070 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2017
around the Old Town, particularly when
I leave the tourist strip and find myself
alone. Prague is a city of exteriors more
than interiors, so you don’t have to go
inside all the castles and churches —
they’re best from the outside. On foot is
also the ideal way to see Prague’s less-
touristy neighbourhoods. Vinohrady is
the one I adore the most — I dreamed of
living there when we moved to Prague.
We have our bar, bottle shop and oice
there, and I’m happy with that. It’s only
a 10 or 15-minute walk south-east of
the city centre, and you’ll find better
places to eat, as well as lots of specialty
cofee shops. It’s great for international
cuisines such as Mexican or Vietnamese
(pho is common these days in Prague —
and I mean really good pho). Cafefin is
a contemporary Vietnamese cafe I love,
and Vinohrady is also home to one of
the city’s best farmers markets, Jiřák.
Another neighbourhood that’s worth
exploring is trendy Karlín, a former
industrial area east of the Old Town
that was largely under water during the
floods of 2002. In the clean-up, a lot of
its factories were turned into modern
oices, lofts, cool shops and cafes. In
contrast, Holešovice, which lies just
across the river, is a more traditional
working-class district that still feels
authentic. It has Art Nouveau buildings
and contemporary galleries, and is
home to the fantastic Vnitroblock, a cafe
and Czech design store within the brick
walls of a former factory. I recommend
friends from out of town stay in one of
these three districts — that way, they’ll
be in walking distance of the city centre
but with good options for eating out.GETTING THEREVIRGIN AUSTRALIA OFFERS FLIGHTS TO EUROPE WITH ITS
PARTNERS ETIHAD AIRWAYS, SINGAPORE AIRLINES AND ALITALIA. TO BOOK,
VISIT WWW.VIRGINAUSTRALIA.COM OR CALL 1 3 67 89 (IN AUSTRALIA).DETAILS
Pivovar Lod
Dvořákovo Nábřeží,
Štefánikův Most,
Kotviště Číslo 19,
Praha 1; http://www.
pivolod.cz. Strahov
Monastic Brewery
Strahovské Nádvoří
301, Praha 1; http://www.
klasterni-pivovar.cz.
U Kunštátů
Retezova 3, Praha 1;
http://www.ukunstatu.cz.
Vinohradský
Pivovar Korunní 106,
Praha 10; http://www.
vinohradskypivovar.
cz. Vnitroblock
Tusarova 31, Praha 7;
+420 770 101 231.11 & 12. Pivovar
Lod is based on a
ship, moored on the
Vltava. 13. Explore
the Old Town
Square, which is
lit up at night. 14.
The Jiřàk farmers
market is the ideal
place to pick up
fresh produce.That said, my favourite restaurant
is in the centre of the city, just beyond
the main tourist streets. Kantýna is
located in a former bank, and as far as
I’m concerned, its food and atmosphere
are the best in Prague. The restaurant
specialises in meat; the steak tartare and
beef carpaccio are particularly good.
We visit every week. The same group runs Eska in Karlín,
which is another restaurant I love. They focus on traditional
ingredients prepared in modern ways — for example, they do
potato in ash, smoked catfish and chargrilled veal liver.
Eating and drinking may be what most people come to
Prague for, but there are a couple of less obvious attractions
that I’d recommend. One is Prague Zoo, widely regarded as
one of the best in the world. The other is, believe it or not,
the Old Wastewater Treatment Plant. It served the city from
1906 until 1967, and they’ve kept the machines in working
order. Visiting the site involves winding your way through
underground passages, and you can even take a ferry
through one of the subterranean reservoirs. It’s a side of
Prague that you never knew you wanted to see.11131412