"Mother Prague has clutches," Franz Kafka wrote nearly one hundred years ago. Prague’s convoluted streets may keep you in those clutches loving every second of it. Anyone who has wandered around the city's cobbled streets and Gothic alleyways and seen the moon hover behind the towers and pinnacles of Europe's most beautiful capital will definitely come back.
1 koruna česká (Kč - CZK) = 100 haléřů
Comes in banknotes of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000.
Emergency: 112
Police: 158
Ambulance: 155
Fire Brigade: 150
Lidové noviny — www.lidovky.cz
Mladá fronta Dnes — www.mfdnes.cz
Právo — www.pravo.cz
Blesk — www.blesk.cz
In English:
Radio Prague International — english.radio.cz
Expats.cz — www.expats.cz
Shops are open Monday to Saturday from 7/8am to 8/10pm. Many shops close on Sunday, but the biggest shopping malls and the shops around the tourist areas remain open.
Banks open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
1.34 million (2021)
Tourist Information Centre — Staroměstská radnice (Old Town Hall)
Staroměstské náměstí 1, Praha - Staré Město
www.prague.eu
Opening daily 9am–7pm (10am–7pm in winter)
tourinfo@prague.eu
+420 221 714 714
www.prague.eu/en
After the ’Velvet Revolution’ in 1989, Prague became an international metropolis with all the usual trappings, but it has also managed to successfully retain its unspoiled local character. The Czech capital is small and compact, with hospody (beer-houses) that offer the world’s best beers stationed on every street corner. The most important areas are the central districts of the city: Staré Město (Old Town), Josefov, Nové Město (New Town), and Malá Strana (Lesser Town). These are best explored on foot. In recent years, the district of Vinohrady (Vineyards) has established itself as the district favoured by Pražani (the Prague inhabitants), and the restaurants and cafes lie closely packed.
When you visit Prague, it is worth remembering that not only does the city boast an impressive history, which stretches back many hundreds of years, but it has also fostered prominent architects, artists, and designers of the 20th century. Prague was once the centre of Central European modernism, a fact which today, after a long period of dictatorship, has almost faded into oblivion. During recent years, modernist Czech architecture and interior design have experienced a recovery, and there is nearly always a good exhibition to see.
The Czech capital is small and compact, with hospody (beer-houses) offering the world’s best beers stationed on every street corner. The most important areas are the central districts of the city: Staré Město (Old Town), Josefov, Nové Město (New Town), and Malá Strana (Lesser Town). These are best explored on foot.
Karlův most — Charles Bridge
Obecní dům — Municipal House
Old Town Square
Czech Beer Tasting
Concerts at Palac Akropolis
Prague Zoo
Divadlo Minor
Casinos
Rudolfinum
Kampa Park
Many international cuisines have been introduced to the Prague restaurant scene, but the Central European fare still dominates. Classic Czech meals include Svíčková (roast beef with cream sauce), and the national dish, Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (pork with sauerkraut and dumplings). These can be had at any hospoda — beerhouse — along with a cold pilsner.
Kolkovna
Cantina
Malý Buddha (”Little Buddha”)
Maitrea
Indian by Nature
Ristorante Carmelita
La Casa Argentina
La Veranda
Coda
Jaffa
Prague has always been a good town for cafes. Around the turn of the last century this meant large middle class premises — which re-opened during the 1990's — and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, a lot of smaller, cosy cafes with bric-à-brac décor were opened.
Café Slavia
Café Louvre
Kavárna Obecní dům
Mistral Café
Donuterie
Puro Gelato
Coffee & Waffles
Just Bagel
Prague has a vibrant nightlife that attracts travellers from all over the world. Some are in perpetual search of bars where beer is seemingly cheaper than water, but there is also an incredible variety in the city’s many bars, clubs, cafes and beer houses.
You can start your exploration of Prague's nightlife right in the Old Town, but don't hesitate to venture out of the very centre. A night out in Prague is one of Europe's great bucket list experiences.
Radost FX
Palác Akropolis
Baráčnická Rychta
Bugsy’s Bar
Vinograf
Agharta Jazz Centrum
Tynska Bar and Books
Absintherie
Bar No. 7
Ice Pub Prague
Double Trouble Bar
Jazzdock
První Pivní Tramway
Nebe Cocktail & Music Bar
Dejavu Music Club
The Alchemist Bar
If you want to shop for uniquely Czech products in Prague, you should visit the small boutiques selling domestic designer clothes, and look for reproductions of the utility designs created by Czech modernists in the 1920s and 1930s — both sectors have grown considerably in recent years. Another traditional item to shop for is Bohemian cut glass.
Designer Clothes
Main Shopping Areas
Antiques and Art
Cut glass
Czech Design
Palladium Shopping Centre
Shopping Centre Letňany
Queens. The Streetwise Store
Farmers Market Heřmaňák
Artel
Prague Chocolate
Passport / Visa
The Czech Republic can be visited visa-free for up to 90 days by citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and most countries in America. If you are unsure whether or not you need to apply for a visa, we recommend contacting the embassy or consulate in your country. International (non-Schengen) travelers need a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after the end of their intended trip in order to enter the Schengen zone. Citizens of Schengen countries can travel without a passport, but must have a valid ID with them during their stay.
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Website:
More Information:
Best Time to Visit
Prague is appealing in any season and has lots to offer throughout the year. The city is at its busiest during the summer months of July and August. Late spring and early fall are a little less crowded, whereas the slowest times are during the cold months of November, January, February, and March, so if you don't mind the cold and prefer fewer tourists, this would be a good time for you to travel to Prague. For extra cosiness, hit the Christmas markets in late December.
If you are thinking of coming to Prague in early spring, try to schedule your trip around Easter when Prague is decorated and Easter markets are open.
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Website:
More Information:
Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)
Ruzyne Airport is located 20 kilometres to the northwest of the city centre. There are minibuses with shared fares. They take you to Metro A Station Dejvická and to Metro B station Námešti Republiky in Central Prague.
Terminal 1 serves flights outside the Schengen Area and Terminal 2 — within the Schengen Area.
The cheapest connection to and from the airport is by bus. Number 119 will drop you at the Metro A station Dejvická, and bus number 100 at Metro B station Zličín (change to Metro B to get to the city centre). You can buy a transfer ticket, valid for 75 minutes, in the flight terminal or at the ticket vending machine at the bus stop. The bus runs between 4 am and midnight. Lines 907 and 910 run through the night.
The Airport Express runs via Terminal North 1 — Terminal North 2 — Nádraží Holešovice Metro and the train station (change to metro line C to get to the city centre).
Address:
Email:
Phone: +420 220 111 888
Website: www.prg.aero/en
More Information:
Public Transport
The underground, buses and railway operate daily from 4am to 0:15am (night service every 30 minutes). Tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines and tobacco shops and are valid for 30 or 90 minutes, 24 or 72 hours. You can choose to get an e-ticket or receive it as a text message. In trams, you can pay with contactless payment cards — the machine is in the middle of each tram.
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Website: www.dpp.cz/en
More Information:
Taxi
For tourists, a taxi journey in Prague often turns out to be an expensive treat. If you want to travel by taxi then call a reliable taxi firm, such as AAA. Their phone number is 140 14, plus you can use their mobile app.
Bolt and Uber ridesharing apps are available in Prague, too.
Address:
Email: hotline@aaataxi.cz
Phone: +420 222 333 222
Website: www.aaataxi.cz/en
More Information:
Post
The Main Post Office is located at Jindřišká 14, in a beautiful Neo-Renaissance building.
Address: Jindřišká 909/14, Prague
Email:
Phone: +420 840 111 244
Website: www.ceskaposta.cz/en/index
More Information:
Pharmacy
You can find out which pharmacies in your area are open around the clock by calling +420 224 946 982.
Address: Pharmacy Dr.Max, Vodičkova 792/40, Prague
Email:
Phone: +420 225 574 111
Website: www.drmax.cz
More Information:
Electricity
In the Czech Republic the power plugs and sockets are of type E — with two round pins like in most other countries in continental Europe. The standard voltage is 220–230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Website:
More Information:
Telephone
Country code: +420
Area code: there is none; it is already included in every local telephone number.
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Website:
More Information: