 Facts for the Travellers |
 Visas |
Nationals of all Western European countries can visit the Czech Republic for up to 90 days, and UK and Irish Republic citizens for up to 180 days, without a visa. US and Canadian passport holders can stay for 30 days without a visa. Nationals of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries must obtain a visa, which is good for a stay of between 90 and 30 days depending on your nationality.
Health risks: encephalitis, Lyme disease
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz AC
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 17 million visitors
| Money & Costs |
Currency: Czech crown (Kc)
Exchange rate: US$1 = 33.1 Kc
Relative costs:
Budget meal: US$2-5
Restaurant meal: US$4-10
Budget bed: US$10-15
Mid-range hotel: US$20-40 (double)
Costs in the biggest tourist centres - Prague especially,
but also the Bohemian spas, are higher than elsewhere,
though things are still fairly cheap for Western
visitors. The big exception is accommodation in
Prague, for which tourist prices ire in line with
those across Western Europe. By staying at cheap
hostels and campsites, sticking to self-caterring,
pub grub and stand-up cafeterias, you might get
away with US$15 per person per day in summer. In
a private home or better hostel, with meals at cheap
restaurants and using public transport, you can
get by on US$20-25. To share a clean double room
with bath in a mid-range hotel or pension, and enjoy
good local or Western meals, plan on at least US$30-40.
In Prague, figure a third to half again as much,
and even more if you want to be close to the centre.
On the other hand, except for Easter and Christmas-New
Year, many bottom and mid-range hotels drop their
prices by a third or more outside the summer season. |
Travellers' cheques are easily encashed throughout the Czech Republic. Eurocheques are cashed free of charge at Komercní banks, and there are American Express and Thomas Cook offices in Prague which will change their cheques at bank rates free of charge. Upper end hotels and restaurants in major tourist centres accept some credit cards, usually American Express, Visa or MasterCard (Access) and sometimes Eurocard, Diners Club or JCB. Most travel agencies and some tourist shops in Prague accept credit cards, but most shops prefer crowns. American dollars and German marks are also commonly accepted. Don't bother exchanging money on the black market: the usual rate is barely above the bank rate and there are plenty of scammers ripping off tourists with discontinued old crown notes or worthless Polish zlotys.
A tip of 5-10% is appreciated in any tourist restaurant with table service. The usual protocol is for them to tell you the total food bill and for you, as you hand over the money, to say how much you are paying with the tip included.
| When to Go |
May, June and September are the prime visiting months, with April and October as chillier and sometimes cheaper alternatives. Most Czechs take their holidays in July and August when hotels and tourist sights are more than usually crowded, and hostels are chock-a-block with students, expecially in Prague and the Krkonose and Tatras mountain resort areas. Luckily, the supply of bottom end accommodation increases in large towns during this time, as student hostels are thrown open to visitors. Centres like Prague, Brno and the mountain resorts cater to visitors all year round. Elsewhere, from October or November until March or April, most castles, museums and other tourist attractions, and some associated accommodation and transport, close down. |
