Cafe Imperial
Elegant, ballroom-like atmosphere set to black-tie jazz theme. Live jazz Wed.-Sat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are also served. Na Porici 15, Prague 1. Open daily 9-1 a.m.

Cafe Konvikt
Bright, airy space with plenty of room for lone readers and gossiping groups on the lower level. Bartolomejska 11, Prague 1-Old Town. Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-1 a.m., Sat. and Sun. noon-1 a.m.

Cafe Louvre
A spacious, cheerful cafe where Franz Kafka, Max Brod and their circle used to talk about a philosophy. Complete menu. Narodni 20, Prague 1. Open daily 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

Kavarna Obecni Dum
Cafeteria is situated in the most beautiful Art Noveau building in Prague – Municipal House. Location: Namesti Republiky 5, Prague 1

Café Kaab
Friendly, downscale vibe, upscale coffee — a great place to waste an afternoon. Mánesova 20, Prague 2–Vinohrady. Open Mon.–Sat. 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.-11p.m.

Cafe Montmartre
A legend from the First Republic returns. Once a watering hole for legendary Prague figures, Montik is a jewel of cafes. Retezova 7, Prague 1-Old Town. Open daily 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

Cafe Savoy
With a high, ornamental ceiling, unusual chandeliers and a tinkling fountain, the Savoy offers atmosphere and plenty of space for absorbing it. Full dinner menu as well. Vitezna 5, Prague 5. Open daily 9 a.m.-midnight.

Cajovna Duse
A refuge from the day-to-day. Oriental decor and an abundance of exotic teas. Dlouha 33, Prague 1. Open Mon.-Sat. noon-midnight, Sun. 2pm-midnight

Coffee Express
Ideal for coffee to go. Espresso, cappuccino, macchiatto and iced coffees - all of which can be made decaffeinated. Dlouha 39, Prague 1. Open Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Culinaria
Known as the source for takeout, plus favorite American and British groceries. But there's also a pretty good little coffee shop inside.Address: Skořepka 9, Prague 1 –Old Town , Tel.: 224 231 237, Open Mon.–Fri. 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. noon-7 p.m.

Ebel Coffee House
So many places pour sad misrepresentations of coffee in Old Town that it's shocking to find really good stuff in the alleys off the square. A miracle: coffee of the highest quality in the heart of Old Town. Pure arabicas and custom coffee blends created just for Praguers. Tyn 2, Prague 1-Old Town. Open daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

French Institute Cafe
Frequented by Praguers and French people alike, including many students, for cheap coffee and croissants, French papers and magazines. Stepanska 35, Prague 1. Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Fuzion
Fuzion serves a passable káva, particularly for the center. It also offers the usual mediocre tidbits to eat, but it's easy to ignore those and grab a cup to go. Vodičkova 38, Prague 1 –New Town, Tel.: 224 215 156, Open Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Grand Hotel Evropa
Faded glory, to be sure, but still crammed to the balcony rails with turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau excesses. The most stylish old nook on Wenceslas Square. Vaclavske nam. 25, Prague 1. Open daily 9:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Cover may be charged for live music.

Grand Café Orient
Whenever people mention Grand Café Orient, they quickly point out all the Cubist elements. But the café serves nice small plates and a decent-enough cup of coffee, too. Ovocný trh 19, Prague 1–Old Town, Open Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Hotel Pariz - Cafe de Paris
The ritzy downtown cafe address with occasional jazz combos, highballs and a colorful history, thanks to Bohumil H rabal's I Served the King of England. U Obecniho domu 1, Prague 1. Open daily 10 a.m.-midnight

Jazz Cafe 14
A classic. Try this the next time you need a quiet night among friends. Opatovicka 14, Prague 1 (near Narodni trida metro station). Open Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. and Sun. noon-11 p.m.

John & George
Part kavárna, part restaurant, part take-away stop, this unique spot next to the Lennon Wall (John & George, get it?) relies on a small menu of relatively simple items.Velkopřevorské nám. 4, Prague 1–Malá Strana, Tel.: 257 217 736, Open daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Kava, Kava, Kava
Maybe not the best coffee in town, but the two caffeine outposts top most of them. This quiet courtyard oasis is also port-of-call to shipments of coffee beans and loose teas from everywhere they grow them, whopping carrot cake wedges and peanut butter cookies. Narodni 37 (in the courtyard), Prague 1. . Open Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Kavarna Merkur
A hip new hangout in Old Town. Inexpensive drinks and food. Live music in the evening. Dlouha 39, Prague 1. Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight

Kavarna Slavia
Legendary. The views across the river unbeatable at Prague's most celebrated literary and theatrical cafe. Narodni trida at Smetanovo nabrezi, across from the National Theater, Prague 1.  Open Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-midnight, Sat. and Sun. 9 a.m.-midnight

Kenvelo Cafe
Hardcore coffee culture, thy name is Kenvelo: a sleek and tiny espresso bar for the cellular phone crowd. Full menu. Vaclavske nam. 1 (in the Koruna Palace arcade). Open daily 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

Literarni kavarna G plus G
As expected from a coffee house run by a publisher, local literary journals, hard-to-find magazines and small-press books are easy to find here. Readings and live music regularly. Cerchovska 4, Prague 2. . Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Meduza
Like dropping by a friend's house, except there are a lot of tables and a bar. Comfy old chairs in which to while away the hours, unusual prints on the walls, and a full range of coffees and teas, light meals and snacks attract trendy clientele. Belgicka 17, Prague 2. Open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sat. and Sun. noon-1 a.m.

St. Nicholas Cafe
The customers are cool, the mood hip and cynical, and the prices lower than you might think. Location: Trziste 10, Prague 1 (near the U.S. Embassy). Open Mon.-Fri. noon-1 a.m., Sat. and Sun. 4 p.m.-1 a.m.

U mravence
An unexpectedly hip cafe with gallery space and good wine where you would least expect it - on Old Town Square. Live music, snacks and excellent coffee. U Radnice 20, Prague 1. Open daily 11 a.m.-midnight

Le Patio Cafe
A sumptuous setting and an abundance of coffees, small plates and very serious sweets. Narodni 22, Prague 1. . Open Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

U sv. Vojtecha
Neighborhood gathering place, light, airy and comfortable, with newspapers-on-a-stick and pleasant service. Vojtesska 14, Prague 1 (behind the National Theater). Open Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

U Zeleneho caje
The "Green Tea" proffers teas and light meals on busy Nerudova street just below the castle. Nerudova 19, Prague 1. Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. AmEx, Euro/MC, Visa

Free Wifi: There is free wifi access in many cafés in the centre of town, though they do expect you to buy at least something to eat and drink while you're surfing the net.