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Prague completely and utterly surprised me in every positive way. I travelled there without any expectations and Prague still managed to succeed them. The food, the drinks, the architecture and everything was just so good! So let me share my tips and provide you with a full city guide to where to eat, drink and stay in Prague, Czech Republic.
Where to stay in Prague
Let’s start with where to stay. When I started researching hotels and apartments on Booking.com and Airbnb and the areas Prague 1 and 4 kept coming up, I had no clue where and what these areas where. So let me make it easier for you, by simply dividing it into east and west of the river.
Not a bad hotel room, right?
East side
The east side of the river is the touristy side. The closer you get to Charles Bridge and Old Town Square, the more tourists there’ll be. It’s a nice area and is the one typically referred to as Prague 1. It’s in close walking distance to most things – but so is most of Prague to be honest.
West side
The west side of the river is the hill where the castle, cathedral and some of the older streets of Prague are located. It’s a much more calm area compared to the east side, which was one of the most important factors for us. It’s still within walking distance of most things in central Prague and a lot of the tourist sights are located on the west side too. We were so happy that we chose to stay on the west side, since it was more calm and had the most beautiful view everywhere of Prague.
Domus Henrici Boutique Hotel
We stayed at Domus Henrici Boutique Hotel, and we could not have been happier. Domus Henrici is an old hotel from 1372(!) and you can just feel the history in the whole building. It has it’s own little terrasse and the most beautiful view of Prague to the left and the Monastery on the right. It was a nice and calm area but also just down the street from Prague Castle, the Cathedral and the Monastery. There was a lot of cute streets, restaurants and cafes all around and we spend a lot of time just wandering around the streets of the hotel – there were so many things to see. It took us less than 15 minutes to walk to the city centre, but if you don’t want to walk there were a few stops with the tram. It was so nice to be able to walk from the busy city centre and go rest in the more calm area of the hotel – especially at night too, where we did not get disturbed from parties and nightclubs.
The little terrace and our view to the right – now bad, right?
The staff was super nice and friendly, and upon check in they help you with a map of the city. They can always help you with stuff to do and how to get from A to B. We felt at home straight away. The breakfast was nice and there was everything you could need – eggs, bread, cereal, yoghurt, tea, coffee, etc. We definitely know where we want to stay next time we come to Prague!
The breakfast and the dining room – it was so nice and you could really feel how old it was!
Where to eat in Prague
Prague surprised us so much when it came to the food! Prague is truly a foodie heaven, with so many delicious and next level restaurants. Let me mention a few of my favourites and best restaurants in Prague, so you know where to eat.
Four Seasons CottoCrudo
Wow. Just wow. CottoCrudo is Four Seasons Prague’s very own Italian restaurant and it is beyond beautiful – and their dishes even more so! It was recommended by a Michelin Guide, and it’s definitely worth it. We were so lucky to be seated at the best table in the house, right next to the windows, where we could see the sun set over the river and surrounding hills.
We got a special degustation tasting, which was to die for! We started out with a selection of homemade bread with olive oil – which is always a sure way to my heart, haha! Then followed a salad for me with fresh homemade mozzarella, arugula and cherry tomatoes, while Brian got two oysters. I got the vegetarian menu and he got the normal one with meat.
Our two starters – mozzarella salad and oysters.
For our second dish, I got one of CottoCrudo’s signature dishes the Onsen Poached Egg with soft potato cream, porcini mushrooms and truffle pesto. It was love at first bite. I have never experienced textures like this, it was so so good! Brian got octopus with oxtail terrine, burrata cheese and roasted eggplant pure. He said it was good I didn’t eat meat, because it was so good he wanted every bit for himself.
The Onsen Egg was probably my favourite dish – it was so good and different!
Our third dish was for me a pasta linguine with aglio olio and peperoncino, which was also really delicious. The pasta was cooked al dente and just perfect. Brian got veal tenderloin with foie gras, truffle mushroom puree and a small truffle toast. I was sending him long jealous eyes over the table, because of all the truffle. He was so in heaven and made enjoyment noises at every bite – it was safe to say he really enjoyed it.
The Veal Tenderloin to the left and my pasta to the right – yum!
For dessert we got a chocolate cardamom gianduia on a pistachio cake with a raspberry basil sorbet. We were both pretty full at this point, but we still couldn’t stop eating because every bite was just so delicious.
Our beautiful dessert and our view. We could not have asked for more!
Definitely worth it going to CottoCrudo! The staff was so nice and welcoming, and they really knew what they were doing. It was such an amazing dining experience, and we can both only recommend going there!
Address: Veleslavínova 2A/1098, Prague 1 (just by the entrance to Four Seasons) Price level: $$$$
Bella Vista in Strahov Monastery
We got this restaurant recommend by our masseur (thank you, Milan) and I’m so glad we decided to check it out! Bella Vista probably has the best view in Prague with the most calm surroundings. You go in through the old Strahov Monastery to find the restaurant a bit hidden on the other side. It was a perfect spot!
Not a bad view, am I right?
The food weren’t anything crazy, this is particularly for the view and the vibe. I got a salmon and avocado tartar, which was a daily special, and Brian got the traditional beef goulash, which he said was really good.
We planned to come back for dinner, since we expect the view to be insane from there at night too. Unfortunately we did not have time, so it’s already on our list for when we come back.
Address: Strahovské nádvoří 132/1, 118 00 Praha 1-Hradčany Price level: $$
U Medvídků
We also got this restaurant recommended by our masseur, and since it’s one of the first Beer Houses in Prague, we had to visit. U Medvídků can be dated back to 1466(!) and was also the location of the very first cabaret in Prague. Today it’s one of the biggest pubs in Prague.
Being a vegetarian, the food options for me were.. very poor. But at least they had a few things on the menu! They only serve Czech food and they do it well. We started out with a traditional Czech platter with an assortment of cheeses and sliced meat. Nothing special, but we just had to try it. I got some roasted vegetables and tofu for the main course, and Brian got some pork with potatoes and homemade beer sauce.
Here you see my roasted vegetables, a bit of our cheese and meat plate and Brians beer dish.
On the menu they have all sorts of things, that are made with beer, such as beer cheese, beer sauce and beer ice cream! We wanted to try the beer ice cream but we were too full.
Address: Na Perštýně 345/7, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $ (our whole meal was around 25$)
Alriso Risotteria Italiana
We ate here on our last night and we are so happy we chose to finish with such a romantic and good little spot. It’s located on a cute little square next to The Betlehem Chapel. It was such a delicious selection of italian food – and it was all glutenfree!
Good food, good view and good company. I couldn’t ask for more.
As soon as we sat down, we got a bag with homemade (glutenfree) bread and olive oil – again the way to my heart. We started off with some Aperol Spritz and just enjoyed the view and sunset while sipping on those. For main I got the Spaghetti Trapanese with mussels, and Brian got the Penne with Tuscan sausage Salsiccia. It was so good and just exactly how pasta should be! We finished with their homemade Tiramisu, which Brian currently has an addiction to. We can both fully recommend eating here and it’s definitely a spot we will come back to next time we’re in Prague.
Address: Betlémské nám. 11/259, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $$
Casa de Carli
Wow. Wow wow wow. That really sums up our experience at Casa de Carli, which is a Michelin restaurant in the Jewish quarter of Prague. The whole experience here were just perfect and wow from we sat down to we left. We got greeted by the most friendly staff and got an assortment of homemade bread and breadsticks to start off with, accompanied by three different dips and a glass of champagne.
Our breads and dip, as well as the best Gazpacho I’ve ever had.
We started of with Gazpacho, which was no doubt the best Gazpacho I’ve ever had – and remember I used to live in Spain. The next dish was a Seabass ceviche with mint and strawberries. The different flavours and how they went together in a symphony was just crazy. It was the really something special.
The seabass ceviche on the left and the shrimp on the right. Still obsessing over these two dishes.
The third dish was Red shrimp from Mazara del Vallo, panzanella style bread salad, raspberry coulis – and oh my god! Neither of us have never had shrimp like this before! The texture was so crazy as it was super soft and full of flavour. Really a spectacular dish. The fourth dish was homemade pappardelle pasta with flowers and herbs from a Mělník garden, rucola pesto and green peas. It was again just as pasta is supposed to be and cooked al dente. When mixing in the herbs and flowers it really brought out a new level of flavour and it was really delicious.
The homemade pasta followed by the seared tuna.
The fifth dish was pan seared tuna fillet, red onion, peas cream, sesame string beans, which was just as mouthwatering and delicious as the other dishes. The tuna had a perfect texture and mixed with the peas cream and sesame string beans it was an explosion of flavours in our mouths. Really really delicious. One of our desserts was a passion fruit mousse, marinated fruit and vegetable, mint and salted crumble. Do I even need to say how absolutely delicious this was? Since it was Brian’s birthday the next day he got a sweet little happy birthday greeting on the plate.
Here you see the sweet birthday greeting for Brian and the mind-blowing Cuban Cigar!
The second dessert deserve a paragraph of its own. The Smoked Cuban Cigar with Zabaglione Cream and ash was without a doubt the most crazy dessert experience any of us has ever had – and will probably ever have. WOW! It was beyond amazing and so spectacular. The different flavours just kept expanding and evolving in our mouths and every single bite was better than the other. I was completely mind blown over this dessert, and if you go to Casa de Carli in Prague, you HAVE to get this one! It’s a must and we will definitely come back just for this dessert alone, next time we’re in Prague!
Address: Vězeňská 116/5, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $$$$
Where to drink in Prague
One of the first things I google about a new city I’m going to is “secret bars”, so naturally I found some secret bars in Prague. Unfortunately we did not have time to visit all of them (for various reasons, such as me valuing my sleep and us getting too drunk in two of them), but here’s the ones we did!
Hemingway Bar
Since mr. Hemingway was an avid drinker, there’s a lot of bars across Europe named after him. So yes, you might have been to one or two and they are all different – and all centered around his favourite drink, absinthe.
All Hemingway bars are amazing, but the one in Prague is my favourite – although it’s not a secret bar. We tried getting into Hemingway Bar one of our first nights, but the line was looong – already at 9 pm on a Tuesday. So when we another night were just around the corner, we decided to walk over and see if we finally could get in. And thank god we did.
Every drink was so fun and creative! Loved how they were presented!
After the well dressed door man left us in, we were let upstairs to a obscure room with vintage interior. We chose to sit at the bar, since this is where you get the best experience. You get to see all the bartenders do their magic with their unique drinks.
We got the Apple and the Revenant – it’s not too hard to guess which is which, right? Both were super good, but we can definitely recommend that you order the Revenant. It’s simply the best value for money, as it’s basically three drinks in one. It’s made with absinthe, so needless to say, I got very tipsy and Brian basically had to drag me out of the bar. I was amused, and I think he was too.
Address: Karoliny Světlé 26, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $$$ (but still cheap because.. Prague is super cheap)
The Alchemist Bar
Turns out there’s quite a few bars in Prague called something with alchemist, since Prague is apparently known for alchemists in the old days. This one is the real deal though. The Alchemist Bar is hidden and secret in the way that no one really knows it’s there. It’s an old dark wooden door leading into a dark stairwell. It’s located right next to the very populated shopping street Na Můstku, so it’s a wonder that no one notices it. We came there expecting it to be full, but it was barely half full around 10 pm, but more people started to arrive a bit later.
I’m not gonna tell who got the girly drink *cough cough*
We got a cute little table next to the window and ordered Alice in Wonderland and The High Priest, which were both pretty good. If we come back, we really really need to try Choose your Faith – and we challenge you to do the same! When you tell the waiter to Choose your Faith, an old alchemist in a plague mask will come to your table. You will choose a tarot card from his old wooden box and it will tell you your drink. It was so much fun, but my heart skipped a beat the first time I saw him sneak through the bar!
The door to The Alchemist Bar – easy to oversee, right?
Address: Provaznická 386/1, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $$$ (but still cheap because.. Prague is super cheap)
Anonymous Bar
The Anonymous Bar is hidden and secret in the sense, that you simply don’t know it’s there. It’s on a very small street, where the door just looks like offices. I had it on my map and we looked confused at the door. It wasn’t until we noticed a little sign hidden amongst the office signs that said something with “anonymous inc” or something like that. Then we walked into a little courtyard and in the dark right corner, we found an old little dark door, which let us to the bar. It was decorated in vintage curtains and furniture. We were shown by the hostess to a table and presented to the menu. It only had one page with cocktails, the other one was blank (weird, right?).
We surely got the full experience, that we were expecting!
We ordered the Remember and V’s Blood. Then we found out, that apparently every drink is served differently – and the name tells you a little bit. For the Remember, we were given Anonymous masks and they took a polaroid photo of us, that I now have hanging above my bed. For V’s Blood it was served with an IV blood bag, that dripped the drink into the glass! It was so cool!
The door to Anonymous Bar – you really have to know it’s there.
The drinks were strong. So of course we wanted another. When we asked for the menu the second time, it came back to us with a black light! The before blank page could now be read and it was filled with other drinks! Pure genius! So second time around we ordered the Cookie Monster and the Wilson. Brian was very pleased that the Cookie Monster came with an actual cookie. We had such a fun time there and we left rather intoxicated.
Address: Michalská 432/12, 110 00 Staré Město Price level: $$$ (but still cheap because.. Prague is super cheap)
What to do and see in Prague
Here’s what we did and saw in the four days we were so lucky to spend in Prague. We had such a great time!
Go sightseeing
Of course, as when we travel to any big city, we have to go sightseeing a little bit. So here’s some of the sights that we walked around.
The Old Town Square
Starting with The Old Town Square, this is where you find the Astronomical Clock and the Church of Týn. It’s pretty touristy, but I feel like it’s a must see when you’re in Prague. If you want it for yourself, you should get here as early as possible.
Don’t judge – I was slightly tipsy and trying to pose amongst all the tourists, haha.
Charles Bridge
One of the most famous landmarks in Prague – and I do not have a single photo of it. It occurred to me when we got home and I looked through my photos. Every single time we were there it was either raining or completely packed with people. So I kept telling myself I would come back another time (really early) to take some photos without as many people in it. It just didn’t happen. But no doubt a sight you can’t miss in Prague!
Mala Strána
I have no idea why this is a tourist sight, but it is cute! It’s a little canal with an old mill and a sculpture. Super cute, so it was nice to see!
Mala Strána with the little mill on the left.
The John Lennon Wall
Just around the corner from Mala Strána is where you can find the John Lennon Wall. The wall was painted in 1980 as a tribute to John Lennon after his assassination. It was pretty crowded even on a rainy day, but also quite beautiful.
A little snippet of the whole John Lennon Wall.
Prague Castle and Skt. Vitus Cathedral
We were so lucky that our hotel was just down the street so we could “pop” in and out when we felt like it. Every day when we were walking out of our hotel, something new was going on in the square in front of the cathedral. The day we finally decided to go in, we timed it with a guard change, that distracted most of the tourists, so we could walk right in without having to stand in the 50 meter long line.
The square in front of the Cathedral with Prague Castle behind.
It was super beautiful and like a little village in itself once you go through the castle walls! We did not even see all of it, so it is definitely another thing we would like to see more of when we come back.
Boat Tour on the river
For Brians birthday we took a boat tour on the river with a lunch buffet. It was such a nice and chill cruise and it was nice to have an activity where we could rest our legs. The sun was shining, we had beer and wine in our glasses and we enjoyed seeing Prague from the water. There’s also boat tours without food or a dinner cruise or even cruises with entertainment.
I might be biased, but I had a pretty nice view.
Manifesto Streetfood Market
Manifesto has two streetfood markets just out of the city center. We went to the one next to Florenc Station, which is the smaller one, and we walked there in less than 15 minutes from the centre. It was such a nice atmosphere there and so many choices of amazing food. It was also just super nice to escape from the tourist crowds in the center, as there were not a lot of people here. Manifesto Market is not that known by tourists, which we really don’t get. Go here if you want a chill afternoon and some delicious food and drinks.
One of the chill seating areas of Manifesto Market.
Beer Spa
No doubt an absolute favourite of ours – since you actually bathe in beer, how awesome is that? We did this on Brians birthday, as I could simply not come up with a better thing to do on his day. Naturally it was a big success. We went to Beer Spa Bernard just behind the Church of Týn. We got greeted by a joyful young man called Milan (the same guy that gave us a ton of good recommendations. Thank you, Milan!). He then showed us into a dressing room and we were advised to use the spa naked. Well okay, we went for the full experience and went naked. Milan showed us to an ancient room with two big wooden tubs. It had 3 faucets, one with warm water, one with cold water and one with beer. Before we got in Milan poured some yeast, malt and beer something-something into the water. Then we were given a pint and were told that we had unlimited beer from the faucet as long as we were there. Amazing, you only have to tell us that once!
Safe to say we enjoyed every second in the Beer Spa.
After soaking 30 minutes in the beer and drinking it at the same time, it was safe to say we were in a pretty good mood. Milan came in and showed us to another room, were we would lie in a heated bed made of hay and afterwards take turns on getting a massage.
All in all an amazing experience, and definitely one we have to make a tradition every time we’re in Prague from now on. But make sure not to make important plans after, because you might not be able to follow them.
Overall impression of Prague
… AMAZING!!! We both can’t wait to come back, and we were already talking about coming back next summer, before we had even left. We had such a good time and we stayed in an amazing and friendly hotel, had absolutely mind blowing good food and entertaining drinks! Prague surprised us both in every positive way and it’s a deeply underrated city of Europe! We can only recommend that you order the next cheap flights there!
PRAGUE! We will be back SOON! Until then you can revisit my Instagram Highlights to see more of our experiences 🙂
In the mean time, if you’re heading to other cities in that part of Europe, I also wrote a Budapest City Guide!
If you have other tips for next time we explore Prague, feel free to let me know 🙂