Most shops in Prague are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm
and Saturdays until 12am. Opening hours can vary pretty much though –
particularly in the touristy areas.
The area between The Karel
Bridge and the Old Town Square, passing by Karlova, must have the
world’s biggest concentration of souvenir shops selling t-shirts,
glass, amber, dolls etc to tourists with credit cards burning in their
wallets. It is more fun though to shop in the pretty little shops that
are slightly out of the way from the common tourist magnets. There are
lots of small shops selling antiques, artworks and other exciting stuff
in Nové Mesto – particularly in the SoNa area between the two large
streets, Národní and Resslova, where a lot of Czech designers and
artists have settled down.
If you’re looking for clothes, you
should seek towards Wenceslas Square and Prague’s shopping streets that
run along Na Přikopĕ: Října and Národní as well as the elegant street Pařížska in Josefov. On Wenceslas Square and in the shopping streets
you will find all the usual chain stores like H&M, Benetton,
Levi’s, Nike, Zara, Marks & Spencer, Adidas, C&A, Zara,
Debenhams etc. The prices are significantly lower than those in their
sister branches many other places in Europe.
On Pařížska you
will find all the luxury brands. You can ruin yourself in Hugo Boss,
Armani, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Rolex, Hermes,
Versace etc. In the streets surrounding Pařížska; Dlouhá, Dušni and V
Kolkvonĕ, a lot of designers have opened up shops and renamed the area
“The Czech Fashion Centre”, which is also the name of the marketing
alliance established by the 16 designers (www.czechfashion.cz). The
shops are all decorated in good and simple taste and the clothes are
neat, but not exactly cutting edge.
Refill
If
you still have money left in you wallet or on your bank account after
shopping in Josefov, you can take your lunch at Pravda, which is one of
Prague’s most up-scale and expensive restaurants. The food in the fancy
place on Pařížska is a fusion between the European and the Asian
kitchens, and all dishes on the menu are named after their country of
origin. The restaurant has a fabulous wine menu and they shake great
cocktails behind the bar.
Pravda, Pařížskas 17
www.pravdarestaurant.cz
King Salomon
If you find yourself in Josefov, an obvious alternative to Pravda is King Salomon, which is Prague’s oldest kosher restaurant.
King Salomon, Siroká 8
www.kosher.cz
There
is definitely a lot more than tourist souvenirs, clothes, expensive
restaurants and kosher food to spend your money on in Prague.
Tea Shop
On
Národní is a pretty impressive tea shop, filled with hundreds of
different tea sorts. You can find tea that is most suited for porcelain
and sponge cake, and tea that has a healing effect on body and soul.
Teashop, Národní 20
www.cajovykramek.cz
If
you wish to treat your body and soul additionally, you should go by
Botanicus, which can be found behind the Týn Church in Staré Mesto. In
the pleasant-smelling store they sell organic soaps, oils, perfumes,
lotions and potpourri. The products are exclusively made from herbs
grown on the farm Ostra, northeast of Prague, where they have tried to
recreate a garden from the 15th century.
Botanicus, Týn Ungelt 3
www.botanicus.cz
Agentura Provás
Not
far from Botanicus you will find Agentura Provás, where you can buy
historical posters. They sell reprints of Soviet propaganda posters and
old movie- and commercial posters. The profit from the sales goes to
improving the living conditions for people with physical and/or
psychological handicaps.
Agentura Provás, Rybná 21
www.agenturaprovas.cz
Art Deco
Across
SoNa runs the street Pštrossova, which houses a beauty of a shop named
Art Deco. In accordance with the name of the place, only art deco items
are sold in the narrow shop. Numerous chandeliers hang from the ceiling
and there are lamps, candelabras, sculptures, tables, glasses, jewelry,
knick-knacks, arts and crafts and design from the 1920’s and 1930’s all
over the place. You can easily get ruined here. The only thing that
will hold you back is your wallet and the lack of space in your
suitcase.
Art Deco, Pštrossova 35
www.art-deco.cz
Refill
U Mateje Kotrby
In
SoNa, you can eat your lunch in brown surroundings at U Mateje Kotrby,
which serves an extremely filling goulash made with Urquell lager. The
waiters speak English, the beer is well-served and Czech country music
plays from the loudspeakers - and so the restaurant is definitely a
pleasant place to spend time.
U Mateje Kotrby, Kremencova 17
Café Rybka
After
eating at U Mateje Kotrby, you can cross the street and have your
coffee in the cozy book café Rybka. Young students and failed academics
hang out in the sophomoric and smoke-laden atmosphere.
Café Rybka, Opatovická 7
www.rybkapub.cz
By David Rich