Prague hacks for Interns:

Autor Sina Müller

Before the arrival 

Apartment or flat search 

You should start looking for an apartment in good time. But be careful, there may be one or two scammers among the genuine advertisements. Before you pay the deposit or the first month’s rent, it’s better to be absolutely sure that the apartment really exists. 

Ways to find an apartment

Facebook groups:

• Flat Rent Prague (no agency fees)
• Erasmus Prague Accommodation / Flatshare / Rooms
• Temporary flat rentals in Prague
• And many more, just search on Facebook: “Flat Prague…” 

Websites:

• Student Room Flat 
• The Fizz

Arrival

Depending on whether you are traveling by train, bus, plane or car, there are a few helpful tips you need to know. 

Airplane 

Public transportation:

You can easily take public transportation from the airport to the city. The most convenient connection is to first take bus line 119, which ends at Nádraží Veleslavín, from where you can change to metro line A in the direction of Depo Hostivař. Depending on where you want to go, there are further transfer options.

Uber or Bolt:

A cheap alternative to cabs are Uber or Bolt, which are very reliable in Prague. It’s best to take a look at both apps and compare which one is cheaper. The cost should be around 15€ to 25€, depending on your destination.

RegioJet:

RegioJet buses offer a convenient way to travel from the airport directly to the city center. There is less flexibility as they only run every 1 or 2 hours, but with a price of 4.10€ it is an unbeatable offer. 

Train or Bus 

If the journey is not too far, then traveling by bus or train is an alternative to flying. 

From all bus stops, you can easily take public transport, Uber or Bolt to get to your destination.

Tour buses:

• RegioJet
• Flixbus

Train:

• České Dráhy

Car

Anyone arriving by car should pay attention to where they park. There are different parking zones, which have different meanings. If you don’t pay attention, you could risk a parking fine or your car could even be towed away. 

Take a look at this article:

• https://praguetouristinformation.com/en/planning/arrival/parking 

A practical alternative are the P + R (Park and Ride) parking lots, which are located near public transport stations. You can find more information here: https://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/3601/p-r-car-parks?back=1 

Arrival in Prague 

Once you’ve made it and settled into your new home, you’re ready to get started. Here are some tips on how to make your first few weeks a little easier. 

Local and public transport 

Navigation through the city works perfectly with Google Maps. You can also use the PID LÍTAČKA app. You can also buy tickets and passes in the app. If you regularly use public transport (buses, streetcars and metro), then the pass for 3 months is more worthwhile than buying a new one-way ticket each time. If you buy one-way tickets online, you have to activate them 2 minutes before you start your journey. And it is actually checked, so I would recommend actually buying tickets. 

On buses and streetcars you can also buy tickets directly, these are valid from the time of purchase. In the metro you can buy tickets in the stations, but you have to validate them before you get on the metro.

Registration in Prague 

As an EU citizen, you must register with the Foreign Police after your arrival. This should be done within the first 30 days of your stay. You should take your employment contract, an identity document and your rental contract with you. (Officially everyone should register, but if you don’t do it, nothing will happen, if you decide to register there, you should take someone with you who speaks Czech). 

More information:

Currency and money

In the Czech Republic, you pay with Czech crowns. In general, you can pay by credit card almost everywhere, but if you want to carry some cash with you, you can withdraw money from normal ATMs. 

Depending on your bank’s rates and the fees you have to pay when paying in foreign currencies, it may be worthwhile to use a Revolut-Account.

If you want to change money, you can go to local money changers. But beware of scammers. Many money changers state that they do not take commission, but the exchange rate is to your disadvantage. The Honest Guide has a Map with fair Money Changers. To make sure you don’t get scammed, use a currency converter before changing money and ask how many crowns you can get for the euro amount before changing.

Life in Prague 

Costs

Contrary to some preconceptions, life in Prague can unfortunately be very expensive. Above all, food, drugstore products and other items may be more expensive than in other european countries. Take a close look at the prices, you might prefer to buy some things at home before you come to the Czech Republic. 

Also pay attention to which parts of the city you go shopping in. The tourist city center can be a lot more expensive.

Events and activities

Facebook:

Most events are promoted via Facebook. You can find everything you can imagine there, from farmers’ markets to creative workshops and parties.

Instagram: 

There are many Instagram pages that provide regular information about events, local customs, etc., e.g:

• praguetoday
• praguemorningcz
• pragueforexpats
• expatscz

Health 

In the event that you need to go to the hospital or doctor, it’s good to know where you can go without incurring high additional costs. 

In this article you will find a list with hospitals in prague with information on how expat-friendly they are.

If you are looking for a specific doctor, you can join Facebook groups such as EXPATS in PRAGUE to find out which doctors speak English or search for old articles on the same topic. 

Discounts and offers (for students)

With the ISIC card / student ID, students receive many discounts at museums, sights, etc.

There is the website Slevomat (CZ), which collects offers from all over the Czech Republic. 

Useful phrases in Czech 

Actually, you can get along almost everywhere with English. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to know the most important words and phrases in Czech: