Prague Neighborhood Guide

Whether you prefer a quick commute, proximity to the hippest burger joints or lots of grassy parks, our guide to Prague’s best areas will make choosing somewhere to call home while studying at UNYP a cinch!

Vinohrady, Prague 2

Distance to UNYP: a few minutes walk

Sure, its leafy streets are pretty, it’s home to a huge expat community and has some of the best coffee houses in the city, but the hilltop quarter of Vinohrady will likely be your first choice for an apartment for another reason…. It’s where the University is located! Keep in mind that this former vineyard area has a lot going for it other than it’s easy commute. Thanks to a high number of English speaking residents Vinohrady has more than its fair share of great restaurants and coffee shops, it’s home to two of Prague’s most famous parks and it’s well situated for getting around Prague.

Good-to-know: Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad, the square where you’ll find the area’s popular farmers market, is known to locals as just ‘JZP’, so you won’t have to worry about trying to pronounce it!

Vršovice, Prague 10

Distance to UNYP: Tram takes about 7 minutes

Vinohrady’s cheaper, downhill neighbor, Vršovice is harder to pronounce (‘Versh-oh-veet-sah’), and some areas are a bit gritty, but it’s one of Prague’s hip, up-and-coming areas and there’s lots to see and do. Havlíčkovy Sady, one of Prague’s prettiest parks, houses a small winery, Krymska street is where the cool kids hang out and Restaurace Plevel serves vegan and raw food on rustic wooden tables. With apartments of a similar quality to Vinohrady this is a great alternative.

Impress your friends: The Church of St Wenceslas was designed in 1929 and is one of the best functionalist buildings in the country.

Žižkov, Prague 3

Distance to UNYP: 19 minutes via tram or 30 minutes on foot

Much of Žižkov (pronounced zhish-kov) is gritty and unappealing, but the area bordering Vinohrady and especially around the local’s favorite square, Jiřího z Poděbrad, is lovely. One of the best views of Prague is to be found at the top of Vítkov hill, and while you’re up there be sure to check out the National Memorial and its exhibition about the Czechoslovakian history. Žižkov’s park, Riegrovy Sady, is a great place to read in the sun, and its beer garden is the biggest in town and offers a gorgeous view of the city. 

What’s that? The giant, creepy babies crawling all over the Žižkov TV tower are the work of Prague’s most notorious artist David Černy.

Karlín, Prague 8

Distance to UNYP: 30 minutes via tram or 20 on a bike

This gentrified neighborhood is now cooler-than-cool. Karlín is home to all the hip media offices and great cafes, but it’s still an affordable place to live. The area suffered serious damage in the city’s devastating floods of 2002, but nowadays it’s one of Prague’s most exciting quarters thanks to its close walking distance to Old Town, food festivals and wide leafy streets. The area’s restaurant scene is lively, UGO juice and salad bar is great for healthy eats and Muj Salek Kavy is a great coffee shop to get some serious studying done in.

Good to know… The tunnel under Vítkov Hill is a speedy shortcut to Žižkov and onwards to Vinohrady (and the University!), either on foot or two wheels.

Old Town, Prague 1

Distance to UNYP: 13 minutes via the metro or 30 minutes walk

The heart and soul of our beautiful city, Old Town is cobbled streets, museums, shops, restaurants and sometimes… lots of tourists! If you’re keen to be part of the action, and don’t mind paying the high rent, then Old Town is for you. Spend Saturday mornings at the riverside Naplavka market, study away a day in Cafe Louvre, the grand coffee house where Kafka and Einstein used to visit, drink hot cider in the fairytale Christmas markets and explore the narrow streets. This is Prague at its finest.