An Afternoon In Prague: Cafe Savoy, Sculptures, And Museum Kampa

An Afternoon In Prague: Cafe Savoy, Sculptures, And Museum Kampa
Elizabeth
Elizabeth 
Published
| 3 min read

Prague is a magical city with so much to do and see. Its bohemian heart can be experienced throughout the city, with numerous architectural, museum, and natural highlights. But, to see a piece of the wonderful city, spend the morning exploring art through food, art installations, and a museum.

Cafe Savoy

Tea and sweets at Cafe Savoy

Begin your day by heading to the Mala Strana district where you’ll spend the entire morning exploring Prague’s bohemian art scene. A day wouldn’t start off right without pastries and a perfectly roasted cup of coffee, and an enchanting atmosphere certainly makes breakfast that much better, so your first stop is Cafe Savoy.

When you enter the stunning Cafe Savoy, you’ll be immediately transported to the cafes of the First Czechoslovakian Republic. Cafe Savoy is located in a Neo-Renaissance building with interior art and frescoes that date back to 1893. You’ll certainly want to take ample time staring up at the intricately decorated ceiling, but don’t get too absorbed because you’ll also want to be sure to check out their ample display of baked goods and pastries.

If you are looking for a heartier meal, Cafe Savoy also serves full meals such as homemade noodles with poppy seeds (145 CZK / 5.88 USD) and lasagna (198 CZK / 8 USD). Because of Cafe Savoy’s beauty and great food, it tends to be popular with both locals and tourists alike, so be sure to make a reservation in advance to avoid disappointment.

Kampa Park

Crawling Babies

After a filling breakfast and a cup of coffee, Kampa Park should be your next artistic stop on your morning exploring Bohemia. The fresh air, active Prague residents walking their dogs, and unique street art will certainly catch your eye.

Keep your eyes open for the startling Crawling Babies statues, which as you can see in the accompanying photo, are large metal babies that have imploded faces. They really are rather creepy. The strange Crawling Babies statues were created by the artist David Cerny in an attempt to make the Zizkov TV Tower, an eyesore in the city, more visually interesting. If you look into the distance past Museum Kampa, you can see more Crawling Babies statues crawling up the tower. These statues light up blue and red after sunset.

Another highlight of the art installations within Kampa Park is the Yellow Penguins. The Yellow Penguins is a row of bright yellow penguin statues installed on a metal pier extending into the Vltava River. Yellow Penguins was created by an international art group called the Cracking Art Group and were made of recycled plastic water bottles taken from landfills. These penguins light up at night, so it would be worth returning for a visit after the sun sets.

Facing the Vltava River, you’ll also come across The Statue of Harmony, which is a bronze statue of a man holding his hands in prayer over his heart.

For those interested in botany, several of the trees within Kampa Park are labeled with names, descriptions, and detailed images showing the trees in different seasons.

Museum Kampa

Statue in Museum Kampa

Located within Kampa Park, Museum Kampa features unique works of modern and abstract art collected by Meda Mladek, who eventually wanted to exhibit works by Czech artists of the 1950s and 60s. This collection is now housed in the historic yet renovated to look modern, Museum Kampa. The permanent collection features works by Jiri Kolar, Otto Gutfreund, and Frantisek Kupka. Since the museum’s opening in 2002, other collectors have donated their collections to the museum, expanding the permanent collection. The museum also has frequent visiting exhibits. Currently they are showing works by Josef Hampl.

Admission prices vary, but it is worth it to purchase an entire museum ticket rather than a limited ticket for only one exhibition. An adult ticket for the entire museum is 180 CZK (7.30 USD) and is absolutely worth the price due to the impressive works you’ll see within the beautiful building. The Kampa Museum is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm including on holidays.

What else can you do nearby?

Following your artistic morning, you could continue your day exploring Prague’s ever changing Lennon Wall, iconic Charles Bridge, and the breathtaking Astronomical Clock. Old Town is easy to reach on foot from the Mala Strana district, so certainly the rest of your day will be well spent.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Elizabeth is a travel writer and grammatical editor currently based in Florence, Italy. She writes on family-friendly, affordable travel with a focus on cultural exchange experiences. You can catch...Read more

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