Practical Travel Information for Tourists Visiting Czechia

Author: Thomas Uhlenberg www.amazingczechia.com

Travelling to and in Czechia is simple and enjoyable if you plan everything properly.

?THE BEST TIME TO GO

What is the best time to visit Czechia? It depends.

If you like warm temperatures, July and August are the warmest months. It is also the peak season, meaning some prices go up and you can expect more crowds in the most popular places than in other months. However, it also means that most attractions should be open during that time. You can also participate in many outdoor activities that are less enjoyable in the colder months.

The late spring months of May and June and the early autumn months of September and October can be an exciting alternative to the peak season. Popular destinations will be less crowded, and some prices can be slightly lower. If you’re lucky, the weather can also be enjoyable. If you’re less lucky, it can be rainy and chilly.

Winters in Czechia can also have their unique charm. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict in advance if and when it will snow (at least not in the lowlands). December, January and February are the coldest months. Prague in the snow is beautiful, but don’t forget to take winter clothes with you. If you’re a skier, the Krkono?e mountains with ?pindler?v Mlyn or the Bohemian Forest (a.k.a. ?umava) with ?elezná Ruda are great places to visit in the winter months.

Each of these periods has pros and cons, so the best time for a visit depends on what you want to do. This page contains more information about the climate and current weather reports from several major Czech cities. https://www.amazingczechia.com/weather/

As everywhere in the world at this latitude, the length of the day varies significantly between the seasons. On the longest day, June 21st, the sun rises in Prague around 4:52 AM and sets around 9:15 PM. The longest day is thus approx. 16 hours and 23 minutes long. On the shortest day, December 21st, the sun rises in Prague around 7:58 AM and sets around 4:02 PM, which means that the shortest day of the year is only approx. 8 hours and 3 minutes long.

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THE MOST POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATIONS IN CZECHIA

One of the goals of this site is to prove that Czechia has much more to offer than only?Prague; of course, Prague is the country’s main magnet for tourists. Prague is fantastic if you’re interested in culture, history, architecture or perhaps nightlife. Prague is great whether you travel alone or with a family and kids. It is undeniably one of the top tourist destinations worldwide.

So, what is there besides Prague? If you’re a beer fan or interested in beer tourism, then?Plzeň (Pilsen)?and??eské Budějovice?(Budweis) should be in your itinerary. If you’re a wine connoisseur rather than a beer drinker, then?South Moravia?is the place to go and especially the region around the beautiful town of?Mikulov.

Fans of old small towns with Central European charm should consider visiting??esky Krumlov,?Tel??and?Kromě?í??– they are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If you prefer somewhat larger towns or cities, then?Brno,?Olomouc?and??eské Budějovice?are great choices.

If you prefer spending time in unspoilt nature, the??umava?mountain range and Bohemian Switzerland in western?Bohemia?should not disappoint you. Northeast of Prague you will find a very picturesque region called?Bohemian Paradise. It brims with castles and chateaux – a perfect destination for hiking and landscape photography

TRAIN TRAVEL

Czechia has a very dense railway network. Train travel is inexpensive, safe and convenient (as long as your destination has a train station). There are many options if you would like to come to Czechia by train from a neighbouring country.

The central train station in?Prague?(Praha hlavní nádra?í) has direct international connections with the following cities: Graz, Linz, Vienna (Austria), Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, Regensburg (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Katowice, Tychy, Warsaw (Poland), Bratislava, Ko?ice, Poprad, ?ilina (Slovakia).

If you’d like to go directly to?Brno?by train from a city in a neighbouring country, you may do so from: Graz, Vienna (Austria), Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Bratislava (Slovakia). The main railway operator in the country is??eské dráhy (?D). It is the Czech successor of the Czechoslovak State Railways. Besides ?eské dráhy, two private operators offer train services in Czechia:?Leo Express?and?RegioJet. However, these two companies operate only several connections between selected major cities, for example, Prague-Ostrava or Prague-Brno. There are many smaller private providers of passenger rail transport, which may be encountered mostly on regional lines, for instance, the multinational company?Arriva.

The best website to check connections and timetables is?idos.cz, also known as?Jízdní ?ády. This site is also available in English and German. It is currently not possible to link directly to these versions. You need to click on the relatively small icons with the respective flags, and the website’s interface will switch to that language. This website is beneficial for planning trips because it also includes bus connections.

The website of the?German Railways?(Deutsche Bahn) also has a database of train connections in many European countries. It may be useful if you would like to plan a train trip to Czechia from another country (even as distant as e.g. Portugal), or if you would like to purchase a train ticket from German Railways.

If you would like to travel by train from one Czech town to another, naturally, you can buy the ticket at the train station or in advance from the website of Czech Railways (?eské dráhy) or one of the private operators.?An exciting alternative is buying a rail pass, which will save you the hassle of buying tickets, is purchasing a rail pass in advance. A rail pass will allow you to travel on most passenger trains during the time specified in the pass. Two major types of European rail passes are global and one-country. A global pass will allow you to use trains in 30 countries, whereas a one-country pass is valid only in the specified country.

European rail passes are valid in Czechia on trains of ?eské dráhy (?D) and trains of national operators from the neighbouring countries going to Czech cities (EuroCity trains). The passes are also valid on trains of some private operators, e.g. Leo Express and RegioJet.

There are two variants of European rail passes, and you must select the correct one, depending on the country of your citizenship or official legal residence.

If you’re a citizen of a European country or a legal resident of a European country, you should order your pass from?INTERRAIL. This includes European countries which are not members of the European Union and European countries which don’t have railways (e.g. Iceland) and European countries with railways not participating in the rail pass system (e.g. Ukraine). Citizens and legal residents of all these countries should purchase the rail pass from?INTERRAIL.

If your country is not on the European continent (e.g. Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, USA, etc.), you must buy your rail pass from?EURAIL. The main difference between them is the price. INTERRAIL passes have discounts for seniors, but you can only choose between one-country and global passes. At EURAIL, you can combine two or three neighbouring countries into one pass, which is impossible at INTERRAIL. EURAIL was slightly more expensive than a comparable INTERRAIL global pass at the time of writing. INTERRAIL?and?EURAIL?offer discounted rates for young travellers, and their definition of “youth” is very generous: 12-27 years of age. You’re an adult if you’re 28 or older.

A rail pass does not include seat reservations. However, for most train connections in Czechia, reserving seats is not required. You need to reserve a seat to take, for example, a high-speed SuperCity train. You may reserve a seat on such train at the train station or on ?eské dráhy's website (also available in English). Trains with obligatory seat reservations are normally marked as such in the timetables.

A rail pass gives you great flexibility if something unexpected happens during your journey. With a rail pass, your itinerary can be easily adjusted, and you can travel more spontaneously. You will rarely have the same flexibility if you book tickets for specific connections long in advance.

The Czech word for train is?vlak?(plural:?vlaky). They are divided into the following categories:

§?Osobní?(Os) – The slowest category of local trains, they stop practically at every station. Operated by ?D.

§?Spě?ny?(Sp) – A little faster than?osobní, because they skip some less important stations. Operated by ?D.

§?Rychlík?(R) – Fast trains. They stop only at important stations. Operated by ?D.

§?Rychlík vy??í kvality?(Rx) – Fast trains of a higher standard. Similar to regular?rychlíks, but their carriages are more modern and more comfortable. Operated by ?D.

§?Expres?(Ex) – They are faster and usually have a higher standard than?rychlíks. Operated by ?D.

§?Eurocity?(EC) – European category of fast long-distance international trains. They stop only in major cities and can be used for travels within one country as well.

§?Intercity?(IC) – These trains have similar standards to Eurocity, but typically their routes are domestic only.

§?Railjet?(RJ) – High-standard and high-speed trains offering direct connections from major cities in Czechia (e.g. Prague, Brno or Pardubice) to Vienna and Graz (Austria), Berlin (Germany) and Bratislava (Slovakia). They are operated by ?D and by the Austrian Federal Railways??BB.

§?Supercity?(SC) a.k.a. Pendolino – The fastest category of trains operated by ?D. High speed and high standard. Seat reservation is mandatory. Currently, they connect only certain major cities (e.g. Prague, Ostrava). They also go to Ko?ice in Slovakia.

§?Euronight?(EN) – International night trains. They have sleeping cars and optionally may have also sitting carriages.

TRAVELING BY BUS

It is very easy to get to major cities in Czechia from another country by bus. The German company?Flixbus?is relatively young, but it is already one of Europe's leading long-distance bus operators. Their fares are quite competitive, usually much lower than train or plane tickets on the same routes. Tickets can be conveniently booked through their smartphone app. They promise wi-fi and power sockets on their buses. Long-distance bus travel is somewhat less comfortable than a train ride and takes significantly longer than a flight. It is an interesting alternative if you’re on a tight budget.

Czechia has a very well-developed network of bus connections. Local buses go to major cities and towns and tiny villages not served by railway lines. Bus tickets tend to be cheaper than train tickets.?However, travelling by local buses in a foreign country may be tricky if you don’t speak the language used there. Drivers of international buses going to Czechia will likely speak English or German, but this may not be the case when you’re on a local bus. If you’re going to some small village by bus, you should not assume the driver will speak English. Learning how to pronounce the name of your destination correctly may be very helpful so that the driver or other passengers may inform you when you should get off.

There are many bus companies in Czechia. RegioJet, a.k.a. Student Agency, operates many long-distance lines, both domestic and international ones. The multinational transport company Arriva is also present in the country.

As in the case of trains, the best way to check the timetables and connections is the IDOS website. IDOS is also available as an app for?Android?and?iPhones. When you use the IDOS site to search bus connections, you may find the bus line numbers somewhat confusing. This is because IDOS is an integrated system, and its database contains local lines from the whole country. It happens very often that multiple cities or towns have bus routes designated by the exact numbers, for example, there may be a bus line no. “10” in multiple towns and cities. Therefore, they must be differentiated by a prefix, so e.g. the line 509 from Brno appears in IDOS as 729509 in IDOS. For international bus lines, this prefix is usually “000”.

The great thing about IDOS is that it includes both buses and trains. Therefore, you can easily find the most convenient connection without using multiple sources.

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TRAVELING BY AIR / MAIN AIRPORTS

There are five international passenger airports in Czechia: Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG), Brno-Tu?any (BRQ), Leo? Janá?ek Airport Ostrava (OSR), Karlovy Vary Airport (KLV) and Pardubice Airport (PED). There are several more airports, but currently, they don’t serve any scheduled commercial flights.

Most passengers flying to Czechia use the airport in Prague, which has the most connections. At the time of writing (the summer of 2020), air transport was vastly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions. The airport in Prague served scheduled flights from and to the following destinations:

Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Belgrade, Bordeaux, Bournemouth, Brussels/Zaventem, Brussels/Charleroi, Budapest, Bucharest, Burgas, Cagliari, Copenhagen, Corfu, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt am Main, Fuerteventura, Geneva, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Chisinau, Istanbul, Kefallinia, Keflavik, Kos, Kosice, Kyiv/Borispol, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Lefkada/Preveza, Liverpool, London/Gatwick, London/Heathrow, London/Stansted, Luxembourg, Madeira/Funchal, Madrid, Malaga, Malta, Manchester, Marseille, Milan/Bergamo, Minsk, Munich, Odesa, Oslo, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris/CDG, Pisa, Rhodes, Riga, Rome/Ciampino, Rome/Fiumicino, Seoul, Sofia, Split, Stockholm/Arlanda, Tenerife, Tirana, Valencia, Varna, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zadar, Zakinthos, Zurich.

Please note that some of the above connections are seasonal only and may differ due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Airlines may cancel any connection at their discretion, and new travel restrictions may be put in place. An up-to-date list of all resumed routes served by Václav Havel Airport Prague can be found?here.

After you arrive at Prague Airport, obviously you will need to get to your accommodation in the city (or to continue your journey by another mode of transport). To get to the centre of Prague from the airport, you have several options.

The cheapest option is using public transportation. A bus stop is in front of Terminal 2 (Exit D). Bus no. 119 will take you to Nádra?í Veleslavín, where you can change to the metro (subway) Line A going to the city centre (direction: Depo Hostiva?). The journey to the city centre takes around 30 minutes. The other option is to use bus no. 100. Bus no. 100 goes to the Zli?ín terminus bus and metro station on Line B which is heading to the city centre as well (direction: ?erny Most). Even though it’s around a 45-minute trip to the centre, it’s often better to use bus no. 100 rather than no. 119. Not only it’s usually less crowded than the latter, but it can also save you some time, mainly if your accommodation is in the southwestern part of Prague.

The Airport Express bus service is also operated by the Czech Railways (?D). The Airport Express buses depart from the Prague Main Train Station or Hlavní nádra?í and arrive at Prague Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, respectively in approximately half an hour. Indeed, it’s a direct connection, but it’s more expensive than the connections, including transfers. At the time of writing, the cost of a public transportation ticket valid for 90 minutes was 32 CZK (approx. 1.25 EUR), and a 24-hour ticket was 110 CZK (4.20 EUR). If you would like to use public transportation in Prague for 3 days, you would pay 310 (11.8 EUR). Compared to many major Western European cities, these prices are a bargain.

Another option is taking a taxi. There are many good and reliable taxi companies. But unfortunately, some taxi drivers are “black sheep”. Instead of driving you straight to the requested address, they might give you a little “tour” of the city and make you pay more than the straight route should cost. There have also been reported cases when some taxi drivers in Prague tried to rip off their customers by tampering with the taximeter in their cars. If you hail a random taxi, you can never know if the driver will be reliable or a scammer.

Alternatives to the standard taxis in Czechia include international ride-hailing companies?Bolt?and Uber or the Czech company?Liftago. However, these companies are available only in Prague, except for Liftago, which is also present in some other major cities.

The most comfortable option is booking your airport transfer through a reputable company, such as e.g.?Prague Airport Transfers. They operate taxis, shuttle buses, minibuses and limos. You will be picked up by an English-speaking driver who will drive you to your accommodation. You pay a flat fee in advance, depending on the vehicle type you book for yourself or your group. Their prices are very attractive and you don’t risk dealing with a rogue taxi driver. Their service is not limited to Prague only; they can drive you to other cities as well. You can even book private transport from Prague to other great cities in Central Europe, such as e.g. Vienna, Dresden, Salzburg, Budapest, or Krakow.

PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION

A lovely alternative to using public transportation is booking your private transport. You might associate private transportation with taxis and think that it is costly. It doesn’t have to be like this, at least, not in Czechia. Private transportation can offer a surprisingly good value for money, especially travelling with several people. And obviously, it offers convenience that cannot be matched by public transportation.

Prague Airport Transfers is the Czech market leader in private transportation. Their name is somewhat misleading because they offer much more than only transfers from Prague Airport. They can drive you or your small group to many places in Czechia, not only Czechia. They can drive you from Prague to many great cities all over Central Europe, for example, Bratislava, Budapest, Dresden, Krakow, Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Vienna or Wroclaw. The rates are much lower than regular taxis and you know them in advance. There is no meter, as in taxis, so you’ll never be overcharged. Simple flat rate, that’s it.

If you’re based in Prague and would like to visit another destination in Czechia and return to your hotel on the same day, they have a great deal. You only pay a one-way fare + a low hourly waiting fee. This is very fair, because the driver would have to get back to Prague anyway, so he can wait for you and you don’t have to pay for the return trip.

They accept cash payments, credit cards and even Paypal. You can choose a sedan car, a minibus or even a limo. They usually have a Wi-Fi hotspot on board, but please confirm it with them during booking if you need it. Here you can find their?simple price lists for the popular places.

USEFUL WEBSITES TO CHECK TIMETABLES AND CONNECTIONS

Jízdní ?ády?(a.k.a. IDOS.cz) – Timetables of Czech trains and buses (the website has an English-language version). This an essential website for all who want to explore Czechia using public transportation.

Czech Railways (?eské drahy)?– There, you can check the connections and buy electronic tickets for Czech trains (no pun intended).

Bahn.de?– Great for checking the timetables of international trains going to Czechia. You can also buy an electronic ticket for Deutsche Bahn, if you’re travelling from Germany.

Flixbus?– This young company operates a large bus network in many European countries. You can take their bus from many places in Europe and travel to Czechia at a very hard-to-beat price. Great for backpackers and everybody who wants to save money.

Expedia?– You can find great combined deals there, e.g. Flight + Hotel, or Flight + Hotel + Rental Car. Great for those who wish for more comfort than you can get on long-distance buses.

Skyscanner?– Great for finding the most convenient or the cheapest flight to and from any airport worldwide.

DRIVING IN CZECHIA

While the country’s public transportation network is very dense, and tickets very affordable, some more remote places or smaller destinations are best accessible by car. If an EU country issues your driver’s license, Czechia will recognise it. Otherwise, you should have your International Driving Permit with you. However, you can use a non-EU driver’s license only if you are a tourist. If you’re a resident, you will need to get a Czech driver’s license.

Speed limits in Czechia are 50 km/h in towns and cities. Outside of urban areas, the maximum speed is 90 km/h, and on highways, it is 130 km/h, unless road signs inform otherwise. Like most European countries, Czechia drives on the right-hand side of the road. More information about Czech traffic laws can be found?here.

If you plan to use motorways/ expressways (in Czech:?dálnice), purchase a sticker a.k.a. vignette. There were three types at the time of writing: 10-day, monthly and annual vignettes. More detailed information about the Czech toll system can be found?here. You can buy vignettes at gas stations. Some concise sections of certain Czech motorways are free, so you are not required to have a vignette. However, you won’t go far using these free sections, so you really should purchase a vignette. They are not expensive, anyway.

There is a zero-tolerance policy towards drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It’s simple: don’t drink and drive. Not even a beer. Don’t even think about it. The penalties can be severe.

If you arrive in Czechia by plane, you can conveniently rent a car at the airport and return it before you fly home. All major international car rental companies operate in Czechia. You can use?Expedia?to compare car rental deals.

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ACCOMMODATION

Even though Prague belongs to the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe and plays in the same league as e.g. Paris, London or Rome, hotel prices are significantly lower than in those cities. There is great competition between the hotels in Prague and a great variety of them, which probably is the main factor driving accommodation prices down in the Czech capital. The value for money in Prague is excellent. You would pay significantly more for a hotel of a comparable standard in most major European tourist destinations.

You can easily find a?4-star?or even a?5-star hotel room?in Prague in the price range of EUR 100-200 per night. Bargain. Accommodation in an?excellent 3-star hotel?should cost you less than EUR 100 per night, often significantly less than that. Also, backpackers should not be disappointed, as plenty of hostels are?in the Czech capital. Sometimes a low-cost hotel room in Prague can cost much less than a bed in a hostel room in another European major city. This dedicated page displays a convenient map with?available accommodation options in Prague.

Other Czech destinations, such as?Brno?or?Karlovy Vary?may be less popular among tourists than Prague. However, accommodation costs may still be higher, because there might not be the same extreme level of competition between the hotels there as in the Czech capital. A general rule of thumb is that the more vacant rooms the hotels in a particular destination have, the lower the cost per night tends to be.

Accommodation costs can go up during specific periods or events in some destinations. For example, during popular trade fairs in Brno, you may expect to pay more for the hotel than at other times. Prague may not be affected by this as much as other destinations because of the vast number of hotels and vacant rooms in that beautiful city. The hotels must compete very hard, and this is excellent for you as a tourist coming to Prague.

Hotels.com?is a great website for booking accommodation, not only in Czechia but worldwide. If you haven’t known them, they are a reputable company in this business for a very long time. Almost every serious hotel in the world offers its rooms through hotels.com. Their standard prices are usually quite competitive and typically lower than when you book directly with the hotel.?But what is great about them is their loyalty program, called?Hotels.com Rewards. If you register, for every 10 nights you book and pay, you will receive a discount for the next night. The discount's value will equal the average price per night you paid in your 10 nights. All in all, it is a significant discount, and if you’re a frequent traveller, you can save quite a lot of money when booking through hotels.com.

Finding the optimal accommodation through hotels.com is simple. The website is very user-friendly and has parametric search functionality.

Another good option when you’re looking for accommodation is using a so-called metasearch engine. They are also known as aggregators. A

ELECTRICITY

The standard voltage in Czechia is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. Standard Czech sockets are of type E and will also work with C-type plugs. If the label on your appliance reads: INPUT: 100-240V, 50/60 Hz, then it should work in Czechia without a voltage converter, as long as the plug type is the same or you have a simple plug adapter.

Many modern devices have intelligent power supplies that recognise the voltage in the socket and can be used all over the world as long as the plug type is compatible. But don’t take it for granted and check the label on the device or consult the user’s manual before you try it.

IMPORTANT EMERGENCY NUMBERS

112?– Universal European Emergency Number

150?– Fire Brigade

155?– Emergency Medical Service

156?– Municipal Police

158?– Police

VISA REQUIREMENTS

Czechia is a member of the European Union and belongs to the Schengen Area. Travellers with citizenship of a country that belongs to the EU or the Schengen Area do not need visas to enter Czechia as tourists. As of 2020, the following countries are members of the European Union:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Certain overseas territories of several European Union members are not part of the EU.

The following countries are in the Schengen Area (as of 2020):

Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Schengen countries have practically abolished border controls between them unless exceptional circumstances arise. Therefore, if your country is in the Schengen Area, you don’t need a visa to enter Czechia. If you cross the border by land, you most likely won’t be controlled. Nevertheless, you must still have an official ID with you.

Citizens of certain countries not belonging to the EU or the Schengen Area are exempt from the visa requirement if they arrive as tourists and their stay does not exceed a certain length. The official list of these countries can be found?here.

If the country of your citizenship is not a member of the EU, doesn’t belong to the Schengen Area, or is not exempt from the visa requirement, you must apply for the so-called short-stay Schengen visa. Usually, it will allow you to stay in the whole Schengen Area for the duration specified in the visa. In exceptional cases, the validity of this visa may be restricted to countries specified in the visa. More information about Schengen visas can be found on the website of the?Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. An official list of states and territories requiring citizens to apply for a tourist visa can be found?here.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

The official currency in Czechia is the Czech koruna, also known as the Czech crown. Its symbol is K? and the code is CZK. One Czech crown equals 100 hellers (Czech:?halé?). However, heller coins have been withdrawn from circulation, due to their low value. The smallest coin currently in use in 1 K?. Other commonly used coins are 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 K?. Frequently used banknotes are: 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 K?. 5000 K? banknotes are rarely used.

The best way to exchange money is usually using an ATM belonging to a reputable bank, especially if you can withdraw a significant amount in one transaction. You can use your credit card or your debit card. The bank will usually charge you a transaction fee for the withdrawal, but the exchange rate should be reasonable. Many ATMs show the transaction fees, or you can contact your bank for details. Because of the transaction fee, you will be better off withdrawing a more considerable amount at once, than repeatedly withdrawing smaller sums. Some credit cards promise cash withdrawals from certain ATMs without the transaction fee.

Especially in areas frequented by tourists, you will find currency exchange booths. While some of them may offer reasonable rates, others bait potential customers with “0% commission” signs, and once you’re in, you may receive an extremely unfavourable rate. All transactions at such places are usually final. Therefore, exercise extreme caution when using these places to change cash. Find out the mid-market exchange rate (for example at?xe.com). You won’t receive the mid-market rate anywhere because these places must somehow earn money. However, the difference between the transactional and mid-market rates should be no more than a few per cent.

Some exchange booths away from the popular areas may offer an attractive deal. If you prefer to change smaller amounts and you find a good exchange booth with a 0% commission and reasonable rates, then you might be better off than when using an ATM and being charged a withdrawal fee. Using the calculator in your smartphone will be a good idea.

You should never change money on the street. If somebody approaches you on the street and offers you currency exchange, thank them politely and move on. Don’t get into any discussion with them. This way you will avoid problems. Don’t discuss anything with them.

When writing ( May 2023), 1 US dollar was worth approx. 21.85 CZK. For 1 EUR, you could receive 23.67 CZK, all at mid-market rates. Real-world transactional rates would have been naturally slightly lower.

INSURANCE

Suppose you are a citizen of the European Union and you unexpectedly fall ill during a temporary stay in another EU country. In that case, you are entitled to any medical treatment that cannot be postponed until you return home, under the same conditions as people insured in that country. Remember to take your?European Health Insurance Card?(EHIC) with you. If you forget it, you won’t be able to prove that you’re insured in another EU country and might have to pay for the treatment upfront and claim reimbursement after you return to your country. EHIC is also valid in several non-EU countries, e.g. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Of course, EHIC is not a replacement for proper travel insurance. EHIC won’t cover, for example, the costs of the return trip to your country after the medical treatment. If you’re not an EU citizen, you should have the right travel insurance plan. And even if you are an EU citizen entitled to medical treatments in other EU countries, proper travel insurance is highly recommended.

A good travel insurance plan gives you peace of mind. It won’t cost much, but if something terrible and unexpected happens, it won’t be a disaster. A good travel insurance plan includes urgent medical treatments, lost property, and costs of cancellations if one mode of transport is delayed and you miss a connection. Buying travel insurance from a reputable insurance company is a safe choice.

A favourite insurance company for many travellers and travel professionals is?World Nomads.

LANGUAGE

As you might expect, the primary official language spoken by the vast majority of the population in Czechia is Czech. Consonant clusters are a characteristic feature of this language. The stress typically falls on the word's first syllable, with some exceptions. The pronunciation may seem complicated for English speakers at first. However, it is pretty regular, and one letter usually represents only one sound, so it is relatively easy to learn the rules.

Czech is a West-Slavic language, mutually intelligible with its brother: Slovak. Czechs and Slovaks usually don’t need interpreters. Younger generations of Czechs and Slovaks are reported to have a little more difficulty understanding the other language than their parents or grandfathers. This may be due to the less frequent exposure to the other language than in the times of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks.

Czech is also related to Polish, but the level of mutual intelligibility is significantly lower than in the case of Slovak. Some phrases and sentences are quite similar, while others are completely different. Some words look similar but mean entirely different things in Czech and Polish. There are quite a few words which are perfectly normal in one language but may be vulgar and inappropriate in the other language. Straightforward communication may be possible, depending on the linguistic talents of the interlocutors, but sometimes misunderstandings can occur. People from Czech Silesia may understand Polish better than the rest of the country.

Mutual intelligibility with more distant Slavic languages, such as Bulgarian or Ukrainian, is even lower. While specific simple phrases or individual words can be understood, it is usually too little for a meaningful conversation without resorting to a third language.

Younger generations of Czechs learn English and German or another foreign language at school. Practical knowledge of English naturally varies significantly by a person. Some people have more linguistic talents than others, and more motivation to learn or practice using it. According to the?EF English Proficiency Index, Czechia ranked 20th in the world in 2016 and achieved “High Proficiency” level. However, it is debatable whether the sample of respondents in this survey is representative.

German is a significantly less popular foreign language than English. Nevertheless, many Czechs can speak it fluently, especially in the regions near the border with Germany and Austria. People working in tourism and directly contacting foreign tourists will typically be fluent in English, German or other languages.

Generations born around 1975 or earlier learnt Russian at school. However, exposure to that language through regular contact with the culture has been incomparably lower than in English. Also, an average person who learned Russian at school years ago has had minimal opportunities to use it in real-life situations. Therefore, you should not assume that many people aged 40 and older will be able to converse in Russian. Nevertheless, some people do speak that language. Especially in places and establishments frequented by Russian-speaking tourists, staff members may be able to speak Russian.

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COMMON SENSE AND A FEW GENERAL SAFETY TIPS

Having travel insurance will minimize your losses if something bad happens. Using common sense will minimize the chance of something terrible happening. While violent crime is relatively rare in Czechia, you may never exclude the possibility of theft or accidental loss of property entirely.

Pickpocketing is a real issue in certain places in Prague, which many tourists frequent. Nevertheless, there are many places in Europe and worldwide where this problem is more serious, so it should not discourage you from visiting the Czech capital. Being cautious in crowded places greatly minimizes or eliminates the risk of falling victim to pickpockets. Don’t take out your wallet or purse in a crowded place. Keep it in a deep pocket (obviously not in a back pocket), don’t use a waist pack. Carry your documents in a neck wallet or leave them in a safe if your hotel room has one. Avoid any contact with shady characters which you might meet.

The general safety tips listed below apply to travelling everywhere. Whether you travel to Czechia or anywhere else, following specific simple, common-sense safety recommendations makes sense.

It has often been recommended to have copies of all your important documents (passport, insurance, etc.) and to keep them in a different place than the originals. But nowadays, there is a better way. You can scan or photograph your documents and upload them to the cloud. Some password managers, e.g. the premium version of Last Pass, also offer encrypted storage, which you can use for storing documents in the cloud. You can access them at any time in any place with Internet access. Just don’t forget your master password.

An alternative to this kind of service would be password-protecting an archive file containing your documents and sending this encrypted file to one of your email addresses which can be accessed through a browser. You can create such an archive file, for example, with 7-zip. It uses a robust AES-256 algorithm to encrypt files. All your documents can be encrypted in a single 7-zip file. Of course, remembering the password is essential and should not be too short.

You should not enter your Internet passwords on any public device you cannot trust, e.g. Internet cafes. If a keylogger is installed on that computer, your password may get stolen and your accounts compromised.

Most people carry a smartphone everywhere these days. It is a good idea to encrypt the contents of your phone. This way, the finder or the thief won’t be able to access your data. If you travel with a laptop, it is highly recommended to encrypt its hard drive. As in the case of an encrypted phone, the finder or the thief won’t be able to compromise your accounts. A regular Windows password is insufficient because it is unnecessary if somebody removes the hard disk and connects it to another computer. The Professional editions of Windows include BitLocker, a perfect drive encryption program integrated with the operating system. Owners of Apple laptops can use FileVault or third-party tools to encrypt the drives.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN CZECHIA

§?January 1st?– New Year’s Day

§?late March or early April?– Good Friday and Easter Monday

§?May 1st?– Labor Day

§?May 8th?– Liberation Day

§?July 5th?– Feast Day of St. Cyril and St. Methodius

§?July 6th?– Jan Hus Day

§?September 28th?– Day of the Czech Statehood

§?October 28th?– Foundation of the Independent Czechoslovak State

§?November 17th?– Day of Students’ Fight for Freedom and Democracy

§?December 24th – 26th?– Christmas