Prague nightlife by neighbourhood: where to go out in the Old Town, Holešovice, Žižkov, Vinohrady, Karlín and Smíchov, with venues, trams home and where to stay.
Prague nightlife depends on which part of the city you are in. The Old Town has the famous cocktail bars and the tourist clubs, Holešovice has the techno, Žižkov has the pubs, and Vinohrady has the wine bars and the queer scene. They are all within twenty minutes of each other by tram, and they could be different cities. This guide takes the seven areas that matter one by one: what each is like, the venues worth your time, how to get there and home, and who each area suits. Use it to pick a base, plan two different nights, and avoid spending a whole weekend on the three streets every stag group already knows.
The Old Town is where most visitors go out, and it shows. The streets between Old Town Square, Dlouhá and Charles Bridge hold the city's best-known cocktail bars and its biggest tourist clubs, along with most of the stag and hen parties that fly in for the weekend. A half-litre that costs 45 Kč in a residential pub runs 75–95 Kč here, and more on the squares themselves.
It still has good nights. Roxy on Dlouhá has run for more than twenty years in a converted cinema and books house, techno and drum and bass at weekends. Chapeau Rouge on Jakubská is three cheap, loud floors open until 05:00 from Thursday to Saturday. For cocktails, Black Angel’s Bar sits in a Gothic cellar under Old Town Square and pours until 03:00, and AnonymouS Bar on Michalská serves theatrical drinks two minutes from Můstek. Karlovy lázně, the five-floor club by Charles Bridge, is almost entirely tourists; go knowing that.
Metro A to Staroměstská or Metro B to Náměstí Republiky puts you within five minutes of all of it, and you can walk home to most central hotels. The Old Town suits a first night, a group that wants easy doors and anyone who wants a serious cocktail. It does not suit people looking for the local scene.
The New Town wraps around the Old Town from Národní to Wenceslas Square, and at night it splits in two. The square itself after midnight is strip clubs, kebab counters and pickpockets: walk through it, do not stay. The streets around it hold some of the best live music in Prague.
Lucerna Music Bar sits in the Lucerna passage off Vodičkova and mixes gigs with themed dance parties. Reduta Jazz Club on Národní has been running since 1958, and Bill Clinton played saxophone there in 1994. A few streets away on Opatovická, Hemingway Bar is the cocktail bar the rest of the city measures itself against, open until 02:00 at weekends; reserve.
This is also where the night trams meet. Every line from 91 to 99 passes Lazarská, a short walk from Národní třída, every 30 minutes until about 04:30. That makes the New Town the easiest place to be at 03:00, whichever direction you are heading. It suits gig-goers, jazz fans and anyone who wants a central base without the Old Town prices.
If you came to Prague to dance, you will spend most of your time in Holešovice. The former industrial district in the river bend north of the centre holds the city's most interesting clubs, and Štvanice, the island at its southern edge, has become the weekend address for techno.
Fuchs2 and Bike Jesus share the island, with parties from 23:00 to 06:30 or 07:00. Fuchs2 runs a no-photo policy and a card-only box office; Bike Jesus posts a no-violence, no-discrimination rule and lets its promoters lead. Cross Club on Plynární is a building covered in moving scrap-metal sculpture, with drum and bass, techno and dub on several floors and no cover most nights. SaSaZu, inside the Holešovice market, is the big room: space for 2,500 people and international headliners.
Metro C serves both ends: Vltavská for Štvanice and SaSaZu, Nádraží Holešovice for Cross Club. By the time the island clubs close, the metro is running again; before that, use the night trams via Lazarská or a 120–250 Kč Bolt. Holešovice suits anyone who cares more about the music than the setting. Not for you if you want cocktails and a seat.
Žižkov is the working-class hill east of the centre, often described as having more bars per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe. Half-litres of lager cost 45–60 Kč, some menus are Czech only, and the crowd is local. The streets around Bořivojova are where to start.
U Sadu on Škroupovo náměstí is a beer hall full of antiques that stays open until 04:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, with at least ten beers on tap and a kitchen that runs late. Bukowski’s Bar on Bořivojova is the cocktail stop, open every night until 03:00. For a gig, Palác Akropolis on Kubelíkova, a 1927 building with Art Deco details, books indie, folk and world music.
Metro A to Jiřího z Poděbrad drops you on the southern edge, and trams run along Seifertova through the middle. Žižkov suits a pub crawl you plan yourself and anyone who wants a cheap, local night. Not for you if you want to dance until dawn; this is a drinking district.
Vinohrady is the residential district south of Žižkov, and it drinks differently: Moravian wine by the glass around náměstí Míru and Mánesova, craft beer, and rooms where you can hold a conversation. It is also the centre of Prague's LGBTQ+ nightlife. Vršovice, its neighbour to the south-east, has its own bars and cafés around Krymská.
BeerGeek Bar on Vinohradská has 32 taps and is open until 02:00 every day. Club Termix, closer to the centre on the same street, is the neighbourhood's gay club and disco, open on Friday and Saturday until 06:00. In Vršovice, Café v lese on Krymská runs gigs, cabaret and talks, and stays open until 02:00 from Monday to Saturday. Further out in Prague 10, Ankali is the city's most serious techno club, with a Funktion-One system and nights until 07:00.
Metro A to Náměstí Míru or Jiřího z Poděbrad covers Vinohrady. Ankali is well outside the centre, so book a Bolt there and back. The area suits couples, wine drinkers, queer visitors and anyone who wants a slower night that can still end on a dance floor.
Karlín, east of the centre along the river, has been transformed in recent years. The old industrial streets now hold modern cocktail bars, coffee shops that turn into aperitivo bars in the evening, and brewery taprooms. Cocktails here run 220–350 Kč.
Dva Kohouti on Sokolovská brews its own beer and puts DJs on at weekends until 02:00. Cloud 9 Sky Bar sits on top of the Hilton, 40 metres above the Vltava, and specialises in gin and tonics with a view back across the river. It is closed on Sundays.
Metro B to Křižíkova or Florenc gets you in, and the Old Town is a short tram or taxi ride away. Karlín suits the start of a night, a date or a group that wants drinks rather than a dance floor. Not for you if you want to be out until 06:00; the places here close by 02:00.
Smíchov, on the left bank south of Malá Strana, is quieter at night than the districts across the water, but it has rooms worth crossing the river for.
Jazz Dock sits right on the Vltava below Janáčkovo nábřeží, with a late set around 22:00 and a bar open until 03:00 from Thursday to Saturday. Futurum Music Bar on Zborovská is a spacious live music club, and MeetFactory, further south on Ke Sklárně, programmes concerts, theatre and exhibitions in a converted industrial site.
Metro B to Anděl is the hub, and trams cross back to the New Town in minutes. Smíchov suits jazz fans and anyone who wants a late drink with the river as the view. Not for you if you want a club crawl.
For a club weekend, stay in the New Town between Národní and Karlovo náměstí: every night tram passes Lazarská, the Old Town is a walk away and Holešovice is a short metro ride. For pubs and a local feel, stay in Vinohrady or Žižkov near Jiřího z Poděbrad on Metro A. The Old Town is the most convenient on paper, but it is also the loudest and most expensive, and the stag groups stay there too. Compare places to stay in Prague and book early for summer weekends.
Every area here has its own section in the full Prague nightlife guide, with closing times, door policy and a prices table in koruna. If you have one night and want to dance, start with our list of the 10 best clubs in Prague.
Holešovice for clubs, Žižkov for pubs, the Old Town for cocktails and big tourist clubs. For one night, drink in Žižkov and dance in Holešovice.
Žižkov, Vinohrady, Karlín and Holešovice. The Old Town and Wenceslas Square are mostly visitors, especially at weekends.
Mostly the Old Town and Wenceslas Square: Karlovy lázně, the bars around Dlouhá and the strip clubs in the New Town. To avoid them, go to Holešovice, Žižkov or Vinohrady.
The New Town near Národní třída. Every night tram passes Lazarská, the Old Town is a walk away, and Žižkov and Holešovice are a short ride.
The centre is generally safe and well lit at 03:00. Watch for pickpockets on Wenceslas Square, check your bill in Old Town bars and use an app instead of a street taxi.
