What to Do in Prague

One could easily spend several days just wandering the streets, alleyways, and passages of the Old Town and New Town of Prague. Sarah and I have chosen to live here, at least in part, because it's one of — if not the — most beautiful cities in the world. If you arrive in time, we'd be delighted to take you on our whirlwind tour, which hits some of the most exciting points over the course of a day. We'll be taking anyone who cares to join us out-and-about on the 26th of June, and you can think of this excursion as a starting point for your independent exploration of our beloved city.

But for those of you who crave a little more than simply walking this beautiful city, here are some things to consider.

Museums

There are dozens of museums in Prague, so you are sure to find something to suit your fancy, regardless of your interests. But a few worthy of particular note are

"The" National Museum is actually housed in dozens of buildings around not just Prague, but the entire country. That said, when most people say "the National Museum", they mean the main building, situated at the top of Wenceslas Square. The museum in its entirety hosts some 14 million pieces, and at most around half of those can be stored in the main building. At present, it houses collections in Pre-History and Protohistory; Old Czech History; Ethnography; Numismatics; and Theater. Notably absent from the main building is the natural museum, which was pulled entirely into a separate building in 2010. Depending on how you "do" museums, this could easily be a couple of days.

Alphonse Mucha was not a name I knew before I moved to Prague — but the minute I walked into his museum, I instantly recognized the style. His works — in particular his commercial works which included theatrical posters of Sarah Bernhardt — are perhaps the most recognizable of the Art Nouveau period. Situated just a block and a half off of Wenceslas Square, the museum is easy to get to, and at just over 5,000 square feet can easily be seen in a half day. It also has a great gift shop where you can pick up prints of some of his posters, which make a great addition to almost any home.

For the more serious minded, you should spend some time at the Museum of Communism. But if you really want to have some fun, you need to check out the KGB Museum. Yelp reviews like "Honestly this was an experience that could not be missed - the guide is beyond crazy," and "The guy that owns it and shows it is a character," do not do it justice. It's really just two rooms and a basement filled with Andrei's personally collected KGB memorabilia — but he really loves the KGB! His tours are simultaneously befuddling and awesome. Definitely a "must do". You'll leave the museum shaking your head, but also smiling.

Music and Theatre

Prague has a tremendously vibrant arts culture. We have three major orchestras (the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, and the Prague Philharmonia), two opera houses, a slew of jazz clubs, and dozens of theatres that stage everything from classical to modern. If you want to check out the jazz scene, your best bet is to google. If you want to look at some of the smaller theaters, give us a holler and we can help you out. But the big venues are