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I have lived in Prague and I do not recommend you go here or ever do so

Do not go hour by hour according to the astronomical clock

In the tower of the Town Hall of the Old City hangs a foreign clock, whose astronomical dial dates back to 1410. It is a joy to spend hours poring over its details and legends. Who It’s not fair to do it on an hour Because, whether it is cold, rain or sunshine, a group of human beings gather in front of it to watch a simple mechanism that activates and transmits the statues of the twelve apostles. Perhaps, at that moment, the most interesting thing is the mass itself, not the clock.

Any other time of day would be best To take a closer look at the details of your calendar or your zodiac sign. Also four statues representing pride, greed, lust and death; They will all nod their heads just before the above mechanism is activated, except Death, who knows he is certain of his victory. If you are still interested in seeing the statues, at least see it from the Town Hall, Which can be seen, and in which the statues are visible even without exactly one hour.

Photo: iStock

Don’t take beer lightly

In this atheist-dominated country, Liquid gold is a sacred substance. That’s why You shouldn’t trivialize choosing a brewery. A reference: if you see that there is bottled beer, for example American, it is not there. Good Czech breweries often only give you a choice between two or three types supplied by their manufacturer (if the factory is not the brewery itself), and He usually stores his liquid gold in huge steel barrels. From where begins a network of pipes that radiate to the bars, as in the practice of transparency.

Like churches, taverns also usually have long benches, only in taverns they face huge wooden tables arranged to be shared. They are the framework of a social life that ends up being interconnected beer thread, Not because the drink ties their tongues, but because it becomes a topic of conversation, like those Italians who eat while talking about food. Some warnings: Don’t expect the beer to be very cold, if you don’t want half a liter let us know as this is the standard measurement, And you better not be too experimental, because Czechs are not Belgian monks, but masters of the most traditional blondes.

Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t give up finding your corner of peace

At some points Prague becomes overwhelming. So much beauty concentrated in such a small space turns even the most touristy walks like Karlova or Celtna into human floods. If you want to see Charles Bridge open, you’ll have to get up early And, yet, you will find someone who got up before you. but this is the truth Even in the old town and at the peak of rush hour, it is possible to find very attractive streets where you can barely cross paths with your own shadow. Don’t give up finding a corner of peace in the old town, allow yourself to get lost and you will find a treasure.

do not change money anywhere

The Czech Republic has not joined the Eurozone and still has its precious crown. You could spend days in Prague without using them as everything can be paid for by card, but your bank may charge you a fee, so you’ll probably be interested in exchanging some cash. Czech people are extremely honest, but there are a lot of ignorant people walking around the streets with their wallets full of euros and dollars.Exchange houses have emerged in the most touristy areas offering outrageous rates with exorbitant commissions, whose business is to throw money around and wait for someone to bite. Don’t be a fish.

Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t let Kafka eclipse everything

The old town of Prague is full of references to Franz Kafka, a strange writer who must have had a strange fondness for wanderings, judging by the countless memorial plaques that remind us that he lived in this or that house. He is also remembered by sinister statues, a museum and a list of cultural routes about his life and work. It is clear that the author Transform It has a lot of commercial appeal. What is not so obvious is that he liked Prague. If he mentions it in any of his paragraphs, it is to portray it as a kind of prison, and the references are also encrypted.

Wouldn’t it be more meaningful to discover literary Prague with writers who, in addition to speaking Czech, also love their city and its wonders? There are lots of options. YesIt can be started with the texts of the real Neruda, Jan Neruda, who was born under the palace 70 years before Neruda Pablo, Who stole his name out of admiration. their Mala Strana Stories They will be a good introduction to the most essential Prague, However we will find the most dazzling and romantic of all the beauties of the world by Nobel laureate Jaroslav Seifert, an unbeatable master in his native neighborhood of Zyskov.

Communist’s, only communist museum. Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t call them Eastern European… or former communist countries

More than 35 years have passed since the regime fell. How long will we remain an “old communist class country”? It’s not that the Czechs deny their past, it’s just that it doesn’t seem fair to classify your country, which has a thousand years of history, by the regime that ruled it for less than half a century . Besides, Czechia was never the ideal of a country associated with the USSR. There is the Prague Spring of 1968 or the Velvet Revolution of ’89 that tried to move away from this. And if you have any doubts about not mastering Czech, take a route through Operation Anthropoid’s Prague.

Even more important than not calling them “ex-communists” would be not to place them in Eastern Europe., Not that they have no complaints against their Slavic neighbors and cousins, but the Czechs, first of all, are honest, and just by looking at the map it becomes clear that we are in the center of Europe. It is true that his desire for toughness may also be motivated by some aspects of grandeur, And we must not forget that Prague became the court of some of the most important Habsburg monarchs. By the way, do not rush to the palace, as many do: enter its temples and museums, equivalent to a thousand-year-old imperial capital.

Vinohrady neighborhood. Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t overdo it with absinthe

The night of Prague is the true capital of sin. You have to be careful where you end up: don’t do it at first where they invite you for a shot because it’s likely you’ll end up where you don’t want to go. You do not need to eat excessive absinthe for this reason, but above all, so that your sheets do not get stuck at the weekend, and this is because Saturday and Sunday afternoons are a holy day for those who want to know the real Prague. These are the days when the Czech love for their land is felt through the numerous markets of local producers that are held in each neighbourhood, and which are a great way to get to know these historic districts, taste typical dishes and get away a little. An ideal opportunity. That Prague was tailored for tourists.

Don’t trust its size

Logic tells you that a city of a million or more residents, no matter how much of a European capital, would be sentenced to a long weekend. But that’s because you still don’t know Czechs, who feel they have to do everything on their gut. Therefore, You can’t leave Prague without at least visiting neighborhoods like Smíchov, Holešovyce, Karlín, and especially Žižkov or Vinohrady. They all surround the Old Town, all within walking distance, full of charming classicist and modernist facades, a vibrant cultural life and many alternative establishments that reveal a less canonical Prague. So, don’t be dazzled by Prague’s Vltava River and don’t dare to explore the neighbourhood. But most of all, don’t pretend not to come back.

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