Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Prague may not have always been everyone's first choice as a shopping destination,
but the days of empty stores and surly, pinafore-wearing assistants have long gone.
Nowadaysthereareplentyofsmartmalls,exclusive boutiquesandquirkyindependent
storesofferingarangeoftemptations-Czech-madeglass,ceramics,woodentoys,food-
ietreats,alcohol,smallantiquecollectibles-toweighdownyourbagsasyouboardthe
flight home. It's worth bearing in mind that the strength of the Czech crown against
major currencies has pushed prices high, and many things will cost more than they do
backhome.ThoughtheCzechRepublicisstillverymuchacasheconomy,thevastma-
jority of shops now accept credit and debit cards.
The backstreets of
Malá Strana
,
Staré Město
and
Nové Město
are happy hunting grounds
for interesting little shops, as long as you steer clear of Karlova, Mostecká and Nerudova,
where it's strictly puppets, jester hats, Kafka T-shirts, fake Soviet army gear, Mucha mer-
chandise and
matrioshka
dolls. The multinational franchises have staked out Pařížská, Na
příkopě and Wenceslas Square. Shopping malls have really taken off, with
Palladium
, on
Náměstí Republiky, the mother of Prague's malls; more interesting are the old-fashioned, in-
terwar covered
pasáže
on and around Wenceslas Square.
ANTIQUES, GLASS AND ARTS & CRAFTS
There are
antique
shops (
starožitnosti
),
secondhand
junk shops (
bazar
) and bric-a-brac out-
lets all over Prague. Those in the main tourist districts offer few bargains, but elsewhere you
may find some inexpensive curios. Shops selling
glass
(
sklo
) are ubiquitous; the difficulty
might be finding anything you actually like the look of. For
folkarts
and crafts, look no fur-
ther than the
Havelské market
or the Manufaktura chain.
MALÁ STRANA
Antikvariát
Újezd 26; tram #9, #12, #17, #18, #20 or #22 to Újezd;
map
.
Small secondhand
bookshop that also sells old film and theatre posters.
Mon-Fri 11am-6pm.
Elima
Jánský vršek 5 257 941 377,
elimashop.cz
; tram #12, #20 or #22 to
ive, handmade Polish pottery from Boleslawiec (Bunzlau).
Daily 10.30am-6pm.
Marionety
Nerudova 51 774 418 236,
marionettes.cz
;
metro Malostranská;
map
.
De-
cent range of marionettes, rod and glove puppets, antique and new.
Daily 10am-6pm.
bric-a-brac shop jam-packed with everything from old metal signs and Communist memor-
abilia to glassware and porcelain.
Daily 10am-4pm.
STARÉ MĚSTO
Antik v Dlouhé
Dlouhá 37 774 431 776,
antik-v-dlouhe.cz
; metro Náměstí Republiky;
