Prague scams: what to watch for

Most visitors to Prague lose money to four or five repeatable tricks rather than to anything dramatic. Ranked by how often they hit and how much they cost, these are the ones worth knowing before you arrive.

The pattern is the same everywhere: someone approaches you in a tourist area, or a price is not shown until the end. If you initiate the transaction — you order the taxi, you pick the exchange office, you read the menu — you remove most of the risk.

These are the numbers that decide whether you are being overcharged. Public transport in Prague runs on a timed ticket, and the official price is low enough that any 'special tourist ticket' offered on the street is not real. Buy from the yellow machines, the app, or a tobacco shop.

For taxis, the app price is the benchmark. If a driver quotes a flat fare well above what the app shows for the same route, walk away. Airport runs are the most common place this happens.

Prague's centre is walkable, and walking removes the taxi problem entirely. Old Town to Prague Castle is roughly 30 minutes uphill on foot; the tram saves the climb but puts you in the space where fake inspectors operate. Validate your ticket in the yellow box on first boarding and keep it until you leave the network.

At night, use the same apps you would at home. The tram and metro network runs late, and night trams cover most of the centre. If you are out past midnight, an app car is cheap and traceable, which matters more than the small saving from hailing a street taxi.

For day trips, buy from the official carrier rather than a reseller on the street. Trains to Kutná Hora and buses to the airport are the two routes where touts most often intercept visitors.