Prague: Beyond the Old Town crowds
Where to find the real city once you've done Wenceslas Square and the Charles Bridge.
8 min read
Prague's Old Town is genuinely beautiful. It is also genuinely overrun. The Charles Bridge at midday in summer is less a romantic river crossing than a slow-moving human conveyor belt between souvenir shops. The good news: the city has a second, third and fourth act that most visitors never reach.
Vinohrady sits a ten-minute tram ride from the Old Town and feels like a completely different city. Art Nouveau apartment blocks, independent coffee shops, wine bars that stay open late and a weekend farmers' market that serves the neighbourhood rather than the tourist trade. Hotels here tend to be smaller and cheaper than their Old Town equivalents with more character per euro spent.
Žižkov, directly east of Vinohrady, is rougher around the edges and proud of it. The television tower — looming, Soviet-era, recently decorated with enormous crawling baby sculptures — dominates the skyline. The neighbourhood beneath it is full of pubs serving Czech beer at prices that have not been adjusted for the Instagram economy.
Holešovice in the north has become Prague's art district. The old market hall (Tržnice Holešovice) has been converted into one of the better food halls in Central Europe. The DOX Centre for Contemporary Art draws a local crowd that knows the difference between tourist culture and the real thing.
The practical tip most guides omit: Prague's tram network is excellent and a single 24-hour pass covers unlimited travel. Base yourself in Vinohrady, get on a tram, and let the city show you what it actually looks like when it isn't being photographed.
Find hotels
