Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the front of the theater, walk about 10
steps back up Zelezná and take the first left on
Havelská.
coup it was seized by the government and
turned into a repository for Communist
propaganda. After the 1989 revolution,
the building was returned to the bank,
which restored the intricate friezes and
frescoes depicting bankers' propaganda of
early Czech capitalism. This is the largest
Czech savings bank and worth a peek.
Your next destination is the popular street mar-
ket that overtakes the remainder of Havelská
Street. Simply continue on to:
$
Havel's Market (Havelsk; trh)
At this popular local meeting place, you'll
find vegetables, fruit, drinks, soaps, toi-
letries, artwork, and leather goods. Prices
here are generally lower than in most
shops. Have fun browsing.
The nearest metro is M*stek, line A or B.
TAKE A BREAK
At Havelská 27, you can stop for
a tasty pasta, lasagna, tiramisu,
or thick Italian espresso at the
Kogo
(p. 231). There are tightly packed
tables inside, but if the weather is nice, sit
in the more comfortable archway. Hours are
daily from 9am to midnight. Salads and
appetizers from 160Kc ($6.65/£3). You
won't be disappointed by their homemade
pasta from 192Kc ($8/£4.50).
Continue down Havelská. On the left you'll see:
#
Czech Savings Bank (Ceská
sporitelna)
The 1894 building was originally
intended to be a bank, but after the 1948
SHOPPING AREAS
The L-shaped half-mile running from the middle of
Wenceslas Square
around the
corner to the right on
Na P
r
íkop
ê
and to the Myslbek Center has become Prague's
principal shopping street. In this short distance you'll find three multilevel shopping
gallerias.
A handful of fine private
art galleries
is concentrated on the stretch of
Národní
t
r
ída
running from just east of the National Theater to Wenceslas Square. The wide
tree-lined Pa
r
í
z
ská, from Old Town Square to the Hotel Inter-Continental, is flanked
with top-level boutiques, travel agencies, and airline offices, as well as eclectic local
shops.
In the streets surrounding
Old Town Square,
you'll find a wide variety of expen-
sive shops with bizarre nooks offering woodcarvings, garnets, handmade toys, and typ-
ical Czech glass and porcelain.
In
Malá Strana,
you'll find artists and craftspeople selling their jewelry, prints,
handicrafts, and faux Red Army surplus on Charles Bridge.
HOURS & TAXES
Prague's centrally located shops rely on tourist business and keep fairly long hours.
Most are open Monday to Friday from about 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to
1pm, and sometimes much later. Many open on Sunday as well, though usually for a
shorter time. Note that some small food shops that keep long hours charge up to 20%
more for all their goods.
Prices for goods in shops include the government's 19%
value-added tax (VAT).
All tourists from
outside the E.U.
can save up to 16% of this tax. To make use of this
concession, buy from stores with the
TAX FREE
sign. To qualify, the purchase price
must exceed 2,000K
c
($83/£40), including the VAT in 1 day in one store.
