Prague has received higher visitor satisfaction ratings than Vienna and Berlin, according to the latest Global Tourist Perception Index by Data Appeal Mabrian Intelligence. The Czech capital scored 92.7 out of 100, compared with 85.6 for Vienna and 78.4 for Berlin, Prague City Tourism (PCT) announced on Thursday. The results reflect six years of efforts to improve tourism services, visitor experiences and the city’s destination branding, the organization said during International Customer Service Week, held from October 5 to 9. The Global Tourist Perception Index assesses several aspects of the visitor experience, including hotel satisfaction, safety and tourism products. Prague scored highest among the three capitals, according to PCT. Visitor spending rises as tourism shifts upmarket Data from Mastercard transactions indicate that spending by visitors from key foreign markets increased by 18% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, while the number of visitors rose by approximately 1%. Social media analysis also points to Prague’s growing association with culture. More than a third of social media posts shared by visitors about the city focused on art and culture, an increase of around five percentage points year-on-year. Nightlife accounted for just 4.5% of reported reasons...
Prague 7 has transformed several streets around local schools with large-scale colorful paintings created with the help of local schoolchildren. The new artwork can be seen on Rajská, Plynární, Jablonského and Antonínská streets, as well as part of Bubenská Street. The municipality placed the designs mainly near schools and along busy pedestrian routes. On Antonínská Street, students from grades five through eight at Strossmayerovo Square Elementary School helped create the artwork. They produced the original drawings, which artist Jakub Karlík then combined into the final design. Several other educational institutions are located close to the painted streets, including Bratrská Elementary School, the Holešovice Business Academy, the Higher Vocational School of Fashion Design and the Secondary Industrial School of Fashion Design. The new designs have received mostly positive reactions from local residents. Comments on Prague 7’s Facebook page described the streets as more cheerful and said the artwork had made the area more interesting. There has also been criticism, particularly over the cost and the practical impact of painting the asphalt. Some residents questioned whether the project was necessary and raised concerns about the roughness of the surface, pedestrian movement and whether the paint could become slippery. Prague 7 said anti-slip...
Czech beer consumption fell to its lowest level on record in 2025, with the average resident drinking 121 liters during the year, according to data from the Czech Association of Breweries and Malt Houses (ČSPS). Total domestic consumption reached 14.86 million hectoliters, down 3.2% from 2024. The figure is the lowest recorded since nationwide beer consumption statistics began. Overall beer production in the Czech Republic also declined last year. Breweries produced 19.96 million hectoliters of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer, 4.3% less than in 2024. The decline affected nearly every category, with non-alcoholic beer the main exception. Production of non-alcoholic and flavored non-alcoholic beer increased by 4% to 1.68 million hectoliters. Demand for non-alcoholic beer has been rising steadily for more than a decade. Between 2019 and 2024 alone, production increased by around 50%. Pubs lose ground as more Czechs drink at home The shift in drinking habits is particularly visible in restaurants and pubs. Draft beer accounted for 28% of beer sold on the Czech market in 2025, down one percentage point from the previous year. The longer-term decline is more significant. Draft beer represented 35% of sales in 2019 and 51% in 2008. The ČSPS said the figures reflect...
Nearly half of people in the Czech Republic spend more than 30% of their net income on housing, while around one in 10 spends more than half. Housing is generally considered financially burdensome when rent, utilities and other related costs exceed 30–40% of household income. The EU average is around 24%. The findings come from a survey by Česká spořitelna and Evropa v datech, conducted with Ipsos among 1,000 respondents in February. Housing affordability remains particularly difficult for young Czechs. Among people aged 18 to 29, 58% live with their parents at least part of the time, while 29% live with friends or a partner. The survey found that 60% of people under 30 who are dissatisfied with their housing situation have postponed a major life decision because of it. For around one-third, this has happened repeatedly. Starting a family is among the decisions affected by housing conditions. Homeowners were considerably more likely to be very satisfied than renters, with 41% of owners describing themselves as very satisfied compared with 18% of renters. Czechia still has the least affordable housing in the EU The Czech Republic improved by six places in this year’s housing conditions ranking, reaching 17th among the...
Jiráskovo Square in Prague is set for a major redesign that will change one of the city’s best-known photo spots near the Dancing House. The project, estimated to cost around CZK 35 million, will replace part of the damaged lawn with paving, restore a historic fountain and move the monument to writer Alois Jirásek. The Prague 2 district plans to carry out the transformation over the next two years. The redesign is based on a 2022 study prepared by archiF studio. The square’s lawn has long been a problem. Its location directly opposite the Dancing House makes it a popular stopping point for tourists, many of whom step onto the grass to take photographs with the distinctive building in the background. One of the most common poses involves visitors appearing to support the Dancing House with their foot or kick it. The repeated foot traffic has left the grass heavily damaged, despite attempts to restore it. Under the new plans, part of the lawn will be replaced with a paved surface. This will create a more durable area for visitors to take photographs while reducing pressure on the remaining greenery. Historic fountain to return to operation The redesign will also...
The PINKBUS Festival will return to Prague on November 3-14 with several days of theatre, dance, drag, music, visual art and performance. This year’s edition, titled Forward March!, will focus on the need to keep moving forward amid an uncertain social and political climate. Organised by the PINKBUS queer arts platform, the festival aims to create a space for artists and audiences to meet, experiment and share experiences. The programme combines established artists with new projects and will also mark the beginning of a new season for the platform. One of the highlights of this year’s festival will be the premiere of two original works developed through the PINKBUS open call First Ride. Richard Eliáš, an Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AVU) student, will present the interdisciplinary drag fantasy I Guess It’s Kind of My Fault, or What?. The second project, by the performative art collective Izbová teplota & Alejandra, is Štúrovci Went to Devín and Had Some Fun, offering a new and unconventional take on the group of Slovak national revival figures known as the Štúrovci. The festival will also feature international guests. French artists Nicolas Poggi and Giselle Hauscarriaga will present SUDOR (Sweat), a Czech...
Roger Waters will bring a new Pink Floyd concert production to Prague next year, with LEGACY – A Pink Floyd Show scheduled for June 8, 2027, at O2 universum. The new production has been created under Waters’ direction and will feature a ten-piece band led by his son, Harry Waters. The Prague show will focus on music from what is widely regarded as Pink Floyd’s most influential period, spanning 1971 to 1979. The setlist will draw from four of the band’s best-known albums: The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. The music will be accompanied by a new visual production featuring high-resolution LED screens and imagery inspired by Pink Floyd’s original artwork and stage concepts. Harry Waters will serve as the show’s musical director, performing on Hammond B3 organ and piano while also contributing vocals. He has a long history with the band’s music and spent more than 15 years performing alongside his father on major tours, including The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. His connection to Pink Floyd goes back even further. As a child, Harry’s voice appeared on “Goodbye Blue Sky” from The Wall. He also saw the...
Prague’s planned Vltava Philharmonic has offered the first detailed look inside the building, releasing visualizations of its main foyer and the spaces serving its three principal concert halls. The interior design will combine wood, glass and stone, with flowing shapes inspired by the Vltava River and the building’s distinctive sloping roof. The plans also emphasize open public spaces designed to connect the concert halls with the rest of the building. The main foyer will be dominated by a large glass wall extending across several floors. Its curved geometry is intended to echo the movement of the Vltava and will separate the open foyer from other areas of the building. Light-colored solid wood panels will cover the ceilings, following the contours of the roof above. Stone elements will be used in areas connecting the public foyer with the foyer of the main concert hall, including spaces designed for both seating and standing around bar counters. ´ The project has become significantly more expensive The cost of the Vltava Philharmonic has increased sharply since the project was first estimated. In 2021, the projected construction cost was CZK 6.1 billion. After the Danish architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) won the international competition...
The international Engaged Investments conference, taking place on October 21 and 22, 2026, is significantly expanding its scope this year. The event, which brings hundreds of startup investors from all over Europe to Prague, is now fully opening its doors to tech founders and the broader innovation ecosystem. Alongside the main program, the two-day event will feature two specialized industry tracks focusing on fintech and defense, pitches from up to 80 startups, and an extended accompanying program. Real defense instead of geopolitical theories The defense track is being organized in collaboration with the Invest in Bravery initiative, which is deeply involved in the Ukrainian ecosystem, alongside the European EUDIS Matchmaking program for defense and Cassini Matchmaking for space technologies. A special guest will be Senior Lieutenant Mykyta Puz, Defense Industry Liaison Officer of the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. He previously worked in business and AI product management before volunteering for the front lines in 2024. He will shed light on what a modern army truly and urgently needs from the defense industry. Alongside him, speakers will include Erin Hallock, Managing Partner of the NATO Innovation Fund, a representative of the renowned Ukrainian fund Brave1, and others....
The 28th edition of Designblok, Prague’s international design festival, will take place from October 6 to 11, 2026, across six locations in the city. The professional program and conference begin on Tuesday, October 6, while the main festival opens to the public on Wednesday, October 7. This year’s theme is “Light,” with exhibitions and installations exploring both the practical and symbolic role of light in design. The program will look at design as a tool for addressing social and economic challenges and examine its role in everyday life. Curated exhibitions, exhibitor installations, discussions on the Designblok Stage and the Designblok Talks conference will explore themes including knowledge, truth, hope and sustainability. The Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác) will serve as the festival’s main venue. It will bring together hundreds of presentations by designers, brands, schools and emerging talents, alongside curated exhibitions, lectures and workshops. The venue will also host activities for children and adults. At the Prague Castle Riding School, Designblok will present two curated exhibitions connecting contemporary design and craftsmanship with Czech cultural history. The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague will host one of the festival’s main exhibitions, as well as dozens of design presentations and a special...
The Prague Indian Film Festival will return for its 23rd edition from October 8 to 10, bringing a selection of recent Indian films to Kino Světozor. The festival will open with a historical drama and feature Bollywood, arthouse cinema, a Sundance-winning film and a vampire comedy. The festival opens on Thursday, October 8, in the presence of the Ambassador of India with Main Vaapas Aaunga, directed by Imtiaz Ali. Set against the Partition of British India in 1947, the film follows a young Sikh man and his Muslim girlfriend whose lives are transformed by the political upheaval of the period. Friday’s program will offer two very different takes on contemporary Indian cinema. Bollywood fans can see Cocktail 2, a romantic comedy about a love triangle starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna. The film follows the successful 2012 movie Cocktail. The festival will also screen Cactus Pears, an arthouse drama set in a remote village in Maharashtra. The story follows a man who returns home after his father’s death and, while observing traditional mourning rituals, reconnects with a childhood friend. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where it drew attention for its portrayal...
One of Prague’s best-known nightlife venues is closing after more than three decades beside the Charles Bridge. Lávka, which opened in 1990 on the banks of the Vltava, held its final farewell party on September 30. The club will leave its historic premises by October 8 as the City of Prague prepares to renovate the building. For 36 years, Lávka was more than a nightclub. Its programme included concerts, theater, exhibitions, fashion shows and other cultural events. Its visitors included former president Václav Havel, politician Karel Schwarzenberg and singer Karel Gott. The venue also hosted Czech acts including Lucie and Lunetic, as well as international performers such as Supertramp and R.E.M. The first version of the venue was modest. It began as a theater bar in the Bedřich Smetana Museum, replacing the building’s cloakroom. With little money available, co-founder Boris Gaydečka and his partners constructed the bar themselves using scaffolding and wooden boards found on the site. Advertising on the newly launched Radio Evropa 2 helped attract customers, and the business soon outgrew its original space. Over the years, Lávka became a regular stop for performers from very different parts of Prague’s cultural scene. Its stage hosted the avant-garde Opera...
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