12 great Christmas gift ideas for people who love Czech culture

Bohéma t-shirts launched its elegant t-shirt designs featuring numerous Czech historical figures and heroes, on the hundredth anniversary of the First Republic. From Alfons Mucha to Emil Zátopek with plenty of Havel and Masaryk in between give a wearable gift of a century of Czech literature, film, and design this year.

Garage 22 is a small craft gin distillery from Holešovice. Located in Vnitroblock, its contemporary gin flavors include mango and habanero, wild garlic, and lemon and lemongrass. The distiller was recently awarded a prize at the International IWSC competition in London. Buy gin or book a tour here.

Prague-based illustrator Andrea Tachezy has created whimsical decorations inspired by motifs from Czech historical ornaments made of cotton wool in the 1900s for the toy store Hugo Chodí Bos. The shop recently relocated to Vodičkova street but also has a location in Letná. Both shops stock fun toys and Czech-themed Christmas baubles for all ages.

Prague-themed glass

Drawing inspiration from Prague’s nickname as the “City of a Hundred Spires” and depicting a richly detailed panoramic silhouette of the city’s most recognizable rooftops, Artěl Glass's Prague Spires offers a gorgeous array of handcrafted glass pieces adorned with etchings of the Czech capital.

The Czech Republic's stationery tradition can be seen in the numerous paper shops that have popped up around Prague in recent years. You can find a wide selection of paper shops offering Czech-made notebooks and diaries here or purchase a limited edition notebook designed by glass artist Zdeněk Lhotský and support sheltered workshops. Deafmessanger makes handmade notebooks, postcards, and diaries from recycled and abandoned things.

Christmas boxes from local coffee roaster The Miners offer beans or capsules from this modern Czech company focusing on urban coffee shops and specialty coffee roasting. You can also give the coffee lover in your life a dark or medium roast of coffee from Sierra Noriental with 30 CZK of each purchase being donated to Friendship Prague.

Or try something entirely different: A new beer from Proud brewery the experimental microbrew arm of Pilsner Urquell combines two beloved Czech national beverages, pivo and kava into one beautifully bottled drink.

The Best Prague Doors Instagram account offers a gorgeous portal onto the world of urban architecture design, in a city where the ancient and modern reside in perfect harmony. Their 2022 calendar is a colorful selection of twelve exclusive photos from it's gallery of doors.

The new “At the Farter” (U Prdlavky) bus stop on the Žižkov-Vinohrady border has proven so popular that people have been stealing the signs. To save you from a life of crime, the Prague Public Transit Company is now selling them in their online gift shop in both full- and reduced-size versions for CZK 50 and CZK 25, respectively. The sign makes reference to a scene in the popular 1981 film “Run, Waiter, Run!” (Vrchní, prchni!), written by Zdeněk Svěrák. Purchases can be shipped or picked up in person at transit info centers.

The Open House Praha festival launched some great English-language tours this year in addition to their annual event that allows architecture and history buffs to enter typically inaccessible spaces. The festival is a community project organized by a non-profit organization and staffed by volunteers. You can support the initiative by buying graphic-print posters of Prague landmarks buildings such as the Hotel Intercontinental, Winternitz Villa, and Prague's Main Train Station.

A new bilingual English and Czech book called "Painting Prague in Watercolour" by Maria Ginzburg uses dozens of the author’s beautiful Prague scenes to illustrate how to paint a variety of landscapes. The book, published by Grada and available through Luxor, serves as a memento of Prague’s historical scenery and a good gift for art lovers.

Beer lovers in the Žižkov and Vinohrady area can get a limited edition locally made 11-degree brew at either the Prague 3 infocentrum a Milešovská 1 or Vinohradský pivovar at Korunní 106. The can sports a stylized image of the Church of the Most Sacred Heart at náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad.  

You can never go wrong with a gift voucher from a Prague restaurant and one of the city's largest restaurants group is offering a number of dining experiences this year. Try beer tapping school, a tasting at one of Prague's two Michelin-starred restaurants, breakfast for two at the legendary Café Savoy, brunch at Eska, or fun merchandise like Thun porcelain plates and tote bags with veggie motifs. The cards can be loaded up with any value and used at any Ambiente location around Prague.