When in Prague, why not spend a couple of hours walking the town with a local? And not just any local—a local who’s a history buff! “Free Prague Tours” offers just that. The organization, made up of English-speaking tour guides, offers twice-daily walking tours of the Old Town and Mala Strana. And yes, they’re free! (Although a tip is expected at the end.)

We’re big fans of guided walking tours, especially when you’re lead around town by somebody who knows their stuff. Of course, we also enjoy the “do-it-yourself tour,” with a Lonely Planet or Rick Steves book in hand. But a guided tour offers the chance for dialogue with a local who can answer questions that will inevitably arise. Walking tours also let you relax (stop reading and walking!), and give you a chance to focus on the subject at hand.

Free Prague Tours

Prague Walking Tours offers two free tours daily:

The 10:30 AM “Right Bank Tour” focuses on sights to the right of the Vltava River. It starts in the Old Town Square and astronomical clock, and hits the “Powder Tower,” Wenceslas Square, Franciscan Garden, National Museum, and Jewish Ghetto. Along the way, your guide will discuss communism, the “Velvet revolution,” and Franz Kafka, among other subjects.

The 2 PM tour focuses on the sights of Prague’s Left Bank. The tour also starts in the Old Town Square, then heads to the Rudolfinum, crosses the Charles Bridge and explores Malá Strana. You’ll visit Parliament, Prague Castle (the courtyard), St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Strahov Monastery, among other places of interest.

Both tours last two and a half to three hours (depending on how quickly you walk and how many questions you ask).

Taking a walking tour

No reservations are necessary to take a walking tour with Free Prague Tours. Tours begin in the Old Town Square, at the corner of Pařížská street. You’ll see a small brown sign in front of the Czech Tourism Office.

Note: Although the tours are free, tipping your guide is essential. The guides are students, academics, artists, and professional guides who give these tours to supplement their incomes.

Free Prague Tours also offers a nightly “Ghost and Beer Tour” of Prague for 200 Czk (about €8).

Also see: Our guide to budget hotels in Prague.

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Prague boasts a world-class music scene, with concerts, operas, and ballets performed throughout the year in the city’s famous theaters. Best of all, tickets to these events are within even a Cheapo’s reach, as they cost a fraction of the going rate in other capital cities. You may even be able to score one for under $10.

If you’re planning a trip to Prague and are a fan of the performing arts, you owe it to yourself to check out performance schedules before you arrive, as you’ll want to consider all of your options. Of course, you could wait until you arrive to book last-minute tickets, but why limit your chances of securing a good deal?

Booking your seats online in advance directly with the performance halls gives you the most options for available seats, including the super-cheap seats. Also, when researching shows, consider choosing an afternoon performance, when seats can be less than half the price of an evening show.

Prague’s main performance halls 

Prague has three main venues for opera, ballet, and concerts: The National Theatre (Narodni Divadlo), the Prague State Opera, and the Estates Theatre.

The National Theater

Located along the Vltava River, the National Theater produces dramas, ballets, and operas, and is the most important theater in Prague. The neoclassical building, its golden rooftop gleaming, was constructed between 1868 and 1881.

The Estates Theatre

The charming and regal Estates Theater was built in 1783 and produces ballets and operas. It was here that Mozart conducted his Don Giovanni in 1787, and still today the Estates produces mostly Mozart operas.

Tickets for the National and Estates: You can book tickets for both venues through the National Theater’s website. Click the ”Tickets” link at the top to see the current season and check availability. Tickets are available in seven price categories. You will first need to create a free user account, before paying with a credit card or simply reserving the seats and paying for them in cash when you arrive at the theater. (Be careful: It’s so easy, in fact, that we accidentally reserved two seats for “Falstaff” in October while doing our research!)

You may also purchase tickets, without surcharge, through the Bohemia Tickets website. Tickets can be picked up at their offices in central Prague, emailed to you (for free), or they can send them to your hotel, for 200 CZK ($13).

The Prague State Opera

The city’s second most important opera house, the grandiose State Opera was built in 1888 and is situated just off Wenceslas Square. Opera performances here are often crowd-pleasers by the likes of Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi, in addition to special festivities around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The State Opera performs ten months a year, with no performances during the summer.

Booking: Book tickets in advance directly from the State Opera’s website. There you can view performance schedules and click “buy tickets” to see available seats. The State Opera sells e-tickets directly through their site. When you buy an e-ticket, there is no need to exchange your email confirmation for an actual ticket at the theater.  

As with the National and Estates, you can also book, without surcharge, through “Bohemia Ticket.” 

Prices for all three theaters: Ticket prices vary, but can go as low as 100 CZK ($6.50) for the cheapest (and highest) seats. First and second-tier balcony seats are often in the 300-600 CZK ($19-48) range, while the most expensive orchestra (and prime mezzanine) seats normally cost 800-1,000 CZK ($51-$64).

A note about other ticket booking sites

In researching this post, we came across many other ticket booking websites. Put simply, we would always stick to the official theater websites or to their official partner “Bohemia Tickets.” Other sites often only sell the more expensive seats (not even bothering to offer the cheapies), then tack on “handling charges” and additional delivery charges. One site that we found would either deliver the ticket to your hotel or personally greet you with the tickets at the theater (holding a sign) for about $20.  Not so fast.

Have other tips for finding a cheap seat in Prague? Let us know!

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A few years ago, Mozaika’s burgers were named the best in Prague. Burgers outside of the U.S. are a sensitive subject: think of the role they play in the Whit Stillman film Barcelona, where the burger is symbol of what American can do right. The Mozaika burger may not be the best burger around, but it’s not an embarrassing attempt either.

The pros: It’s American sized, if a little sloppy—especially with the creamy mayonnaise topping, which tends to funnel down the edges of the lettuce—and comes with mushrooms, a rather Czech addition to a ground beef patty.

The cons: it’s never going to emerge from the kitchen anywhere near medium rare. Sorry.

In short, Mozaika is still worth a visit for those hungering for a slab of beef in Prague—think of it as burger outsourcing.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

We overheard this brilliant aside from an American backpacker in a bar in Zizkov: “What the hell is up with all the puppets?”

It’s sort of a good question. Prague’s more touristy areas have marionette shops on practically every corner. The art of puppetry has been a popular form in Prague since the 17th Century. It was one of the first forms of theatre performed in Czech. Historically, the innocence of the marionettes and the naïveté of their puppeteers have allowed many censored ideas to reach the public.

The National Marionette Theatre (Zatecka 1 in Stare Mesto) performs Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni twice daily. With a theatre bar that allows you to bring your Pilsner into the performance, this Giovanni is a burlesque send-up for those who love and loathe opera alike. Sit in the front row if you don’t mind getting wet.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

If you’re in Prague on Saturday, June 16, 2007 don’t spend your day museum-hopping. Wait until 7 p.m., when the bulk of the city’s museums and galleries will waive admission as part of Prague’s Museum Night.

In its fourth year (2007), Prague’s Museum Night is part of a European movement to make art open, accessible, and (best of all) free. The only two museums not offering free admission are asking for “symbolic admission”: the Museum of the City of Prague is charging CZK1 (€.04; $.05), while the City Gallery Prague is asking for CZK10 (€.35; $.47) per entrant. If you’re completely strapped for crowns, don’t fret. There are over 15 other museums and galleries to keep you busy.

Transportation between museums will also be free. A handful of other cultural events and exhibitions will complement the evening’s festivities. So if you’ve ever found yourself jonesing for a Cinderella, stroke-of-midnight moment at Prague Castle, June 16 is your chance.

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Photo by eks

A former flour mill, the Kampa Museum is, arguably we suppose, the highlight of Kampa Park. From the museum, bankside views of the Vltava are far less crowded than they are from the Charles Bridge. Plenty of trees offer shade for an afternoon nap or a perch from which the over-priced gelato sold at the kiosk just outside of the park’s entrance can be enjoyed.

Additionally, the cafe adjacent to the museum offers reasonably-priced wines, beers, and nibbles for riverside dining. Stop in after enjoying what is one of the best free art experiences in the city. Its roster includes Yoko Ono and Christo, and the lobby exhibitions are free—as is the entire museum on Mondays. Adults pay CZK 200 (€7; $9.40) and students and seniors pay a mere CZK100 (€3.50; $4.70) to see the both the permanent and František Kupka-Piet Mondrian exhibitions.

One of the coolest things about the Kampa just now is Julian Opie’s “Walking on the Vltava,” which includes two LED figures named Bruce and Suzanne walking outside on the river proper. A canal runs through the museum’s clear floor, and into the courtyard, allowing museum-goers to have their own Jesus moment.

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Photo by Jenny & Peter

Along the Vltava river, which Bedrich Smetana immortalized in his collection of symphonic poems “Má vlast,” now sits a museum that’s worth interrupting your riverside stroll. Go a little past the Charles Bridge and cut into the small side street of Novotneho lavka to visit the Bedrich Smetana Museum.

While the waistcoat pocket-sized museum doesn’t have the space or artifacts to compete with the Dvorak House or the Mozart Museum at Bertramka, there is nothing more Czech than listening to “Vltava” while sitting on the Vltava. Point the laser-tipped baton in the main section of the museum’s room towards any of the music stands to sample “Má Vlast,” the “Bartered Bride,” or a handful of other works by the composer.

More interestingly, and worth the price of the CZK50 (€1.75; $2.35) admission fee, is the display of Smetana’s ossicles—that is, his ear bones. They’re available for viewing under magnification among the standard mix of journals, letters, scores, and family photos.

Whether you’ve never heard of Smetana (for shame!) or can hum the “Bartered Bride” from memory, this is definitely a waistcoat pocket worth checking out.

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Photo by lucid283

President Bush is in Prague today (June 7, 2007) and will later head to Germany, selling his plan for radar and missile sites in the two countries. While the EuroCheapo blog tries not to get political, we were interested to note where the President and the first lady visited on their trip through the city.

Of course, President Bush got the tour and lunch option at Prague Castle—obviously one of the most popular destinations for anyone going to the city—but the respective first lady, joined by Czech First Lady Livia Klausova, paid a visit to the Strahov Monastery. The monastery, founded in 1120, is one of the most enjoyable sites in Mala Strana. It boasts orchards and an incredible view of the Prague skyline outside, and baroque flourishes inside. Plus, even if you’re not a First Lady, admission to the monastery is still less than a dollar.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

In Prague, you can get your fill of apple strudel at any sidewalk cafe. However, (especially if you’re in the Czech Republic long-term) no one will blame you for craving a giant soft-baked chocolate chip cookie. And expat Anne Feeley’s Bakeshop Praha (Kozi 1, just a block down from the Kafka statue) is just the place to find them, along with a wide range of other American-style baked goods (including bread that isn’t rye!).

The cheery shop, located near the Jewish Quarter, has a design that isn’t too far from Feeley’s Californian roots, warm with a retro, gee-whiz interior. The staff is oh-so-helpful, whether toasting your ham and cheese croissant (a delicious buttery sin) or bagging up a dozen scrumptious oatmeal raisin cookies to bring home.

While the shop makes for a nice afternoon pick-me-up, it is also the perfect locale for a quick, cheap lunch (their quiches are roughly CZK65/$2.00 and are so addictive they should be outlawed). If you have some extra time and extra money burning a hole in your pocket, Feeley’s sister restaurant Bakeshop Diner, is nearby in Mala Strana (next to the Charles Bridge) and offers up the full dining experience for a few extra Czech crowns.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

Though Prague is knee-deep in music history, the only way to get into the Estates Theater—its most famous opera house—is by seeing one of its operas. And if you’re taking in an opera, why not go for one of Prague’s most famous operas, La Clemenza de Tito?

If you missed last month’s production of Clemenza as part of the Prague Spring Music Festival, you’ll be able to catch it again as part of this fall’s Czech Opera season. Written for Prague by its adoptive son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart it the opera had its original premier in the very theater where it will be performed this fall. The current stark white set and modern(ish) costumes (designed for the Mozart 2006 Prague Festival) aren’t replicas of the original 18th century production, but they make for exciting visuals to an exciting Mozart score.

Seeing this integral part of Czech culture, a part of its living history, in the blue velvet jewel-box of an opera house is a must. And with tickets for Clemenza still available for CZK450 to CZK1000 (that’s about $20 to $50), soaking up history and culture won’t soak up your bank account. Bohemia Ticket (located on the net and off Wenceslas Square) is a good resource for getting tickets.

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