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The Czech Republic is divided into 14 tourist regions dotted with charming towns, castles and chateaux (the most per square mile of any country in the world!), ancient villages and, of course, many spas, all waiting to be discovered.
Official language: Czech. English, German, French and Russian are widely spoken in the country's resorts, hotels and restaurants.
Country dialling code: 420 Time zone: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from April to October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.
Main cities: Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzen, Olomouc, Liberec, Hradec Kralove, etc.
Currency: Czech Crown (koruna - Kc). Points of exchange are open at banks, hotels, railway stations, airports and main streets. Most banks charge a much lower commission than the exchange offices. Credit cards are usually accepted at big hotels, restaurants and shops and there are a lot of ATM in the cities and the big towns.
Official Holidays: January 01, Easter Monday, May 01, May 08, July 05, July 06, Sept 28, Oct 28, Nov 17, Dec 24 and 25, Dec 26.
Useful telephone numbers: Police - 158 or 2121, Ambulance – 155. Non-stop information service at the Prague airport: + 420 220 113 314, + 420 220 113 321
Shopping: Shops generally are open 09:00 – 18:00 (some with lunch breaks) during the week, on Saturday: most stores close at noon, on Sunday almost none are open.
Prague Airport: Bus 100 runs from 5:45 a.m. until 11:39 p.m. It will take you to the Zličín metro station, which is the last stop. From there, you can take the metro using the same ticket (watch the time that's passed since the validation) to continue to your destination. Once you get on the metro, expect the ride to take about 20 minutes (11 - 13 stops) to get you into the center. Bus 119 leaves from the second platform outside the Arrivals terminal and runs from 4:25 a.m. until 11:40 p.m. It will take you to the Dejvická metro station, which is the last stop. From there, you can take the metro using the same ticket to continue to your destination. Metro stations: Malostranská - Malá Strana, Staroměstská - Old Town, Můstek - bottom of Wenceslas Square, Muzeum - top of Wenceslas Square.
If you have a lot of luggage, using the Prague airport transfer service by ČEDAZ may be a better option. The white vans leave from just outside the Arrivals terminal run every 30 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from the airport to Dejvická (metro line A) to Náměstí Republiky (metro line B) and back. The cost is 90 Kč per person ( about 3 euro ) and one piece of luggage. Children under 10 are free of charge.
Taxis in Prague: Getting around Prague by public transportation is so easy and convenient that you can almost forget about the taxis. A lot of travellers to Prague report for rude and dishonest taxi drivers, so the best choice can be to order a taxi by phone, rather than catch it on the street. The company name, license number and rates should be printed on both front doors. |
