Prague off the Beaten Track

Today's title may sound like a contradiction in terms - no other capital city in Central Europe has seen more influx of tourist crowds and revenue than the Czech Capital. Since the fall of Communism, the city has turned from bleak hard-line communist capital to Bohemian Disneyland in less than 2 decades. Most tourist areas of Prague can nowadays no longer be imaginable without crowds of picture-taking tour groups pushing towards the Astronomical Clock at Old Town Square. Many highly unique and interesting sights, such as the Jewish Quarter of Josefov, have become victims of their own popularity, and overcrowding takes a serious toll on visitor enjoyment and the overall cultural experience. 

For that reason, it is our mission this week to lay out alternative options for a visit to Prague, one that may not result in clashes with tourist crowds and could thus generate a more genuine confrontation with the cultural Other. To this end, timing is crucial, as the Czech capital receives hords of visitors almost year-round. To experience slightly less crowded conditions, a visit during low-season, particularly during cold winter months, may prove a blessing for the individual enjoyment of Prague's sights. In addition, choice of accomodation and neighborhood may facilitate cultural exchange and aid the visitor experience. After all, the Czech capital is characterized by a strict dichotomy between tourist-only areas, i.e., the four historic quarters of HRADCANY, MALA STRANA, STARE MESTO and NOVE MESTO, and more locally-oriented neighborhoods such as Prague 5 ("SMICHOV"), ZIZKOV or slightly further suburban districts like CHODOV or the area around PALMOVKA. The latter offer less expensive accomodation options, a more local flair and yet easy public transportation connections to the visitor attractions of central Prague.

NOVE MESTO, which comprises the area around WENCESLAV SQUARE and the shopping mile of NA PRIKOPE, sees locals and visitors mix to some degree. For that reason it offers both sightseeing highlights such as the MUCHA Museum, the Municipal House and the Powder Tower, and yet venues and experiences associated with local Prague, like the PALLADIUM Mall at NAMESTI REPUBLIKY or PIZZA COLISEUM, among our favorite local Prague eateries with various outlets around the city. Also don't miss our favorite cafe downtown, CAFE CAFE, located on RYTIRSKA on the cusp of OLD and NEW TOWN and attracting a stylish mostly local clientele.

A true hidden gem is the FRANCISCAN GARDEN, just behind Wenceslav Square, an area hardly even accessed or discovered by tourists. From Mustek, walk towards Jungmannova Square towards Our Lady of the SNows church - here we find access to a hidden park area that ranks among the favorite retreats for locals to sit on benches in the sun, chat or eat ice cream in the summer. It is a far cry from the overcrowded Old Town Square a mere 5 to 10 minutes away. Here too we find numerous cafes and pastry shops catering to locals and thus offering drinks, pastries and ice cream at a fraction of the cost compared to elsewhere. It is possible to traverse the Franciscan Garden in its entirity continuing through connecting passages to emerge on VODICKOVA again near the center of WENCESLAV SQUARE.

See the full gallery on posterous

Even the highly frequented HRADCANY area of Prague Castle has a few treasures off the beaten track to offer, most notably away from the Castle complex itself heading towards Strachov Monastery. Here we pass the baroque 18th century LORETO pilgrimage church and then enter the STRACHOV MONASTERY complex itself featuring a stunning library and a portrait gallery, both rather devoid of visitors. The views over central Prague are equally unmatched yet crowdless from the very terrace in front of the monastery. 

On the same side of the VLTAVA river further south we find the local neighborhood of SMICHOV, by far our favorite when it comes to savoring local Prague. Around ANDEL metro station we find a microcosmos of local activity including the NOVE SMICHOV retail complex and nearby STAROPRAMEN brewery and beer hall. Lastly on the Southside of Prague, a taste of local contemporary Czech culture awaits us in the form of the CENTRUM CHODOV shopping mall - a slice of new modern Czech life attesting to the rapid changes this part of Central Europe has undergone over the past two decades.