Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is known for its stunning architecture and rich history that spans over a millennium. Beneath the cobblestone streets and baroque buildings lies another layer of Prague—a network of underground venues and passageways that offer authentic glimpses into the city’s past, from medieval cellars to Cold War bunkers.
Here is a list of 20 underground gems in Prague that offer genuine historical experiences alongside thoughtfully themed venues, providing visitors with a deeper connection to the city’s layered past.
U Fleku’s Medieval Cellar
This historic brewery dates back to 1499 and houses one of Europe’s oldest continuously operating taverns. The medieval cellar beneath the main beer hall features original stone archways and wooden tables worn smooth by centuries of use.
Visitors can enjoy the brewery’s famous dark lager surrounded by walls that have witnessed over 500 years of Czech brewing tradition.
Lucerna Music Bar Underground
Located beneath Wenceslas Square, this underground music venue has been a cornerstone of Prague’s alternative scene since the early 1990s. The bar is part of the Lucerna Palace, an Art Nouveau complex built by Václav Havel’s grandfather between 1907 and 1921.
Music enthusiasts can catch live performances by local indie bands and international acts in this authentically historic underground space.
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Malostranská Beseda Cellar
This cultural venue in Malá Strana features a medieval cellar preserved beneath the renovated 18th-century building. The atmospheric stone chambers now serve as a bar and performance space for intimate concerts and events.
Original architectural elements have been maintained throughout the restoration, creating a perfect blend of historical authenticity and modern functionality.
Nuclear Bunker Museum
This genuine Cold War-era nuclear bunker now operates as a museum with a small bar area where visitors can reflect on what they’ve seen. The preserved facility contains original civil defense equipment, gas masks, and informational displays about Prague during the Cold War.
Guided tours explain the bunker’s history and purpose while allowing visitors to experience the claustrophobic reality of Cold War preparations.
AnonymouS Bar
This themed cocktail bar pays tribute to Czech history through creative drinks and décor inspired by Guy Fawkes and the Anonymous movement. Hidden behind an unmarked entrance, the bar features masks, creative installations, and historical references to resistance movements.
The cellar venue combines historic architecture with contemporary artistic elements for a uniquely Prague experience.
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Klášterní Pivovar Strahov
This brewery restaurant is part of the historic Strahov Monastery complex. It features ancient cellar spaces where monks brewed beer centuries ago.
The current brewery revived the tradition in 2000, producing craft beers using recipes inspired by those historical brewing methods. Visitors can tour the brewery facilities before enjoying traditional Czech cuisine and fresh beer in the historic cellar dining rooms.
Staropramen Visitor Center Underground
The historic Staropramen brewery offers tours, including access to the original 19th-century underground cellars where beer was once aged. These authentic industrial spaces feature massive brick arches and historic brewing equipment preserved from the brewery’s early days.
The guided experience concludes with beer tasting in a modern bar area incorporating elements from the brewery’s 150-year history.
Jazz Republic
Located in a historic cellar near Old Town Square, this underground jazz club hosts nightly performances in an intimate setting with excellent acoustics. The venue’s stone walls and arched ceilings date back several centuries, creating a cozy atmosphere perfect for jazz enthusiasts.
The club preserves the tradition of Prague’s vibrant jazz scene that flourished even during the restrictive communist era.
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The Charm
This speakeasy-inspired bar is hidden behind a vintage watch shop façade, requiring visitors to discover the secret entrance mechanism. The underground venue occupies a restored historic cellar with exposed stone walls and atmospheric lighting.
Skilled bartenders prepare classic and innovative cocktails while sharing stories about the building’s history and the transformation of Prague’s bar culture over the decades.
Memorial to the Victims of Communism
While not a bar, this underground exhibition space beneath Wenceslas Square documents the resistance activities in Prague’s underground spaces during the communist era. Original photographs, documents, and artifacts illustrate how ordinary citizens used these hidden areas to maintain Czech culture and resistance.
The memorial connects physically to passages where dissidents once gathered, offering a powerful historical experience.
Prague Beer Museum Pub
Despite its name, this authentic pub—rather than a museum—is located in a historic cellar and features over 30 Czech microbrews on tap. The centuries-old underground space has been carefully preserved, with its original stone archways and brick floors intact.
Informational placards throughout the venue provide insight into traditional Czech brewing methods and the history of beer culture in Prague.
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Absintherie
This specialized bar focuses on the history and proper enjoyment of absinthe, once popular among Prague’s artists and intellectuals. The cellar contains a small museum displaying antique absinthe fountains, spoons, and historical advertisements from the spirit’s heyday.
Staff demonstrate traditional preparation methods while explaining the facts and myths surrounding this distinctive herbal liquor.
Hemingway Bar
This refined cocktail bar is inspired by the famous author, who was known to enjoy Prague during his European travels. The intimate underground space features vintage furnishings, first-edition books, and cocktails crafted with historical accuracy and modern techniques.
Reservations are essential for this popular venue, where bartenders share stories connecting literary history to cocktail culture.
Reduta Jazz Club
One of Central Europe’s oldest jazz clubs, Reduta’s underground space has hosted legends like Louis Armstrong and, more recently, Bill Clinton’s saxophone performance in 1994. The historic venue features original architectural elements dating to the building’s construction in the early 20th century.
Photographs on the walls document the club’s significance during communist times and the post-revolution cultural renaissance.
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Obecní Dům Underground Tour
The municipal house offers guided tours of its extensive underground areas, including historic wine cellars and former ice storage chambers. These utilitarian spaces beneath the Art Nouveau masterpiece reveal the practical side of Prague’s architectural history.
The remarkably preserved underground areas connect to broader networks of passages that once served practical purposes throughout the Old Town.
U Malého Glena
This intimate jazz and blues bar is in a historic cellar space in Malá Strana, just a short walk from Charles Bridge. The vaulted underground room creates perfect acoustics for nightly live performances by local musicians and international artists passing through Prague.
With stone walls dating back centuries and seating for just a few dozen patrons, the venue offers an authentic Prague cultural experience that connects visitors to the city’s post-Velvet Revolution musical renaissance.
Cross Club Underground
This alternative cultural center features multiple underground levels built within a former industrial building in Prague’s Holešovice district. The labyrinthine space is decorated with kinetic metal sculptures, moving gears, and mechanical art created by local artists.
While more modern than other venues on this list, its subterranean industrial spaces represent Prague’s contemporary underground arts scene that evolved after the Velvet Revolution.
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Vinárna U Sudu
This sprawling wine bar comprises interconnected cellar rooms spanning several adjacent buildings near Wenceslas Square. The medieval passageways and chambers create a maze-like venue where losing track of time and direction is easy.
Different sections offer various atmospheres, from lively gathering spots to quiet corners perfect for intimate conversations over Czech and Moravian wines.
Krýpt U Sv. Jakuba
The crypt beneath the Church of St. James contains a small museum and an occasional performance venue for classical music concerts. The acoustically perfect underground space dates back to the 13th century and contains historical artifacts related to Prague’s religious history.
Attending a candlelit concert in this authentic crypt offers a beautiful connection to Prague’s medieval past.
Speculum Alchemiae
This restored alchemist’s laboratory in Prague’s Old Town contains authentic underground workrooms where Emperor Rudolf II’s scientists once conducted experiments. Archeologists discovered the hidden chambers during reconstruction after the 2002 floods, revealing preserved equipment and secret passages.
Guided tours explain the genuine historical connections between Prague and the development of early scientific practices, which are often perceived as magical.
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Between History and Heritage
Prague’s underground spaces range from genuinely historic cellars to thoughtfully curated venues that honor the city’s rich cultural traditions. The most authentic locations directly connect to medieval architecture, brewing history, Cold War tensions, and artistic movements that shaped the city’s identity.
Whether historically preserved or contemporarily adapted, these subterranean venues provide meaningful insights into Prague’s layered past and cultural evolution through the centuries.
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