Shop with Locals in Vinohradska Street
Shop with locals and go to Vinohradska Street in the Vinohrady district which lends itself perfectly to ‘shopping without tourists’. The Vinohrady neigbourhood is just outside Prague centre and famous for its many antique shops as well as small specialty stores. The district has two shopping centres: Atrium Flora and Vinohradsky Pavilon which was the first shopping centre to open after the Velvet Revolution. But Prague was not ready yet to embrace capitalism yet, one by one the stores closed down. The Pavilon stood empty for many years. Today, exclusive furniture and design stores have settled in and the pavilon is now thriving again.
Shop with Locals
Shop with locals and hop on metro line A to Flora station. Then walk down Vinohradska Street towards the centre. As the street slopes down your shopping trip will be less tiring. Your first stop is Atrium Flora shopping centre with only 135 shops and small for Prague standards. Yet, you will find here everything you need and also lots of things you don’t need. Be sure to go up to the fourth floor: the Food Court. Be Czech with the Czechs and have a coffee accompanied by open sandwiches at Ovocny Svetozor next to the McDonald’s. Then slowly wind your way down and shop with the locals.
Vinohradska Shopping Street
Walking down Vinohradska you will notice that the stores become increasingly upscale. First you come across small shops, often remnants from Communist days when window dressing was not yet a profession. It is interesting to see how the shop windows are cluttered with almost all items that are in stock.
Country Life (Vinohradska 125) is famous for its organic food. Across the street at number 90 is an Albert supermarket. On the way you pass second-hand clothing stores, of which there are many in Prague. Jiriho z Podebrad is a large square with a modern church. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday the square comes alive with the farmers’ market: the place to buy smoked cheese, Moravian wine and bee-keepers honey. On your right the telecommunication towers points high into the air. Giant babies seemingly crawling to the top are true eye catchers.
Vinohradsky Pavillon
Terracotta-coloured Vinohradsky Pavillon on your left adorned with art nouveau details was once a market hall and now a shopping centre. The shops mainly stock furniture and accessories and are therefore of minor interest for tourists. But walk in anyway to admire the graceful interior or simply to have a coffee in the coffee bar.
Lower Part of Vinohradska Shopping Street
The lower part of Vinohradska Street is home to upmarket clothing stores and designer furniture stores such as Stockist and Kubista, many antiquarian booksellers and antique shops with valuable (and therefore expensive) object d’arts. Shop with locals at Sklo Porcelan (Vinohradska 61) for non-tourist prices. This store stocks Czech onion motif porcelain and Bohemian glassware.
Czech Radio, or Cesky Rozhlas, (Vinohradska 12) is on your left, not only provides radio broadcasts but is also home to a shop where you can buy CDs of works performed by the Radio Orchestra. You have now reached the end of Vinohradska Street. On the right you see the Central Station of Prague and straight ahead the old and new building of the National Museum. Walk straight ahead and you are on Wenceslas Square.
TIP:
Be sure to look up to admire the elegant fin de siècle facades of the buildings on Vinohradska Street.