healthy living Czech Republic) or VZP as it is better known. It’s the largest health insurance company in the country, with offices throughout the Czech Republic. If you are not a salaried employee of a Czech firm, you are still required to have health insurance with an insurance firm registered in the Czech Republic. This is especially important when applying for a visa, since the foreign police and Czech consulates will require proof of Czech health insurance. VZP for Foreigners (www.vzpforforeigners.cz) offers a private health insurance plan for foreigners not employed by a Czech firm. You can apply online or speak to their English-language staff; they can usually arrange coverage and documents within hours. Once you are registered in the system, either as an employee or on a self-employed basis, you will be issued a card by your insurance company. You should keep it on your person at all times and produce it every time you go to hospital or see your doctor. Remember that public GPs have a contract with one of the health insurance companies, and when you sign up for a local doctor you may find that he or she does not have a contract with the same company that you do. You should therefore check which insurance firm the doctor has an agreement with. If you have to visit a doctor who has a contract with a different healthcare company, then your provider will reimburse the doctor for any costs involved. However, this is the case only where “essential” and “urgent” treatment is required. The situation for EU citizens changed when the Czech Republic became a member of the European Union. These days, even if you only have přechodný pobyt (temporary residence), which lasts five years, you enjoy similar rights to Czech citizens based on the principle of common healthcare provision across the EU. This means that if you are working for an employer, the arrangements described above still apply. If you are working on a freelance basis, e.g. as a translator, you still have to make monthly payments. In the past, you had to take out contractual insurance (if you had long-term residence) but now you have to make an arrangement with a health insurance company yourself. It’s also possible to set up insurance with a non-domestic healthcare company if you are an EU citizen, but this arrangement must comply with EU law on public healthcare, so you should obviously confirm that it does before purchasing coverage. pRiVAte inSuRAnce If you are working independently, you can arrange for cover with a company from home. If you work for a large multi-national firm, your employer may have set up private care for you already. Through their employer, many expats have arrangements with firms such as Bupa, and they go to private clinics that accept these and other private policies. Depending on your situation, you may also be obliged to make contributions to the Czech public healthcare system (see above). This can be advantageous if you must go to a public hospital for emergency treatment. If you tell the hospital you have private care, it may mean filling out paperwork. If you arrange to pay for treatment with your private coverage you might be asked to pay upfront and be reimbursed by your provider later. If you need to show proof of healthcare in order to apply for a visa, be sure the private policy you are considering meets the requirements of the foreign police. Note that since January 1, 2010 only private health insurance obtained through a firm registered in the Czech Republic is acceptable at the foreign police and Czech consulates for obtaining a Czech visa and residence permit. FitneSS centeRS A run-of-the-mill fitness center will have a gym, pool, sauna, massage service, and perhaps a tanning bed (solarium). Fancier gyms may have whirlpools, personal trainers, babysitting services, basketball courts, and even beauty salons. Smaller centers usually offer at least aerobics classes (Zumba, step, spinning, etc.). Holmes Place Health Club, a favorite among expats, has an impressive list of classes, everything from hip-hop dance to Tae Bo to power yoga. Delroy’s Gym offers a range of martial arts, including tai-chi, Thai boxing, karate for kids, selfdefense, and kickboxing. Keep in mind that the farther from the center you venture the less likely it is that your instructor will speak English. For the truly adventurous, or those who speak a bit of Czech, Sokol classes are incredibly cheap; you can take an aerobics class for about 70 CZK a session. If you can afford the monthly fees of 3,000–5,000 CZK, most of Prague’s premiere hotels offer top-of-the-line equipment and facilities. The Cybex Health Club and Spa at the Hilton Prague Hotel boasts the city’s largest combination of sport facilities, including a putting green. Corinthia Panorama’s top-floor health and fitness center provides a dazzling view of Prague Castle. Fit Centrum Vagon and the YMCA are good places to economize on your workout. There are a variety of ways to pay at Prague’s fitness centers. You can buy a one-month, three-month, six-month, or a year-long plan. Message-board favorites: Balance Club and Hit Fitness Flora. SWimminG/beAcheS A few tips on public pools: most pools assign you a locker, often with a key on a wrist band that you can wear in the water, and many have private changing rooms for those inclined to modesty. There’s usually a “no shoes in the changing room” policy, and many pools designate an area near the entrance for removing the offending items and putting them in plastic bags to take in with you. Make sure you check the opening times before you visit; a lot of pools close for a midday break. Expect to pay by how long you plan to stay—usually in 60 or 90 minute blocks. You’ll typically pay 70–90 CZK per session. This might seem a bit restrictive (and steep) at first, but an hour and a half is ample time for a few lengths. Hotel pools are an option as well. Hotel Axa is a favorite in the center of town, great for lengths, and popular with locals and hotel patrons alike. With great pool toys, a children’s trampoline, and a twisty-turny water slide, Aquapark Lagoon Letňany is a kid’s dream. As well as the water slide, you’ll find a spa pool, kids’ pool, and a 25-meter main pool. A bit out of the way but worth the trip. Also: AquaPalace in Čestlice. PSA Hloubětín is a modern pool attached to a fitness complex. It has one 25-meter pool, one children’s pool, and café cuisine that’s surprisingly on the lighter side. For size, accessibility, facilities, and the sheer novelty of being able to swim outside in temperatures below freezing, Podolí can’t be beat! The huge indoor pool, knee-knockingly high diving boards, giant outdoor waterslide, and heated outdoor pool all make for a unique experience. Prague’s Žluté lázně (Yellow Spa) on the east banks of the Vltava in Podolí boasts an impressive 35,000 square meters that can hold up to 8,000 visitors. hikinG tRAilS The Czech tradition of hiking goes back a long way. The Czech Hiking Club (Klub Českých Turistů), or KČT, was established in 1888. One of the contributions KČT has made to hiking is the use of colored markers: red, blue, green, and yellow, on a white background. Generally, the blue and red trails are for longer main trails and the yellow and green connect them. At present there are over 40,000 km of trails, of which 200–400 km are changed annually. These changes appear in the new editions of the 98 maps of the Czech Republic available at most large book stores. If you’ve never been hiking before, the Beroun (map 36) area is a good place to start. Very accessible from Prague, you can visit Karlštejn and the former quarries Velká Amerika, Malá Amerika, and Mexiko (now filled with water) all within a day. Located north of Prague, Czech Paradise/Český ráj (map 19) is synonymous with hiking. Natural attractions include the labyrinthine rock formations of Prachovské skály, and Drabské světníčky, a rock city allegedly the haunt of bandits. 82 | expats.cz survival guide www.expats.cz
www.expats.cz Premium fi tness and wellness clubs Gym Power Plate Yoga Pilates Zumba Les Mills TRX Swimming pool Spa PREMIUM ANDĚL, OC NOVÝ SMÍCHOV Plzeňská 8, tel. 257 313 830 PREMIUM KARLÍN Křižíkova 44, tel. 222 331 111 ENERGY ČERNÝ MOST Chlumecká 8, tel. 777 079 165 ENERGY SMÍCHOV Nádražní 32, tel. 774 791 985 www.holmesplace.cz expats.cz survival guide | 83 inzerat Expat guide_127x187 (FIN).indd 1 23.8.2011 9:47:28 healthy living
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