1)      Brunch: Start your week out right by overindulging in too much food. The Hilton Old Town has a great brunch, as does the Radisson SAS Alcron.

2)      Walk: Come on, after what you’ve just consumed, you need it. From Old Town Square, stroll across Charles Bridge, through Mala Strana and up the old castle steps to Prague Castle. Before you get there though, stop for a glass of wine al fresco at Villa Richter. Indulge in the views

3)      Culture time: After your sit, stroll back through towards the Charles Bridge, and under to Kampa Island. Enjoy the green, and then visit Musuem Kampa which specializes in modern Central European art. The museum is housed in an old mill and is simply lovely.

4)      Revive: After leaving Kampa Island, head to Café Savoy for a lovely coffee in an imperial atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of CzechTourism

Before we continue, we have to be honest and say perhaps Prague isn’t the best place to go on a hamburger culinary tour. In fact, in general, unless you are in a very nice restaurant, we don’t recommend ordering the beef – pork or chicken are a better carnivore choice. However, we can suggestion these places when a burger craving calls. And if all else fails, hit McDonalds or Burger King.

JJ Murphy’s in Mala Strana is an Irish pub with a good burger, friendly staff and lots of sports. In the same neighborhood, you can find the jazz club U Maleho Glena. The tiny jazz club is in the basement, while the ground floor is a small bar serving up a great burger.

If you are desperate for something familiar, the Prague outpost of Hard Rock Café will transport you back to where ever your last experience at Hard Rock Café was. Probably tops of our recommendations is Bohemia Bagel for their combo of good quality and affordable price. The best is the Prague 7 location for burgers, but you can get a decent one at the Old town location on Masna Street as well.

All together now…”I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and a big kosher pickle…”

Photo courtesy of  fox_kiyo via Flickr

“Why did the bees leave” is not only an important ecological consideration but also the title of the newest exhibition now on at Vernon Projekt. But why are we telling you about a gallery exhibit in our Out and About blog? Because this “gallery” is actually a former tiny shop that serves up an exhibition of contemporary art in its windows. So free and accessible 24/7.

Swiss video artist Katja Loher’s work involves choreography, color, costumes and people. She layers her videos of people moving, thereby making human kaleidoscopes of discovery. Normally she places these videos into objects like globes or glass bubbles to make them 3-dimensional. For a flat store window though, she has chosen round portals, which give the mix of videos and still photos a microscopic feel.

Stroll by one afternoon and do some window gallery-ing!

Katja Loher – Why did the Bees Leave?
Through June 5, 2011
Vernon Projekt
Heřmanova 12
Prague 7

Pilsner Urquell is the Czech Republic’s best-known export, and to try it from the tank (shipped fresh from the brewery and unpasteurized) should be a highlight of your trip. For a local experience try Jelínkova Plzeňská Pivnice close to the Národní Třída tram and metro stops on Charvátova Street. For a bit more of a touristy experience, but with good food, head to the spacious and modern U Vejvodů, which is actually run by Pilsner Urquell.

While both of those pubs are located in New Town (Nove Mesto), across the river in Mala Strana, you’ll want to try out U Hroca, a slightly run-down place, but with all the right beer-swilling atmosphere. Or for a nicer experience, crawl into the basement of Malostranska beseda. You can enjoy lunch and beer from their street level restaurant or hit the brick-walled pivnice after 4pm.

Not enough? Okay, here you can read about some Czech microbreweries and here are some more suggestions on finding different types of Czech beer. Here you can learn more about why the pub experience is so important and since it is summer, there’s no better place than a Prague beer garden.

Photo courtesy of Malostranka beseda

The zoo is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2011. It has never been simply a showcase for animals, but is actively involved in educational and preservation efforts. The zoo has been instrumental in breeding and then returning animals to the wild, as well as working on in-situ projects in which they help protect endangered species in their natural habitats.

So what will you see if you visit the zoo? There are a total of 672 different types of animals in the zoo, and in 2010, 821 babies were born! Wandering around the zoo, you can hit the Indonesian jungle, visit the plains of Africa or even experience South America. Elephants, giraffes, gorillas, wolves, sea lions, polar bears and more. A petting zoo and lots of fun stuff for kids make this an excellent family day.

The Prague Zoo’s newest “attraction” is the sale of elepant dung! No joke, you can pick up your own 1.5 kilo bucket of genuine homemade Czech elephant poo for the bargain price of 70 CZK! Let us know if you make it through airport secuity…

The Prague Zoo can be reached via the special “zoo bus” from the Nadrazi Holesovice metro station. While in the area, take advantage of the Botanical Gardens or Troja Chateau.

Photos courtesy of the Prague Zoo

Prague’s English language theater scene is a bit hit-or-miss so the Prague Fringe is a great chance to see a ton of international acts. You’ll see 1-act plays, puppet theater, dance, comedy and more at nine different venues, most located in the Mala Strana district. Shows usually run 45-60 minutes and times are staggered allowing you to create your own “theater crawl” from show to show.

Some highlights include All in the Timing, a series of six, 1-act plays by British troupe Windmere Productions; Socrates was Ugly, about an American middle-aged soul searching academic and The Human Jukebox, an interactive live music event with the audience shouting out songs and the Human Jukebox singing them from memory.

Tickets go fast as many of the venues have limited space. Individual shows cost 150 CZK or there is a Fringe Voucher available, via ticketing agency Ticketstream which gets you five shows for the price of four. Or you can take your chances and simply walk up to the theater box office 30 minutes before show time. More details on the program and venues can be found at the Prague Fringe website.

Photo of Socrates was Ugly courtesy of the Prague Fringe.

The festival promotes innovation and experimentalism through a mix of art, debates, music and lectures. Transeuropa plans to take tough topics head-on; their themes for 2011 are migration, Roma and travelers rights, media freedom and the economy. Participating cities include Prague, London, Paris, Bologna, Cluj Napoca, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bratislava, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lublin and Sofia.

If you are in Prague, here’s a selection of events:

What: The Roma: Photographs by Lukas Houdek

When: May 6-June 30

Where: SPACE, Anglo-American University, Lazenska 2, Prague 1

What: Velocypedia: Art exhibition on bike passion and sustainable transport

When: May 7, 19:00-22:00

Where: Gallery in the Czech National Technical Library, Technicka 6, Prague 6

What: Space, Motion, Emotion

When: May 8, 15:00-17:00

Where: Piazza next to the National Theater

What: Screening of Colorful but Colorblind: Roma beyond Stereotypes. A collection of short films about Roma communities

When: May 12, 17:00

Where: Anglo American University, Room 1, Lazenska 4, Prague 1

For more details and a full program, click here.

Logo courtesy of Transeuropa

Through July 31, A Taste of Europe: Don’t go hungry to the National Museum of Agriculture where you can check out this fascinating exhibition. Nine European museums cooperated to build a common exhibition addressing national cuisines, food production and consumption.

May 13, 14, 20, 21, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown: Prague Playhouse puts on this family friendly production in English. Check http://pragueplayhouse.com/charliebrown or email  tickets@pragueplayhouse.com for more information.

May 26, Monkey Business: Check out this super Czech funk band outdoors at Prague’s very own “beach.” Žluté lázně offers sand, beach games, pubs and restaurants, and tonight, you can catch a Monkey Business concert too.

Photo courtesy of Monkey Business

Prague Marathon: Of course you want to run 42 kilometers on your holiday. The Prague Marathon is actually a well-regarded and beautiful race, winding as it does through Old Town and along the Vltava River. If you have no interest in running, there are a bunch of peripheral events happening this weekend including a corporate marathon, family mini-marathon (4.2 kilometers), a 2 kilometer walk, a walk with dogs and an in-line skate event. All the details can be found here. Be warned if you are in town that weekend, on the actual marathon day (May 8), roads are closed and buses and trams are re-routed for the duration of the race. When: May 7-8, 2011.

Prague Spring: Prague is a city full of music and festivals celebrating that musical. The crowning glory of the music festival event calendar though is Prague Spring. Now in its 66^th year, this top-notch festival brings some of the most influential orchestras, ensembles and soloists to Prague. There is also a strong competition element, so your chance to see the upcoming stars of tomorrow, today. The San Francisco Symphony and the New York Philharmonic; the Prague Guitar Quartet and Ensemble Martinu as well as John Malkovich (yes, the actor) and Dawn Upshaw are just a few of the fabulous people ready to play. Tickets go fast so it’s best to reserve as soon as possible, which can be done online at Ticketpro.cz. For a full program and more details, visit their website. When: May 12-June 4.

Book World Prague: The city’s largest homage to the book occurs at the Vystaviste exhibition grounds. This year the focus is on literature from the Arab world and the guest of honor is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While most of the books are in Czech, it is worth checking out the program as many of the events with foreign authors are held in English. For example, at the fair, there will be a photography exhibition on The Sahara desert; a discussion on the world of modern Arabic literature, a reading by Israeli author David Grossman and a presentation of books about Ronald Reagan. The full program and more details are available here. When: May 12-15, 2011.

Czech Beer Festival: Billing itself as the largest gastronomic event in Prague, the Czech Beer Festival is your one-stop shop for tasting more than 70 types of Czech beer, along with some hearty Czech food. Held in a Prague suburb at the Letnany fairgrounds, big tents filled with tables, costumed wait staff and music will keep you entertained as long as you can stand it. When: May 12-28, 2011.

Khamoro: Khamoro World Roma Festival is a celebration of all things Roma. With a week of events including exhibitions, music and discussions, organizers aim to help better integrate Roma by celebrating their rich cultural heritage. The highlight is always the fantastic Gypsy jazz bands that play nightly. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketstream.cz and program details can be found on their website (Czech only). When: May 22-28, 2011

Prague Food Festival: Your chance to sample the best from the Czech Republic’s top restaurants in one delicious weekend. Held on the grounds of Prague Castle, the Prague Food Festival brings together top chefs, plus lots of beverages for a world culinary tour. Also expect  cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, drink and food pairings and other fun things to see and do. Tickets can be purchased on their website, www.praguefoodfestival.cz. When: May 27-29

Photos courtesy of CzechTourism

Historically, people believed witched gathered together on this day in caves and other underground caverns to release treasure. To protect against this evil, people built bonfires which gradually developed into “witch burnings” (actually people burned broomsticks.) The ashes from these fires were said to have magical powers and were used to fertilize crops. Cattle were also walked through the ashes to assist with fertility.

Today, Witch’s Night is more of an excuse to have a fire and hang out with friends. They are more popular in smaller towns and villages where people will gather round the fire, sing songs and burn an effigy of a witch. Now the custom is more symbolic of the end of winter, purification and new beginnings.

In Prague, Kampa Island often does a witch burning, but for a fun afternoon, especially with kids, head up to Ladronka. Fun for adults and kids alike begins at 3pm on April 30. Music, sports, artistic and other recreational activities will be on offer, including puppet making workshops, dance pieces, a bike exhibition, and of course a huge bonfire with burning witches. For more information (Czech only) see here.

Photo courtesy of Carodejnice na Ladronce