PRAGUE - Fringe

8 BASICS
Arriving in Prague
By plane
Prague’s airport is 20km from the city centre. A taxi to
the town centre has just risen to around 600Kč even if you
call a company to pick you up rather than take one from
outside the terminal - reputable AAA have representatives
in the arrivals hall now. Alternatively, use the ČEDAZ
minibus service (tel. 220 11 42 96, 05:30 - 21:30) that
runs every half hour between the airport and Náměstí
Republiky (F-2). Tickets cost 90Kč (including one piece
of baggage, children under 10 free) and can be bought
from the driver or from the booth in the arrival terminal.
For an extra fee, ČEDAZ can also pick you up or drop you
off at your hotel.
The cheapest way to get into town is on by bus: N°119
(2-8 times per hour between 04:18 and 00:10 with at
least one wheelchair-friendly bus per hour) runs between
the airport and the Dejvická metro station (Line A, green)
in about 20 minutes. From Dejvická it is just five stops to
Muzeum in the centre of town. Bus N°100 whisks you to
Zličín (metro Line B, yellow) from the airport in 13 minutes.
There is a new Airport Express (AE) bus from Holešovice
which runs every half an hour, whizzing you across the city in
half an hour, whether you are arriving or departing. Special
fares apply to this bus, tickets can only be bought from
the driver and do not allow any transfers or other forms of
transport. Tickets are 45/25Kč, dogs 25Kč and luggage
is free. First & last buses from Holešovice 05:15 & 21:45,
from the airport 04:40 & 21:10.
A 20Kč transport ticket (plus a 10Kč one for big bags)
will get you all the way into town or to the airport on all
public transport except the Airport Express. Tickets can
be bought at the friendly transport information desk in
both arrival halls (open 07:00 - 22:00) or from the coinoperated
machine at the airport bus stop, but not from
the driver. You need to validate the ticket (once for the
whole trip) in the machines on board the bus.
Prague’s new Terminal North 2 will allow for at least 4
million more passengers a year to travel into Prague with
the ability to continue expansion. New bars, restaurants,
shops and services ply their trade in this terminal which
accommodates flights to and from Schengen countries.
There is a left luggage facilty at the airport which doesn’t
close and costs 60Kč per item per day.
By train
Prague has two main railway stations. Praha Hlavní
nádraží (tel. 224 61 52 49) is architecturally fabulous (in
the Jugendstil tradition) although you won’t know it until
you exit its underground nightmare. There is a tourist
office (open 09:00 - 19:00. Sat, Sun 09:00 - 16:00) in
the centre of the lower hall of the two levels. Currency exchange
offices abound, but for a better deal, use the ATM
on the far left of the lower hall. Left luggage (úschova)
requirements are filled by coin-operated lockers (10Kč
/24hrs) and a guarded luggage depository opposite
(closed for 30 minutes from 05:30, 12:00 and 17:30).
Getting to town involves one stop on the metro to Muzeum
or a dangerous walk up busy Wilsonova. The other station,
Praha Holešovice (tel. 224 61 58 65), is used by trains
on the main Berlin Vienna/Bratislava route. The small hall
holds the ticket office (open 09:00 - 17:00, closed Sat,
Sun), left luggage lockers, an internet café and several exchange
and accommodation offices (open 06:00 - 23:00).
It is three stops on the metro to Muzeum. For multilingual
service, avoid the queues at the station counters and
buy your train ticket at Wasteels or at the ČR agency.
Prague In Your Pocket
Market values
How do costs compare to back home? Here’s a handy
list to see where the buck stops.
McDonald’s Big Mac 56Kč €2.00 $2.60 £1.40
Loaf of white bread 18Kč €0.60 $0.80 £0.40
Snickers bar 12Kč €0.40 $0.55 £0.30
Litre of vodka 140Kč €5.00 $6.50 £3.40
Bottle of local beer
(1/2 litre) 12Kč €0.40 $0.55 £0.30
20 Marlboros 66Kč €2.40 $3.00 £1.60
Public transport ticket 20Kč €0.70 $0.90 £0.50
Cinema ticket 160Kč €5.80 $7.50 £3.90
Dry-cleaning one men’s
shirt 55Kč €2.00 $2.55 £1.30
Roll of Kodak 200 speed film, 24 exposures
105Kč €3.80 $5.00 £2.55
Exchange rates: €1 - 28.30Kč, US$1 - 21.50Kč,
£1 - 41.30 Kč on 12.03.2007.
Public transport
Prague’s public transport system (Dopravní podnik) is
efficient, fast and reasonably clean. With three metro
lines, 26 tram routes and 9 night trams you won’t need
the bus routes that avoid the centre. Keep in mind that
the centre of Prague is easily accessible on foot. Tickets,
valid for all means of transport, can be purchased from the
numerous vending machines at all metro stations, major
tram stops and news stands. You always need to validate
your ticket yourself by stamping it in the machines at
metro entrances and on trams. The most common ticket
is the 20Kč transfer ticket, which is valid for 75 minutes
(90 minutes between 22:00 and 05:00, on weekends
and public holidays). The 14Kč non-transfer ticket is
meant for tram rides under 20 minutes with no changes,
or in the metro for up to 5 stations (changes allowed) from
the departure station within 30 minutes. We suggest you
save yourself time by buying a handful of these on arrival.
If you’re planning to stay a bit and explore, get the oneday
pass (80Kč), a three-day pass (220Kč), a weekly
pass (280Kč) or a 15-day pass (320Kč). Children under
6 travel free; and tickets are half price up to 15 years old.
Large pieces of luggage (including rucksacks) cost an
extra 10Kč while dogs ride the rails for 20Kč. Fines for
no validated tickets are 500Kč if paid on the spot or pay
1,000Kč later. The funicular railway and night tram
tickets are 20Kč. Trams trundle around town every few
minutes; useful lines are N°22 and 23 which run from the
centre up to the rear entrance of the castle, saving you
the uphill walk. The metro connects the two main train
stations and Florenc bus station to the centre and runs
up to just after midnight, when the night trams take
over, zipping in all directions from the Lazarská stop (H-5)
every half hour. Tram information is on the red signs at
each stop and is correct assuming of course that some
worn out Škoda hasn’t died on the tram lines. Beware
of Prague’s ultra-professional pickpockets, especially
on trams N°22 and 23 and in busy metro cars. For more
information visit the excellent website with English and
German information on routes and schedules, at www.
dpp.cz, or call 222 62 37 77.
Need some direction?
Travel Information Centre I-5, MMuzeum, tel.
296 19 18 17, www.dpp.cz. All you ever wanted to
know about routes, tariffs, tickets, timetables, re-routings
and service disruptions, maps and general information
about Prague’s bus, tram and metro system from friendly,
multi-lingual folk. Apart from the airport offices, these
are found at the metro stations.QOpen 07:00 - 21:00.
Also at E-4, Můstek, Jungmannovo nám., open 07:00
- 18:00, closed Sat & Sun; Anděl, open 07:00 - 18:00,
closed Sat & Sun; Prague Airport terminals 1 & 2, open
07:00 - 22:00.
Learning the language
Numbers
1 jeden (m)/jedna (f)
2 dva (m)/dvě (f)
3 tři
4 čtyři
5 pět
6 šest
7 sedm
8 osm
9 devět
10 deset
Days
Monday pondělí
Tuesday úterý
Wednesday středa
Thursday čtvrtek
Friday pátek
Saturday sobota
Sunday neděle
Basics
Yes ano
No ne
Please/you’re welcome prosím
Thank you (very much) děkuji
Excuse me omluvte mě
Sorry promiňte
Hello dobrý den
Goodbye nashledanou
I would like... rád/ráda bych...
Where is... kde je...
Street Smarts
Ulice street (ul.),
but not usually used in an address
Most bridge
Náměstí square (nám.)
Schody steps
Brány gates
Nábřeží quay
National holidays
Signs
Open otevřeno
Closed zavřeno
Entrance vchod
Exit východ
Push tam
Pull sem
Arrival příjezd (train)
přílet (plane)
Departure odjezd (train)
odlet (plane)
No smoking zde nekuřte
zákaz kouření
Men’s toilets páni/muži
Ladies toilets dámy/ženy
9 Apr Easter Monday
1 May Labour day
8 May Day of Liberation from Fascism (end of WWII)
CZ: A brief history
BASICS
4th Century
The present day Czech Republic was populated by Celts
and it was the Celtic Boii tribe who gave the country its
Latin name, Boiohaemum (Bohemia).
6th Century
The first Slavs travel from the east to the Prague area.
7th Century
According to legend a princess named Libuše marries
a ploughman and founds the Premysl dynasty. She
prophesies that a great city will rise above the banks
of the Vltava.
10th Century
Václav I, misleadingly later to be called the Good King
Wenceslas in the Christmas carol, is murdered by his
brother Boleslav. He becomes the country’s patron saint
and his feast day is celebrated on 28 Sept.
14th Century
In 1346 Charles IV is crowned King of Bohemia, and in
1348 he founds Charles University in Prague, the first
university in the Holy Roman Empire. Prague becomes the
largest city in Europe, with 40,000-50,000 inhabitants.
15th Century
On 6 July, 1415 the protestant reformer Jan Hus is burnt
at the stake. He becomes a martyr for the nationalist and
Protestant movement that adopts his name.
16th Century
In 1526 the Hapsburg Duke Ferdinand I is elected as
King of Bohemia. The dynasty will rule the Czech lands
until 1918.
20th Century
28 Oct, 1918 Following the defeat of Germany and
Austria, the Empire dissolves into several national states
and, Czechoslovakia finally becomes an independent
republic. Tomáš Masaryk becomes its first president.
15 Mar, 1939 The Wehrmacht invades and turns the
Czech lands and Moravia into a protectorate, while Slovakia
becomes an independent fascist state.
5 May, 1945 The Prague Uprising. Five thousand die in
four days of fierce fighting as the Czechs fight the Nazis
for the city. Prague is finally liberated by the Soviets.
Feb 1948 Assisted by the Soviet Army, the Czech Communist
party takes power. The country will remain under
the Soviet sphere of influence until 1989.
Prague Spring 1968 Communist Party chairman Alexander
Dubček makes efforts to establish “Socialism with
a human face”. This includes releasing political prisoners
and relaxing press censorship. His liberal ideals are
brutally repressed by the invasion of Warsaw pact troops
on the night of 20 Aug, 1968. In protest at the invasion
21 year old philosophy student Jan Palach sets himself
alight on the steps of the National Museum.
19 Nov, 1989 The Velvet Revolution 200,000 people demand
democracy in a demonstration in Wenceslas Square.
As crowds swell, the government gives in, and in 1990
former dissident Václav Havel is elected head of state.
31 Dec, 1992 Dubbed The Velvet Divorce, Czechoslovakia
divides into two independent states, Slovakia and
the Czech Republic.
21st Century
Aug 2002 Floods devastate the country and cause chaos
and millions of crowns of damage as the Vltava rises.
1 May, 2004 The Czech Republic joins the European Union.
1 Aug, 2004 A grenade is thrown at an Israeli casino
owner on Na Příkopě; 18 people are injured.
16 Mar, 2004 Tram N°22 derails on Karlovo nám. and
ploughs into a crowd at a tram stop, killing two people.
April - May 2007
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