Prague City Guide

Prague Overview

Beautiful buildings, bargain-price beer and Bohemian beads.

Matička Praha - 'little mother Prague' - was largely undamaged by WWII, and the cityscape is stunning. Its compact medieval centre remains an evocative maze of cobbled lanes, ancient courtyards, dark passages and churches beyond number, all watched over by an 1100-year-old castle.

Kidnapped by communism for 40 years, Prague has become one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. Its traditional pubs and eateries have been augmented by a wave of gourmet restaurants, cocktail bars and trendy cafes - though you can still feast on pork and dumplings washed down with a beer.

Prague Photo Gallery

Photographs of Prague

St Nicholas' church and nearby Parizka Trida (Parisian Avenue)

The bright lights of Wenceslas Square

View of Vltava River and bridges from Havansky pavilion

Prague Fast Facts

Facts about Prague

Currency in Prague

Preferred Form of Payment in Prague

ATMs are very common, even in small towns, and accept most debit and credit cards including Cirrus and Plus. Credit cards are perhaps less accepted than in other Western European countries but will get you by at most mid to top-end places. As a general rule, you can get by in the Czech Republic with plastic, it's safer than cash but carrying a bit of change comes in handy for public phones, toilets and ticket machines.

Changing Your Money in Prague

Travellers cheques are easily cashed throughout the Czech Republic. Eurocheques are cashed free of charge at Komercní banks, and there are American Express and Thomas Cook offices in Prague which will change their cheques at bank rates free of charge. Upper end hotels and restaurants in major tourist centres accept some credit cards, usually American Express, Visa or MasterCard (Access) and sometimes Eurocard, Diners Club or JCB. Most travel agencies and some tourist shops in Prague accept credit cards, but most shops prefer crowns. Don't bother exchanging money on the black market: the usual rate is barely above the bank rate and there are plenty of scammers ripping off tourists with discontinued old crown notes or worthless Polish zlotys. Be especially vigilant when changing money anywhere in central Prague, especially around Wenceslas Square.

Using a Telephone in Prague

You can make international calls at main post offices or directly from card-phone booths. There are payphones all over the place - blue coin-phones only accept 2.00 CZK, 5.00 CZK, 10.00 CZK and 20.00 CZK coins, and can be used to make local, long-distance and international calls. A more common and convenient alternative is a telekart (telephone card), which is good for local, long-distance and international calls. You can buy phonecards from post offices, hotels, news-stands and department stores for 150.00 CZK or 1000.00 CZK.

The simplest and cheapest (25% less than coin or cardphones) option is to pay a deposit at the main telephone bureau (to the left inside the main post office's right-hand entrance) and make your call in a soundproof booth, where a little meter ticks off your money.

Calls from hotel or restaurant telephones tend to cost at least twice as much as those from a public telephone. Calls to mobile telephones are more expensive than those to landlines.

The telephone bureau at the post office has directories for Prague and other major cities.

Using a Mobile Phone in Prague

The Czech Republic uses GSM 900, which is compatible with the rest of Europe, Australia and New Zealand but not with the North American GSM 1900 or the totally different system in Japan. However, some North Americans have GSM 1900/900 phones that do work here. If you have a GSM phone, check with your service provider about using it in Prague, and beware of calls being routed internationally (very expensive for a 'local' call). If your mobile phone is unlocked, you can buy a Czech SIM card from any mobile phone shop for around 450.00 CZK (including 300.00 CZK of calling credit) and make local calls at local rates. In this case, however, you can't use your existing mobile number.

Doing Business in Prague

If you want to get down to business, talk to the commercial section of your embassy in Prague or the American Chamber of Commerce (tel: 222 329 430) about work permits and related business matters. The expatriate business community in Prague is kept informed by a monthly magazine, the Prague Tribune, and a weekly newspaper, the Prague Business Journal.

As for business services, Prague Ruzyne Airport has a conference room for 12 and a press room for 35 available in the VIP area in the North Terminal. There is also the Representative Lounge, which is well-equipped with business facilities including free internet. Fixed and mobile congress counters can be hired through the VIP Service (tel: (0)2 2056 2525 or (0)2 2011 3491). The Bohemia Lounge on Pier B of the North Terminal has business services available also. If you need to hire a conference room, there are two available in the South Terminal, accommodating 14 and 25 guests. Alternatively, most major hotels include business services in their list of facilities.

Media in Prague

Prague's media reflects its cultural richness and strong ex-pat community. There are the usual news dailies and hip magazines, as well as various English-language publications and tourist guides. Radio covers the gamut from Czech pop to classical to techno; TV is less eclectic, with a small number of channels mostly focused either on news or on trashy sitcoms and soaps.

Periodicals in Prague

Radio Stations in Prague

Books in Prague

Factoids

On the Up

A city of just over 1.2 million, Prague receives 10 times as many visitors as twenty years ago. But if you think Prague is crowded now, don't tarry too long: forecasters believe visitor numbers to the city - 7.4 million in 2004 - may double by the end of the decade.