FAQ - Prague

Visitors from all EU and EEA countries, as well as  Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Switzerland, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City & Venezuela can stay for up to 90 days without a visa. Visitors from the UK are an exception and get 180 days. Visitors from Singapore can stay for up to 30 days without a visa.

If you have a passport issued by any other country you will need to arrange a visa before you arrive. We are not able to make these arrangements for you.

Levels of crime in Prague are relatively low and violent crime is practically non-existent. However as with any big city pick-pocketing can be a problem so be careful in crowds in public places and on public transport, especially tram 22 between Namesti Miru and the Castle, which is a frequent hunting ground for teams of pick-pockets who will work together - one will distract you while another helps themselves to your wallet. Follow the same precautions you would anywhere to keep your valuables safe.

The Czechs have yet to (and may never depending on how things progress with the Euro) move away from their own currency, the Czech Koruna, or Czech Crown. Prices are usually displayed as, for example, 99,00Kč = 99 Czech Crowns. Some establishments may accept Euros but there is no legal obligation for them to do so and large Euro notes (over €50) are unlikely to be accepted. Also bear in mind that the exchange rate that will be used will definitely not be in your favour.

The Czech Republic experiences all four seasons quite dramatically.

In winter (late November/December - February/March) it can get very cold. In Prague the temperature usually never gets below -20C/-4F but in the countryside, temperatures as low as -30C/-22F are not uncommon. Usually the weather in Prague hovers around 0C/32F however, and there is occasional snow.

Spring (mid March - June) is a very pleasant time to visit with temperatures typically between 15C/60F and 20C/68F.

During summer (June - August) it can be quite hot and in high summer it often gets over 30C/90F.

Fall (September - mid November) sees temperatures similar to springtime, dipping lower towards the end of autumn.

Read more advice on what to pack for Prague.

Prague is a beautiful and interesting place all year round, and each season has its pluses, such as Christmas markets and mulled wine in winter or lazy days soaking up the sun and enjoying a cold one in one of the city's beer gardens but if you don't want to be too cold or too hot and want to do a lot of wandering round the city the best months to come are the 'shoulder months' of May and September. Also Prague won't be that crowded as it is in the peak season.

The Czech Republic's public holidays are on set days every year (apart from Easter Monday) so when they fall on a weekend, workers don't get a replacement day off. The public holidays are:

1.1. (New Year's Day), Easter Monday, 1.5. (Labor Day), 8.5. (Day of Liberation from Fascism), 5.7. (Day of Slavic Missionaries), 6.7. (Master Jan Hus), 28.9. (St.Wenceslav), 28.10.(Independence Day), 17.11. (Struggle for Freedom and Democracy), 24.12 (Christmas Eve, shops are often open till midday however), 25.12 (Christmas Day), 26.12.(St. Stephen's Day)

On all holidays but Christmas and Easter you can expect shops and restaurants to be open as well as most tourist attractions. When the 6th and 7th of July fall on weekdays, it seems like the whole country goes on vacation for the week and the residential parts of the city may seem deserted.

Like most other countries in Europe, the Czech Republic is on Central European Time (GMT+1). European Summer Time (last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October) is GMT+2.

We include airport transfers in our packages to make getting to your accommodation as easy as possible.

Good question. Typically Czech food is quite heavy, lots of meat, dumplings and potatoes, but there are other aspects to Czech cuisine. Classic hearty dishes such as goulash with dumplings (thicker and with larger pieces of meat than Hungarian goulash), or roast duck with dumplings are great on a wintry day. There's also a lot of pork, in the form of the Czech standard vepro-knedlo-zelo (pork, dumplings, cabbage) or a roasted and/or smoked pork knee, usually accompanied with horseradish. A pork or chicken schnitzel with potato salad is among the lighter choices. Vegetarians don't get many options on a typical Czech restaurant menu, with deep-fried cheese or deep-fried cauliflower the most common offerings. Read our Czech Food Primer for more details and recommendations on where to try some of the best of Czech cuisine in Prague.

Don't ever change money in the street. A well-known scam involves being sold worthless, discontinued or foreign notes that look similar to Czech ones. Most banks have a reasonable rate at the foreign exchange counter and charge only a small commission fee. Watch out for change places that advertise great rates but have massive minmum amounts to get that rate, or places advertising zero commission but giving lousy rates. The best rate can often be the one you get by using your own ATM card, providing you're not hit with too high an ATM fee.

Nearly all of the accommodation options we offer are located right in the center or very close to the center so most of Prague's top sights are within easy walking distance. If you want to go somewhere a little further out, then your options are taxi, or public transport. Prague's taxis have a reputation for dishonesty, brought about by some bad apples (read our Prague taxi tips to avoid being ripped off). Public transport in Prague (bus, metro and tram) is fast and cheap. A 90 minute ticket costs 32Kc (less than $2) and a 24 hour ticket costs 110Kc (less than $6). The Prague Public Transport company's website provides a route planner. One of Prague's little treats is the funicular railway from Ujezd in Mala Strana up to the top of Petrin Hill is included in the standard fares. Public transport tickets are available from newsagents, at booths in metro stations or from machines located in metro stations and at some tram and bus stops. Note, machines only take coins, no notes or cards.

There isn't an outright ban yet on smoking in public places. Establishments can choose whether they allow smoking, are completely non-smoking or if there are physically separate areas, there can be designated smoking and non-smoking sections. Signs indicating this must be posted at the entrance. Read our blog post about Czech smoking laws for sample signs and more details.

If you're staying in one of our Prague apartments then you'll have cooking facilities at your disposal. There are supermarkets and self-service convenience stores throughout the city. Supermarkets are usually open till 9pm, some convenience stores are open 24 hours.