Prague - Municipality/District Numbering

Central Prague is made up of large municipalities / districts that are laid out in an imperfect spiral.

Prague 1 to 10 are considered to be convenient to residents and are the more popular areas to live / stay but don't assume that 1 is the closest to the city centre and 10 is the furthest - This isn't how it is done. To make it more confusing, due to the size of the districts one part might be close to downtown where as the other is in or near the country. This is because the spiral causes the different districts to touch each other in a nonsensical order (Prague 2 boarders Prague 5 for example). But lets start with the basics.

These 10 municipalities are the ones that you are most likely to end up visiting or walking through:

1. Prague 1: Old Town Square and Prague Castle i.e. "the heart of the tourist district".
   
2. Prague 2: Vysehrad and some New Town (Nove Mestro); this area is more of a business area
   
3. Prague 3: Zizkov and some of Vinohrady; here is a lot of brothels, strip clubs, and cheap bars
   
4. Prague 4: Kunratice; this is the biggest municipality with lots of large estates of Panelak (Communist built apartment building blocks)
   
5. Prague 5: the largest municipalities on the west side of the Vltava River. It is the first to offer free Wi-Fi to citizens. Andel is the heart of the city with a large shopping mall.
   
6. Prague 6: contains the Hvězda Game Reserve and Ruzyne International Airport
   
7. Prague 7: this is the smallest of the districts and contains the Prague Zoo as well as the AC Sparta stadium
   
8. Prague 8: this is the administrative district
   
9. Prague 9: formally an industrial zone but starting to become gentrified Prague 10: mostly older homes, not touristy at all, and just received a new stadium for Slavia
   

If you are headed to Prague (or Praha in Czech) you will probably end up in Prague 1 or 2 especially if you are part of a tour or cruise. If you are only in town for a few days then these two municipalities are also where you want to concentrate your time.

Planning on visiting Prague? Prague 1 is where the majority of tourists stay because it's close to all of the "must see" sights in the guide books and you can walk to pretty much everything so that will save you money since you won't have to take the metro or tram.

Prague 1 is made up of three main areas: Old Town (Staré Město) and Little Quarter (Malá Strana).

"OLD TOWN" STARÉ MĚSTO

Surrounded by medieval architecture, restaurants, galleries and cafes, dripping in Czech history, it is no wonder that this is the liveliest (and most touristy) part of the city. Pretty much all the cobblestones lead to the centre of the historical Old Town Square and all 6 million tourists annually follow them. However with all of the medieval architecture, it sure is a magically romantic place to stay.

"LESSER TOWN" / "LITTLE QUARTER" MALÁ STRANA

This is the area I stayed in when I travelled to Prague and I loved it as it was close enough to Old Town without being bombarded by tourists. Lesser town is on the bank of the Vltava River, opposite old town, just underneath Prague Castle. The hotel I stayed in - Questenburk - backed on Petrin park (with a mini Eifel Tower), shared a patio with the Strahov Monestary (brew their own beer), was right beside the Swedish embassy (2 blocks from the American), and was stumbling distance to St. Nicholas Church as well as Prague Castle. This area is truly for those that want to be surrounded by history but experience a more tranquil atmosphere. The only downside is the almost 90 degree hill you have to walk up if you are planning on staying at Questenburk.

Looking for something other than "touristy" while still being walking distance to the site? Prague 2 offers that experience in New Town, Vinohrady, and Vyšehrad. Continue on below to find out why.

"NEW TOWN" NOVÉ MĚSTO

Even though New Town was opened in 1348, that still makes it newer than Old Town and the two municipalities are a stones throw away. In this are of the city you can find an array of night clubs, restaurants, and shops (a mall), without the same vibe as Old Town. As soon as you walk through the Power Gate, it's like it changes... and becomes cheaper...

VINOHRADY "VINEYARDS"

This up and coming neighborhood is a modern residential escape full of architecture, parks, cafés, restaurants, and beer gardens. A lot of expats can be found here and it's recently been call the "hipster" Prague. While this area is far from being "vineyards" anymore there are still a couple working ones that you can visit. You will need to take transit (Metro station Náměstí Míru and Jiřího z Poděbrad (or JZP), on Metro Line A (Green)) to get around as it's a bit further out. The closest walkable highlights are Wenceslas Square (I sang the Christmas carol to myself while walking around it...) and Riegrovy Sady park has a beer garden with views of the city.

Vinohrady boarders on Žižkov (Prague 3) and it's a little rougher so be careful walking around it at night but it is an up and coming neighborhood so fun to check out.

VYŠEHRAD / ALBERTOV

Found within walking distance to the Vltava River, below the Vyšehrad complex, this popular location is known for it's Saturday Farmer's market in Náplavka.

Prague 3 consists of Žižkov which is perhaps best known for it's creepy babies climbing up the TV Tower. This city is an up and coming area but for the longest time was considered the "hood". Why is it not that popular? Well it's urban, edgy, further out from the main attractions, and well, it is still considered the "hood". However it does have the most bars per capita in Europe so it does have that going for it.

The municipality is very close to Vinohrady in Prague 2 so make sure to check out that page.

Situated right beside Prague 1 and 2, Prague 5 is almost double both of those municipalities put together so it is very easy to wander right on into it. If you do, then you have the chance to enjoy:

SMÍCHOV / ANDĚL

This area is the closest to the tourist area as it borders Lesser Town as well as Petřín Park and down to Vltava River.

ANDĚL (“Angel” in English)

Is the quaint and charming city at the centre that is known for it's office complexes and one of the area's largest shopping center. There are lots of tramlines with easy connection as well as the metro (Metro Line B - Yellow) so it's simple/convenient to get around. Since the area is aimed more at the office crowd there isn't a lot going on so it's good if you want to save on accommodation and don't mine commuting.

This area is in the North and found along the Vltava river, just off of Prague 1, sandwiched between Prague 6 and 8. Also known as Holešovice & Letná, you'll find Prague 7 is known for its artsy and industrial highlights as this municipality containers some of the more popular at museums. In the past this area was a working class, meatpacking district but in the last few years it is starting to become a hip place due to the amount of restorations which have brought in galleries, cafes, and restaurants. If you are in this area for the greenery, Stromovka is Prague's largest park and there is also Letná Park which features city views as well as a beer garden. Keep in mind though you will have to hop on public transportation (tram 17 heads into downtown along the river with gorgeous views.) if you want to get around or else you have a nice long hike ahead of you. The tram is the easiest mode in this area as the closest metro stop Nádraží Holešovice (Metro Line C – Red) can be a very long walk based off of where most of the hotels are located.

Just east of Prague 7 is the large municipality of Prague 8 known as Karlin. This area is a bit further away, off the beaten track you might say, and found between Vitkov Hill + Vltava River. It is due to this distance that it is one of the best areas to stay if you want an authentic taste of Czech life. (Můj šálek kávy is a local's favorite coffee shop and has even been named "the best coffee in Prague.) This area of Prague has a very neighborhood feel - calm, quiet, relaxed - and the metro is an easy way to get right into downtown (Křižíkova, Metro Line B - yellow). However as not many people want to constantly travel downtown for their entertainment (I think this is true no matter the city you visit) there is a great mix of cafes, restaurants, and bars spread out through out the area but also keep in mind, it is quite at night so if you are wanting to spend nights on the town this isn't the area for you. One thing that helped with this eclectic, neighborhood mix was a massive flood in the early 2000's which caused the city to rebuild pretty much from scratch. While its still up and coming, it is not as gritty as some of the other municipalities and is also a more relaxed version of Vinohrdy.