Where to start…
Unlike Iceland, where I’d be (at the time) moving around the island, I’d planned to stay in Prague. I initially started with the Lonely Planet Pocket Prague for trying to plan days of things to do. However, since I was going to be geocaching-focused, I used the CacheTur.No tool for laying out routes. For example, one sub-trip had me going down to Vysehrad (south), another hitting the Charles Bridge early, before crowds came in.
Here’s an example itinerary for a stroll on my first afternoon, walking around the block from my hotel:
And this is the routing it suggested:
The three features I use most are sequencing (trying to find an optimal route without backtracking), pacing (the time estimated in the green box), and storing notes about the cache, especially for Earth Caches where they can drone on in the listing before getting to the required tasks to complete.
For Prague, I’ve found these YouTube channels helpful:
- Real Prague Guides. Valery in Prague is the analogue to Karl in Iceland: funny, and with extremely useful videos like Using Prague Public Transit, Are These Prague Instagram Spots Worth The Hype? and Must Try Snacks in Convenience Stores.
- Honest Guide. This channel rocks with useful information as well as how to avoid being scammed.
- Dream Prague is one of my newer finds for cultural differences. Jen’s free guide is a nice synopsis of things a tourist needs to know. Radka’s Prague for Dreamers has some lovely interviews with owners of establishments.
Currency
Czech Koruna (CZK), not Euro. For many things, I could use a credit card (Visa, not American Express). There were times when cash was easier (e.g., dining with a friend, street vendors). Since I was also planning to take a tour, and the company had asked for cash, and I was anticipating tipping, I wanted to have some cash.
There are a lot of places where there is potential concern that you will get a terrible rate. Honest Guide explains this well. There is also a map of honest places in Prague, but it’s unclear how often it’s updated.
Without comparing to other places, an obvious clue that it’s a terrible deal is the spread, that is, the difference between the We Buy (you give them USD, they will give you this many CZK) and the We Sell (you give them CZK, they give you USD) is large, in this case, 7.38. USD, EUR and GBP are very liquid currencies. You would expect the spread to be far less than 1.0.
For example, this is more indicative of a better rate that I had while I was there:
Note that some places have a “VIP” rate, which is more favorable if you exchange more money (typically 25,000 CZK, about $1100 USD), though you can often download a coupon from the website.
The act of currency exchange felt sketchy. I walked into a place, asked them if the numbers on the app were still their VIP rates. Next, I entered a small room separated by a glass window, slid the dude some Canadian and US Dollars. Everything was counted, then he handed me a receipt with a value. I nodded, and was handed Czech currency to count. Took all of 2 minutes. Very little talking.
Paper bills are available in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 CZK. The exchange places seem to prefer larger bills. However, I generally found that presenting anything larger than 500 (about $25 USD-equivalent) caused issues with making change. So if I did this again, I would ask the currency exchange person for smaller bills.
You can also get cash from an ATM, and there are a list of banks that won’t completely rip you off like (apparently) EuroNet, which are ubiquitous. When doing so, the ATM will present a conversion for you. Always decline it, as the rate is always worse (in this case 10%) than what your bank will give you. When you decline, expect the bank to tack on a transaction fee. The one time I used this was 155 CZK (which is about $6.60)
Lodging
I was staying 5 days in the city, I found an apartment central, but on the periphery of Old Town square. The SeNo6 Apartments was nice, and I’d consider staying here again because it was quiet and safe. However, I’d opt for the “Deluxe” room instead of the “Exclusive” so I’d have a shower I could turn around in, and a toilet closer to the bedroom. Ah, things that become more important when you’re in your 50s… Danielle was awesome for providing specific places to go.
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
After having a rough itinerary, I looked into resources available from the government. One of the most helpful was the US Department of State’s Travel Advisories. In addition to the longer, official pages (Iceland, Czechia) describing the country, It provides concise, very useful summaries of important information for each destination such as entry requirements, which side of the road they drive on, and general safety issues.
For example, the Iceland page notes that crime is generally very low, but “Be aware that downtown Reykjavik can become disorderly in the late night […] hours as people are leaving bars,” something Karl alluded to in one of his videos on “Is Iceland Safe?”
One can also set up alerts. Three times, I’ve received alerts for soccer matches in Prague where fans can get a little unruly. While I was there, a bonafide demonstration happened:
While I was there, there were ones for protests supporting Palestinians. Generally, though, it was like most large cities in developed countries:
- You’re generally safe during most times.
- There are pickpockets around the tourist attractions (e.g., the Astronomical clock). Pack light. Blend in by looking stoic.
- Take cues from the locals.