Prague - One city, two faces
© Cristóbal Schmal

Prague – One city, two faces

  • ILLUSTRATION CRISTÓBAL SCHMAL

Kafka, Kundera, Smetana: Prague has influenced the work of many artists, writers and musicians and is regarded as a great European capital, one where culture is writ large. But Prague is also eminently worth visiting if you like to go shopping. We show you both sides.

Homegrown

Sneaker addicts will love the cult footwear at the Botas 66 flagship store, where shoes are guaranteed to be handmade in the Czech Republic.

Productive

Artisans set up shop in December on Wenceslas Square. The Christmas market also has food stalls selling hearty Czech specialties.

Artful

Alphonse Mucha was a legendary Czech designer. The Belda jewelry company produces replicas of some of his finest Art Nouveau pieces.

Stylish

The Modernista designer department store sells furniture, ceramics and tableware fashioned in Art Decó, Cubist and Bauhaus style.

Vintage

The toy store Hračky Houpací Kůň (rocking horse) has wind-up model cars, carved wooden dolls and aptly, a large selection of rocking horses.

Fashionable

Prague is a fashion capital and has been called the Paris of the East. Boutique Parazit alone stocks the work of over 100 Czech designers.

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Creative

The Meet Factory houses studios for artists, hosts CD release parties and is also often used as a concert hall and gallery venue.

Evocative

A bohemian spirit still pervades the wonderfully old-fashioned Slavia coffeehouse, where literary figures once gathered and wrote.

Distinctive

Back to the future? Forward into the past? The Cross club has a fascinating steam-punk aesthetic and is hugely popular with the Prague DJ scene.

Historical

There are over 400 instruments on display at the Czech Museum of Music, including a piano Mozart once played and violins made by famous Prague craftsmen.

Playful

Telling wonderful stories with wooden ­puppets is an old Czech tra­dition best admired at the National Marionette Theater.

Bookish

The Globe, Prague’s largest English-language bookstore, holds readings, creative writing workshops and karaoke evenings.