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Useful informations about Czech Republic

    important telephone numbers :

    112 Emergency
    155 Emergency services
    158 Police
    150 Fire brigade
    156 Municipal police
    1230, 1240 Road accident service
    12 444 General information
    1180 Czech telephone numbers info.
    1181 International tel. numbers info.
    133 001 Telephone telegram service

    Foreigners’ Police in Prague:
    Olšanská 2, 130 00 Praha 3, T: 974 841 219, email: infoscpp@mvcr.cz

    EMBASSIES

  • Grat Britain: Thunovská 14, Praha 1, 118 00 T: 257 402 111, www.britain.cz
  • USA: Tržiště 15, Praha 1, 118 00 T: 257 530 663, www.usembassy.cz
  • Australia: Muchova 6, Prague 6, 160 00 T: 420/272 101 800, www.canada.cz
  • Canada: Muchova 6, Praha 6, 160 00 T: 272 101 800, www.canada.cz
  • South Africa: Ruská 65, Prague 10 - Vršovice T: 420/267 311 114
  • Japan: Maltézské nám. 6, Praha 1, 118 01 T: 257 533 546, www.cz.emb-japan.go.jp
  • Netherlands: Gotthardská 6/27, Praha 6–Bubeneč, 160 00, www.netherlandsembassy.cz

    • Telephoning the Czech Republic
    Dialling code + 420 + local number (9-digit number)

  • Dialling codes: Australia 0011 • Canada 011 New Zealand 00 • South Africa 09 • UK 00 • USA 011
  • Telephoning from the Czech Republic 00 + country code + local number
  • International operator: 1181

    COMMUNICATIONS

  • Post
    Post offices around Prague’s centre are open on weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm. The main post office at Jindrišská 14 (close to the metro station Můstek) is open daily from 7 am to 8 pm. In order to be served, you must use the Q-matic machine, located at the door to the huge entrance hall. If you’re buying stamps it’s wise to buy a few at a time. The minimum price for sending a letter is 9 CZK for EU destinations and 14 CZK for all other destinations.
  • Internet
    Internet cafes with high speed internet access dot the city centre and offer good rates. Most are open on weekends.
  • Public phones
    Public telephones are either coin- or card- -operated. You can buy telephone cards at post offices, newsagents and kiosks or tobacconists. For international calls, you can buy a pre-paid card at the above-mentioned places; this option costs significantly less than calling using coins.
  • Mobile phones
    Almost everyone has a mobile phone using the major mobile networks O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile. If you decide to bring your mobile phone from home, make sure you enable your roaming programme so that you can receive calls once you’re in Prague. Prague uses GSM 900/1800. T: +420/220 400 611

    General opening hours :

  • State Offices:
    • Mon–Fri: 8.00–12.00 and 13.00–15.00 (on Mon and Wed till 17.00), closed Sat and Sun.
  • Embassies:
    • Mon–Thu: 8.30–16.00, Fri: 8.30–15.00 . Submit visa applications in the mornings. Closed Sat and Sun.
  • Banks:
    • Mo–Fri: 9.00–17.00, closed on Sat and Sun.
  • Shops – grocery stores:
    • 7.00 –18.00, Sat 7.00–12.00, closed Sun. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are open every day, some with 24 hour service.
  • Pharmacies:
    • Mon–Fri: 8.00–18.00, Sat and Sun closed. Pharmacies with non-stop service in Prague: Letná, Fr. Křižíka 22, Prague 7 U Anděla, Štefánikova 6/250, Prague 5, Palackého 720/5, Nové Město, Prague 1
  • Museums, galleries:
    • Tue–Sun: 9.00–18.00. Many are closed on Mondays, with the exception of July and August.
  • Monuments, sights, castles and chateaux:
    • Tue–Sun: 9.00–15.00 (season 9.00–18.00) The last tour usually starts an hour before closing time. Many castles and chateaux are closed in the winter months.
  • Admission to sights:
    • Expect to pay between 20 CZK to 200 CZK. Some galleries and museums accept international discount cards: GO 25, ISIC, ITIC and Euro 26. Larger tourist groups and families also may receive a discount.

    The school year:
    The school year starts on September 1st and finishes on June 30th.

  • Summer school holidays are in summer (July, August).
  • Winter break is during the Christmas period (around two weeks)
  • Spring Break varies from region to region, but is commonly a week between February and March.

    • Please note: Public transport schedules change during school break.

    The Tourist Season
    As a rule, the tourist season begins April 1st and ends October 31st. During this period most monuments are open. Outside the season (with the exception of the Christmas and New Years’ holidays) accommodation and some tourist services tend to be cheaper.

    Road transport in the Czech Republic:
    712 km of road are toll roads, of which 500 km are motorway and the remainder high-speed roads (D1, D2, D3, D5, D8, D11, 47).

  • Motorway permits: several types are on sale, they apply to cars and trucks
  • The highest permitted speeds in the Czech Republic: built-up areas 50 km/h, outside urban areas 90 km/h, motorways 130 km/h
  • Lights: you must drive at all times with your headlights on
  • Border Crossings:
    • Germany: Varnsdorf, Hřensko, Cínovec, Boží Dar, Aš, Rozvadov, Folmava, Železná Ruda
    Austria: Dolní Dvořiště, Slavonice, Mikulov, Poštorná
    Poland: Český Těšín, Bohumín, Krnov, Náchod
    Slovakia: Mosty u Jablunkova, Horní Bečva, Střelná, Brumov-Bylnice, Starý Hrozenkov, Strání, Hodonín, Břeclav, Lanžhot
  • Import–export: EU regulations apply. Tax-free limits for selected goods: 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine, 110 litres of beer, 1 kg of tobacco

    • Money, Exchange office :

  • Currency: Czech Crown 1 CZK, 100 heller
  • Coins: 50 heller, 1 CZK, 2 CZK, 5 CZK, 10 CZK, 20 CZK, 50 CZK
  • Banknotes: 20 CZK, 50 CZK, 100 CZK, 200 CZK, 500 CZK, 1 000 CZK, 2 000 CZK, 5 000 CZK
  • Exchange: you can change money in the bank, at the Post Office and in Exchange Offices.
  • A word to the wise: In exchange offices, the sale exchange of the currencies is often displayed we sell. This is confusing, as the rate they will buy your foreign notes is different. Ask about the transaction charges, before you commit.
    • Don´t change money in the street! Swindlers will offer you a better rate, but you may end up either with forged banknotes or banknotes from another country (most often Bulgarian Leva). ATMs, or automatic teller machines, are on almost every street corner in the centre of Prague. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most places – most often VISA, MasterCard a AmEx. It is becoming more and more common to pay in Euro.

    20 CZK – Přemysl Otakar I. (1155/?/–1230)
    In 1198 this ruler of the Premysl family received his inherited King’s title. In 1212 the rights of the Bohemian Kingdom were confirmed (the Golden Bull of Sicily).

    50 CZK – St. Agnes of Bohemia (1211–1282)
    She was a Přemysl family princess who was canonized in 1989. She founded cloisters and devoted herself to charity. She is the founder of the sole Bohemian order of knights – Crusaders of the Red Star.

    100 CZK – Charles IV of Luxembourg (1316–1378)
    He was King of Bohemia and Germany and from 1355 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. A prominent and active European ruler in the late Middle Ages.

    200 CZK – Jan Amos Komenský (1592–1670)
    Thinker, pedagogue, theologian, writer and historian. In 1628, he had to emigrate from the country.

    500 CZK – Božena Němcová (1820–1862)
    She is considered to be the most prominent Bohemian writer. She is the author of small prose works with patriotic and social themes.

    1 000 CZK – František Palacký (1798–1876)
    Scientist and historian – he recorded the national history. An important figure in Bohemian cultural and political life.

    2 000 CZK – Ema Destinnová (1878–1930)
    An opera singer who sang in Berlin and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

    5 000 CZK – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937)
    The founder and first president of independent Czechoslovakia (from 1918). Philosopher, statesman, and sociologist.

    The person whose work adorns the banknotes is graphic artist Oldřich Kulhánek (* 1940).