Scroll down to see free safety tips and travel tips around Prague.
Staying safe in Prague
The city is generally quite safe, but it is good to be aware of some tips that I have listed below.
1. Don’t carry large amounts of cash or a lot of visible shiny jewellery.
2. Always have your eyes on your belongings, especially in public transport and in crowded areas.
3. Don’t put your valuables (especially phone or wallet) into the pockets of your pants. Keep them inside of your jacket or somewhere close to your body.
4. Don’t change money in the street or small exchange shops (recently many of them have been shut by the Prague council due to fraud).
5. Always be cautious when you’re walking alone or in smaller groups at night, especially in the side streets. If an area feels strange or is too dark, walk around it or take a different street.
Shoes: high heels or uncomfortable shoes are not advised in the city center, as you will be walking mostly on concrete pavement blocks, which do have bumps and holes and could cause you to trip or slip (especially during rain or snow).
Unsafe areas (especially at night): Wenceslas Square, Hlavni Nadrazi, Andel, Palmovka
Public transport: Allow people to exit the carriage first before getting on. It is considered rude not to do so. Offer your seat to senior people, small children and pregnant women.
Smoking: Czechs are tolerant when it comes to smoking, so the ban of smoking inside of restaurants and pubs hit the smokers hard. It is also forbidden to smoke on tram and bus stops. If you’re a smoker, please don’t throw cigarette butts on the ground and use the bin instead.
Public transport (Validating your ticket)
Always buy a ticket at these vending machines (or newsagent) and then validate your ticket before you get onto the subway (in trams and buses you validate the ticket immediately after you get on).
Taxis – Taxicabs are generally safe, however beware of scams with prices. Especially in the city centre cab drivers will often use an exaggerated rate or they will “add” some fake surcharge at the end of the ride. This is absolutely illegal and is purely aimed at unknowing tourists, who aren‘t aware of this. Find out the rate per kilometre before you get into the cab and if anything seems strange about the drivers behavior, then leave and look for another cab. UBER can be advised also as it is reliable and you always know the price beforehand.
Fakes and scams
If you haven’t heard of HONEST GUIDE, then you should definitely check it out. Janek Rubes and his cameraman are revealing many scammers around Prague that try to rip tourists off. They will give you many tips on what to avoid and where to go to feel like a local. Follow them, as they regularly put out new videos with important and also fun information about the city.
Never change money with some random person in the street. The typical scam is that they will give you fake money instead.
Don’t take pictures or give money to people who use live animals, for example colorful birds. They will try to place them on your hands or arms and then request money for this.
Be careful of people walking around with clipboards pretending to be deaf who are trying to collect money for some organisation for deaf people. This is also a very popular scam!
Understanding locals
Czech people are generally very friendly. Most people in Prague will know atleast some basic English. However, if youre looking for advice or help, look for a younger person, as they will more likely speak English well than an older person.