Safety in Czech Republic

Overall: The country is very safe and you can walk through cities late at night without concern. Serious incidents involving visitors are rare.

Pickpockets: The one real risk. Stay alert on tram 22, on the Charles Bridge and in the crush around the astronomical clock.

Taxis: Never take a car hailed off the street, especially near the stations. Use Uber or Bolt, where the price is set before you get in.

Tap water: Drinkable everywhere, though it can taste of chlorine. Plenty of travellers buy bottled out of habit rather than necessity.

Documents: By law you should carry identification. Police checks are uncommon, but not having the original can create paperwork.

Driving: Czechia has zero tolerance for alcohol at the wheel. Fines are enormous and the narrow old streets are unforgiving.

Before you go: Check your own government's travel advisory, though for Czechia this rarely amounts to more than standard pickpocket warnings.

Prague is physically safe and unsafe for your wallet: the city has lived with an industry of petty tourist deception for decades.

Exchange offices. Prague's historic problem. A "0% commission" sign with a rate one and a half times off the bank rate is the standard scheme. Importantly: Czech law gives you three hours to cancel an exchange and get your money back, and the office must issue a receipt before the transaction. Change money at banks or reputable offices such as eXchange on Kaprova, where the rate is honest.

Airport taxis. Cars outside the door quote triple. The airport's official partners have desks inside the terminal; otherwise use an app.

Restaurants on the Old Town Square. Menus without prices, a "dish of the day" and a bill with additions. Check prices before ordering and check the bill after.

Strip club touts. On Wenceslas Square. Inside, the bill climbs into tens of thousands of crowns, and cards are sometimes charged twice.

"Police" checking your money. They ask to see your cash for counterfeits. Real Czech police do not do this.

Pickpockets. Trams 22 and 23, metro line A, and the Charles Bridge at peak times.

Zero alcohol at the wheel. Absolute zero, with no allowance. One beer in the evening and a drive in the morning can end in a criminal case. The Czech Republic is stricter about this than most of Europe.

Public transport. Tickets must be validated in the yellow machine on boarding — purchased but unvalidated counts as invalid. Inspectors wear plain clothes, and the on-the-spot fine is around 1,500 crowns.

Drugs. Possessing a small amount of cannabis is an administrative offence, but this is not legalisation: selling and cultivation are criminal, and the tourist-facing "weed shops" trade in a grey area.

Street drinking. Central Prague prohibits drinking alcohol in public places, with the map of zones published by the city hall. At night the historic quarter also bans noisy groups — the city is tackling alcohol tourism in earnest.

Smoking. Banned in bars and restaurants since 2017.

Drones. Registration under EASA rules; flights over Prague's historic centre are prohibited.

Vaccinations. None mandatory, but one is worth discussing: the Czech Republic is among the world leaders in tick-borne encephalitis. If you plan forests, Bohemian Paradise, Šumava or cycling trips, the vaccine makes sense — locals take it as standard.

Ticks. The season runs April to October. Check yourself after woodland and long grass.

Water. Tap water is drinkable nationwide.

Healthcare. Good standards at moderate European prices. Emergency care is given to everyone and billed to foreigners. Prague has clinics with English- and Russian-speaking staff.

Beer. The Czech Republic leads the world in consumption per head, and the local beer is stronger than it tastes. The main reason tourists reach an emergency department is not crime but falls and injuries on cobblestones while drunk.

Pharmacies. Lékárna, with a round-the-clock duty pharmacy in every major town.

Emergency numbers: 155 for ambulance, 112 for the European line.

The Czech Republic sits in the upper half of the Corruption Perceptions Index; street bribery does not occur.

Numbers. 158 for the state police, 156 for municipal police, 112 unified.

Tourist police. Prague has a unit oriented toward foreigners with English-speaking officers, based centrally on Jindřišská.

Reporting theft. Your insurer needs a report. These are taken without difficulty, though the process is slow. Always ask for a copy.

The right to cancel a currency exchange. This rule genuinely works and the police know it. If an exchange office cheated you, the three-hour cancellation window is a legal tool, not a theory.

Traffic police. Fines are issued on the spot at moderate amounts. There are many speed traps, particularly at the entrances to towns.

Russian speakers. Russian is understood by many in the Czech Republic, but the political context of recent years is noticeable. In official situations, English is better.