I'm coming to Prague in July and will only have one full day to shop and tour, I want some ideas for inexpensive but native CZ gifts to buy to bring back to family/friends in the USA...any suggestions of what to buy and where? THANKS! I love jewelry, glass and other lovely little items of that nature.
You might try some small crystal pieces. Czechs make wonderful crystal. I brought a number of small crystal animals home for my mom.
Can you tell me please what price range the small crystal figurines would begin to be priced? Also do you suggest a certain shop or part of town to look in that is not tourist over run?
Wow! Prices have gone up big time since I was there. Of course, I also bought outside of Prague, which tends to be abt. 30 to 50% cheaper.
They have beautiful porcelain over there. I especially love the pink porcelain. (the pink is not cheep though). I brought back some tea cup sets for my mother. Shot glasses also make good cheep gifts. Small paintings of castles are nice. My mother-in-law brought me a small porcelain elephant and I was told the elephant is comparative to the rabbit's foot here in the States. I brought my daughter a doll in the traditional czech dress. Glass candy dishes are nice. Trust me, you will have no problem finding beautiful items to bring back. I would suggest though, if your group leaves Prague to go to say Budejovice or Krumlov or some other place, plan to do your shopping there since it's going to be cheaper than in Prague. Although, the selection may be slimmer. Also, there are some large stores like Tesco. They won't have much selection for a gift, but if they have what you want it will be cheaper. I bought myself a set of 2 cups/saucers there. It said "Made in Czech Republic" on the bottom and was very pretty. And a lot cheaper than a small store. I'd say take a look at your itinerary and plan your shopping based on cheaper towns or larger stores. Best wishes to you.
Kotva near Namesti Republiky also has a nice choice of glass and porcelain items and the prices are very reasonable.
If you tour the castle (well worth your time) and buy a ticket that gains you entry into most of the buildings, you will also be able to shop on Golden Lane. All products sold on Golden Lane are guaranteed Czech made. Look for silver and garnet jewlry, Crsytal, glass, craft items and even a botanical shop that sells organic soaps. In the tourist shops on Old Town Square, much of the goods sold are made in Russia. If you want Czech, ask if it is.
I love little books to journal in.... does anyone know of a place locally in Prague that would sell blank little books or journals?
I would also suggest Manufaktura for gifts that are inexpensive. There are several around Prague. They don't see crystal, but have nice items made of wood and other natural products. Here is a website that describes the shop. It's one of my favorites places to go. You might find little journals there too, but I'm not certain. http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech-so ... gifts.html Link edited by site admin
Hope I am not too late to help you, but the shops on Golden Lane up at the castle are reasonably priced and guaranteed to have only czech made products. Many of the shops in Old Town are not Czech owned and operated. My favorite item that I brought back is a beautiful sterling silver and Czech garnet necklace.