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Voykit pocket guide · Czech Republic
Prague
Praha
Prague is an early-morning and evening city: the bridge and the castle before 09:00, the crowds gone by dinner, and one long pub table once the tour groups have left.
Prague's sights are close together and so are the crowds. The trips that go wrong walk the bridge at noon, push suitcases over Old Town cobbles, or change money at street booths. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; Kutná Hora and Karlštejn are day trips from one kept bed.
- Country
- Czech Republic
- Local name
- Praha
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Europe/Prague
- Stay
- 2 days: Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CZK
- Money
- Keep CZK 500 in small notes for toilets and kiosks; withdraw at bank ATMs, not standalone machines.
- Daily spend
- Budget CZK 1000–1800 excl. bed · Mid CZK 1800–3200 excl. bed · High CZK 3200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone sell prepaid SIMs; EU roaming covers EU SIMs at home prices.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance 155 · Police 158 · Fire and rescue 150 · City police (Prague) 156
- Plugs
- Types C, E, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type E sockets have a pin; German type F plugs fit with the hybrid E/F plug found on most chargers.
- Tipping
- Pub or café: Round up to the next ten or twenty koruna.; Restaurant: About 10%, told to the server when paying ('make it 500').; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide: CZK 100–200 per person for a half-day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants sell bottled water by default; ask for tap water if you want it.
- Toilets
- Station and shopping-centre toilets often charge CZK 10–20; restaurants reserve theirs for customers.
Get in
By air
- Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)
- PRG to the Old Town: one ride-hailing car or taxi, about 35 minutes — there is no rail link, so decide the car before you land and avoid street taxis.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; tram or metro between clusters, taxi at night.
- Passes
- No pass needed for a short stay: a 24-hour or 72-hour ticket pays back after a few rides.
- Late at night
- Metro runs to about midnight; night trams and buses run after that (times unverified).
See and do
01Prague CastlePražský hrad
The castle complex: go at opening for the shortest queue at the security gate; buy the timed ticket online for the circuit you want.
02Charles BridgeKarlův most
The stone bridge: walk it at 07:00 or after 21:00, when the crowd is thin; midday is a shoulder-to-shoulder queue.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- Lokál Dlouhá
- Czech pub-style hall a few minutes north of the square: go for an early dinner or a late lunch; tables fill from 18:00, so book for evenings.
Sleep
- New Town (Nové Město)
- Modern hotels near Wenceslas Square with lifts and flat streets; a car at the door and a 12-minute walk to the Old Town.
- Old Town (Staré Město)
- First-timers: a hotel on the side streets off the square, a walk from the bridge and the market; choose one with a 24h desk and a car-reachable door.
Language
Czech is a Slavic language with difficult consonant clusters; learn the greetings and let the rest go. English is common in Prague's tourism and with younger people; older people may know German or Russian better.
- Stress falls on the first syllable; 'ř' is the famous sound — nobody expects you to get it right.
- Dobrý den (good day), děkuji (thank you), prosím (please/here you are), na shledanou (goodbye).
- 'Ahoj' is informal hello and goodbye; use it only with friends and young people.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Dobrý den on entering shops; handshake with eye contact; avoid: Walking in and out without a word
- Names and titles: Use academic titles if given (pan inženýr, paní doktorka); avoid: First names with older people until invited
- Pubs: Share tables, put a coaster on the glass when you have had enough; avoid: Waving for the waiter; they will come
- Homes: Shoes off at the door; slippers are offered; avoid: Arriving empty-handed; bring flowers (odd numbers) or wine
- Conversation: Dry humour, understatement; avoid: Calling it 'Eastern Europe' or confusing it with Slovakia
- Queues and trams: Give seats to older people; let people out first; avoid: Loud phone calls on public transport
Red lines
- Do not change money at street booths.
- Validate transport tickets when you board; inspectors fine on the spot.
Scams (Czech Republic page)
- Street money changers: Never change money on the street: you get worthless or foreign notes. Use bank ATMs.
- Exchange offices with 'zero commission' and a terrible rate: Check the amount you will receive before handing over cash; you have a legal right to cancel within 3 hours for amounts under €1,000 — check.
- Taxi overcharge: Use Bolt, Uber or an official stand; agree nothing on the street.
- Dynamic currency conversion: Always choose koruna, and avoid standalone ATMs on tourist streets.
- Unrequested extras on the bill: Bread, sauces and 'cover' appear unasked; check the menu and the bill line by line.
- Fake ticket inspectors: Real inspectors show a numbered badge and give a receipt; ask for both.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Prague Castle at opening, a 13:00 lunch table in Malá Strana
- 09:00Prague Castle
- hradcany square (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Malá Strana)
- Hotel or an air-conditioned café 14:30–17:00; crowds on the streets peak in the afternoon.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Prague Castle at opening, a 13:00 lunch table in Malá Strana
- 09:00Prague Castle
- hradcany square (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Malá Strana)
- Hotel or an air-conditioned café 14:30–17:00; crowds on the streets peak in the afternoon.
Day 2 — Charles Bridge early, Lesser Town, dinner at Lokál Dlouhá
- 09:30Charles Bridge
- lesser town square (optional)
- Lokál Dlouhá
- Evening: Wenceslas Square and the New Town; watch for pickpockets on trams and in crowds.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Prague City Tourism: www.prague.eu/en
- Prague Airport (official): www.prg.aero/en
- Wikivoyage — Prague: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Prague
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/prague). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.