If you’re a tourist or a traveler, and you venture out of the city center to Bubenec or Holesovice, please pat yourself on the back because you are officially off the tourist map. Bubenec is not a fancy neighborhood like Vinohrady or Andel, an expat magnet. It’s not as artsy as Zizkov nor high tech as Karlin. However, a traveler told me that he chose to stay in Bubenec because his Czech friends said that if he wanted to live in an INTERESTING NEIGHBORHOOD, go to Prague 6 or Prague 7.
I used to live at the exact intersection of Prague 6 (Bubenec) and Prague 7 (Holesovice) and hosted many people from Couchsurfing and Airbnb. After receiving the same questions over and over again on where to eat, where to buy groceries, what to see, or where to withdraw money, I compiled a list of place of interests for my visitors and guests.
CSOB (Kamenická 599/26, Prague 7)c
KB (Letenské námestí 38)
Basecamp (U studánky 253/27, Praha 7 – www.pifko.info – @BasecampGallery) – A small beer gallery with hundreds of different Czech beers to choose from, quite unusual for typical Czech pubs which usually carry only a few brands.
Fraktal (Šmeralova 1, Prague 7 – www.fraktalbar.cz) – Always packed with locals. Have a decent food menu. The place is quite smoky, though.
Outside the restaurant.
Café & Tea House
Kavárna Pod Lipami (Cechová 1, Praha 7 – www.mamacoffee.cz/kavarny/kavarna-pod-lipami – @mama_coffee) – This small, cozy cafe is situated just slightly off the tram street. A friend of mine recommends this place because of the coffee. At some point, I visited this café quite frequently when I needed to do home office or work on my many blogs. The place is a bit small, though, so it’s more like a place for meet up than for working. In the summer you can sit outside.
Bio Oko Cinema (Františka Krížka 15, Prague 7 – www.biooko.net, ) – A café and art cinema featuring foreign films.
Café Lajka (U Akademie 11, Prague 7 – http://www.cafelajka.cz/) – A new kid on the block literally, located right next to my old apartment. It opens quite late.
Cajovna U Kostela (Strossmayerovo námestí, Prague 7, opposite the church) – A nice tea place with an Oriental (Turkish, Arabic) feel to it. You can sit either on comfy sofas or carpeted floor sampling different kinds of tea or smoking shisha.
OukyDouky (Janovskeho 14, Prague 7) – This coffee house used to be the first English bookstore in Prague, my favorite coffee house in the neighborhood. It has a cozy feel to it. Breakfast is served from 8:00.
Cross Club (Plynární 1096/23, Prague 7 – www.crossclub.cz – @crossclubprague) – Very funky, unique club. Ranked #1 most viewed by Timeout and #4 by Lonely Planet. The industrial club, built in an industrial zone, is a must-see if you’re in the neighborhood.
Sasazu (Bubenské nábreží 306/13, Prague 7 – www.sasazu.com) – An upscale establishment housing a nightclub and a restaurant that specializes in Asian cuisine.
Letna Park – Two popular parks in Prague, Letna and Stromovka, are located here in Prague 7. Letna is more famous than Stromovka perhaps because of the lively Beer Garden that attracts visitors from other parts of Prague. From the top of Letna hill, you can see the Vltava River and the Old Town of Prague. From here you can even walk to the Old Town.
Letna beer garden
Stromovka Park – Stromovka is the largest park in Prague and is nearer compared to Letna to more sights in Bubenec and Holesovice such as the Dox Museum, the funfair, the National Gallery, Výstavište EXPO, and the Prague Zoo.
Prague Zoo (U Trojského zámku 3/120, www.zoopraha.cz)
Swimming pool at Výstavište Exhibition Ground (by the tram stop Výstavište)
Billa Supermarket (Letenské námestí,Letenské tram stop) – Not a real money exchange, however, they accept EUR for payment and return Czech currency. So you can come here, buy grocery, food, give them a lot of EUR and get your Czech. They offer a standard exchange rate.
Bageterie Boulevard (Letenské námestí 748/6 – www.bb.cz – @bageterie). A Czech franchise selling fresh baguettes, sandwiches, and salads. I tried almost their entire baguette menus and definitely recommend it.
Chinese restaurants – There are many Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood. They all cook the same food.
La Bodega Flamenca (Šmeralova 5, Prague 7 – www.labodega.cz) – Serves classic Spanish tapas, wines, and delicious sangria. Sometimes performs Flamenco for free. Some of my colleagues recommended this place because of the good wine.
Protrefena Husa (Dukelských hrdinu 43, Prague 7 – www.potrefenahusa7.cz) – A popular restaurant that operates in many locations. It has a good selection of Czech dishes.
Riccardo (Milady Horákové 63, Prague 7) – Good location, right at the square . During the summer, people sit outside to have meals.
Vietnamese restaurants – There is one across from Billa supermarket at Letenské námestí (Letenské square) serving a broad range of Vietnamese dishes including the popular Pho. The other is Binh Minh (Dukelskýc hrdinu 27, Prague 7), serving Pho, basic Thai soup, and sushi.
Dox Museum – center for contemporary art (Poupetova 793/1, Prague 7 – www.doxprague.org/en – @DOXPrague)
Funfair Matejská pout (Výstavište tram stop) – Visit Czech traditional fun fair Matejská pout and learn another fabric of Czech society. It’s believed that funfairs in Europe, especially in Slavic countries, are run by gypsies. Check out this fun-fair and see for yourself. Very nice for kids even for adults.
National Agriculture Museum (Kostelní 44, Praha 7 – www.nzm.cz/en)
National Technical Museum (Kostelní 42, Praha 7 – www.ntm.cz/en)
National Gallery Prague – Fair Trade Palace exhibition of modern art (Dukelských hrdinu 47, Prague 7 – www.ngprague.cz/5/detail/veletrzni-palace)
Výstavište EXPO (U Výstavište opposite the tram stop of the same name) – The building was built in the late 19th century for a Jubilee Exhibition. There you can see the dancing Križíkova fountain.
Alza ( www.alza.cz – @alzacz) – The most popular place in the Czech Republic to shop for electronic and computer items. You order online and pick up at various branch locations. The main warehouse is in Prague 7 – Holesovice.
Mall (www.mall.cz – mallcz) – Similar to Alza but focuses more on everything else: clothes and household items. The main warehouse is in the same area near Alza. You get good deals if you buy their on-sale items.
Prague open-air market (www.prazska-trznice.cz) – If you know how to bargain and hassle, you can get good deals on souvenirs, clothes, jeans, luggage, handbags, sunglasses and a lot of things made in China (and some in Turkey).
Ferrino (Dukelských hrdinu 33 – www.ferrino.cz) – Selling sport, backpacking and traveling gear.
Hudy Sport (Strossmayerovo námestí 10, Prague 7 – www.hudy.cz) – Sport/travel store selling jackets, hiking shoes, camping gears, tents, backpacks, etc. The items there are quite pricey.
Billa supermarket (at Letenské square)
Prague open-air market (Bubenské nábeeží 306/13 – www.prazska-trznice.cz) – Run by mostly Vietnamese. You can buy Asian food ingredients here in addition to clothes, bags, souvenirs.
Potraviny or Ovoce Zelenina are typical convenient stores selling grocery, fruits, vegetables that run mostly by Vietnamese. You don’t need to look for them as they are everywhere in Prague.
Paid street parking: There are three parking zones in Prague. Fares range from 10 to 40 CZK per hour.
Paid garage parking
ABC Garages – Veletrzni 43 – www.abcgaraze.cz – Rates: 250 CZK / day
Photo credit: found from the businesses’ websites or social media.
Know any other tip? Please drop me a line.
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
