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38

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THE
INSIDERS
’ GUIDE
TO
..
.PRAGUE
The Insiders’ Guide to...Prague
Since the Velvet Revolution of November 1989, Prague has 
become a stop on most tourists’ itineraries. As a result the 
centre of the city, in particular the Old Town (Staromesto)
and the Lesser Town (Malostrana), have become 
overwhelmed by tourists. So, why not try something 
different? The unknown neighbourhood of Dejvice, in the 
northwest of the city, is just perfect and you’ll get better
quality food and accommodation.
Dejvice is primarily residential but is also home to the Technical University, so 
there’s a definite student feel to some of the bars and restaurants. For great 
beer, try the Studentska Pub on Studentska Ulice just opposite the Diplomat 
Hotel. Another place worth trying is the Budvice Pub on Svatovitska, home to 
the famous Budvar beer. Both pubs also offer reasonably-priced Czech food. Try 
“svickova” (made with tenderloin beef - it's the Czech national dish) with “knedliky” 
(bread or potato dumplings) - just what you need to soak up the beer! In the 
evening, go to Pizzeria Grosseto (on Jugoslavskych partyzanu) for wonderful pizza 
and pasta. It’s popular and you can’t book, so go early. For something different, 
book a table for dinner at U Cedru, a wonderful Lebanese restaurant.
From Dejvicka metro you can walk down Jugoslavskych partyzanu to visit the 
Hotel International (now the Holiday Inn). The hotel was built in the 1950s and is 
a scaled down copy of Moscow University, so we’re talking Stalinist architecture 
here. The café is a nice place to have coffee and cakes. On the hill behind the hotel 
is the football stadium, home of Dukla Prague, once the pride of Czech football 
and now probably more famous for the 
Half-man Half-biscuit
song “All I want for 
Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit”. If there’s a game on, it’s well worth a visit 
because while the football will be breathtakingly poor, the view from the stand 
across the city is breathtaking full-stop. You can buy the famous away kit for next 
to nothing if you’re looking for a different kind of souvenir.
A good walk from Dejvice is east into Bubenec, a residential district full of interesting 
blocks and a large number of foreign embassies. Bubenec runs along one side of 
Stromovka, a large park. It's a beautiful place to wander around on a sunny afternoon. 
Follow the signposts and you’ll find your way across the river to the zoo, which is 
ranked in the world’s top ten. Entry is not expensive and well worth it as there’s plenty 
to see, including a fascinating gorilla enclosure, an amazing orang-utan exhibit and 
some terrifying anacondas. There are some reasonably-priced cafes inside offering 
good lunches or, alternatively, this being Prague, a pretty good pub just outside the 
main gates. Next to the zoo is the Trojka Palace, an interesting house with extensive 
grounds. It tends to be under-visited as it’s hard to reach by public transport.
Walk through to the eastern end of Stromovka and you come to Vystaviste, the 
19th century fair grounds. These can be fun in the summer, but of more interest 
is the ice rink next to them. This is home to Sparta Prague ice hockey team and 
a great night out if you’re in town on a Sunday night during the holiday season. 
Tickets are not expensive and the atmosphere inside is gripping (ice hockey is 
arguably the most popular sport in the Czech Republic and the national side has 
won the World Championships in the recent past). The games are fast and very 
exciting and don’t last too long. After a game, follow the crowds to one of the 
pubs near the rink to soak up more beer and atmosphere.
Finally, what about shopping? Dejvice has a good selection of shops. There’s a 
branch of the big supermarket chain Bila close to the metro if you want to take 
some dumplings and beer home with you. Take a stroll down Dejvicka Ulice 
where you’ll find a good variety of local shops selling everything from books to 
clothes to snakes in an amazing pet shop.
Next week, we look at Zizkov in the west of the city. Till then, Na slehdenou! 
What people who live there do there! 
By Patrick Howarth
1