Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This iconic Czech stationery and art supplies brand has two outposts in Nové Mĕsto—one on Na příkopě and the other here on Vodičkova—and both are pleasant, airy places to nab a bit of history. The brand, established in 1790, was the first to patent modern pencil lead and pioneered colored pencils, too, and it now sells all of the art kits you would expect as well as cute kids' drawing equipment, along with an unexpected gorilla made of drawing pencils.
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.
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!")
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.
Absinthe is everywhere in Prague. It's a bit of a tourist cliché, but even if you aren't a fan of the "green fairy," it can be a fun gift for folks back home. This shop is the real deal for the fiery spirit—try a wee nip at the bar while you're there if you're brave enough! There's also an on-site museum with old advertisement posters, bottles, and absinthe spoons.
A bright, interesting room packed with everything from puppets to paintings, jewelry to wire sculptures, this family-run gallery showcasing modern Czech creativity is worth a look for an interesting and unique souvenir.
A slightly kitschy but still lovely woodwork shop, where you can start small, with hand-carved Christmas decorations, and work your way up to beautifully crafted tables and chairs.
This charming antiques shop has so many wares, and such friendly owners, that it has more of the feel of a museum than a store. It focuses on objects from the beginning of the 20th century and, as such, has some lovely art nouveau pieces, from inkstands to lamps. It also has a "mascot," bulldog Adamek.
Despite the extensive collection of antique maps, prints, and engravings dating from the 16th century, this shop is refreshingly bright. Among the shop's treasures: beautiful Japanese woodblocks and a well-known map depicting Asia as the winged horse Pegasus. The shop also mounts and frames works on request.
This traditional antiques store, with its wares displayed in cases and on dark wood tables, specializes in jewelry and gems but also has a great line in silverware of various kinds. There are some really unusual rings and brooches, as well as pieces like a porcelain Japanese cat and a red hyalite glass vase. Established in 1991 by gemologist Martin Cinolter, the store also makes bespoke pieces, including a miniature version of the Czech crown jewels for the Dalai Lama when he visited Prague.
This antiques shop just off Old Town Square is pleasantly cluttered with art deco–era sculptures and furnishings, but specializes in Czech garnet and jewelry. Those with eclectic style will love the intricate brooches, turban-style headbands, and silk scarves here.
This cool little shop specializes in vintage and secondhand finds. If you can face a bit of rummaging, think extremely promising attic (the name means "cloakroom"), with cut-price pieces for men and women from designers like Ralph Lauren, as well as more random bits and pieces. The store also stocks interesting jewelry, including earrings made of headphones and scissors.
Home to hundreds of stores, a well-stocked food court, and an IMAX movie theater, the Atrium Flora is hardly the cobblestoned-street boutique dream you might have in mind. But for shopping junkies, it's a good bet for finding some local and international brands that are hard to hunt down elsewhere.
Shoes, glorious shoes! Five floors of them, to be exact, are housed in this shoe giant that has locations around the world but got its start right here in the Czech Republic.
There's a clearance section on the top floor for bargain hunters.
The shop is imposing, and the sales assistants are positively forbidding, but don't let that deter you, because the clothes are worth it. Many of the pieces would make fantastic special-occasion outfits, so it's not surprising to learn that this eponymous Slovak-run designer shop dressed contestants for the Miss Czech Republic, Miss Europe, and Miss World pageants throughout the early 2000s (although the clothes are less ostentatious than that might suggest). If nothing else, it's fun to try a few items on and think, "Some day...".
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.
This vintage clothes shop, tucked down a Žižkov side street, sells retro womenswear, antique jewelry, leather and fabric bags, and more. It also has some random Czechoslovakian curios, from ceramics to clocks. It's only open from 12 to 5, and only five days a week, so plan your visit in advance.
One of Prague's hippest shopping experiences, BOHO has in recent years morphed from perennially popular pop-up to Vinhorady mainstay. The center of the space is dominated by a cool café-bar serving brunches and booze, while the vintage fashion items and other designer trinkets fill shelves on the walls.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
