Drink Beer! and other Prague, Czech Republic Local Custom Tips

Or to quote my favourite drinking song: "Beer! Beer! Beer!"...

Well? What else do you do in a foreign city but sample its culture!? ;-)

And yes I have to say that I took this particular cultural exchange very seriously indeed with an extremely exhaustive research programme right up to almost the moment I flew home...

I'm no stranger to Czech beers having already tried Budweiser (the real stuff - not the rip-off backstabbing US kind!), Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen, Gambrinus and Kozel here in the UK - however I knew that it would be far more enjoyable sampling these amber nectars in their country of origin. I was not let down I can tell you!

To this dependable stable of beers I was able to add Starobrno (the cheapest at 18kr), Radegast (winner of Czech beer of the year three times in a row and my favourite) and Krusovice which was also an excellent drop - oh heaven!

The best places to enjoy Czech beer are the fabulous underground or out of the way beer halls dotted throughout the city though usually away from the main tourist thoroughfares - beware though as Czechs seem to smoke at least as much as they drink!

As for prices, I would say that the extremely low prices of the past are well and truly over - sadly...

The cheapest I found was in a very rough around the edges bar selling Starobrno for 18kr, but generally expect to pay low 20s and anything over 30 and you are being taken for a ride!

Now have fun and remember, if you only ever learn one phrase in Czech, make it "Jeden pivo prosim" - which translates to "One beer please"! :-)

For more info on this elixir of life, such as links to all the main breweries in the country, its history in the Republic and fascinating facts and records - check out my website link below...

Cheers! Or should I say Na zdraví... :-)

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Website: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/46095/

For most of us westerners the Czech language will be a completely new experience with few if any words proving familiar to begin with…

Although English is spoken in Prague in ever increasing numbers, to not even make an effort to learn a few words of Czech is an affront to the people that live here in my mind. It takes little effort to learn a few simple phrases such as ‘please’, ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ and your experience in Prague will be greatly enriched by doing so as the locals will be very pleased (or amused) by your polite efforts.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of ignorant tourists out there that actually expect everyone in a foreign country to speak English!

Some basics:

Please/You're welcome: Prosim (PROH-seem)
Thank you: Dekuji Vahm (Dyeh-koo-yih vahm)
Hello: Dobry den (DO-bree-den)
Goodbye: Nashledanou (NAH-sleh-dah-noh-oo)
Yes: Ano (AH-no)
No: Ne (neh)

And now for an essential phrase you cannot do without in Prague:

Dam si jedno pivo prosim: Can I have a beer please!

For more, ‘czech’ out Local Lingo ;-)

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One interesting little architectural feature that you can have fun looking out for are the many heraldic 'house signs' adorning houses throughout Prague...

Before the introduction of street numbers in 1770, Prague's houses were identified by a multitude of individual and characterful signs and emblems.

Many of these such as the one 'At the Three Fiddles' were business signs as the original owners were violin makers, although it is now a restaurant...

One of the best places to see these signs is on Nerudova Street in the Little Quarter rising up to the castle (and most likely on your route!), where there are a number of excellent examples.

The road is named after Jan Neruda, the poet and journalist, who lived in the house 'At the Two Suns' (No. 47) and now rests at the cemetery at Vysehrad.

Others to look out for include:

The Red Eagle (No.6)
The Three Fiddles (No.12)
The Golden Horseshoe (No.34)
The Green Lobster (No.43)
The White Swan (No.49)

See what else you can discover on your travels around the city?

Also along this street are two very impressive baroque palaces at No.5 and No.20, which are the Romanian and Italian embassies respectively...

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The story of this quirky character is one of the Czech republic's favourite literary creations and a European classic, firmly ensconced in the complete list of titles in "The New York Public Library's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century".

Written by Jaroslav Hasek, a comic genius, it is essentially an anti-war story with the 'message that war is not merely cruel, unjust and obscene but ludicrous' Sunday Times. Especially so considering that the subject matter is the First World War...

It is a classic novel of the 'little man' fighting officialdom and bureaucracy with the only weapons available to him - passive resistance, subterfuge, native wit and dumb insolence. A good comtemporary comparison would be Catch 22, so if you fancy reading a book by one of the Czech Republic's best authors about one of the Czech Republic's favourite characters and having a bloody good laugh as well - why not 'czech' it out!

Furthermore you can try and follow the 'Svejk Trail' around Prague, including the touristy restaurant 'U Kalicha' (The Goblet)...

Happy Reading/Hunting!

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Website: http://www.svejkcentral.com/