This church may be less well known than many in Prague, but inside it reveals the story of an act of great heroism from the days of World War II. Two Czech partisans, Jan Kubis and Jozef Gabcik, had assassinated the hated deputy Reich- Protector of occupied Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich. They were hiding out in the crypt along with five of their comrades when they were betrayed to the Gestapo by one of their own. There followed a three hour siege, during which 800 members of the SS and Gestapo were held at bay, until Kubis and Gabcik took their own lives. The crypt today is a compelling place to visit, with a strong sense of the events that unfolded there many years ago. There is a small museum and shop, and a film made by the Nazis with dramatic footage of Hitler attending the state funeral of Heydrich. At street level you can see the air vent with the surrounding stonework still scarred by the bullets that were fired at it in an attempt to dislodge the Czech partisans. It is also possible to follow the story to its final dreadful conclusion by visiting the village of Lidice, outside Prague – shortly after the assassination the anticipated reprisal took place there, the men shot, women and children deported to concentration camps and the village dynamited.

www.pravoslavnacirkev.cz
Resslova 9a, 120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
+420 224 920 686
Google map: bit.ly/Z2hECq

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Petrin Tower is a great experience if you don't mind heights and steps. If walking up 299 steps fills you with horror you can take the funicular railway to the top. The views at the top will take your breath away, the whole of Prague city in every direction, your reward.

www.petrinska-rozhledna.cz/
Petřínské sady, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic
+420 724 911 497
Google map: bit.ly/W11ZVQ

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Buy a Prague one day travel pass and rumble along on a number 22 tram from the National Theatre across the River Voltava. Then let the quaint funicular railway take the strain up Petrin Hill. Built in 1893 the Petrin Observation Tower is an Eiffel lookalike and sways slightly in the wind. You can go up by lift or climb the 299 wooden stairs on the outside to the viewing platform with its superb panorama over Prague. Stroll back to the city down through gardens and apple orchards. Two hours, all in, for a fiver.

www.petrinska-rozhledna.cz/
Petřínské sady, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic
+420 724 911 497
Google map: bit.ly/W11ZVQ

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The "cultural hall" tour takes you around areas you would only see if you went to a number of concerts - there's some stunning art and architecture plus an interesting history.

www.obecnidum.cz/
náměstí Republiky 1090/5, 110 00 Praha 1-Staré Město, Czech Republic
+420 222 002 780
Google map: bit.ly/YDhjDf

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Mucha painted 20 huge canvases, inspired by the Czechoslovak and other Slav nations and with his trademark Art-Nouveau style. Monumental and stunning, with an excellent interpretive leaflet, see it while you can as they are destined for a permanent home, when Prague can agree where, and how to fund it.

www.ngprague.cz
Dukelských hrdinů 530/47, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice, Czech Republic
+420 224 301 122
Google map: bit.ly/WRdxtw

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The Czech Repulbic is just about the best in Europe for a self-planned walking trip. There is an amazing network of well-marked colour-coded footpaths across most of the country. Outside almost any railway station (and there are often railway stations in the smallest of villages) you'll find a sign indicating a variety of walking routes, with distances and likely times. And the routes, over hills and through forests and meadows, past castles and manor houses, up mountains and into old villages and towns, can be fantastic. Good walking maps (I found four different publishers) are widely available for much of the country at reasonable prices. And at the end of the day it's always been my experience that it was possible to find a guest house or cheap hotel in the village and a hearty dinner washed down with lots of pilsner beer.

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Prague has a surfeit of beer gardens set in various parks around the city, where small shacks sell cheap beer and wine to a laid-back crowd. One of the nicest and most romantic is in Letenské sade; with fantastic views over the city and often at least one person strumming a guitar there's no better place to enjoy a summer's afternoon. There is also an acclaimed restaurant housed in an impressive Neo-Renaissance château in the park should you feel like treating yourselves.

Nábřeží Edvarda Beneše, 170 00 Praha 7, Czech Republic
+420 221 714 444
Google map: bit.ly/Z9BkmX

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Prague Castle is equally gorgeous in snow or sunshine. However, as with any popular tourist attraction, the crowds can be a little overwhelming at times. Ducking into one of the small galleries dotted around the site is one way of escaping the throngs of visitors as well as any inclement weather. The Prague Riding School’s current offering – a retrospective of Stanislav Kolibal’s work – is an engaging collection of abstract sculptures and barely touched canvases which both know-nothings and connoisseurs can enjoy. The highlight for me was the exact replica of Kolibal’s 1967 debut exhibition where his talent and range as an artist are already in ample evidence. The minimalism of the massive iron installations dominating the gallery’s main hall are neatly juxtaposed by the familiar imposing gothic outline of St Vitus Cathedral which can clearly be seen through the huge windows. There’s no need to buy a ticket for the whole site: you can just pay for entrance to the gallery without coughing up the required 250kc to do a tour of the cathedral.
On until 6 January 2013

www.kulturanahrade.cz/en/exhibitions/programme/programme/stanislav-kolibal-another-world-324.shtml
Pražský hrad, 119 08 Praha 1 Czech Republic
+420 224 373 531
Google map: bit.ly/ZkE7xO

* Lisette is our Been there local for Prague. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-lisette.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LisettePrague

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I was reading your article on wines in the Czech Republic and didn't see anything about Burcak, a young Moravian wine. I read about it in The God Complex, a new thriller novel set in Prague.
I visited Prague last fall and took the book and printed off a free self-guided tour from the book's website. I learned more interesting things about Prague from that book than the guided tour I paid for there. Things such as Burcak, where to find it, and that it's only served in the fall. Luckily, it was fall when I visited. I also found the pig's knee restaurant described in the book. The book had enough history/background of the sites listed in the tour to make it a good compliment/replacement for a local tour. Just as the tour says, it will turn your trip into an adventure. It's definitely worth packing for a weekend trip.

www.godcomplexnovel.com/
Google map: bit.ly/xHWjeu

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For a break from the more obvious tourist souvenirs, or if you have underestimated the brutality of the Prague winter, pay a trip to Model Praha Klobouky off Wenceslas Square and buy yourself a hat.
This delightful shop, tucked away on an arcade leading off Wenceslas Square, seems to hark back to a time where nice young ladies donned hats and gloves each day before leaving the house. Perhaps this is due to its impressive stock of TONAK hats – world renowned felt hats of the highest quality. TONAK is a Czech manufacturer with a legacy stretching back to the mid-19th century, which is borne out in all of its creations.
Model Praha stocks top hats, fedoras, ladies headwear (suitable for weddings and the races) and a small selection of fur.
The ladies who work here are charmingly patient, and speak enough English for everyone to get by without too much difficulty.
A great place to invest in a little piece of Czech fashion history, starting at a very reasonable 450 czk.

www.modelpraha.cz/eng/
Václavské náměstí 28, Praha 1
Nearest metro: Mustek or Muzeum
Mon-Fri 09.00-19.00, Sat & Sun 10.00-17.00
Google map: bit.ly/vto0Vg

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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For national Czech history don't go to the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square. The building is beautiful but the collection has just been shut for at least four years for extensive and long-overdue updating.
Instead, go to the National Museum site at the Vitkov Memorial in Zizkov. This site is home to one of the biggest equestrian statues in the world and a very interesting exhibition about 20th century Czech history.
A steep climb to the top is rewarded by a great view over the city, from the roof-top viewing platform or the very good café.

www.nm.cz/
U Památníku 1900, 130 00 Praha 3
+420 222 781 676

November 2011 untill March 2012:
Monday–Wednesday: CLOSED
Thursday–Sunday: 10 AM–6 PM
Google map: bit.ly/vukUJR

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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Czech tea houses are a relatively recent development. Local legend claims that a good cuppa was unheard of in the Czech capital until 1848 when Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin requested tea in a Prague café and was met with blank faces.
Fast forward 150 years and the tea drinking, which took off at the end of the 19th century but subsided under the communist regime, has flourished once more. Prague boasts innumerate independent čajovny as well as one small tea chain, each with distinct character and appeal but all offering a wonderfully relaxed environment in which to while away a few hours.
Čajovny serve čaj in abundance – fresh loose teas from across the globe. Most offer extensive menus (around 60-80 tea varieties is a standard) and some offer hookah with flavored tobacco.
Čajovny are casual, hippified places, popular with Czech students, offering a relaxed, chilled-out vibe. A great antidote to an afternoon of sightseeing!

My favourites include:
Dobra Čajovny on Wenceslas Square – www.tea.cz/cajovna/
Nearest metro: Mustek or Muzeum

Tea in the Tower
www.dojo.cz/cajovna/rozvrh/index_eng.html
Na výšinách 1 / Korunovační Prague 7
Nearest Tram: Sparta (1,5,8, 25 or 26)

* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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When you step into Café Louvre on Národní, it is as if you step back in time. Opened in 1902, Louvre has always ranked highly in Czech kavarna culture. For a time it was the meeting ground of philosophy groups whose members included Franz Kafka and Max Brod. Many key players in the European literary scene of the early twentieth century spent time here, including Czech the Čapek brothers and Otto Pick.
Although the café closed for several years under the communists, its interior underwent considerable reconstruction in the 1990s. Today visitors will still get a feel of the grandiose café scene that existed at the beginning of the last century, as they walk up the wide staircase with marble walls and an iron handrail. The main room of the café, overlooking Národní below, boasts high ceilings, large windows and huge mirrors, which makes this one of the most splendid locations to drink caj or kava in the whole of Prague.
Louvre does offer full savoury meals, including soups, salads and pancakes. However, the best reason for a visit is the magnificent coffee and cake menu. Their homemade cakes, strudels and waffles will satisfy even the sweetest tooth – the blueberry cake on linz dough with vanilla ice-cream (65 CZK) keeps me coming back again and again.
An impressive drinks menu makes Louvre a winter time favourite – hot chocolate with rum and whipped cream (59 CZK) will keep you warm when it’s cold outside.
For good quality coffee and dessert set in historic opulence, look no further.

www.cafelouvre.cz/
Národní 22, Praha 1, 110 00
+420 224 930 949
Nearest metro: Narodni Trida or Mustek
Nearest tram: Narodni Trida (6, 9, 18, 21, 22 or 91)
Mon-Friday: 08.00 to 23.30
Sat-Sun: 0900 to 23.30
Google map: bit.ly/mQerhN


* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/

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One would be hard pressed to find a more moving film location than the crypt of Prague’s Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius that featured in the 1975 film 'Operation Daybreak' which was based on the true story assassination of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich.

In retaliation for Heydrich's death the Nazis killed the entire male population of Lidice while the women and children were all sent to concentration camps.

Seven parachutists, including two of the assassins, hid in the crypt of the Prague church but were betrayed. 800 Gestapo and SS soldiers tried to storm the church and flood them out and were held off for 14 hours. Three died and the remaining four shot themselves. Holes from the bullets can still be seen in the crypt wall. The crypt now serves as the National Memorial Of The Heroes of the Heydrich Terror.

Resslova 9, Prague 2 Metro Line B (Karlovo namesti )
Open every day except Mondays Apr-Oct 10am-5pm Nov-Mar 10am-4pm

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Prague Jewish quarter is one of the most popular areas of Prague. There are several kosher restaurants, Prague Jewish community, apartments with kosher breakfast and you can also have a very interesting tour of Jewish Prague. Prague Jewish museum is one of the most visited museums in Prague. Probably the most famous places are the Old new synagogue (the Maharal shul) and Old Jewish cemetery with all the known Rabbis from Prague Jewish history.

Jewish Prague
www.kosherprague.com/
www.jewishprague.cz/
www.jewishprague.info/
Josefov, Old town of Prague
nearest metro station: Staromestska
Tel: +420-731-108-744
Email: info@kosherprague.com

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Out-of-town must, if you have more than a couple of days in Prague. This fortified 18th century town was used by the Nazis as a "model Jewish town" - a transit camp for thousands. It's a strange, fascinating place, oddly empty though a good many people have lived there since the war. Good museum includes a film made to fool the Red Cross, showing happy smiling people. The few communist-style shops evoke that era too. Very well worth a visit.

About an hour's bus ride from Prague, you can get a bus from the Florenc bus terminal; www.pamatnik-terezin.cz

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Synagogue set in the Jewish Quarter. The walls are marked in 1cm high writing with the names of all the local Holocaust victims. The walls are covered. It is a sobering, astonishing thing to witness. Sounds morose but I can't see any point to visiting Prague without seeing this.

Jewish quarter

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There are reminders everywhere in Prague of people who struggled against oppression. Jan Palach, the student who burnt himself to death in protest at Soviet occupation, has a statue in Wenceslas Square.

But the most moving experience of national defiance that we had was at the spot where Reinhard Heydrich's assassins (Czech paratroopers flown over from Britain) were gunned down in the Church of St Cyril, just off Charles Square.

You first notice the bullet-scarred wall where the church was besieged in 1942, when German troops mounted an assault on the Czechs who were hiding there. Surrounded, they took their own lives and the crypt of the church is one of those places where you feel the hand of history.

The cafe next door to the church acts as a wonderful museum that honours those brave parachutists.

The Church of St Cyril: Resslova Ulice, Nove Mesto, the entrance to the museum is at the side on Vizeoska Street.
tel: 420 224 920 686
Nearest metro: B line to Karlovo Namesti; Trams: 10,14,16,18, 22, 24

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On the hill on the eastern side of the city is the current Jewish cemetery (not to be confused with the old cemetery in the Jewish quarter) where Kafka is buried.

Enter through the main gate and walk to the right side of the ceremonial hall within. There you will find a sign pointing to Kafka's grave. Follow the direction of the sign until you reach the sector 21 sign. Turn right at this sign and head towards the wall. Turn left when you get to the wall and walk until you reach the end of the sector (also marked by a sign). Kafka's grave is next to the sign, facing the wall.

Mounted on the wall is a memorial plaque to Max Brod, Kafka’s friend who published his work after his death. Non-Jewish men - don’t forget to take something to cover your head (I used a baseball cap which is better than nothing).

Olsany cemetery, Zelivskeho metro

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In Wenceslas Square, near the Wenceslas monument, there is a sculpted cross set into the pavement in memory of Jan Palach, the student who burned himself to death in 1969 at this spot in protest at the Russian occupation. It is still regularly decorated with flowers and is a memorial for the Czechs of all who suffered under the Communist regime.

Wenceslas Square

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