In an emergency
112 is the general emergency number (handled in Czech, English, German, Polish, Russian and French, partly with translation software). 155 ambulance, 158 state police, 156 municipal (city) police, 150 fire; all emergency calls are free. A tourist-police number and a consumer complaint line were not verified, so they are left out.
Fair prices
What locals pay. If you are asked for much more, you are probably being overcharged.
| Public transport, 30-minute ticketIn the PID Lítačka app; CZK 39 on paper (from 1 Jan 2026). | 36 CZK |
|---|---|
| Public transport, 90-minute ticketApp price; CZK 50 on paper. | 46 CZK |
| 24-hour transport passCZK 150 on paper; also needed for the Petřín funicular. | 140 CZK |
| 3-day transport passCZK 350 on paper. | 340 CZK |
| Monthly transport pass (Lítačka)3 months CZK 1,480, 1 year CZK 3,650. | 550 CZK |
| Beer in central PragueTime Out (2025): about EUR 5 or less centrally; EUR 2.50-3.50 in local spots in Holešovice, Letná or Karlín. | 5 or less EUR |
| Weekday lunch menu (polední menu)Many restaurants offer weekday lunch specials under EUR 8 (Time Out 2025). | under 8 EUR |
| Three-course mealAverage per Time Out (2025); cheaper outside the centre. | 30 EUR |
| Cappuccino at a local caféExample: café at CAMP (Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning), Time Out 2025. | 75 CZK |
| Airport Express (AE) busChildren 6-15 CZK 100; PID tickets not valid. Trolleybus 59 and bus 100 take normal PID tickets. | 200 CZK |
Tickets
Official prices and the only places to buy. Anyone else selling on the street is a reseller.
- Prague Castle
Price not verified
Buy at: not verified (hrad.cz blocked during research)
not verified
- Clementinum
Price not verified
Buy at: Guided tour only
not verified
- Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock
Watching the clock is free; tower price not verified
Buy at: Entrance signposted inside the Old Town Hall
not verified
- Petřín Hill and Lookout Tower
Included in 24-hour (CZK 140 app) and 3-day PID passes; a one-way funicular ticket costs CZK 100 (CZK 90 in the app)
Buy at: PID Lítačka app, machines
not verified
- Petřín Hill and Lookout Tower
Price not verified
Buy at: not verified
not verified
- Spanish Synagogue
Price not verified
Buy at: not verified
not verified
- Žižkov Television Tower
Price not verified
Buy at: not verified
not verified
- Historic tram lines 41 and 42
Line 41: CZK 150 single (reduced CZK 100); line 42: CZK 450 for 24 hours (reduced CZK 300), also valid on line 41; PID tickets not valid
Buy at: From the conductor on board (cash or card); line 42 tickets also at the Můstek, Old Town Hall, Petřín Lookout Tower and Prague Castle tourist information centres
not verified
Traps
- Watch outTaxi overcharging
Some Prague taxi drivers target tourists with dishonest fares. Use regulated stands (e.g. Pařížská) or an app; Uber operates in the city.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - Watch outTrdelník is not 'old Bohemian'
The chimney cake sold everywhere in the centre is presented as traditional Czech, but it comes from the old Kingdom of Hungary and only spread in Prague after 2000. Locals, including journalist Janek Rubeš, call the stands tourist traps.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - Watch outOld Town Square restaurants
Time Out advises checking reviews and avoiding the tourist traps on Old Town Square; prices drop in Holešovice, Letná and Karlín.
Source: timeout.com - TipStreet acts want tips
Bubble blowers, mimes and other gimmicky acts on Old Town Square perform for tourists' tips.
Source: timeout.com - Watch outRide with a valid ticket
The metro has no gates but uniformed and plain-clothes inspectors check tickets inside the paid area. The fine is CZK 2,000, or CZK 1,200 if paid on the spot.
Source: en.wikipedia.org, dpp.cz
Money
- RuleCzech crowns, not euros
The currency is the koruna (CZK, written Kč after the number, e.g. 50 Kč). The Czech Republic has not adopted the euro.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipCarry some cash
The Letná Park beer garden is cash only; use an ATM nearby.
Source: timeout.com - TipBig notes
The 5,000 Kč note is rarely seen in circulation; the 2,000 Kč is the most common banknote.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipLunch is the bargain
Look for the 'polední menu' weekday lunch, often under EUR 8.
Source: timeout.com - TipGo local for beer
About EUR 5 or less centrally; EUR 2.50-3.50 in Holešovice, Letná or Karlín.
Source: timeout.com
Transport
- TipUse the app
PID Lítačka tickets are cheaper than paper or SMS since January 2026 and activate electronically.
Source: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org - TipTap on the tram
Single and 24-hour tickets can be bought with a contactless card or phone on every tram and in all metro stations, already validated.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - RuleValidate paper tickets
Stamp paper tickets when boarding a tram or bus, or before entering the metro's paid area.
Source: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org - TipAirport by trolleybus
Trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín plus metro A is about 30 minutes to the centre.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipNight trams
Nine night lines every 30 min, all meeting at Lazarská.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - RuleFunicular ticket rule
30- and 90-minute tickets do not work on the Petřín funicular.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Etiquette
- TipNumbered districts
Prague is divided into numbered districts (Prague 1, Prague 7 and so on); Letná and Holešovice are Prague 7.
Source: timeout.com - RuleProof of age for free rides
Under-15s and over-65s ride free but must be able to show proof of age.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - RuleSecurity at the castle
Leave large bags behind: the castle gates have tight security checks.
Source: timeout.com - TipBeer strength by degree
Czech beer is labelled in degrees: 10° is about 4% ABV, 12° about 5%; výčepní is the lighter draught class, ležák the lager class.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunTouch for luck
On Charles Bridge people touch the base of the St. John of Nepomuk statue for good luck.
Source: timeout.com
Food
- TipVepřo-knedlo-zelo
Roast pork with bread dumplings and cabbage is often called the most typical Czech dish; svíčková (marinated beef) is another classic.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipSoups
Try kulajda (creamy South Bohemian mushroom-dill soup), česnečka (garlic soup) or gulášovka (goulash soup).
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipPub snacks
Utopenci (pickled sausages) and nakládaný hermelín (marinated soft cheese) go with beer.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipBeer heritage
The Czech Republic has the world's highest beer consumption per head; in 2025 Czech beer culture joined the national intangible heritage list. U Fleků has brewed since 1499.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipNáplavka
Locals drink on the Náplavka embankment; the Saturday farmers' market sells local food.
Source: timeout.com
Safety
- RuleEmergency numbers
112 general; 155 ambulance, 158 police, 156 city police, 150 fire (all free).
Source: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org - Watch outMain-station park
The park in front of Hlavní nádraží (Vrchlické sady, nicknamed 'Sherwood') is frequented by homeless people and drug users; use the underground hall or metro instead of cutting through at night.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - Watch outTaxi fares
Some drivers overcharge tourists; prefer regulated stands or an app.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipCrowds on Charles Bridge
The bridge gets very crowded; Mánes Bridge is a calmer alternative.
Source: timeout.com - TipChristmas-market security
European Christmas markets now use bollards, uniformed and plain-clothes police and surveillance.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Free
- TipOld Town Square and the clock
Watching the Astronomical Clock's hourly show (9 am-11 pm) costs nothing.
Source: timeout.com - TipLetná views
Letná Park has views over the Old Town and bridges and the giant metronome where the Stalin statue stood.
Source: en.wikipedia.org, timeout.com - TipCastle sunset
Time Out's tip: watch the sunset near the Black Tower at Prague Castle.
Source: timeout.com - TipSignal Festival
Most light installations of this October festival are free.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipChanging of the guard
Daily at noon at the castle gates.
Source: timeout.com - TipPetřín orchards
Cherry blossom orchards on Petřín Hill in spring.
Source: timeout.com
Fun
- FunDeepest and longest
Náměstí Míru is the EU's deepest metro station (53 m) with its longest escalator: 87 m, 533 steps, 2 min 15 s to ride.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunA mini Eiffel Tower
Petřín Lookout Tower (1891, 63.5 m) is octagonal, unlike the Eiffel Tower, and was built in four months.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunBabies on the TV tower
David Černý's crawling 'Miminka' babies climb the Žižkov TV tower (copies since 2019).
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunFrom Stalin to metronome
Letná's metronome stands on the base of the Stalin monument destroyed in 1962.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunClock since 1410
The Astronomical Clock's oldest parts date from 1410; the apostles were added in 1787-1791.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunMismatched towers
The twin spires of the Týn Church are not identical, a result of decades of construction delays.
Source: timeout.com - FunOld Town Underground
Tours show medieval remains below the Old Town cellars.
Source: timeout.com - FunTatra trams in service
Route 23 is run with old unmodernised Tatra T3, T2 and T6 trams.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - FunWenceslas was a horse market
Wenceslas Square (nicknamed Václavák) began as a medieval horse market.
Source: timeout.com, en.wikipedia.org - FunThe Kč coin nickname
The 10 Kč coin was long nicknamed 'pětka' (fiver), a leftover of the 1892 switch from gulden to krone at two to one.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
When to go
- TipPrague Spring festival
The classical music festival opens every 12 May with Smetana's Má vlast, at the Rudolfinum and Municipal House.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipSignal Festival
Four nights of light art in October.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipChristmas and Easter markets
Big seasonal markets on Old Town Square, and a Christmas market on Wenceslas Square.
Source: timeout.com, timeout.com - TipSpring blossom
Petřín's orchards bloom in spring.
Source: timeout.com - TipWeather
Summers bring sunshine and around 25 °C; winter averages are around freezing.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipRiver cruises year-round
Some cruises have heated seats in winter and air-conditioning in summer.
Source: timeout.com
Words
- TipPolední menu
Weekday lunch menu.
Source: timeout.com - TipHlavní nádraží
Main railway station (metro C).
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipKč / koruna
Crown, the Czech currency.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipKnedlíky
Bread dumplings.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipVýčepní / ležák
Lighter draught beer / lager class.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - TipVáclavák
Locals' name for Wenceslas Square.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Checked September 2026. Every item links to where it came from.