Prague, Between Tourists

Home cities are the hardest to write about. The instinct is to be either too proud or too critical. So this is a small one — three things I’d tell a friend who had only a weekend.

1. Cross a different bridge

Charles Bridge is a museum that you walk through. The Mánes Bridge, just upstream, is where you can actually see the city. Better light, fewer elbows.

2. Eat where the menu is only in Czech

There are a hundred places. The decisive sign is not “traditional Czech cuisine” painted on the door. The decisive sign is the menu inside. U Kroka, Lokál, Kuchyň — start there.

3. Go up at sunset, not noon

Petřín or Vyšehrad, around an hour before the sun sets. The city takes on a colour you don’t see in any postcard.