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Shopping in Prague still feels like an adventure. Around one corner, you’ll find a crumbling shop front and a glimpse of a stooped jeweler hard at work restoring an ancient pocket watch. Around the next, a cutting-edge design boutique selling witty Czech-made home accessories.
In recent years Czech fashion and design has come of age. While it’s no Paris, there’s a funky, even punky, edge to many of the clothes and objects on offer that will stand out anywhere in the world.
But traditional pleasures still abound. Endearing traditional crafts are available on every cobblestoned street. Each region of the Czech Republic has its own specialty, and many are represented in Prague. Intricate, world-renowned hand-blown glassware, wooden toys and carvings, ceramic dishes, and delicate lace all make perfect "I got it in Prague" gifts. The Czechs are also masterful herbalists, and put plants to good use in fragrant soaps and bath products made on local farms.
That said, every city has its kitsch, and Prague is no different. Marionettes have been a favorite Czech handicraft and storytelling vehicle since the late 18th century, and they are ubiquitous here. The trick is avoiding mass-produced versions at tourist kiosks and getting your hands on the real puppet deal.
There are plenty of real deals in the city’s antique shops, art galleries and antikvariats—secondhand book and print stores. Some are vast, dusty caverns, some look like an elderly aunty has tipped out her entire attic willy-nilly, while still others are pristine, prissy, and pricey. Either way the unpredictable jumbles of merchandise offer a fun day of flea market–like spelunking—you may pick through communist-era buttons in one shop and find cubist office chairs or ancient Czech manuscripts in the next.
If you like your souvenirs to sparkle, garnet peddlers abound. But take heed: all that glitters isn’t garnet—many are not the real deal. True Czech garnets are intensely dark red. Also known as pyrope or Bohemian garnet, these precious stones have been mined here for centuries. Tight clusters of garnets are found on antique pieces, while modern baubles are often sleeker and set in gold or silver. Stick to our recommended shops for quality gems, and inquire about the setting—if a low-priced bauble seems too good to be true, it could be set in low-quality pot metal.
The international jet set isn’t forgotten either. If you crave big luxury labels, the aptly named Paris Street (aka Pa?ížská ulice) will give you your dose of runway glam. Do not expect any steals here, although they are available elsewhere in the city’s impressive selection of European chain stores.
Most of Prague’s shops are open from 10 am until 6 or 7 pm, and malls tend to stay open until 9 or 10 pm.
If shopkeepers in Prague seem aloof, don’t be dissuaded—try greeting them with a friendly "dobrý den" when entering a store, and you may be surprised by their warmth.
This American company, led by designer and long-time Praguer Karen Feldman, merges modern style with traditional Czech techniques. Artists use mouth-blown molten crystal and showcase hand-painted glassware, for instance. Items are so painstakingly crafted that they're bound to become family heirlooms, but all are far from prim. The company also makes handbags to order.
Right by the John Lennon Wall, and in some ways effectively the graffitied attraction's gift shop, Artisème is also so much more than that. It boasts a beautiful selection of vases and other gorgeous design products, including jewelry and dinnerware, and the peaceful garden location is a nice spot.
A large, extremely hip space that is more than just a shop; it's also a design collective where you can meet jewelers and fashion designers, see their work, hear lectures, or just have a coffee or a glass of wine. The neon sign glimpsed from across the street is enticing, and the light-filled interior does not disappoint: from Nastassia Aleinikava's rose-gold strawberry necklaces and out-there specs to unique jackets made from recycled jeans from Restore by Acarin, these are some of the coolest modern design pieces in the city.
A revival of an old Czech brand once so iconic that it was not only worn by Czechoslovak Olympians but actually became the word for any sports shoe (botasky), these cool sneakers still look the part. Originally restarted as a school project in 2008, the graphic-design pedigree of the team behind the brand is obvious, from the clean lines of the shoes themselves to the bright yellow of the shop. As well as trying on the shoes, you can also look into the brand's history while you're in the store.
If you like the sensation of unearthing your treasure, this wonderfully cluttered antiques store is the ticket. About the size of a closet, this shop uses every nook to display a mix of communist-era badges, tin Pilsner Urquell signs, charming old typewriters, and more. Memorable gifts can be found among the clutter, although some prices are high—that colorful Czech tobacco tin could make a great jewelry box, though. Ask the friendly English-speaking shopkeeper for tips, and pop round the corner to find his slightly larger cave of riches.
You will see signs all over Staré Mĕsto advertising authentic Czech garnet, but this is the real deal, complete with certificates of authenticity. This store is part of the Granát Co-op, the world's most prolific producer of Bohemian garnet jewelry. The elegant Dlouhá branch has two separate rooms. Gold and silver jewelry, including an especially nice selection of brooches, is to the right. Pricier diamond-clad pieces are to the left.
Located in the stunning House at the Black Madonna, this gorgeous museum shop brings original and replica cubist and art deco pieces into the real world. Marvel at angular black-and-white vases by Vlastislav Hofman, and let your eyes linger on the lines of a 1930s tubular armchair. Maps of Prague's art deco, cubist, and modern architecture are also sold here.
This artistic-minded shop is chic, original, and just a little bit mad. Stocked with genuine and original Czech designs, items range from painted dresses to billowing silk skirts. The designer collaborates with graphic designers, photographers, and musicians, which makes the little store feel all the more like a great embodiment of Czech style.
A quintessentially Czech shop right in the center: you've got to love it. How many other capital cities in the world would have a store dedicated to all things mushroom and mushroom-picking (a slightly risky national pastime---don't do it yourself without an expert present), a street or two away from the retail prime time? Les Houbeles sells mushroom-growing supplies, kitschy clothes, and, of course, the fungi themselves.
A unique, 100% natural, zero-waste, eco-friendly cosmetics shop that not only sells products, from lotions to lip balms, but also runs classes teaching customers how to make their own. From the moss growing in the cupboard (for decoration) to the friendly owners, Petra and Tereza, who are happy to help with any queries, it's a delight. The name is cute, too: cunning fox.
Established in 1991 in a bid to preserve traditional Czech and Moravian crafts, Manufaktura is now a thriving business with branches across the country. At this centrally located outpost, home-spa products like bath salts and creams are arranged in a pleasant, folksy manner, as are cosmetics made with Czech beer—yes, beer.
This food shop on a quiet stretch of Kozí is like walking into a bygone era before supermarkets took over the high street. Think the best bread, meat, and cheese shop from the 18th century that you can possibly imagine, and you've just described this place. Shelves groan with fresh produce, the air is full of delicious smells, and friendly staff are ready to help tease your taste buds.
You can get freshly cooked meaty meals here, too—a worthy alternative to the extremely popular, and busy, Naše maso butcher's shop on Dlouhá. Dobrou chut'! (That's Czech for "Bon appétit!")
Innovation is revered at this store inside the Municipal House, a magnet for fans of cubist and modernist furniture and decor. Originals, reproductions, and work by new Czech designers are available, making it nearly impossible to leave without something distinctive—a streamlined steel liquor cabinet or a cool cubist vase, perhaps. There are other branches in Vinohrady and in the Museum of Decorative Arts; this store focuses on ceramics and porcelain.
Every Saturday (in the warmer months) sees the hipster riverside hangout of Náplavka transformed into a farmers' market selling staples like potatoes and apples as well as more artisanal products like traditional Czech dumplings and honey wine, smoked meats, and tortellini.
You'll be drawn in by the amazing window display, which features anything and everything from puppets climbing trees to wooden airplanes. However, you'll stay to be a part of the sheer joy that bursts out of this two-floor toy shop. Packed with attractive wooden toys, stuffed animals, puzzles, and games, it harks back to a more innocent age. There's also a good selection of marionettes if you have your heart set on taking one of these traditional Czech items home.
Tucked away on a narrow stretch of Rámová, this great homewares shop is made even better by its friendly staff, who might just offer you a cup of coffee. The lure of what's for sale is really the draw here though—mainly funky home accessories from nonconformist Czech designers, such as a cake-shaped candle holder and a plant made out of glass.
Do not waste your time with the typical multinational brands stationed on Pařížská. Instead, pop round the corner to this lovely, minimalist clothing and lifestyle store, check out its roster of stylish Czech and Slovak fashion, and buy yourself a cup of coffee while you chat with the friendly owner, perched on one of the small tables by the entrance. A lovely place to while away half an hour or more, while also picking up some unique items to take home.
A cultural center in a former factory that's also a foodie mecca with a cinema, plus a hub for workshops, galleries, and hip boutiques, Vnitroblock resembles a shopping center as imagined by the coolest kids in town. From rotating pop-ups, including a favorite selling falafel and rosé wine, the gorgeous reclaimed industrial spaces, and the chill café vibe at the heart of the project, it's worth a trip here regardless where you are staying in Prague.
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