The best neighbourhoods for students in Prague

One of the first things you should know is that the capital of the Czech Republic is divided into 22 districts. Students usually prefer to live between the 1st and the 6th, as this way they can be close to both universities and the most popular entertainment venues.

Nové Město (Prague 1 and 2)

Translated to “new town,” this neighbourhood has more modern buildings than the old part of Prague. One section of this neighbourhood is part of the Prague 1 district, while the other is part of the Prague 2 district. This is the centre of Prague, and the Old Town can be reached in a few minutes on foot or by public transport.

Nové Město is one of the best student neighbourhoods in Prague because it’s full of affordable bars and restaurants, as well as cafes and shops. It’s also one of the liveliest areas for nightlife! You can choose between cocktail bars, nightclubs, quieter bars, and even karaoke spots.

This neighbourhood’s also home to a large number of cultural sites to visit. Among the most popular are: the Dancing House (Tančící dům), David Cerny’s sculpture of Franz Kafka and a variety of museums, including the Museum of Communism (Muzeum Komunismu), the Mucha Art Museum and the National Museum (Národní Muzeum). It also has several art galleries and historical monuments.

As far as parks, squares and open-air areas are concerned, there’s none that stands out in particular, but there are some that you can go to. For example, there’s the Folimanka Park, Zítkovy sady and Vrchlický sady.

Nové Město has very good public transport connections, both by tram and metro (with lines A, B, and C). There are also several bus lines, especially on the wider streets.

Vinohrady (Prague 2)

This residential neighbourhood has become popular with students, expats, and young professionals in recent years. It extends southeast of Prague's historic centre and has a more residential, yet alternative and lively atmosphere.

Vinohrady stands out for the variety of restaurants with international cuisine, cafes, bars, and LGBTI+ nightclubs. On the other hand, it doesn’t offer many cultural or historical sites to visit.

This neighbourhood also stands out for the number of green spaces and trees. The two most popular parks among students to exercise or stroll are Riegrovy sady (which has an open-air beer garden and one of the best spots to watch the sunset), and Grébovka (a Renaissance style park with fountains, a lagoon, and an artificial cave).

In Vinohrady you’ll find Prague's main railway station, as well as several metro (lines A and C), tram, and bus stations.

Žižkov (Prague 3)

This is one of the best student neighbourhoods in Prague, located east of the historic centre of the Czech capital, north of Vinohrady. It's one of the liveliest neighbourhoods for nightlife! It's also home to part of the Prague University of Economics, so it’s ideal for its students.

As we said, it’s one of the areas that attracts the most young people for nightlife and parties. The streets of Žižkov have bars, breweries, pubs, nightclubs… Whatever you're looking for! There's also a wide variety of restaurants with cuisine from all around the world (including Czech, of course).

But it’s not all about partying in this neighbourhood; there are also lots of historical sites to visit. Among them is Vítkov, a hilltop memorial site with monuments to various local figures. It's also a great place to enjoy beautiful views of the city. Very close to the memorial is the Žižkov Army Museum (Vojenský historický ústav Praha: Armádní muzeum Žižkov), which is also worth visiting.

The largest park in Žižkov is Parukářka. It’s one of the best places to watch the sunset in the city (including the famous TV tower in the view), has multi-sport courts, green spaces, a bar, and historic monuments such as a nuclear bunker. It's also next to the Riegrovy Sady park.

In terms of ​​transport, it’s true that it’s not the best connected area of ​​the city, although it’s close to everything. It does have some tram and bus lines, with stops mostly on its main streets, and two accessible metro stations (with line A).

Malá Strana (Prague 1)

This neighbourhood is located on the other side of the Vltava River from the historic centre of Prague, but still it’s part of the Prague 1 district. This is a quieter area than the city centre, but it's just a few minutes away from the most popular student entertainment venues.

This neighbourhood is home to some buildings in which classes of the faculties of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University are taught.

Malá Strana offers a variety of restaurants and bars, so there are several places to choose from. It doesn't have any nightclubs, but there are a few places where you can enjoy live music at night.

This neighbourhood has a variety of interesting cultural sites, which attract both locals and tourists. For example, here’s the famous wall dedicated to John Lennon (Lennonova zeď), as well as plenty of museums. Among them are the Franz Kafka Museum (Muzeum Franze Kafky), the Museum of Czech Music (České muzeum hudby), the Kampa Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Ancient Prague (Muzeum alchymistů a mágů staré Prahy). In addition, Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) is just a few minutes walk away and the Petrin Tower is easily accessible for beautiful views of the city (Petřínská rozhledna).

If you want to enjoy the outdoors and nature, living in Malá Strana is ideal! It’s home to the beautiful Kampa Park,where you can go for walks, exercise or enjoy some of its many cultural attractions. In this neighbourhood, you can also take walks along the banks of the Vltava River and visit other parks, such as the Vojanovy sady, and gardens, such as those surrounding Prague Castle.

Different parts of the city can be easily reached from Malá Strana by tram and metro lines (line A). It also has some bus stops.

FAQ about neighbourhoods in Prague