Prague - at the heart of Europe

A visit to Prague is like stepping into the pages of a historical novel: the new and old towns with their Jewish quarters and the castle all have their own stories to tell.

Dark shades and joie de vivre
Many popular images of Prague are born of the pages of literature. Kafka's gloomy works paint the city in darker shades, but fortunately one may also reflect on the mischievous grin of the Good Soldier Schweik in Jaroslav Hasek's famous novel to see the brighter side of the Czech capital.

This Janus face is otherwise quite typical of Prague. The eternal Gothic-Baroque architecture of the place is balanced by a passionate desire to leap far into the future. This mediaeval city is bursting with youth and an international outlook that is reflected both in the people and in the global labels that are sold in its shops and boutiques. Prices here remain relatively reasonable, which only increases the urge to shop.

Gourmet restaurants and beerhouses
Prague offers a wide selection of restaurants enabling the visitor to dine well but inexpensively in local venues or to head for pricier international establishments of a high standard. The true atmosphere of the city, however, is to be found in any of its hundreds of beerhouses. The best known of these is probably the 500 year-old U Flecu, while the Good Soldier Schweik was a regular at U Kalicha. Na zdravi – cheers!