Authentic Prague:
Unusual tours of the city

“Please pay attention to me! On the right you can see the medieval Old Town Astronomical Clock and to the left tower of, The Church of the Mother of God in front of Tyn. Do not stop at Jan Hus Monument. Yes, it is The St. Nicholas Church, built by the famous architect Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer … “

Facts, a detailed history, a bored guide that makes the same jokes every day, in any weather. You watch a raised umbrella, whose holder you can’t see for all the tourists, while trying not to get lost in the crowd and at the same time attempting to remember at least something about the history of the Czech Republic. After a few hours of an organised tour de downtown you are exhausted, resting in a café and discovering that you can actually get everything from the internet and go to the sights alone.

Prague, however, conceals fascinating secrets, just a stones throw away. Photogenic arcades and narrow cobblestone streets inspired many writers, including Gustav Meyrinka, Jan Neruda, Franz Kafka, Jan Otčenášek and Milan Kundera. So are you, too, going to be inspired by venturing off the beaten track, or do you still want to take the easy (and less exciting) option of a downtown city tour?

An alternative form of tourism is thriving; visitors want to ‘do as the locals do’ and get to know Prague’s personality, something under the surface. There are a multitude of unusual and non-traditional tours to choose from. Prices and themes vary; the most expensive tours usually focused on gastronomy (food, beer, etc. included), whilst the cheaper organised tours include those such as: Pragulic.

Pragulic – Prague through the eyes of homeless people

Pragulic, a social enterprise founded by three students in 2012, employs homeless people very specific to the city, to give an insight to a different kind of Prague. During the tour, visitors to Prague will get to know homeless people, unafraid to share their life experiences and stories. It will also give them the chance to see Prague from a different perspective, discovering many of it’s hidden nooks. Former Philharmonic Vojtěch, Slovak Helča or undergraduate Jiří? Who will guide you through Prague’s underworld and their day to day lives?

The tours tend to be more popular with domestic visitors due to the guides’ limited English. However, don’t be discouraged, a picture speaks a thousand words, and accompanied with your local friends and colleagues, you too can experience these unique tours.

http://pragulic.cz/?lang=en

Prague Unknown – A guide to Prague’s neighbourhoods

Every Prague district has its own unique personality and atmosphere. It’s a shame to only limit yourself to the most famous tourist locations. Dig a little deeper, and behind every door, park, inconspicuous sculpture or over the wall, you can find unique sites and stories. Started in 2013, ”Praha Neznámá” is a blog where its author not only shares, with its readers, lesser known facts and areas of Prague, but also offers, to those interested, walks to places often unknown to Prague’s natives. Are you ready to fall in love with Prague? Tailor a tour to your desires.

https://www.prahaneznama.cz/akce-a-udalosti/guided-tours-with-prague-unknown/

Beyond the Mainstream – Go against the crowd

Local guides taking you to neighbourhoods where the locals actually live. The history, the current political and social situation, the customs of Prague’s inhabitants, their lifestyles, are all touched on. Beyond the Mainstream is aimed at younger tourists who want to learn something new, something different and, above all, authentic.

http://beyondthemainstream.cz/tours/alternative-prague-tours/

Still can’t decide? Try the alternative (https://alternative-prague.com/), practically focused (https://www.goodpraguetours.eu/), beer (https://www.beerprague.com/), action (https: /www.cityquester.com/), corruption exposing (http://www.corrupttour.com/en/), or cross-country tour (http://www.runningtoursprague.com/).

If you prefer to explore alone, then be sure to check out this pocket guide “111 Places in Prague That You Should not Miss” (2017), with which your wanderings will never get old.
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Author: Míša Benešovská

I’m a freelance journalist and copywriter, mainly covering IT industry. I’ve been fascinated by it for nearly a quarter of a century (or since I dismantled my first computer). I worked for Seznam.cz, Unicorn Systems or Mafra publisher. In my spare time, I love game consoles and keep perfecting a recipe for the best pumpkin risotto in the world.