaring edifice and slumbering river, the air throbs with music – whether wafting from an ornate concert hall, clicking its fingers in a jazz dive, or live and primordial on the club dance-floor, Prague’s soul truly belongs to sound.
What to see & do
Prague Castle (www.hrad.cz/en/; £11.50) looms large over the city, a Gormenghastian assemblage of courtyards, palaces and churches. Leave tourists gurning at the castle guards and head to Lobkowicz Palace (Jiřská 3; www.matinee.cz; £13), a magnificent part of the Castle complex where daily chamber concerts are held. Dvořak’s Humoresque is a regular, capturing Prague’s essence: melancholic, yet playful.
Until the 19th century, Charles Bridge was Prague’s sole river crossing. Built in the 14th century, this Gothic masterpiece doubles up as an open-air stage. A jazz band plays various toe-tappers, while the blind opera singer singing from a Braille sheet is another regular. From the sublime to the ridiculous: Hari Krishna chanters often join in, with their drums and ululations echoing off the east gate tower.
Czech composer Bedřich Smetana is commemorated at the Smetana Museum (Novotného Lávka 1; www.nm.cz/hlavni-strana/visit-us/bedrich-smetana-museum.html; £1.50). Listen to a recording of his symphonic ode to Prague’s river, Vltava, while watching its waters just outside. Get up close and personal with a boat ride (Platnéřská 4; www.prazskebenatky.cz/en; £9).
Prague’s concert halls are major artworks. Smetana Hall (Náměsti Republiky 5; 00 42 222 002101; www.obecni-dum.cz) is an Art Nouveau gem. Meanwhile the 19th-century Prague State Opera (Legerova 57/75; 00 42 224 227266; www.opera.cz/en) has dollops of Neo-Rococo splendour.
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Although Prague seems to belong to the great composers, it also pays homage to rock greats. On Kampa Island, the John Lennon Wall (Velkopřevorské Náměstí 490/1) is proof of this. When Lennon was shot, grieving fans covered the wall with graffiti, much to communist disgust. Now it’s a colourful slice of living rock history. Kampa Island also hosts a summer rock festival (www.unitedislands.cz/en).
In the Old Town Square , a trumpet sounds every daytime hour, a boisterous swagger of notes that combines with the ringing of bells from nearby St Nicholas Church , and the visual triumph of the famous Astronomical Clock. Music is the food of love so head for a trdelník stand, to snack on Czech-style doughnuts studded with toffee, vanilla and almonds.
Jazz clubs are dotted throughout the city. Aficionados dote on AghaRTA Jazz Centrum (Zelezna 16; 00 42 222 211 275, www.agharta.cz; £8) in the Old Town, a place that opened the day after Miles Davis’s death in 1991. Grab a ‘Bitches Brew’ (cocktails are named after the master’s albums) and catch both local and visiting jazzers. The house band, the AghaRTA Gang (with the club owner on drums), regularly parade mellow, sax-driven sounds.
Prague is as famous for beer as it is for music. Beer halls are ideal for a pivo, often with an accordionist in the background. A bracing walk from the Castle leads to Klášterní Pivovar (Strahovské Nádvoří 301; 00 42 233 353155; www.klasterni-pivovar.cz/en), with home-brewed beer, robust Czech cuisine and Bohemian folk songs on the menu.
Where to stay
At The Charles Bridge (Na Kampe 15; 00 42 257 531430, www.archibald.cz). The rustic/rural decor (bare rafters, wooden floors) beguilingly intermingles with splashes of vivid colour on the walls at this former brewery, located on the northern end of Kampa Island, close to Charles Bridge. Doubles from £45, B&B.
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U Medvídků (Na Perštýně 7; 00 42 224 211916, www.umedvidku.cz). Instead of tea-making facilities, there’s a bottle opener in the rooms of this city-centre hotel. It used to be a Medieval brewery, and beer is still made downstairs. The alpine decor (lots of wood) is comforting. Doubles from £50, B&B.
Hotel Cloister Inn (Konviktska 14; 00 42 224 211020, www.cloister-inn.com. From the front it looks like student halls, but this cheerful three-star hotel was variously a convent and a secret police HQ. Today its 75 rooms are warm and welcoming, far removed from its original stark decor. Doubles from £69, B&B.
The Golden Wheel (Nerudova 28; 00 42 257 535490, www.thegoldenwheel.com). This Baroque-era building stands on the steep road ascending from the Castle. There are 17 rooms, some with old wooden beams that add to the venerable character. Doubles from £140, B&B.
Hotel Jalta (Václavské Náměstí 818/45; 00 42 222 822111, www.hoteljalta.com). A Wenceslas Square location is an obvious plus for this modern-looking boutique hotel. Aim for a front room, where balconies let you observe the crowds below. A Cold War shelter in the basement offers a different perspective – guests see it for free. Doubles from £195, B&B.
Aria Hotel (Tržiště 9; 00 42 225 334111, www.ariahotel.net). Music dominates the soul of this smart five-star hotel – rooms hum with sensory chic. Each room (named after a variety of musical superstars) has its own iPod stuffed with tunes. Room keys are fashioned in the shape of a treble clef and there’s also a CD lending library. Doubles from £212, B&B.
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Where to eat
Ariana (Ramova 6; 00 42 222 323438, www.kabulrest.sweb.cz/en). Afghan cuisine is celebrated in this colourful, snazzy restaurant off the Old Square. The mix kebab is a gut-busting but delicious concoction of grilled beef, chicken, lamb and turkey. Mains around £5.50.
U Maleho Glena (Karmelitská 23; 00 42 257 531717, www.malyglen.cz/en). Beatnik chic rules here, while baked pork knee and beef burritos add cultural diffusion. It’s a lively place, but also intimate enough for lovers. A jazz and blues club beckons downstairs. Mains around £6.
Pizzeria Rugantino (Dušní 4; 00 42 222 318172, www.dusni.rugantino.cz/en). The iPads and newspapers are perused with equal interest over massive pizzas, like the juicy Romana, baked in a wood-fired oven. Rockers will dig the background music including Stones, Slade and Blue Oyster Cult. Mains around £6.50.
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Villa Richter (Staré Zámecké Schody 6/251; 00 42 257 219079, www.villarichter.cz). There’s food with a view at this 19th-century villa overlooking the Old Town. Piano Terra is the ground-floor restaurant, serving Czech classics like beef in cream sauce, while upstairs Piano Nobile goes haute. Mains around £8 in Piano Terra (£15 in Piano Nobile).
Francouzská Restaurant (Naměstí Republiky 5, 00 42 222 002770, www.francouzskarestaurace.cz/en). The Smetana Hall is also home to this ornate Art Nouveau masterpiece, complete with glittering chandeliers and a menu that includes dishes such as duck leg stuffed with white cabbage. Mains around £20.
Kampa Park (Na Kampě 8b; 00 42 296 826112, www.kampagroup.com). Once home to a famous thespian couple, this restaurant now acts out gastronomic theatre. The riverside terrace provides alfresco dining, while quirk rules inside with a wall-sized aquarium separating diners from the kitchen. Try the halibut with black truffles. Mains around £26.
Nightlife
Karlovy Lázně (Smetanovo Nábřeží 198; www.karlovylazne.cz). This tall gabled building overlooking the Vltava pulsates nightly with club music such as hip-hop and disco. A good mix of tourists and locals own the floor.
Blues Sklep (Liliova 10; 00 42 774 624677, www.bluessklep.cz. Blues, jazz and ska rule at this Old Town cellar. Grab a cocktail and descend via a courtyard. Is that church bell nearby tolling in disapproval of the swing on display?
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Where to shop
Lucerna Passage (Vodičkova 36; www.lucerna.cz/pasaz.php) lies off Wenceslas Square, an Art Nouveau passage of shops and restaurants built by Václav Havel’s grandfather. Music lovers head to Blues Pasaz, where guitars and saxophones rock the window display. Meanwhile, gigs at the Lucerna Music Bar (www.lucerna.musicbar.cz) have occasional old-school legends such as Johnny Winter. At the centre of the mall, King Wenceslas is suspended from the ceiling, on his horse – though the animal is upside down… and dead…
At Manufaktura (Karlova 26; www.manufaktura.cz) traditional arts and crafts get a shop window with this small chain of stores selling Czech-made jewellery, toys, cosmetics and ceramics. This branch is situated next to the eastern side of Charles Bridge and has a first floor devoted to old-fashioned toys that will probably delight adults more than children.
Ask the local
David Bentley works in recruitment and has been living in Prague for 16 years
‘Prague used to have a terrible reputation for overpriced taxis, but the authorities clamped down. However, never get in one if you’re near anywhere vaguely touristy. AAA Taxis (www.aaataxi.cz) are a safe bet – they speak good English. But be warned that you do have to know exactly where you are – drivers out here don’t do ‘The Knowledge’, so you will need to give an address. I am fond of the discount website www.limeandtonic.com – it’s great for restaurant deals. It’s a bit like www.groupon.com – you sign up and pay for a discounted dinner in a restaurant, and they email you vouchers when 50 people have signed up; if it doesn’t reach 50, you get your money back. You’ll also save some money by booking a hotel outside the city centre – the metro and trams are fast, so you’ll be in the action in no time.’
Go independent
Wizz Air (0906 959 0002, www.wizzair.com) has flights from Luton to Prague, with return fares starting from £49. EasyJet (0843 104 5000, www.easyjet.com) flies from Bristol, Gatwick and Stansted to Prague, with returns from £56. BA (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) has flights from Heathrow to Prague from £143 return.
Go packaged
Travel for the Arts (020 8799 8350, www.travelforthearts.co.uk) organises small group tours with a focus on either opera, ballet or classical music; prices start at £1,195pp, B&B, for a five-night tour staying in a centrally-located five-star hotel, including flights from Heathrow, excursions and performances. Prague Tours (020 8518 1010, www.praguetours.co.uk) has three nights in a city-centre four-star hotel from £190pp, including flights from Heathrow, Luton or Birmingham.
Further information
See www.praguewelcome.cz/en. The Prague Card (www.praguecard.biz, prices start at £26) allows free entry to more than 50 tourist attractions as well as discounts on activities.