Are you running your business remotely? If you are considering what will be the next destination to settle down for a while, come to Prague. We can guarantee you will love it there. Well, at least from April to October. Prague is rated one of the TOP 5 cities for digital nomads, and made it to number one in summer 2016 at nomadlist.com. So, why Prague?

1. The city

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Period. The more time you spend there, the more incredibly beautiful places you can discover. The famous Old Town, the Charles Bridge or the Castle are just the beginning.

The true beauty of Prague is hidden in Vinohrady, Karlín, Žižkov, Malá Strana or Letná districts, on the river banks, in the small parks and side-lanes, and especially in hundreds of cosy cafes, bars and many creative spaces. It’s very easy to walk through most of the city so that you can discover it on your own and at your pace.

2. Community

For the last 20 years, Prague is rapidly growing it’s economic impact and attracts more and more large enterprises. Today, it’s one of the 10 regions with the highest GDP in the EU. But there is also a great community of creative people, start-ups, freelancers or location independent professionals and entrepreneurs.

It’s easy to make new friends, but also to search for new business opportunities or skilled people to collaborate with. You can meet them at many events, in coworking spaces or just contact them via Facebook groups.

3. Infrastructure

You’ll get everything you need for working. Fast and reliable internet connection, many great coworking spaces for longer focused work, or cafés where you can come to work just a few hours a day. The staff there is used to people who come to work, and in most of the places, they don’t bother you every five minutes, asking if you need something.

If you are from the EU, you can simply use your SIM card for calls, and you’ll not pay much more than when you call from your country. If not, just buy some Czech data plan, Prague is covered with fast 4G (LTE) network, and you can easily call via FaceTime, Viber or Skype.

4. Cost of living

Prague is far more expensive than the rest of the Czech Republic, but yet, it’s way cheaper than most of Western Europe or the U.S. You can get a studio apartment close to the city centre for $800 USD a month on Airbnb, even in the high season. Or for less than $500 a month if you rent long-term.

You can buy a decent lunch for $5 USD, and a dinner for two for $20 USD. Just skip the Old Town, that’s all the magic. If you want to grab a beer or five, you don’t have to pay more than $1 each.

Even if you rent on Airbnb, eat out a lot and party hard, you still can keep your monthly expenses under $2500 USD and live like a king. If you need, you can easily cut your expenses to less than $1000 USD a month.

5. Safety

Prague, and the Czech Republic, in general, is one of the safest countries in the world. Yes, there are occasional thefts on tourists, but usually just because they are so amazed by the city, that they forget to think. Use your common sense, and you are safe. Most of the Czech citizens do not have gun – you need a special permission for it – and other violent crimes are also very rare. Walking alone in the street in the night is safe even for women.

6. Food

During the last few years, Prague has evolved into a famous foodie city. You’ll find everything from great burgers at Dish to a lovely Pho Bo at the Vietnamese market Sapa. If you are into fine dining, you can try a Michelin restaurant La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, and if you have a sweet tooth, you’ll love Prague even more. Try the best homemade cakes at EMA espresso bar (and they have the best espresso too!) or visit Kavárna Místo and try not to eat everything. Food markets and festival also gain more and more popularity, so you can be sure your belly will be absolutely satisfied.

7. Location

Prague is often called A Heart of Europe, and if you look at the map, you’ll see it really has a great position. It takes less than 2 hours (usually super cheap) flight to most of the other European capitals or an easy car ride to the surrounding countries. You can also use trains to get to Dresden, Berlin, Vienna or Budapest, for example.

But Prague is also the centre of the incredibly beautiful and diverse Czech Republic. You can immerse into the history when visiting some of its hundreds of castles or thousand-year-old royal cities. You can explore some of the amazing national parks or mountains. Or just take a 20 minutes city train ride and go for a refreshing walk around the Berounka river and Czech Karst area.

The more time we spend in the city where BusinessAnimals.cz Magazine was born, the more we love it here. And we’ll be happy to have you here too!

Photo and text: Matouš Vinš