Prague’s Nové Město makes Time Out list of world’s coolest neighborhoods

It might not crack our list of Prague’s 10 coolest districts, but New Town is one of the world’s top 50, says Time Out

Jason Pirodsky

Written by Jason Pirodsky Published on 23.09.2019 12:54:49 (updated on 23.09.2019) Reading time: 2 minutes

Prague’s Nové Město (New Town), of all the Czech capital’s districts, has made a new Time Out list of the world’s 50 coolest neighborhoods published last week, barely cracking the list at #49.

Nothing against New Town, but we’re not sure it would make our list of the 10 coolest districts in Prague. Maybe we should give it another look.

“If you’re looking for cool, the first step is usually ‘escape the tourist centre’ – but the ongoing artistic revival of Prague’s New Town is creating reasons for residents and visitors to stick around,” reads the Time Out description of Prague’s Nové Město by Auburn Scallon.

“Between the architectural beauty of Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square), the Art Deco arcades hidden around Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square) and the greenery of Karlovo náměstí (Charles Square), you’ll find locals escaping the selfie-taking crowds in the Franciscan Gardens, shooting the breeze in century-old coffee houses or drinking beers along the Náplavka riverbank while visitors photograph the swans.”

Time Out recommends Ambiente Group’s ever-popular Kantýna for dining (vegetarians beware), Lucerna Café for a coffee or beer, and the new NaFilm National Film Museum and Edison Filmhub for some entertainment.

We can add the similar-themed and newly-opened Screenshot bar and (non) cinema to that list.

But is New Town really the coolest district Prague has to offer?

At this time last year, Time Out tapped Prague 8 district Karlín as one of the world’s 50 coolest; we’d tend to agree with this choice, but can’t claim impartiality with the Expats.cz office located in the middle of Karlín.

Vršovice (especially Krymská street and its surroundings), gritty Žižkov, up-and-coming Holešovice, popular expat boroughs Vinohrady and Dejvice, and other Prague neighborhoods are also frequently cited among the coolest areas in the Czech capital.

While New Town is the only neighborhood from Prague or the Czech Republic to make Time Out’s list of the top 50 coolest, it isn’t the only Czech neighborhood in the list.

Pilsen, Chicago, which was named after the Czech city and birthplace of Pilsner beer by its large population of Czech immigrants in the late 19th century, rates all the way up at number 10 in Time Out’s list of the world’s coolest neighborhoods.

Looking for some travel inspiration? These are Time Out’s 10 coolest cities in the world:

Arroios, Lisbon Shimokitazawa, Tokyo Onikan, Lagos Wedding, Berlin Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles The Waterfront, Hobart Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, Paris Astoria, New York Embajadores, Madrid Pilsen, Chicago
49. Nové Město, Prague

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