Prague Things to Do

Most European capitals have their own spin on dessert, and Prague is no exception. Tourists with a sweet tooth will find themselves in good company in the City of a Hundred Spires. The first thing you’ll want to do while seeking to slake your appetite is sample a piece of one of the country’s signature confections.

Many of the world’s best and most popular beers originated in traditional Czech lands, and they continue to evolve and develop to this day. Few populations have better (and cheaper) access to high quality brew, and the Czechs (who drink more beer per capita than any other nationality) make the most of it. The following are a few of the most easily accessible and affordable brands and varieties in the country (many of which, thankfully, are also brewed for export).

Prague has become quite the tourist spot in the past decade and with that comes higher prices. However, a visit to Prague doesn’t have to break the bank (or even touch the wallet). There are plenty of free things to do in Prague that give visitors a chance not only to see the sites, but to learn more about the city’s past.

Anybody from the Czech Republic will tell you that their communist past was amongst the most repressive of times for the country, and as a result, there are several monuments in the city of Prague serving as reminders to the ways of life and losses during that regime.

For eight years running, the city of Prague and the world have come together for the Annual International Folklore Festival. From Aug. 28th through Sept. 1st, the festival returns for its ninth year.

This year, more than 1,200 artists are expected to perform from around the globe. The international competition features performers dancing to traditional music and wearing traditional clothing. Performances run daily from 3:30pm to 9:45pm. Be sure to catch the dancing, as well as enjoy other activities corresponding to the dances, including the market.

The history of Jews in Prague is a vibrant and intermittently tragic one. More Jews lived in Prague than anywhere else in the world in the early 18th century, for instance, but both before and after, purges, exploitation, pogroms, atrocities and periods of expulsion plagued Jews in Czech lands off and on for centuries. At the beginning of WWII, more than 90,000 Jews called Prague home. By the end of the war, fewer than 15,000 remained in the entire country.

Today, Jewish heritage and culture has become celebrated, and Jewish heritage sites have become a major tourist draw.