We visited a good friend in the summer who lives in Prague, and decided to spend a week in the city. Of course, beer, food, castles, clocks, etc. were in our schedule, but we also found that the cultural activities in Prague are rich, diverse, and not so expensive, especially considering that we live in Paris. In Paris, a ticket for Carmel in Garnier can be as expensive as 200 euros! With help from my girlfriend and my Czech friend, I attended some interesting performances and also visited some places that are uncommon for tourists. Three places that I highly recommend for an in-depth visit of Prague are:
1. Attending concerts in the National Theater
This is the picture of the end of “La Boheme”, performed by prize-winning artists in the Prague National Theater. We even had the luxury to sit in the front seat with a fraction of the price that we would pay for a categorie-5 in Paris. The annual program of this theater is filled with high-quality performances like this one. And there are the Czech Philharmonic and other performance halls that you can find attractive activities that fit your need. This is, in my opinion, a must-do for anyone who spend more than 3 days in Prague.
2. Listening to high quality jazz
I particularly recommended the club Reduta in the city center. We found a very good jazz there, and again, with a much more reasonable price than that in Paris. During my visit, we went for the Tenor Battle, and we absolutely liked it. This club has a long history, and you can see that many famous artists have played there. If you are lucky, maybe you will find one in Reduta during your visit in Prague.
3. The zoo
It might be controversial, but visiting the Prague zoo might worth your trip to the city (of course depending on where you come from). It is one of the best zoos I have seen in my life. A lot of animals (polar bears, giraffes, gorillas etc.) living in very large and comfortable cages. Exhibitions are organized in different themes, and the guide in English is very clear.
#Note: This article belongs to the Trilogy series. In each article of the series, three photos are used to illustrated a country or a city that I have visited, based on their quality and on the story that they tell. I fully understand that this idea is on the edge of being ridiculous, for it is impossible neither to generalize the nature of a city and a country based on my humble and limited experience, nor reduce the their rich characters into three, the series is here to give a very personal opinion on the places that I have been to, and that I love. And in the hope of being useful.
Nguyễn Đăng Tùng 