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City Guide - Prague - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife Venues shift in and out of popularity with great rapidity. With soaring rents in the centre of town, almost all of the clubs around Wenceslas Square have either closed or spread out throughout the city. Establishments tend to be divided to meet the demands of three groups: expensive for the newly wealthy Czechs and tourists, cheap and trashy for the young tourists, backpackers and expatriates, and cheap and innovative for young Czechs and visitors in the know. Bars: Currently popular are Kozi?ka, Kozi 4, Prague 1 (open until 0400), and Belle Epoque, K?í?ovnická 8, Prague 1 (open until 0200). Situated on one of the islands in the Vltava, Ostroff, St?elecký ostrov, Prague 1, is one of the current leaders in sophisticated cocktail bars and remains open until 0300 (the terrace closes at midnight). Bugsy's, Pa?í?ská 10, Prague 1 (entrance on Koste?ná), with over 200 cocktails, attracts the business account set. Currently popular with younger Czechs are Studio A Rubin, Malostranské nám?stí 9, Prague 1, (1700-0400), which has a dance floor and Akropolis, with three bars and the Kaaba Café, Palac Akropolis, Kubelíkova 27, Prague 3. Casinos: Gambling plays an important part in the lives of many Czechs and is big business in Prague. Most casinos present a sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere, with bets ranging from a minimum K?20-25 to a maximum of K?5000 (in a few cases like the Jalta, K?10,000). Casinos can be found in many of the luxury hotels and evening dress is essential for admission. The following are recommended: Casino Admiral Praha, Palace of Culture, 5 kv?tna 65, Prague 4, the 24-hour Casino Jalta Happy Days, Václavské nán?stí 35, Prague 1, and the VIP Club Casino, Hotel Ambassador, Václavské nán?stí 7, Prague 1. Clubs: Currently, world music is attracting the greatest attention in both clubs and live venues an intriguing trend that looks set to continue. For the unenlightened, Prague has more than its fair share of trashy discos, to which the clubs provide a welcome alternative. Best for world music is Akropolis, Kubelíkova 27, Prague 3, (Ji?ího z Pod?brad metro; website: www.spinet.cz/akropolis; open until 0100), a complex of concert spaces, bars and café. Latino clubs, include La Habana, Mísenská 12, Prague 1, (open 1700-0500) and Mánes, the 1930s functionalist gallery at Masarykovo náb?e?i 250, Prague 1, (open Fri, Sat, 2100-0400). Roxy, Dlouhá 33, Prague 1, (open 2000-late) caters to the dance crowd and features a hidden tea house. Radost/FX, B?lehradská 120, Prague 2 (I.P. Pavlova metro; website: www.techno.cz/radostfx; open 1130-0600), is one of the few clubs to survive from the early post-Revolution period and offers up a glamorous mix of house and techno music, and includes a vegetarian restaurant and art gallery. Live music: Malostranské beseda at Malostranské nám?stí, Prague 1, (open 1400-0100), features everything from 1920s jazz to ska and quality rock. The Lucerna music bar, Vodi?kova 36, Prague 1, (open 1800-0200), serves up a rich blend of excellent jazz and rock, 80s nights, and has plenty of space to dance. Jazz has been popular in Prague since the 1920s, even though the scene has contracted with the growth of rock music there are still excellent venues for an evening's of jazz and blues. AghaRTA, Krakovská 5, Prague 1, is undoubtedly the city's best venue. The Jazz & Blues Café, Na p?íkop? 23, Prague 1, has good programming and sound reproduction that more than make up for the terrible décor. The best local musicians often meet up for late-night jam sessions at U staré paní, Michalská 9, Prague 1. Reduta, Národní t?ída 20, Prague 1, remains infamous as the club where President Clinton attempted to establish a cool image playing sax for President Havel; it is best left to the tourists. The image of the cowboy has been inexplicably popular in the Czech Republic since the 1920s. První Prag Country Saloon Amerika, Korunní 101, Prague 3 (Nám?stí Mir? metro) is only open 1930-2300 but can provide a wild night of country and western music; dress the part and mosey on down. For Czech folk music see Music in the Culture section. |