edit Prague Travel Guide

• Charles Bridge - One of several bridges over the Vltava. Its construction started at the 14th Century and it is one of Prague's most beautiful attractions
• Prague Castle - The biggest ancient castle in the world, according to Guinness World Records, which rises above the city offering beautiful views of the areas below.
• Old Town Square - Prague's historic center. Includes numerous monuments, most notably the famed Astronomical Clock.
• Wenceslas Square

Prague was founded in the later 9th century, and soon became the seat of Bohemian kings, some of whom ruled as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city thrived under the rule of Charles IV, who ordered the building of the New Town in the 14th century - many of the city's most important attractions date back to that age. The city also went under Habsburg rule and became the capital of a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918, after World War I, the city became the capital of Czechoslovakia. After 1989 many foreigners, especially young people, moved to Prague. In 1992, its historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two countries and Prague became capital city of the new Czech Republic.

By plane

Direct flights from New York's Newark on Continental Airlines, all other flights through stopover cities to Prague's Ruzyne Airport.

By train

Trains come from all over Europe into Prague's two biggest train stations - Hlavni Nadrazi and Nadrazi Holesovice.

By car

Neighboring countries include: Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria.

By bus

By boat

The river Vltava runs through the center of the city, but starts in Southern Bohemia and does not allow for passenger travel from long distances.

By Car

Car rental is possible but not recommended for travel within the city due to parking restrictions, medieval street layouts, one way streets, etc.

Prague has highway connections from five major directions. Unfortunately, the highway network in the Czech Republic is quite incomplete and some highways are old and in poor condition. Thus, the highway connection from Prague to the border of the Czech Republic is available only in two directions - southeast and southwest. The south-western highway (D5; international E50) leads through Pilsen (Plze%u0148) to Germany. The D5 highway continues in Germany as A6, until the connection with A93 (the remaining of A6 through to Nurnberg is under construction). Riding from the state border to Prague takes about an hour and a half (160 km). The south-eastern highway (D1) is the Czech Republic's oldest and most used highway - as such it's in a rather poor condition. It leads through Brno to Bratislava in Slovakia. It offers a good connection to Vienna, Budapest and all traffic from the east. It runs for 250km, and usually takes over two hours. To the northwest you can take highway D8 (E55), but it is not complete to the German border. It ends now at Lovosice (about 60 km from Prague and starts again in Usti nad Labem and continues to the northern Germany via A17 (Dresden, Berlin, Leipzig). To the northeast you can take highway R10 (E65). It is strictly speaking a motorway, not a highway, but it has four lanes and differs little from a highway. It leads from Liberec through Turnov. It isn't regarded as an important access route, as there are no major cities in this direction (Zittau in Germany, some cities in Poland), however it offers a good connection to the Czech mountains Jizersk%uFFFD hory and Krkono%u0161e (Riesengebirge) with the best Czech skiing resorts. To the east you can take the newly completed D11 (E67), which goes to Hradec Kralove. It leads to Poland.

Czech highways are under development (D8 and D11 are being prolonged, D3 to Ceske Budejovice and Linz is supposed to be completed in 2020) so it's hoped that things will get better. Unless there are road works, there are only seldom traffic jams on Czech highways, with the exception of D1 near Prague (and near Mirosovice (direction to Ceske Budejovice and Linz, and Brno, too)).

Prague suffers from heavy traffic and on week days the main streets are one big traffic jam. Moreover, Prague still doesn't have a complete highway outer circuit. It is a really good idea to use the P R (park and ride) parking places, where you can park your car for a very small fee and use public transport. The P Rs are situated near all highways and are well marked. Note that traffic wardens are rife and parking in most residential streets in and around Prague city centre (even after dark) without a valid permit will result in a parking fine.

By Mass Transit

Highly recommended! Prague has a superb public transport system that includes a metro, buses, and trams. All areas of the city are accessible, and service is available 24 hours per day (though more limited at night - the metro closes at midnight).

By Foot

Prague is renowned as a very "walkable" city. For those who enjoy seeing the old and new city by foot, one can easily walk from Wenceslas Square to the Old Town Square, or from the Old Town to Charles Bridge and the Palace (Hrad) District. And there is much to see and savor. It is advised to wear walking shoes and carry a map.

Emergency

If you find yourself in emergency, dial 158 for police, 155 for ambulance or 150 for firefighters. You can also dial 112 for a general emergency call or specifically if you need an ambulance.

Crime

Prague is a safe city by European or American standards. The risk of assault, murder, and other crimes is very low. In fact, more than half of all fights reported to Prague police last year involved people from the UK! The most common crime in Prague by far is car theft: the prevalence of car theft/vandalism pushes up the crime statistics of Prague. Statistics therefore paint Prague to be much more dangerous than it really is. If you observe basic travel safety rules (e.g. don't provoke drunken people; don't carry a wallet or purse in the back pocket of your pants; always keep an eye on your items; don't put all your money in one place; don't show your money or valuable things to anybody; don't walk alone into deserted areas if you are a woman), you should be safe in Prague.

Use of hard drugs is a criminal offense while the use of softer drugs such as marijuana or "magic" mushrooms (if fresh) is not punishable, but in fact widely tolerated. You may have to smoke non-tobacco materials outdoors. But you can be prosecuted for possessing more than the "usual amount" of soft drugs (ie. more than one joint); definition of "usual amount" depends entirely on each particular policeman, which means you want to be polite to them.

Be aware of teams of pickpockets that lurk outside metro stations, overcrowded tram wagons, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square and the Old Town Square. They usually work in teams of 3-5 and are looking for lost or distracted tourists. Backpacks are especially interesting to them. Many of those groups use underage children as pickpockets, because they can't be prosecuted by Czech laws.

Due to the low incidence of violent crime, the threat of pickpockets has been played up as a great problem. However, common sense and basic precautions can keep most people safe from pickpockets. If you have a camera, try not to wear it openly. Always close and secure your backpack and try to keep an eye on it. Be especially careful not to fall asleep in tram or metro. Wear your wallet in a safe place (e.g. inner pocket of your coat), never put it into your rear pocket or any other place where it can be easily stolen.

If you enter the metro (usually at night), you may find a team of con artists at the stations, saying they are metro clerks and after examining your ticket for some time that it's invalid so you'll have to pay a fine of 500 CZK (1000 CZK if you argue with them). So if you happen to see them, and you're sure that your ticket is valid, tell them to call the police, or call them yourself.

Be careful with taxi drivers, particularly from the train station. Taxis that are legally registered may still be mafia-run affairs that do their best to overcharge. It is illegal for a taxi driver to refuse you a receipt in Prague, so agree a price before putting yourself, or your luggage, in the taxi. The risk of over-charging is greatly overplayed, just take the usual sensible precautions of only using taxi firms affiliated with the station or your hotel, or call a reputable company and wait. Finally, if presented with a wrong bill from a taxi driver, call the police on your mobile phone. Your driver will quickly change his tune!

If you can't afford to haggle with cab drivers, you can always use public mass transit. The network is extensive and can take you almost anywhere in Prague.

Be careful with money exchanges. Exchange your money in banks and rather avoid exchange offices. Never deal with a street money-dealer: they offer better rates but may try to confuse you and give you money from another country, such as Russian roubles. Most of the exchange offices are fair, but some, especially at the busiest tourist sites, may try to cheat customers with various tricks. One of the them is offering favourable exchange rates, but with fine print below, e.g. "if you exchange more than 1000 EUR". Another trick is putting a huge board with "we sell" exchange rates to the shop window, which makes an impression of good rates, whereas the actual rate for buying CZK is much more unfavourable. When the customer finds this out at the counter and wants to cancel the transaction, the money-dealer refuses with an excuse "I have already printed the bill", implying it is too late. The police won't help you, typically referring you to the Czech National Bank, which supervises exchange offices, to file a complaint (which does not help you either). Czech law is weak and only orders exchange offices to display the actual rates, which you might find somewhere in the office in small print. Therefore if you decide to use an exchange office always ask for the actual rate you will pay before making the transaction and before releasing any money out of your hand.

• Prague Castle The biggest ancient castle in the world, according to Guinness World Records, which rises above the city offering beautiful views of the areas below. Also on site is the St. Vitus Cathedral with its lookout tower, the Castle Picture Gallery, several palaces and museums and the beautiful Royal Garden, among other attractions. You can also watch the Presidential Guard, and the changeover of the guards on duty on the hour.
• Charles Bridge One of several bridges over the Vltava. Its construction started at the 14th Century and it is one of Prague's most beautiful attractions. Over the day it is a bustling place of trade and entertainment.
• The Old Town (Star%uFFFD m%u011Bsto) Prague's historic centre. Includes numerous historical buildings and monuments, most notably the famed Astronomical Clock (Orloj), the pure GothicT%uFFFDn Church, the mural-covered Storch building, and the Jan Hus monument. Nearby, the Estate Theatre is a neoclassical theatre where Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was first performed. The old town features many historical churches (St. James Church, Church of Our Lady before Tnem among others) and some other interesting historical buildings like the Old Town Hall.
• Josefov The historical Jewish ghetto. Interesting for its well preserved historical synagogues, unique in the entire world. The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronov%uFFFD synagoga) is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It's rumoured to be the resting place of the famed Prague Golem. Another interesting synagogue is the Spanish Synagogue, a highly ornamented building of Moorish style. Other attractions are the old Jewish Cemetery, which is the oldest in Europe, and Kafka's house. The Old New Synagogue is NOT a part of the Jewish museum, so it's recommended to buy a combined pass to all Jewish attractions.
• New Town (Nov%uFFFD m%u011Bsto) The new town was constructed as an extension of the old town at the 14th Century. Nonetheless, despite its oldness most of it was modernized. The main attraction here is the Wenceslas Square, which has many stalls, shops and restaurants. At the top of the square is the National Museum which is well worth a look (see below). Midway down this historic Boulevard one finds trendy discos and art nouveau hotels, as well as quaint parks and arcades, while just off the beaten path are some wonderful panoramic views (Henry Tower), romantic restaurants, Narodni, and the dazzling, Disney-colored Jubilee Synagogue.
• The Lesser Town (Mal%uFFFD strana) Across the Vltava from the city centre and leading to the castle, this quarter also offers beautiful streets and churches (of which St. Nicholas Church is the most renowned). The Lennon Wall which used to be a source of irritation to the communist regime is also found here, near a Venetian-like canal with water wheel and close to the Charles Bridge.
• Loreta A beautiful Baroque convent in the Lesser Town.
• Strahov Monastery A monastery on the mountain. Worth a visit for both its picture gallery and its notable Renaissance library.
• Prague Dancing House (Fred and Ginger Building). One of the most fascinating architectural expressions of Prague. Accessed from the Karlovo n%uFFFDm%u011Bst%uFFFD metro station.
• Vy%u0161ehrad A nice castle worth a visit.
• Pet%u0159%uFFFDnsk%uFFFD rozhledna A smaller version of the Eiffel Tower on the top of a hill.
• Prague Giant Metronome It is a huge monument erected in order to replace the Stalinistic monument that preceded it.
• Memorial to the 1989 Velvet Revolution A simple brass plaque at 20 Narodni. From Cafe Louvre, walk toward the river. You will enter an archway in just a few meters, look on the wall to the left.

Museums:

• Czech National Gallery Its most important collections are in the Sternberg Palace (up to to the Baroque), St George Convent (Czech Baroque and Mannerism) and Veletr%u017En%uFFFD Palace (19th century and modern art). The first two are located near and in the castle respectively. Do not confuse them with the Castle Picture Gallery (see above) which is worth visiting on its own right.
• A collection of Asian art is exhibited at the Zbraslav Castle.
• Czech National Museum An association of various museums. The main building is at the Wenceslas Square and is dedicated to natural history. Other branches include museums of the Czech composers Dvo%u0159%uFFFDk and Smetana, Czech Music Museum, Historical Pharmacy Museum, Prince Lobkovicz' Collection at the Prague Castle, Czech Ethnographical Museum and Naprstek Anthropological Museum.
• Prague City Gallery A museum of modern Czech arts divided between several sites most of which are in the old town. Its main building is the House of the Golden Ring at the Old Town Square featuring 20th Century Czech art in a beautiful medievil edifice. 19th Century Czech art is exhibited at the Troja Castle.
• Czech Museum of Fine Arts 20th Century Czech art and changing exhibitions.
• Museum of Decorative Arts
• National Technical Museum Amazing collection of motorcycles, cars, aircraft and commercial vehicles, plus many examples of communist-era technological angineering
• Military Museum
• Mozart and Du%u0161ek Museum
• Prague City Museum An absolute must-see for the incredibly detailed cardboard model of nineteenth century Prague by Anton Langweil. The detail is amazing, even down to the colour of the doorways and the design of the windowsills.
• Mucha Museum A museum of the Czech artist and his contemporaries.
• Kafka Museum There is also a permanent exhibition at Kafka's house.
• The Pedagogical Comenius Museum A museum documenting the writings of the Czech Renaissance erudite.
• The Mueller Villa A work of art of the well known Viennese architect Loos from the beginning of the 20th Century.
• Museum Kampa A museum of modern Central European art.
• Museum of Communism
• There are plenty of smaller museums. Among them: Miniature Museum at the Stahnov Monastery, Toys Museum and Musical Automata Museum at the Prague Castle, Wax Museum, Torture Museum, Postal Museum and Brewery Museum at the Old Town and the Aviation Museum at Kbely.

Sightseeing Passes
As with many major European cities, you can get a good deal by buying a tourist card. Be discerning when choosing based on your needs (for example, cards may list free entry to locations that are normally free anyway - this concerns Prague Pass). Here are your options:

• PRAGUE CARD, all-top attractions inclusive tourist card with tradition since 1991, is valid for 4 days and grants free entry to over 50 top attractions in the Prague area. You will receive a book with information on all the free attractions and many discounts (Prague Walks excursions, airport transfer, shopping, Mucha and Kafka museum etc.) and a voucher for each attraction. You can only enter the attraction with a valid card AND a voucher. The card does not include public transport and a separate ticket will have to be bought. The Prague Card costs 740 K%u010D.
• Free Attractions Of note is that the card will grant free admission to all the Prague Castle short tour, which normally costs 250 K%u010D. Many of the town's museums and galleries--including all branches of the National Gallery and the National Museum--are also included, and over four days you can easily see 3 times the card's value. As such, this is an excellent choice if you're planning on visiting a lot of museums. The only major attraction that is not included is the Old New Synagogue and Jewish Museum.
• With the Prague Card you can visit Prague Castle, Old Town, Mal%uFFFD Strana and Charles Bridge historical towers and other attractions, Observatory, small copy of Eiffel Tour and Mirror Maze at Petrin Hill, Vysehrad all castle including his casemates and gallery, many New Town Museums and Galleries and several castles outside centre of Prague.
• Prague Pass will give you free entry to various attractions in Prague within a 1 year period, various discounts, sightseeing tours and 72 hours of public transport, including metro, tram, bus, funicular, and train all for 860 K%u010D, or roughly 30 euros.
• Free Attractions There is something for everyone with Vysehrad and its casemate (catacombs) and basilica, take a boat trip through Prague on the river Vltava (Moldau), effortless up in the TV tower with the best panorama of Prague or enjoy a ride on the Petrin hill cable railway. The whole city in one hall (perfect model in 1:480 scale) - a time travel to the past in Prague%u2019s historical most significant museum. Don't fear the sharks and marvel at the blaze of colors in the Sea World Aquarium, a magical ride at a performance of a Black-Light-Theater or let your soul swing at a concert in a church. River Navigation Museum, Army museum, Aviation museum and the UNESCO certified auto museum "PRAGA".... all for free! (Some of them however have a free entry anyway !)
• Also in your pack is a free map of Prague and a program guide booklet as well as a free welcome present. You will also receive discount coupons for several discounts of up to 50% for guided sightseeing- and city-walking tours, Mozart museum, galleries, concerts, internet use, computer games, real laser game or for Rent a Car (25%).

Czech specialties are best known for crystal, wooden toys, lace.

The streets around Old Town are full of gift shops geared towards tourists, selling Bohemian crystal, soccer shirts and other mass-produced memorabilia. The throughway between Charles Bridge and Old Town Square is particularly bad, turning off into one of the laneways you can find the exact same merchandise for half the price. If you are looking for some decent souvenirs, try to get off the beaten path. Street vendors can have some unexpected treasures and there are plenty in the Charles Bridge area. Prints of paintings and good quality photos are very popular, and a really good way to remember Prague. Don't bother buying overpriced furry hats and Matryoshka dolls, though, because they have nothing to do with Prague - they are Russian in origin, and their sellers are just trying to capitalize on unknowing tourists.

There are several large shopping malls in Prague, you should take "Na Prikope" street - the 18th most expensive street in the world (measured by the price of property), with famous shopping arcades "Cerna ruze" (Black rose) and "Palac Myslbek" and many shops. If you are looking for souvenir shops, you will find them in the city's historical centre - mostly around Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle. There are many other shops offering Bohemian crystal - especially in the centre near the lower end of Wenceslas Square. The other typical (if rather expensive) Czech goods is the garnet jewellery - typical Czech garnet stones (gathered near the town of Turnov) are dark red and nowadays are produced by a single company - Granat Turnov - and if you buy genuine traditional Czech garnet, you should get a certificate of authenticity. "Paesk" street goes from Old Town Square towards the river - and includes some of the most luxurious (and expensive) boutiques in Prague.

Buses and trains are frequent and quite inexpensive and can get you to even the smallest village. Practically every major European city can be reached by bus or train from Prague.

For just a small selection of places off the beaten path, check out:

• Kutna Hora A once prosperous silver mining town in the 14th and 15th centuries and home of the fantastic Saint Barbara church, Ossuary, a gothic church decorated throughout with human bones
• Karlovy Vary - home of the Czech International film festival and famous spa tow
• Cesky Krumlow - 3 hour drive away in South Bohemia but worth every second of the trip and more!
  
• Sedlec Very close to Kutna Hora, walking distance, with a church decorated with the remains of 40,000 human skeletons who were largely plague victims.
• Olomouc  275 km from Prague, but with a good train connection, former capital of Moravia, beautiful old city, famous medieval astronomical clock.
• Novosedly Take a horseback trip through the vineyards of Moravia
• Pisek Beautiful South Bohemian town with the country's oldest bridge
• Vyssi Brod Three day canoe trip from the Sumava mountains through Krumlov
• Vysocina  Great mountain area for hiking, located halfway between Prague and Brno
• Beroun  Small city located on the way to Plzen, follow the Beroun river north to some beautiful villages
• Karltejn castle and the holy cave monastery  Hiking trip to the famous castle as well as an off the beaten track monastery
• Konopiste  Archduke Franz Ferdinand's Castle located 40km south of Prague
• CeskyRaj  Hike through forests and valleys filled with giant sandstone columns and cliffs in this park near Jicin.