The 12 best clubs in Prague

With a rotating roster of DJs and regular live music nights, this Dlouhá Street hot spot is a staple of Prague’s nightlife scene. Expect house, techno and drum and bass nights, plus the occasional hip hop or pop concert. The crowds are just as eclectic, ranging from twentysomething travellers to local yopros kicking back at the weekend. Try the adjoining NoD cocktail bar for a sophisticated pre-party drink.

In Prague, there’s an enduring nostalgia for the pop music of the ’80s (when it was largely inaccessible here under Communism), and there’s no better place to sing along to ‘Greased Lightning’, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack or Kylie Minogue than Lucerna Music Bar on Fridays and Saturdays. This long-running club off Wenceslas Square also hosts mid-sized concerts of (reasonably) current Czech and international bands throughout the week.

Nostalgia strikes again at Klub Vagon, where tribute bands pay homage to rock legends like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd and Queen. This unapologetically weathered underground space brings tattooed and ponytailed fans to its Old Town location near the National Theatre. Music kicks off at 9pm every night, with videos keeping the party going from midnight to 6am from Tuesday to Saturday. 

If you can’t remember the name of this underground Old Town club, just ask for directions to ‘the dog bar’. The owner’s Irish wolfhound can sometimes be spotted wandering among the dressed-down, international crowd, pallet furniture, swings, table football and bartenders pouring microbrews into mason jars. Unscheduled live music and jam sessions could take place on any given night. One quirk – payment requires loading money onto an electronic bracelet at the entrance.

If you want a preview of this Vinohrady dance spot housed beneath one of Prague’s first vegetarian restaurants, stream Rihanna’s iconic video for ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’, which was filmed on-site. Highlights at Radost FX include the Thursday night Bounce! parties, spinning hip hop and R&B, and the Saturday #Swerve parties, for dancehall, afro beats and R&B. Crowds fill the floor until 5am from Thursday to Saturday (and just might be back for brunch upstairs after a quick nap).

Ladies’ nights attract a lesbian crowd (plus gay friends and allies) to dance and sing karaoke at Jampa Dampa in Prague’s New Town area, just south of Wenceslas Square. Themed nights keep the mood silly in this medium-sized underground space with brick ceilings and understated décor. Wednesdays are for karaoke, and Fridays are a ‘Ladies’ Secret Night’ (no solo men allowed) with a soundtrack of pop, rock and R&B hits that only stop at 5am.

Swim, found off Wenceslas Square – a few doors down from Lucerna Music Bar – put on nights in a small former swimming pool. Hence the name, obviously. A young, international crowd takes advantage of the ‘club meets kitchen’ concept with daytime brunch (served to a delightfully late 3pm) and evening tapas before hitting the dance floor and enjoying some delicious cocktails.

Unlike many of Prague’s primarily gay or lesbian spaces, Friends is a ‘gay-friendly’ venue that welcomes the mixed friend groups common among younger generations. Students, happy-hour crowds and travellers come to sip cocktails under disco balls and socialise to a soundtrack of pop divas every night of the week. The drinks are reasonably priced, especially for the Old Town, while programme highlights include drag shows and karaoke.

Vinohrady’s best-known gay clubs are only a few streets from each other, making it easy to bounce between the intimate (and often sweaty) dance floor at Termix and the larger Termax on Friday and Saturday nights. Soundtracks centre on remixed pop favourites from the ’80s and ’90s. If you’ve got the pipes and performance chops, head to Termix for karaoke on Thursdays.

Hip hop, hardcore and dubstep draw a diverse clientele to the warehouse setting of Cross Club in Holešovice. This genre-spanning club runs late most nights, running until 7am on Fridays and Saturdays (the only two with a cover charge). If you need a meal or a caffeine kick, drop by the onsite restaurant for burgers, pizza or nachos beforehand.

SaSaZu’s expansive dance floor is tucked behind an Asian fusion restaurant of the same name inside the Pražská Tržnice market in Prague’s Holešovice neighbourhood. Expect a well-dressed crowd ready to party to international DJs like Carl Cox, Steve Aoki, and Paul van Dyk or concerts from charting stars like Lewis Capaldi and One Republic. The entertainment usually starts around 10pm, so book a table for grilled meats and cocktails before dancing the night away.

Most Prague nightlife feels laid-back, open to anyone with ID and a cover charge (where necessary). Mecca’s three-storey space in Prague’s Holešovice area is a little more discerning with the dress code and general vibe. Here an international crowd enjoys the VIP treatment moving to DJs like Nicky Romero, Nervo and Bob Sinclair. This semi-exclusive venue isn’t open every night, so keep an eye on the events calendar.