Prague tips & weather

Getting around

• 🎫
  One ticket covers metro, tram and bus

  Prague's DPP (Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy) integrates metro, tram, bus, funicular and night services on a single time-based ticket. A 24-hour ticket (jízdenka na 24 hodin) costs around CZK 120 and is almost always worth it. Buy at yellow machines in metro stations, at DPP kiosks, or on the PID Lítačka app.

• 🚇
  Three metro lines, clean and fast

  Lines A (green), B (yellow), and C (red) cover most of the city. Metro runs until midnight, then night trams take over until around 4:30am. The metro is fast, air-conditioned, and reliable. Learn the interchange stations — Muzeum (A/C), Florenc (B/C), and Můstek (A/B) — and navigation becomes straightforward.

• 🚋
  Trams are the soul of the city

  Prague's tram network is extensive, frequent and one of the best ways to see the city moving. Line 22 runs through the centre and up past Prague Castle — scenic but also packed with tourists. Lines 2, 5, 7, 10 and 17 serve the residential neighbourhoods where most episodes are set. Night trams (numbers 90+) run every 30 minutes after midnight.

• 🚕
  Use Bolt or Uber — never a street taxi in tourist areas

  Hailing a taxi from the street near Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square or the airport has historically led to overcharging for tourists. Bolt and Uber both operate reliably in Prague, prices are displayed upfront, and the app handles payment. For late-night returns from outer districts, they're by far the easiest option.

Money and paying

• 💱
  Czech Republic uses Czech Crowns (CZK), not Euros

  This catches many visitors off guard. The Czech Republic is an EU member but has not adopted the Euro. All prices are in CZK. 1 EUR = roughly 24–25 CZK; 1 GBP = roughly 28–30 CZK. A good meal might cost CZK 200–350. Always have CZK in your wallet — Euros are sometimes accepted in tourist areas but at poor rates.

• 🏧
  Use local ATMs and always pay in CZK

  When an ATM or card terminal asks if you want to pay in your home currency or CZK, always choose CZK. "Dynamic currency conversion" — paying in your home currency — gives you a significantly worse exchange rate and is how tourist areas extract money quietly. Use Raiffeisenbank, Česká spořitelna, or Komerční banka ATMs for better rates. Avoid orange Euronet machines, which charge fees.

• 💳
  Cards are widely accepted — but carry some cash

  Most restaurants, supermarkets, and shops in Prague accept cards. Markets, older pubs, some tram ticket machines, and smaller neighbourhood businesses prefer cash. CZK 300–500 in your pocket covers most situations. Prague is significantly cheaper than Western Europe — a pub lunch with a beer can still be had for CZK 200–250.

• 💡
  Avoid Old Town exchange offices

  Currency exchange offices near the Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and Wenceslas Square frequently advertise "0% commission" while offering extremely poor rates. Withdraw CZK from an ATM instead. If you do need to exchange cash, find a bank branch rather than a street-front exchange kiosk.

Food and drink

• 🍺
  Czech beer culture is the real thing

  Pilsner Urquell was invented 80km away in Plzeň; Budvar comes from České Budějovice. In Prague, beer (pivo) in a local pub (hospoda) costs CZK 35–55 for half a litre. It will arrive unprompted if you sit down — if you don't want one, say so. Avoid anywhere with "English pub" or "sports bar" in the window near tourist areas.

• 🍖
  Svíčková is the national comfort dish

  Marinated beef sirloin in cream sauce with bread dumplings (knedlíky) and cranberries — svíčková is the Czech Sunday dish and something to try properly at least once. Order it in a neighbourhood restaurant in Žižkov, Vinohrady, or Smíchov for a fraction of the tourist-area price. CZK 180–250 is a fair price.

• 🥪
  Chlebíčky: the open sandwich you'll keep returning to

  Czech open sandwiches (obložený chlebíček) — dense rye bread with various toppings: egg, ham, cheese, herring, pickles — are sold in deli-style shops (lahůdky) across the city and make an excellent cheap lunch. CZK 30–50 each. Náplavka farmers' market on Saturday mornings is also worth the trip for food.

• 🛒
  Czech supermarkets: Billa, Albert, Lidl, Kaufland

  Supermarkets are open on Sundays in the Czech Republic — unlike Germany. This is a relief for Sunday explorations. Lidl and Kaufland offer the best price-per-quality for packed lunch ingredients. Potraviny (small neighbourhood food shops) are open long hours and good for essentials.

In the city

• 🏰
  Old Town is for before 9am or after 8pm

  Charles Bridge and Old Town Square attract extraordinary crowds from mid-morning through early evening in peak season. At 7am, they're beautiful and nearly empty. The same streets that feel impossible at 11am feel magical at dusk. For Kiez-style exploring, the interesting city is in the districts away from the castle: Žižkov, Vinohrady, Nusle, Holešovice, Smíchov.

• 👟
  Prague has hills — wear proper shoes

  The historic centre sits on seven hills. Vinohrady, Žižkov, Hradčany, and Nusle all require comfortable footwear. Cobblestones in the old city are uneven and slippery when wet. The Vltava valley means many districts involve a steep climb to a terrace with a view — factor this in for longer days.

• 👜
  Pickpockets operate on tourist trams

  Small groups targeting tourists on crowded trams — particularly line 22 through the centre and metro Line A at rush hour — are a known issue. Keep bags zipped and in front of your body on packed trams. Phone pockets are high risk. This affects tourist areas; residential neighbourhood trams are generally fine.

• 🗣️
  Czech is the language; English works in most places

  Czech is a difficult Slavic language and locals don't expect you to speak it — but a few basic words (prosím = please, děkuji = thank you, dobrý den = good day) are appreciated. English is widely spoken in service industries and by younger people. German is sometimes useful in Vinohrady and Smíchov.

🌤 Weather by season

Prague has a proper Central European continental climate — cold, clear winters and hot summers, with spring and autumn that are genuinely the best times to explore. Here's what to expect month by month.

⛑ Safety

Prague is a very safe city. Most incidents affecting visitors are minor and preventable. The residential neighbourhoods covered by Kiez Traveller are calm and low-risk. A few things are worth knowing.

• 👜
  Pickpockets in tourist areas

  Petty theft targeting tourists is concentrated on Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the tourist trams (especially line 22), and Wenceslas Square. Keep bags closed, phones in inner pockets, and be aware on packed trams in the centre. Residential areas — Žižkov, Vinohrady, Holešovice, Smíchov — have very little of this.

• 🏊
  Swimming in the city

  The Vltava river through the city centre is not suitable for swimming — current, boat traffic, and water quality make it unsafe. For swimming, locals use the Divoká Šárka lake in the northwest, the Hostivař reservoir in the southeast, and the Žluté lázně outdoor lido on the south bank. These are covered in the appropriate episodes.

• 🧭
  Exploring alone

  Tell someone where you're going before you leave. Download offline maps — the outer districts (Zbraslav, Šárecké údolí, Prokopské údolí) have occasional signal gaps. Google Maps and Mapy.cz (the Czech mapping app, excellent for trails) both allow offline downloads. Bring a power bank for long days. Prague and its surroundings are generally very safe.

• ⛈
  Weather and seasons

  Prague summers bring fast-moving thunderstorms — check the ČHMÚ (Czech meteorological service) app or weather.com before heading out in July and August. Prague winters are serious: -5°C to -10°C is normal in January, and valley paths ice quickly. Daylight in December runs roughly 8am–4pm. Dress properly for winter exploring.

• 🆘
  Health and emergencies

  Emergency number: 112 (pan-European). Czech police: 158. Medical emergency: 155. EU citizens are covered for emergency medical treatment in the Czech Republic with a valid EHIC/GHIC card; non-EU visitors should check their health cover before travelling. Prague has good hospitals and a well-functioning emergency system.

• 📋
  A note on liability

  Kiez Traveller is a guide, not a tour operator. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at time of writing, but locations change — cafés close, paths flood, transit routes are disrupted. Always use your own judgement on the ground. We genuinely want you to have a good day.