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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.
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.
This jewelry shop feels more like a gallery than a shop, with its statement pieces gleaming in the light. But don't be put off; it's a family-run business and the staff are friendly. The carefully curated sculptures and accessories are typified by an amazing use of metal and precious stone.
Josefov's answer to Staré Mĕsto's glass stores certainly holds its own. A bright space filled with amazing Czech glass sculptures, as well as porcelain pieces and contemporary art, Glassimo is a good option if you just have to take home some Bohemian glassware. The light fittings made by Kateřina Smolíková and Italy bowls and vases by Jiří Pačínek are unique to the store.
This classy Czech-German jewelry company, set up by a couple in the 1970s, supplies trinkets by carefully chosen brands and produces its own pieces and is among the only home-grown brand on swanky Pařížská. It holds its own against the international big hitters, offering stunning pearls in different shades, as well as gold, silver, and platinum items. This branch offers the most varied selection, while the serene shop on Na příkopě focuses on pearls.
There's no avoiding the allure of the crystal on offer from this brand, founded by a Bohemian jeweler living in Austria in 1895. This store, right by Old Town Square, is an attractive outpost, complete with some spectacular crystal pillars. Pick up a playful key-ring charm or glittering bauble at relatively affordable prices. It's worth spending some time reveling in the window-filled space, as shoppers outside point excitedly at the displays.
If you are really looking to make a statement, the red garnets here are authentic, the designs delicate and attractive (set in rose gold), and the shopping experience very approachable, despite the suitably high price tags.
The real treat at this old-school jewelry store is getting a glimpse of the jeweler at work—he may even give you a wave if you're lucky. The store has a variety of items including rings and other jewels, some of which are displayed in the window, but you can also create your own unique piece with a designer. It can be expensive, but you're getting handcrafted items with real gems, after all.
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