What to buy in Prague: an honest guide to Czech souvenirs
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Walk from Old Town Square to Charles Bridge and you will pass hundreds of souvenir shops. Some sell beautiful things made in the Czech Republic; many sell the same magnets, T-shirts and “Russian” dolls you could find in any European capital. This guide is about the first kind: the Prague souvenirs that are genuinely Czech, worth their space in your suitcase, and loved by the people you bring them to.
Bohemian glass and crystal
Glassmaking in Bohemia goes back centuries, and Czech crystal is still one of the country’s best-known products. Look for established makers such as Moser, founded in Karlovy Vary in 1857, or for smaller studios selling hand-cut and hand-painted glass. A single wine glass or a small vase is easier to carry than a whole set — ask the shop to pack it properly.
What to watch out for: “crystal” at suspiciously low prices in the tourist streets is often mass-produced elsewhere. A reputable shop will tell you who made the piece and where.
Czech garnets
The deep red Bohemian garnet (pyrope) has been mined in northern Bohemia for centuries and was a favourite of the Habsburg court. Traditional jewellery sets many small stones close together, so the piece sparkles like a pomegranate. Buy from shops that give you a certificate of origin — the cooperative Granát Turnov is the best-known producer of genuine Czech garnet jewellery.
Marionettes and wooden toys
Czech puppetry is so important that UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage. A hand-carved wooden marionette — a witch, a devil, a knight or the comic duo Spejbl and Hurvínek — is a souvenir with a real story behind it. For small children, simple painted wooden toys and the little mole Krtek, the cartoon character created by Zdeněk Miler in 1957, are a safe bet: almost every Czech grew up with him.
Becherovka and Czech beer
Becherovka, the herbal liqueur from Karlovy Vary, has been made to a secret recipe since the early 19th century and is a classic gift for grown-ups. Czech beer is, of course, world-famous; a bottle from a small brewery you discovered on your trip makes a more personal present than the brands you can buy at home. Check your airline’s rules for liquids in hand luggage.
Spa wafers and other sweet treats
The thin, round spa wafers (lázeňské oplatky) from Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně come in tins and boxes that travel well. In any Czech supermarket you will also find cheap, very Czech sweets: Kofola-flavoured candy, Tatranky wafers, Horalky and Hašlerky. They cost little and make fun gifts for colleagues.
Chocolate: the sweetest Prague souvenir
Chocolate is the souvenir everyone is happy to get — and the one you can share in the office the day you come back. At the Choco-Story chocolate shop at Celetná 10, a few steps from Old Town Square, you will find:
- Belgian chocolates and pralines, to taste on the spot or take home in a gift box;
- chocolates with Prague motifs — a souvenir and a treat in one;
- chocolate gifts and other sweet souvenirs for family and friends.
The shop is open to everyone, no museum ticket needed — every day from 10:00 until 22:30, and until 23:00 from Friday to Sunday. That makes it handy for last-minute shopping on your final evening.
Want a souvenir you make yourself? At our chocolate workshop you create and decorate your own chocolate bars, and they are yours to take home. For something that does not melt in the suitcase, a Choco-Story gift card gives someone the whole experience: the museum, a tasting of up to five kinds of Belgian chocolate and, if you like, the workshop.
More sweet ideas: Chocolate gifts from Prague for Christmas.
Czech cosmetics and design
Natural cosmetics are a Czech speciality. Manufaktura sells soaps, bath salts and creams with beer, wine, herbs or spa salts, and Botanicus makes herbal products in the village of Ostrá. If you prefer design, look for independent shops selling Czech fashion, ceramics, books and prints — they are often in the side streets of the Old Town and in neighbourhoods such as Vinohrady and Holešovice.
What to skip
- Trdelník as a “traditional Czech” treat. The sweet chimney cake sold on every corner is tasty, but it is not an old Czech tradition — it came to Prague with tourism, and its roots are in Slovakia and Hungary.
- “Absinthe” shops and cannabis candy. They are aimed at tourists and say nothing about Czech culture.
- Bad exchange offices. Signs promising “0% commission” often hide very poor rates. Pay by card where you can (almost everywhere in Prague accepts it) or withdraw Czech crowns from a bank ATM, and refuse the “conversion to your home currency” the machine offers.
- Fake Russian souvenirs. Matryoshka dolls and fur hats are not Czech.
Where to shop in Prague
The streets between Old Town Square and the Powder Tower — including Celetná, where you will find our shop — are full of souvenir shops; just keep the tips above in mind. For Czech design, wander away from the main tourist route. For food gifts, a regular supermarket is often the cheapest option.
Make it a chocolate stop
Whatever you take home, come and taste Prague’s sweetest side first. The Choco-Story Chocolate Museum tells the story of cocoa in seven rooms, from the Maya to Belgian pralines, and ends with a tasting. It is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, two minutes from Old Town Square — book your tickets online and leave with a bag of chocolates from the shop.
