Good to know

Prague is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Visitors from all over the world come here to admire not only its history and diverse architecture, but also to enjoy the friendly and romantic atmosphere. Prague is also a city dedicated to art, which you will encounter everywhere you go. It’s a city of gardens and parks and, last but not least, a city with a great culinary scene and the best beer in the world. Thanks to its compact size, Prague is ideal for exploring on foot, but for longer journeys we recommend using our reliable public transport system. Click here for the official tourist website of Prague.

Basic data Prague

  • Capital of the Czech Republic: 1,319,000 inhabitants
  • Area: 496 km2
  • The Vltava River flows through the city for a length of 31 km, its widest point is 330 m across
  • Historical centre: Hradčany (Castle District), Malá Strana (Lesser Quarter), Staré Město (Old Town) and Josefov, Nové Město (New Town) and Vyšehrad. The historical centre of Prague is inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.
  • Airport: Václav Havel Prague Airport, 30 minutes to the centre, prg.aer.

Prague Visitor Pass

The Prague Visitor Pass includes access to more than 50 historical monuments, museums, galleries and other attractive places, for free, or at a preferential discount. You can travel around Prague for free by public transport, and use the card for guided city tours, to ride a historic tram or take a cruise on the Vltava. You can buy the card online or at our tourist information centres. Click here for more information. 

Currency

The currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech crown (koruna) (Kč / CZK). Banknotes have a nominal value of CZK 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000. Coins have values of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 CZK

Payment Cards and Cash Machines

The most common international types of payment cards – especially Visa and Mastercard – are widely accepted in Prague’s shops, hotels and restaurants.

There are many cash machines in the center of Prague – in banks, large shopping malls, and especially in metro stations. Most of them accept all common international cards with the Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, and Cirrus symbols. Use cash machines with a bank logo to withdraw cash.

Weather

Prague has a typically European continental climate with cold, snowy winters and warm (sometimes wet) summers. Winters (December to February) can get quite chilly; January is the coldest month, with daytime temperatures around zero and cold winds. Summers usually bring plenty of sunshine and the average daily high temperature of 24 °C (75 °F).

The best time to visit the Czech capital might be from May to September when days are warm and nights cool. The European summer (June to September) is the tourist high season, but spring and autumn can also be rewarding times to visit, especially if you prefer to avoid the tourist crowds and to see the trees in bloom in spring or the gold- and copper-coloured foliage in autumn. In a way, every season has its benefits from a touristic point of view.  

Important contacts

Even though the Czech Republic is one of the ten safest countries in the world, it can happen that you may need help unexpectedly. We have put together a list of the contact information for the most important services – places that will always be happy to assist you.

Emergency Contact Numbers
Toll-free, operate all day, every day, including holidays

112     The unified European emergency call number intended for reporting any kind of emergency. In addition to Czech, they also speak English, German and other world languages.
150     Firefighters
155      Emergency medical services (ambulance)
156      Municipal Police
158      Police of the Czech Republic

Language

The official language in the Czech Republic is Czech. It belongs to the group of West Slavic languages, like eg. Slovak or Polish. Czech has a very rich vocabulary, many special grammatical features and some unusual sounds. At present, it is one of the official languages of the European Union.

In tourist places – hotels, restaurants, monuments, museums, galleries, but also in a number of shops and services it is possible to make oneself understood in English or German, exceptionally French.

Even though you do not speak Czech yet, everyone is pleased when they hear a foreigner trying to communicate in the language of the country they are visiting. Be it in a restaurant, on the street, in a shop or anywhere else, basic conversational phrases like „Děkuji” (thank you) and „Dobrý den” (hello) will definitely come in handy.