BOOK A SPA IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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+ 44 20 3468 1030
BOOK A SPA IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Choose your language
+ 44 20 3468 1030
May 21, 2012 by Alyona Kosovan
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of 10.5 million people. Prague is the capital and the largest city in the Czech Republic, with 1.3 million inhabitants. It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the EU, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrad Group.
Citizens of EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland do not require a visa to stay in the Czech Republic. However, notification obligation does apply for stays longer than 3 months. You must notify the pertinent inspectorate of the foreign police service.
Citizens of other countries may require a visa to enter the Czech Republic. Please check entry requirements with Czech embassy or consular in your country.
Foreign Embassies in the Czech Republic:
UK: Thunovska 14, 118 00 Prague 1; Tel: +420 257 402 111 Fax: +420 257 402 296
Germany: Vlašská 19, 118 01 Prague 1 (Malá Strana); Tel: +420 257 113 111 Fax: +420 257 534 056
Russia: nam. Pod Kastany 1, Praha 6 – Bubenec; Tel: +420 233 374 100 Fax: +420 233 377 235
Austria: Viktora Huga 10, 15115 Prague; Tel: +420 257 090 511 Fax: +420 257 316 045
For cheap rates on car hire in the Czech Republic, try Rhino Car Hire for a quote – A family run business established in 2007, they won the award of Best Car Hire Website 2010 at the Travolution Awards in London.
112 - Emergency calls (this number works throughout the whole of Europe and includes universal medical aid, the police and the fire brigade – but it may not necessarily work on older mobile telephones without SIM cards)
150 - Fire Brigade
155 - Ambulance
158 – Police
156 - Municipal Police (limited authority, resolve smaller, local problems)
The Czech Republic has a temperate continental climate, with relatively hot summers and cold and snowy winters. The temperature difference between summer and winter is relatively high, due to the landlocked geographical position.
The coldest months are usually December, January and February with temperatures, at times, going up to -20 °C in some areas.
During March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly, especially during April, when the temperature and weather tends to vary widely during the day.
The warmest months are June, July, August. Especially in the last decade temperatures above +30 °C during the summer are not unusual.
Autumn is usually dry and warm.
Internet:
Internet is widely available in hotels and internet cafes.
Phone Calls:
The international access code for the Czech Republic is +420.
The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code.
The easiest way to make calls is to use the phone at your hotel room; however, this route is the most expensive because of pricey surcharges. It is therefore a lot cheaper to use the public telephone boxes. Phone cards are widely available from newsagent.
The local mobile phone operators use GSM networks and have roaming agreements with all major international operators, except those in the USA.
Czech Republic Public Holidays for 2012:
1 January - New Year's Day
9 April - Easter
1 May - May Day
8 May - Liberation from Fascism
5 July - Cyril and Methodius
6 July - Burning at Stake of Jan Hus
28 September - Czech Statehood Day
28 October - Establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic
17 November - Freedom and Democracy Day
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Christmas Day
Czech Republic Public Holidays for 2013:
1 January - New Year's Day
1 April - Easter
1 May - May Day
8 May - Liberation from Fascism
5 July - Cyril and Methodius
6 July - Burning at Stake of Jan Hus
28 September - Czech Statehood Day
28 October - Establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic
17 November - Freedom and Democracy Day
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Christmas Day
It is a common courtesy to respect local customs. Drinking in public and drunken behaviour is punishable by law. Be polite!
There are no vaccination requirements for international travellers, and no major health risks are associated with travel to the Czech Republic. Visitors to forested areas should seek medical advice about immunisation against tick borne encephalitis.
| Hello! | Dobrý den. | DOHbree dehn |
| Hello! (informal) | Ahoj. | ahoy |
| How are you? (formal) | Jak se máte? | yahk seh MAAteh? |
| How are you? (informal) | Jak se máš? | yahk seh MAAsh? |
| Fine, thank you. | Dobře, děkuji. | DOHbrzheh, DYEHkooyih. |
| What is your name? | Jak se jmenuješ? | yahk seh YMEHnooyehsh? |
| My name is ______ . | Jmenuji se ______ . | YMEHnooee seh _____. |
| Nice to meet you. | Těší mě. | TYEHshee myeh. |
| Please. | Prosím | Proseem |
| Thank you. | Děkuji. | Dyekooyih. |
| You're welcome. | Rádo se stalo. | Raado seh stulo. |
| Yes. | Ano. | AHnoh. |
| No. | Ne. | neh. |
| Excuse me. getting attention | Promiňte PROHmihnyteh | PROHmihnyteh |
| I'm sorry. | Je mi to líto. | yeh mee toh LEEtoh |
| Goodbye | Na shledanou | NAHSHlehdahnoh |
| I can't speak Czech [well]. | Neumím [moc dobře] mluvit česky | Nehoomeem [mots dobrzheh] mloovit cheskee. |
| Do you speak English? | Mluvíte anglicky? | Mlooveeteh unglitskee? |
| Is there someone here who speaks English? | Je tady někdo, kdo mluví anglicky? | Yeh tuhdih nyegdo gdo mloovee uhnglitskee? |
| Help! | Pomoc! | POHmohts! |
| Look out! | Pozor! | Pozor! |
| I don't understand. | Nerozumím | NEHrohzoomeem |
| Where is the toilet? | Kde je záchod? | Gdeh yeh ZAHHkhoht? |
| Police! | Policie! | POHleetseeeh! |
| I need your help. | Potřebuji vaši pomoc. | POHTrzhehbooyee VAHshee POHmots |
| It's an emergency. | To je nebezpečí. | toh yeh NEHbehzpehchee |
| I'm lost. | Jsem ztracen | YEHsehm ZTRAHtsehn |
| I'm sick. | Je mi špatně. | yeh mee SHPAHtnehh |
| I've been injured. | Jsem zraněn | YEHsehm ZRAHnehhn |
| I need a doctor. | Potřebuji doktora | POHTrgehbooyee DOHKtohrah |
| Can I use your phone? | Mohu použít váš telefon? | MOHhoo pwohzheet vaash TEHlehfohn? |
Time Zone GMT (UTC) +1
The Czech Republic is a safe European country but pickpocketing is not uncommon, like in any other EU country. Common sense is the best defense against petty crime. Keeping valuables in hotel safe’s and avoiding small dark streets will make the trip more secure and trouble free.
If you are the victim of theft, contact the police and your embassy (for replacement documents).
Although the Czech Republic is a member of the EU, it is not a member of the Eurozone. Official currency is Czech Koruna (CZK).
It is very easy to exchange GBP, EURO or USD into Czech Koruna at the bank, hotel or bureau of exchange. And, of course, if you have an international bankcard you can withdraw Czech Krona from the bank machine.
Most hotels and some restaurants will accept payments by credit/debit card.
Exchange rate vary from place to place. As of April 2012, 1 EURO is approximately 25 CZK and 1 GBP is approximately 30 CZK.
Tipping in bars and restaurants is optional and no service charge added to the bill. Gratuities 10% of the bill for those who have done a good job are a norm.
In the Czech Republic, you will find restaurants where smoking is permitted, completely non-smoking restaurants and also those that have separate rooms for non-smokers or there is a ban on smoking around noon in the restaurant.
There is a complete ban on smoking in enclosed areas freely accessible to the public, public transport, covered platforms, shelters and waiting rooms for public road and rail transport as well as public transport in cities.
The official language is Czech. English and German are becoming widespread, especially in big cities.
Spas and Hotels have staff that speaks English, German, Russian and other languages.
EU citizens with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are entitled to free essential emergency health care, however, on the basis of this card, the insurance company will not even cover the excess stipulated by the local laws such as: vsit to GP – 30CZK, emergency treatment – 90CZK, a day in hospital – 60CZK, item on prescription – 30 CZK, etc. Therefore a medical insurance that can cover all costs is advised.
Non-EU citizens must have travel and medical insurance cover.
Voltage 230V, Frequency 50Hz. Electrical plugs with two round pins and a hole for the socket's male grounding pin are standard. Most outlets will also accept standard European two-pin plugs.
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