Whenever we travel, we like to do quite a bit of research. Well, actually, Zuzi does all the research. Jan just tags along. At least that’s what Zuzi says. Anyway, research is good because it saves you time when you arrive to your destination. You do not have to rely on free maps full of advertisements, on "sincere" recommendations by your receptionists (we still remember our disastrous dinner in Bologna, Italy, based on our lovely receptionist's advice) or on the first source of information you find online just because they are good with search engine optimization.
Where do we look for information when we travel? Good question! You may have noticed already we like to do what the locals do. So instead of the online guides and review websites where all the reviews come from foreign visitors, we like to tap into the local social media. See what the locals have to say. This strategy has always guaranteed good results and while we may not have been always satisfied with the cafe or bistro we ultimately visited, we always knew it was truly local and authentic.
Because we want you to travel well, enjoy Prague as locals and avoid all the tourist traps here in Prague, we give you a small list of sources you should follow when you do your research for Prague. We have divided these sources into categories based on the channels. Handy, right? :-) Of course, there are many more feeds that you can visit, and you are likely to find many more once you delve into it (hint: just follow the "likes"), but these are the ones we would recommend as your starting points.
So without further ado, these are the sources you should follow:
Websites and blogs
Artel Style Blog: The blog of Artel Style, whose owner and chief designer Karen was interviewed on our blog recently, focuses on the quirky cultural tidbits and oddities you can find in Prague. A great and entertaining read with some funny insight into the soul of the Czechs.
Expats.cz: A large website by and for expats living in the Czech Republic. The quality varies with the author of the articles and we would take some of their food advice with a grain of salt (you should especially take the results of their surveys, e.g. the "best pizza" and so on, for what they are, and nothing more), but Expats.cz is still a great resource for all things Prague.
Scuk: For food related questions, this website is an absolute must. The child of pan Cuketka and his girlfriend Misa (see below) is an online community of foodies that review restaurants, cafes, bars and food shops in Prague. All the reviews are overseen and approved by the community when published and not shown if found iffy. The website is in Czech but Google Translate should help.
Czech Please: One of the first Prague food blogs written by Brewsta, an anonymous American foodie living in Prague. His annual Prague burger rankings are very popular and… dare we say… prestigious. We passionately disagree with his view of Cestr, for instance, but nobody’s perfect, right? :-) He seems to have had less time for his blog lately but he is still active on social networks.
Beer Philosopher: An Argentinian with an excellent command of English, the Beer Philosopher has been reviewing beers and pubs in the Czech Republic for years. A fantastic resource of in-depth information about beer if you are into that thing.
Artmap: If you want to tap into the local arts scene, the Artmap.cz project will definitely get you started. This listing of new exhibitions in young and independent Prague galleries is a valuable resource for planning your artsy stay in Prague.
Prague Post: Formerly the biggest English-written newspaper in Prague, Prague Post went out of print a while ago and is an online service only. Still offers some good advice on Prague and a summary of international and Czech news in English.
Go Out: Go Out is the website to visit if one of the things you would like to do while you are in Prague is... well... go out. They have a fairly comprehensive listing of clubs, galleries, cinemas, theaters and so on and write about interesting events in Prague.
Radio Praha: Radio Praha, or "Radio Prague", is a service run by the Czech Public Radio. It is a website linked to their English service. We website may seem like just another news outlet but it is more than that: sometimes they run an article about Czech customs and society or about Prague that may explain a thing or two while you are here.
Prague Stay: We really like the shopping tips of this site that focuses on apartment rentals in Prague. We take issue with some of their food recommendations, so just concentrate on the shopping, ok?
Prague Up & Coming: A nice Facebook feed with great pictures of past events and invitation to upcoming events around Prague. Also a good resource for venues and popular places where the young, hip locals go to hang out.
Lost & Found in Prague: A really simple but nice collection of old photographs from Prague. Interesting to see how, and whether at all, the atmosphere of the city has changed throughout the past century.
Taste of Prague: Did you know we write a blog about Prague and the food in it? Of course you did. You are reading it now! Good job! :-)
Fiona Gaze: A former food editor of the Prague Post newspaper and a freelance journalist having her pieces published by various media outlets, Fiona has many good tips and shares insider information with her followers.
Mark Baker: Mark is a writer for the Lonely Planet, has its own travel blog, and has his articles published both off and online. Mark is a good resource of information about Prague and Central Europe in general.
Sansho Chef: The Twitter profiles of Mr Paul Day, the owner of Sansho, and of his partner, Misa of The Real Meat Society, give you an insight into the minds behind some of the best food - and meat - in Prague. Great for updates about both. We get jealous about Paul’s celebrity sightings sometimes ;-)
Prague Beer Garden: If you are traveling to Prague mostly because you want to taste some beers, you should check out this feed. Lots of interesting and valuable information about the beer scene in Prague (despite the name, it’s not just about beer gardens).
Evan Rail: A food and travel blogger living in Prague and contributing to the NY Times (here and here, for instance) and other media. Great resource for local information about beer and other local events and newly opened venues.
Taste of Prague: Jan used to hate Twitter. "It’s like shouting into the darkness,” he used to say. Now he likes Twitter and prefers it to other channels. Check out what we have to say!
We figured pictures are more important here than the words, so we included people who post in Czech only.
Cuketka: Mr Cuketka (Mr Zucchini in English) is without doubt the most famous Czech food blogger, the co-founder of the Scuk review site and a food ubergeek who is not afraid to experiment with food or to share the results with the world. He also has a great Twitter account but in Czech only and we think all the dry and funny humor would be totally lost in Google translation.
Misa: Mr Cuketka’s partner in crime (and life) also has an Intagram feed that actually ventures out of the couple’s kitchen and often posts mini-reviews and quick impressions of places they visited.
Martina Pavlíková: Martina is our friend, a great cook and clearly a supermom. Looking at her Instagram feed, one thing is clear: she should open a supper club or something. We would be camping in front of her house. Or operate a shuttle service to her house outside of Prague.
Oldriches: An exercise in absolute randomness with some insight into the professional and private life of Mr Sahajdak, the Executive Chef at La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise, the Michelin-star Czech restaurant in Prague. We absolutely love that profile. Don’t ask us why. We just do.
Taste of Prague: ToP’s Instagram feed is Zuzi’s domain. We like to post our impressions from the venues we visited and snaps of the good foods we tasted.
There are many more Instagram profiles that Zuzi likes to... ehm... stalk on a regular basis. So if you have some time, you're having coffee and have wifi or a good data plan, you can have a a look at these, profiles, too: Maskrtnica, the baking blogger, Honza Zima, the photographer for the Ambiente group of restaurants, Jason Nam, an expat student here in Prague, and Eliska and Lukas, an artsy couple photographing the city, and many, many more...