Prague Cultural Activities

Take advantage of the unique flavor Prague has to offer. CEA offers a wide variety of local cultural activities to match your interests. Whether you enjoy music concerts, clubs, sports, cooking classes, language exchanges or something entirely different, our resident staff can help you get involved in the local culture. During the orientation session, the local staff will also introduce you to their database of many exciting volunteering and unpaid internship possibilities. Here are just some examples of how you can get involved in Czech life:

Czech Film

The Czech “New Wave” of cinema first made world headlines in the 1960s, and Barrandov studios (the Hollywood of Central Europe) continues to produce award-winning movies. See a contemporary Czech movie with English subtitles at one of the local cinemas (and try a klobasa or parek instead of popcorn).

Sports

Go along with CEA and experience a real European soccer or hockey game – and see why Czechs go a little crazy each tournament season. If you want to sweat a little yourself, CEA can help you try bobsledding, rollerblading in a local park along the river, ice skating, or hiking in the Bohemian countryside.

A Musical Nation

Prague was Mozart’s favorite city, and no wonder - as the Czechs say, “Co Čech, to muzikant” – loosely, “scratch a Czech and you’ll find a musician.” There’s no shortage of great Czech music, whether you’re tastes run to classical, jazz, rock, pop, or hip-hop. Keep an ear out for Romani music – a Central European specialty only rarely heard in the US.

Art, Architecture, and Design

Each of the many centuries of its history left a stamp upon Prague in the form of new buildings, new design, and new art works. A medieval tavern now sells hand-crafted wooden puppets; a Renaissance palace now hosts a music hall; a former convent now shows the work of contemporary Czech artists. In the continual renewal and refashioning of the city you can see the many creative uses that contemporary residents put the historic buildings to.

Nooks and crannies

The backstreets of Prague’s labyrinthine streets hold many secrets, surprises, and discoveries. A flea market has exactly the right gift for your friend or family member, or decoration for your apartment; a local farmer’s market sells a bio-version of a Moravian specialty cheese; and you can find the right spice for your dinner at a store in which time seems to have stood still for much of the past century. Tap into the local knowledge of the CEA staff and see where your imagination leads you.

Internship opportunities

An internship in Prague can gain you valuable work- and life-experience, as well as earn you academic credit. CEA students can register for a structured internship in a wide variety of different fields and business sectors through our affiliate university. All internships are unpaid and will be determined upon arrival in Prague.

Volunteer opportunities

Put your skills and talent to work in an international setting through unpaid volunteer opportunities. CEA staff can help you find the right one for you, whether it’s teaching English to Czech elementary school students or helping prepare for an international film festival or design show. Students who enjoy the outdoors can volunteer to assist the Czech Forestry Commission to renovate hiking trails, preserve footpaths and repaint signaling marks in the mountain forests of the Czech national parks. All placements are unpaid and will be determined upon arrival in Prague.

Czech Folk Traditions

The Czech calendar is full of holidays and traditions that will be new to most Americans: from “witches’ night” festivals, the November 17 holiday that commemorates the demonstrations that led to the Velvet Revolution of 1989; and May Day traditions revolving around the Czech romantic poet Karel Mácha (similar to Valentine’s Day in the US). And most any time of year you can find places where people gather to sing songs, make music, dance, eat, and drink in traditional Czech ways.