Check out our Czech Republic weather page for some Czech climate information, and details about the best time to travel in the Czech Republic. We also have a six-day Prague weather forecast.

To call into the Czech Republic, the country code is 420. To dial out of Czech, dial 00 followed by the country code and phone number. The following are emergency numbers within Czech:

Police (Municipal): 156
Police (State): 158
Ambulance: 155
Fire Brigade: 150

Most post offices (posta) are open Mon-Fri 7am-6pm (larger ones until 8pm), Sat 7am-noon. Look for the right sign to avoid queuing unnecessarily: znamky (stamps), dopisy (letters) or obalky (parcels). You can also buy stamps from tobacconists and kiosks, though often only for domestic mail.

Poste restante services are available in major towns, but remember to write Posta 1 (the main office), followed by the name of the town.

The charge to send a standard postcard or letter weighing up to 20g to another European country (automatically airmail) is 9 CZK. For all other countries (including the US, Canada and Australia) charges are 14 CZK or 9 CZK (surface mail). Rates then rise according to the weight of the letter or parcel, with a 1Kg package, for example, costing 177 CZK to Europe or 349 CZK to all other countries. An up-to-date list of Česka Pošta's charges can be found on their website at: the Czech Post website. 

The majority of public phones only take phone cards (telefonni karty), costing 175kc or 320kc and are available from post offices, tobacconists and some shops. You can make local calls (costing 4kc a minute) or international calls from all card phones, all of which have instructions in English.

International calls are charged at a rate of about 10kc a minute to the UK, and 17kc a minute to the US, Canada and Australia. Off-peak calls are cheaper (between 7pm and 7am, dial 052 instead of 00 for significantly cheaper international calls).

Internet cafes are booming in Prague, where you'll pay 60-100kc/hr, but access gets harder outside the capital and major cities.

The official currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech Crown (koruna), abbreviated as Kč, with the international abbreviation CZK.

1 crown consists of 100 hellers (haléř), abbreviated as hal.

Coins: 50 hal., 1 Kč, 2 Kč, 5 Kč, 10 Kč, 20 Kč, 50 Kč
Banknotes: 50 Kč, 100 Kč, 200 Kč, 500 Kč, 1000 Kč, 2000 Kč, 5000 Kč

As the official currency, the Czech Crown is the best and often the only possible currency to use when paying. Although the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, the Euro is not widely accepted here yet. Some stores, restaurants and hotels accept payments in Euros but the exchange rate may not be very good.

Czech money tips for travellers:
• Always change money in a bank or take cash out of ATM machines, which are easy to find in every larger town and city
• Be careful when using money exchange offices. Many of them target tourists and you may end up paying a high commission without even knowing about it
• Never agree to changing money on the street. The purpose of this practice is not to exchange money, but to steal it from you
• Don't carry large amounts of cash with you. Carry a credit card and take money out of a cash machine as you go. You can also use your card to make payments. Major credit cards are accepted in many locations

Check today's Czech Republic Koruna (Kr) Exchange Rate from OANDA.com, The Currency Site.
Caution: These exchange rates are a reference guide only.
Actual rates in-country will be slightly higher or lower.

Local Costs in Czech Republic

- Chocolate bar                          Kč 1.00
- Sending postcard overseas Kč 11.00
- Loaf of white bread                 Kč 15.00
- Bottle of water                          Kč 30.00
- Vodka/litre                                 Kč 150.00 
- Petrol/litre                                 Kč 30.00
- Souvenir t-shirt                        Kč 300.00
- Goulash                                    Kč 100.00
- Shot of slivovice                       Kč 35.00

Average room rates

Low      Kč300-1000
Mid       Kč1000-3000
High     Kč3000-4500
Deluxe Kč4500+

Average Meal Rates

Low      Kč60-150
Mid       Kč150-300
High     Kč300-400
Deluxe Kč400+

Population - 10.2 million people
Total Area - 78,866 square kilometres
Capital - Prague (1.2 million people)
Time Zone - Standard Time Zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour (From March-October it is +2 hours due to daylight savings).

To view the current time in Prague, click on this link to TimeAndDate.com.

Although Czech (Český) will be understood by visitors from other Slavic nations (it belongs to the West Slavonic group of Indo-European languages), there are enough differences to make it easily distinguishable from Russian (East Slavonic) or Serbian/Croatian (South Slavonic). And, though it invariably becomes - for English speakers at least - a somewhat daunting language to learn, getting to grips with a few choice words and phrases should pay dividends.

Certainly locals seem to appreciate the fact that you've made the effort and, in turn, will do their best to help despite the language barrier.

In reality, making yourself understood won't be too much of a problem as many (young) people speak good English, while German is also widely understood. Indeed, most hotels and a high-proportion of tourist-oriented restaurants/shops have staff who speak foreign languages.

Some handy Czech words/phrases for travellers to know include:

Yes - ano
No - ne
Hello/Good day - Dobry den
Good bye - Na shledanou
Good evening - Dobry vecer
Good night - Dobrou noc
Help - Pomoc
How much is it? - Kolik to stoji?
Sorry/Excuse me - Prominte
Thank you - Dekuju
Washroom/Toilet - Zachod
Where is -  Kde je

Follow the link to view a current list of public holidays in Czech Republic.

About 40 percent of Czechs belong to the Roman Catholic Church. As a result of four decades of official atheism, religious affiliation for many people is only nominal. However, since the demise of communism, many younger people have been joining churches.

Other religions: Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, Other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%

The Czech Republic is situated approximately in the geographical centre of Europe and has an area of 78,866 sq km. It is a landlocked country 326 km from the Baltic and 322 km from the Adriatic sea.

It shares borders with Germany (810 km), Poland (762 km), Austria (466 km) and Slovakia (265 km). The highest point of elevation is the peak of Mt Sněžka (1,602 m above sea level) and the lowest point of elevation is near Holensko where the River Labe leaves Czech territory (117 m above sea level).

Czech Republic is divided into Bohemia (Čechy) and Moravia (Morava). The language and culture are similar, although some parts of Moravia are known for their specific accent. The Moravian culture is generally friendlier and more laid back than that of the people in Bohemia. Moravia is also predominantly wine drinking while most beer is produced and drunk in Bohemia.

The capital of Bohemia is Prague (Praha) and the capital of Moravia is Brno, although it has no special administrative status.

Administratively Czech Republic is divided into regions (kraj) which in turn consist of counties (okres), each with an administrative centre. The structure and powers of local government as well as the geographic layout of regions and counties is a topic of much political debate.

Food is an important part of any national identity. In his book Chrám i tvrz (A Cathedral And A Fortress), Pavel Eisner a famous Czech writer and translator writes about Czech food as one of the blandest and least healthy of all. In this it is rivalled probably only by the Ukrainian and Polish cuisines.

Curiously, as Eisner himself noted, Czechs hold a misguided pride in their food. They are especially proud of a Czech specialty knedlík which is basically boiled bread dough typically served with a healthy serving of fatty pork and sauerkraut.

A typical Czech meal contains meat and knedlík or potatoes. Vegetables, if present at all, are boiled. Some claim this is done to ensure total absence of vitamins, and if possible, flavour. Salads in Czech cuisine contain a lot of mayonnaise, cheese, salami and sometimes no vegetables at all. Lettuce is a seasonal vegetable and is not used in salads outside of the summer.

A typical selection of spices consists of salt, ground black or red pepper. Other popular spices are dill, caraway, marjory or thyme. Another popular condiment applied liberally with many items on the table is ketchup. It is common to see pizzerias offering ketchup.

Some foreigners may be surprised that even sweet foods (for example pancakes) are served as the main course at a lunch or dinner. The bottom line is that Czech food takes some getting used to. But there are many who do begin to like it and discover possible intricacies, especially if they get to sample the output of a genuine grandmother.

Vegetarians may find it difficult to eat well unless they cook for themselves. Many restaurants advertise ‘meatless' meals which may, however, contain ham (šunka) or be made with lard (sádlo).

About 81 percent of the people of the Czech Republic are ethnic Czechs (Bohemians), 13 percent are Moravians, and 3 percent are ethnic Slovaks. Other minorities include Poles and Silesians in northern Bohemia; Germans in the west (Sudetenland); and Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Russians, and Greeks in the south and east.

The Romany (gypsy) ethnic group is nomadic and difficult to count, but is officially estimated at 0.7 percent of the population. The Romanies are subject to considerable discrimination throughout Europe.

A trip to Prague won't pose any major health worries and compulsory vaccinations are not required. However, Prague does suffer from pollution, so people with respiratory problems may experience some discomfort. Water is safe to drink, but can taste a little unpleasant at times. If you're in doubt, bottled water is widely available. It's also wise to make a list before leaving (to keep on your person) giving details of your blood type, allergies and chronic conditions for which you are receiving treatment.

The Czech Republic has reciprocal agreements in place to provide free emergency health care to citizens from countries inside the European Economic Area (EEA). You'll be charged for additional (non-emergency) treatments though, so travel insurance remains a must. Similarly, US and Canadian citizens should check that they have adequate medical coverage before travelling.