In June this year, my fiancée’s sister, Cheryl, and niece, Kathy, will be visiting Prague for the first time and we’re all going to meet up. I’ve rebooked my old apartment on Ostrovni for a month and everyone’s getting really excited about getting together. For me, there will be an element of sadness, as it’s likely to be my final visit for some time as my contract has now ended. I’ve been thinking about writing this post for quite a while but kept putting it off as there were so many other things I wanted to share. In anticipation of the family reunion, now seems to be as good a time as any to finally post my Top Tips For Travellers to Prague.
On Arrival At The Airport
On arrival at Prague airport, the only thing to think about is how to get into town. If you're smart, the best thing is to pre-order a taxi. I usually use
Prague Airport Transfers who are extremely reliable and professional. They might not be quite the cheapest ride in town, but you can pre-pay by card and it saves arguing about prices when you get to your destination. The drivers will meet you in the arrivals area, and you can easily find your driver who will be holding up an orange board with your name on it (or whatever identity you choose to provide when you book online). Prague Airport Transfers charge about 600 CZK (about £22) for a personal car, but you can share a car if cost is an issue.
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| Arriving at Vaclav Havel Airport |
If your budget doesn’t extend to a taxi, the cheapest method of travelling into Prague city centre is by
bus and metro. Take the 119 from outside the arrivals building to Nádraží Veleslavín, and then transfer on to the ‘A’ Line metro which will take you to Malostranská, Staroměstská, Můstek or Muzeum. Total travelling time is about 30-40 minutes and a 90-minute ticket will cost 32 CZK. You can get tickets from machines around the airport or from the information booth in Terminal 2. Remember to validate your ticket on the bus at the little yellow box inside the door!
In all the above scenarios, I’m assuming you are arriving at Terminal 1 - but it’s not much different for Terminal 2. I’m also assuming normal traffic conditions (and no taxi strikes because of Uber! - not an uncommon situation over the last year). The only thing you shouldn’t do is pick up a taxi on spec at the airport. Use one of the booths in the terminal building if you haven’t pre-booked. Prague taxis are notorious for overcharging unsuspecting tourists and visitors.
Eating and Drinking
There are hundreds of bars and restaurants in the city, catering for just about every whim and desire. Naturally, places differ widely in price and quality. Steer clear of the bars and restaurants in the major tourist spots like the Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and around the Charles Bridge. They are much more expensive than in the streets nearby and although many of them are quite good in quality, they will often try to take advantage of unwary travellers. Walk down some of the back streets nearby, and you’ll find the same types of places with much more reasonable prices. Best to stay away from the big name bars like Hooters, Coyote Ugly and many of the "Irish" or “British" pubs which are total rip-offs.
Unless there is someone in the front of house who is there to take you to a table, most places just expect you to find a table yourself. Find a good spot and sit down and wait for someone to come to you. Don’t wave your hands around and gesticulate to try and get a server’s attention. They will ignore you. Neither should you go up to the bar and try and order - they’ll just tell you to go and sit down. Be patient. The staff are busy but they know exactly who’s come in and when, and they’ll get to you in due course.
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| Vykorky Dum 99 - sadly now closed down |
In most places, it is quite acceptable to just order a drink, even at lunchtime or dinner time. But if you do that, you’re going to miss out on some of the snacks that are often available to help soak up the beer. When you’ve finished, you should receive an itemised bill which won’t usually include a service charge. Remember that wages in Prague are low compared to most of Europe, and for staff in the hospitality business they are very low for very long hours. Unless you’ve received really bad service (very rare in my experience) try and leave a decent tip - at least 10% but I usually leave more like 15-20%. If you’re going back somewhere, it’ll act as an ice-breaker and they will remember you!
Getting Around
Make sure you have some sensible shoes with you. Prague is best seen by foot, even though the transport system is incredibly cheap and very efficient. Shoes or boots with a good sole and grip are vital. Prague pavements are beautiful, but the marble finish becomes really slippery in the wet. Converse trainers do not fare well in these conditions I can assure you. Trekking trainers are about the best for support, grip and for dealing with cobblestoned roads which are abundant around town.
As I’ve said before in these posts, go out and don’t be afraid to get lost. Prague is relatively small and it’s relatively easy to get back to where you need or want to be. Don’t be one of those people who walk around with their heads buried in a map or on their phones. You’ll miss out on all the little things that I’ve been writing about for the last four years! Look up, down and all around - constantly.
Strictly speaking, jaywalking is illegal in Prague, and Czech drivers do not necessarily obey the letter of the law when it comes to pedestrians - so jaywalking is not recommended, unless you really know where you are, and can understand exactly where traffic could be coming from. Also, remember that trams have the right of way and probably can’t stop even if they want to except at designated stopping places. A tram will really hurt you if you pick a fight with one - and you will never win (unless you’re a bigger tram!).
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| Beware of Trams and Pedestrian Crossings! |
Wherever there are big crowds, there will also be opportunists. In the four years that I've lived in the city, I've never had any problems - but use a bit of common sense. Don't put a wallet in your back pocket, keep your bags and pockets fastened up and hang on to your cameras. I'm not convinced that pickpocketing is any worse in Prague than it is in any other major city, but be careful! Small backstreets may be a bit spooky at night, but there aren't any dangerous parts of town, and Prague is one of the safest places I've ever lived.
If you want to take a guidebook with you, my favourite is the
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guide. I would also suggest getting a map app that you can use off-line on your phone (for emergency use only!).
Shopping and Currency
Don't panic if you've forgotten to pack something. These days, it's not too difficult to find a replacement somewhere in town, and I've found that, generally, prices are a bit lower than in the UK, especially if you hunt around a bit.
Even in larger department stores, assistants will generally say "dobrý den" (good day) to you as you walk in. They aren't attempting a hard sell, it's just polite and it won't hurt you to respond with your own attempt! Try and learn a few little phrases before you arrive - Thank You (děkuji - deek-wi) and Please (prosím - pr-o-seem) go a long way...and by the way...the Czech for beer is "Pivo"!
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| Havelska Street Market |
Regarding currency, don't exchange money on the street or at any of the Exchange Booths that scatter the city. Most ATMs will accept foreign cards, but if you have problems go to a bank. 99% of the Exchange Booths are rip-offs. The unit of currency in the Czech Republic is the
Czech koruna - not Euros. Many places will accept Euros but they will give you a crappy rate of exchange.
One thing to remember about prices - they are often marked in crowns and fractions of crowns. So a bottle of pop in a little store may be marked as 14.7 CZK but when you pay it'll actually be rounded up (or down when appropriate) to 15 CZK. Over time the rounding differences cancel each other out. Unlike the US, the price you see marked includes sales (VAT) tax.
Leaving Prague
Getting back to the airport is simply a matter of reversing the method of arriving. Prague Airport Transfers will allow you to book a return trip at the same time as the outward trip and pre-pay for both.
Finally, for travellers bound for non-Shengen destinations (UK and US especially), the security arrangements may be different from what you're used to. The final security check is performed at the gate before you board the plane. You can take liquids into the airport, and you can buy them inside the airport even after you've been through the border (passport) control. However, these will be confiscated when you go through the gate security - where they will do the hand baggage checks and X-rays. If you buy drinks for the journey at the airport, make sure they go into sealed bags. The best thing to do is to make sure you keep some change and buy your drinks from the vending machine inside the gate. A bottle of soft drink will cost about 35-45 CZK.
These are some of the most useful things I can think of right now. If I come up with any more I'll add to the post later on. Most important though...have a great time!!
