Tips for Prague
Prague is a beautiful country in the Czech Republic. Everyone there is very kind to tourists and overall, you don’t need to prepare too much. Thankfully, many of the locals speak English, so there isn’t too much of a language barrier. Though, I will be going over some tips that may help and make your trip seamless!
Packing
When packing clothes for this trip, make sure that you look ahead at what season it will be. The seasons there are similar to Virginia’s. If you are going in the summer, which are the months of June- August which is when I went, I would recommend bringing an assortment of clothes for warmer and cooler weather. While there are some days that could be in the upper 80’s and 90’s, a cooler day could easily sneak up on you, so make sure to bring some pants and sweaters. It also tends to be cooler at night.
While it is typical for people in the U.S. to walk around in sweatpants or pajamas, people in Prague tend to dress up regardless of where they’re going. I would recommend bringing various dresses and skirts to avoid sticking out in the crowd. If you are planning on going to certain churches, I would double check their policies on clothing. Some churches are open to the public and have no set of rules, but others require more modest clothing and to cover the shoulders.
As far as shoes go, I would recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes. Most of the streets are cobblestone and if you plan to tour the city, you will be walking a lot. There’s a lot to see on foot so you’ll spend a lot of your time walking. I wore Chacos for most of the trip, but any tennis shoe with support will work. If you do plan on wearing heels, choose a shorter heel or sandal that still has some arch support.
Surviving Jet Lag
I’m going to briefly go into tips for surviving jet lag. Due to the 6-hour time difference, jet lag is inevitable. Especially after 12 hours on a plane. The best advice when arriving is to keep moving. If you try and take a small nap, you’ll end up over sleeping and making your sleep schedule even worse. As soon as we got there, we had about an hour to unpack and get settled before we proceeded with our tours of the city. While we were all dragging a little, this was the best strategy for beating the jetlag. Once the day was over, we all easily went back to sleep and adjusted to the new hours.
Planes, Trains, and automobiles:
Prague is known for having one of the best public transportation systems in Europe. So, while a lot can be accomplished by walking, there will be times you will have to use one of their transportation methods.
The metro, trams, and buses are used by two-thirds of Prague’s population. If you are traveling a long distance, the metro is a great option as it can travel a great distance in a short period of time. The metro has three color-coded lines that form the city’s transport backbone. Line A (green) goes from Depo Hostivar to Nemocnice Motol. Line B (yellow) goes from Cerny Most-Zlicin. Lince C (red) goes from Letnany-Haje. Using this method can take you from one end of Prague to the other in about 30 to 45 minutes. That’s insane!
The trams have intervals. At peak hours the tram will come every 8-10 minutes and during off-peak it will come every 10-30. Night connections are a little slower with the tram coming every 30 minutes. It’s also important to note that at pedestrian crossings, trams always have the right of way over pedestrians!
I personally took a bus most of the time we were traveling anywhere greater than walking distance and we never had any issues getting to our desired destination. The bus intervals are every 6-8 minutes during peak hours and every 15-30 during off hours.
All these modes are great options for traveling and overall great for the environment. The only time that it may be recommended to take a taxi or drive is during commute times when the bus, metro, and tram may be crammed.
Restaurant Etiquette
The food in Prague was one of my favorite parts as I’m a huge foodie. We went to several restaurants every day to enjoy their fresh cuisine. So much fresh bread, pasta, and yummy meats. Some of their most popular dishes include, Kulajda, a creamy potato soup with mushrooms, dill, vinegar, and a poached egg; wiener sausages; Svickova, beef and bread dumplings served with a vegetable sauce with cream; Roast duck which was one of my favorite dishes; and Trdelnik which I mentioned was a pastry covered in sugar. While some of these foods may be out of your comfort zone, it’s important to respect every culture. So, if you aren’t a fan of a dish, be as polite and respectful as possible.
Another thing to note when going to restaurants in Prague is that they include the tip in the bill. This means that you are not required to tip more as it was already added. Though, some people may be aware of this, if this is your first time in a European country you may feel the need to tip and unfortunately many of the servers won’t correct tourists (I mean it’s extra money for them). Another thing to note is that water is not free in Prague. So, it may be more worth your money to purchase another beverage.
Money
The currency in Prague is the Czech Koruna. Notes come in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 CZK. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 CZK. So, one American dollar is equal to about 23 Korunas. You either have the option to convert money from debit or credit cards into cash or use the card itself. Prague only accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express. I made the mistake of only bringing a Discovery card and was disappointed when it declined on my first purchase. Thankfully I had enough U.S. cash that I could convert into Korunas and use throughout the duration of my trip. Don’t make that mistake and come prepared with the correct debit/credit card and have cash just in case a store or restaurant is cash only.
Phone usage and outlets.
One thing that is common in most international countries is the use of WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a mobile app that allows you to make phone calls and send text messages without the extra international fees. It links with your phone numbers and all your contacts, so you don’t have to input numbers. My dance group used this every day to communicate plans for the day and I used it to communicate with my family back in the U.S.
Another thing to note is that the electrical outlets in Prague are significantly different, so you will have to purchase different plug adapters. The two types of plugs are C and E. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and plug type E is the plug which has two round pins and a hole for the socket’s male earthing pin. You can purchase these on either Amazon or in Walmart.
Public Restrooms
One small thing to keep in mind is that some public restrooms require a small fee for use. I was very surprised the first time this happened. We were in a park and me and my friends walked into the bathroom to see a lady asking us for money. We weren’t sure how to respond, but later found out this is a normal thing there. It’s typically just a few Korunas, but if you can avoid using certain public restrooms I would.