Practical Tips

› Food: I ate goulash for nearly every meal. Julia used the app Happy Cow to find vegan gems, like Vegan’s Prague with a rooftop view of Prague Castle. But my top recommendation was the Saturday morning Naplavka Farmers Market right on the Vltava River. Weeknights, Naplavka turns into a great spot to get a beer and see a Czech rock band play on a boat. ›

Lodging: We stayed in the city center, but if I returned, I would get a place in the Smichov, Karlin, Vinohrady or Vrosvice neighborhoods: close to the action, but with the pace and elegant architecture of the more residential parts of Paris. ›

Timing: As much as I am not a morning person, it’s clear: Prague in summer is best experienced at dawn and dusk, just as a city resident with a day job might. I got in the habit of chasing sunrises (best: Charles Bridge, the Metronome) and sunsets (Vysehrad Fortress, Riegrovy Sady beer garden). Getting up early gave us the grounds of Prague Castle, which open at 6 a.m., all to ourselves. ›

Transit: Beware the airport taxi scam. I paid nearly twice as much to get to my hotel as I should have, according to signs all over the city center from the mayor of Prague that said the maximum price for an airport taxi should be 550 koruna, about $25. Locals, meanwhile, told me it should be more like 300 ($14).

Prague’s tram and subway systems are excellent and cheap, but if you must take a car, your best bet is the Czech-based app Liftago. The couple of times I used Uber, the drivers made me pay in cash.

Or follow Edita’s brilliant strategy for walking around the city center like a native: Know the direction you are going and when you see people, divert to a parallel side street.