Why Prague needs a local guide
Prague has more beer per capita than anywhere on earth. The medieval core is absurdly preserved because it was never bombed. Charles Bridge has 30 baroque statues and 5,000 tourists at any given moment. But cross the river to Smichov or take the tram to Vinohrady and the city opens up.
Prague receives over 8 million international visitors a year, making it one of the most visited cities in Europe. The vast majority stay inside the Old Town loop: Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, done. They drink Staropramen at tourist-priced pubs on Old Town Square and never learn that Czechs consume more beer per person than any other nation on earth, and that the real drinking happens in neighborhood hospodas where a half-liter of properly tapped Pilsner Urquell costs less than two euros. To become a tour guide in Prague is to pull people off the royal route. You take the tram to Zizkov, where the density of pubs per square meter is the highest in Europe and the locals still debate whether Lokál or U Sudu pours the better beer. You walk them through Vinohrady where the art nouveau apartment buildings rival anything on the Old Town and the brunch scene has exploded in the last five years. If you want to become a tour guide in Prague, you need a favorite hospoda and a firm opinion on svickova. Becoming a tour guide in Prague means knowing that the best version of this city is two tram stops from the tourist center, served at the right temperature with a proper foam head.