To me, it has always seemed like Prague had a reputation for being a city that attracted young backpackers. This crowd certainly likes to admire the city's general beauty and historical architecture, but more so enjoys taking advantage of the fact that in a lot of bars and restaurants, beer is cheaper than water! The city is small enough that you can see most of the historic landmarks in just a day or two, so if you do plan on spending more than just a quick weekend in Prague, you'll have plenty of time to explore the bustling nightlife scene as well, and maybe even make a few new friends along the way! After all, one of the best ways to get acquainted with a new place is to scope out the local watering holes!
With that in mind, here's a brief guide to the nightlife scene in Prague:
Karlovy Lazne
Despite Prague being a city established way back in Medieval times, it has done an exceptional job of keeping up with contemporary international nightlife trends. The best example of this would have to be the five-story club Karlovy Lazne. This place is a ton of fun, with each floor playing a different music genre and offering a different drink menu. There is a cover, which seems to deter a lot of locals; it's about 10 euro, which is fairly typical for Western Europe, big cities in Europe, or Australia, but considered unreasonably expensive by Prague standards. Karlovy Lazne does claim to be the "biggest music club in Central Europe" though!
If you've already been to a lot of places like this though, don't worry, Prague has plenty of other lively music clubs that typically have either a very small cover charge or don't cost anything at all! Cross Club is a very popular one among tourists and locals alike, since it attracts both international and Czech performers. Definitely do some research and planning before heading out to see who is performing at what clubs.
U Sudu Wine Bar
If you'd rather avoid the club scene altogether, there are still plenty of other options. For something more low-key (and lower than ground level!) you can head to one of the city's underground pubs. U Sudu Wine Bar in New Town is a popular favourite, even though few are actually drinking wine! There's usually lot of tourists there, but the beer is still cheap and everyone is very friendly, so you can expect some interesting conversations. And to top it all off, lots of people enjoy playing foosball at this bar as a more chilled activity.
Casinos
Another place to go if you enjoy a chill, social atmosphere is one of the casinos in the city. Even if you don't like to put a lot of money into the games, the casinos in Prague are still great for sipping a drink while people watching. And if you do decide to play, a lot of places will offer you complimentary drinks while you do, which makes the experience all the more worth it! I know in a lot of the places, particularly in the UK, better online security and trusted payment processing options have made online and mobile casinos more popular. We could potentially see these online casinos overtaking their physical counterparts. There's no real evidence of this in Prague though, and my take is that you can't beat the fun, and quirky charm, of free drinks and buzzy surroundings!
The best way to explore the city in general is via the Old Town, which makes the nightlife options well worth exploring! It's best done on foot though, and - while fascinating - makes for a pretty long day out and about. Hopefully if this is part of your experience in Prague, the above suggestions give you a plan for where to hang out, recuperate, and relax with a well-earned drink at the end of such a day!
Have you ever visited Prague?