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Information for VisitorsDisclaimer: This information is provided by Michal Koucký in good faith. We believe that visitors and researchers of the Institute may find this information useful. This is not official information of the Institute. References to companies and other entities and links to other sources of information do not indicate any affiliation or endorsement by the Institute.
Important notice: All the information below, including rates
and prices, is believed to be correct as of July 2005.
Location of the instituteThe Institute is located at Žitná 25. Žitná is the main east-west street in the city center just south of Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square). The Institute is located near the intersection with Štěpánská street, between the streets Štěpánská and Ve smečkách. (See the maps below.)Arriving to PragueBY AIRCzech Airlines (CSA) go to many places, and offer reasonably good service. They have a convenient direct flight from/to JFK, NYC. Their toll-free number in U.S.A. is 800-223-2365. More information is available at Czech airlines www homepage.Prague airport (Ruzyne) is served by many European and other
carriers from their
home countries. Recently also many low-cost airlines go to Prague from
various places in Europe. From/to the airport you can use:
BY TRAINOn-line schedules of Czech Railways (and Czech buses) or German Railways are available (the latter one has better interface and contains all the trains you are likely to need).All major train (and also bus) stations are on one of the subway lines. Most trains from abroad go either to Praha - Hlavní nádraží (the main station, often abbreviated Praha hl. n., adjacent to the subway station Hlavní nádraží) or to Praha-Holešovice (adjacent to the subway station Nádraží Holešovice). The main railway station (Hlavní nádraží) is within a walking distance from the Institute (about 15 minutes). From both Hlavní nádraží and Nádraží Holešovice you can take subway line C to I. P. Pavlova station and then any tram one stop to Štěpánská stop, which is at the intersection of Ječná and Štěpánská street; walk two blocks from there. See the map and public transportation below. Alternatively you can use a taxi; however, it may be difficult to get a reasonable price from the taxis at the stands at the railway stations, so you should call a company. Reasonable price should be around 150 Kč from the main station and around 250 Kč from Praha-Holešovice. BY CARŽitná is a main east-west street in the city center, it is one-way from east to west. Look at the interactive map. Parking in the city center, in particular near the Institute is difficult. There is a limited possibility of parking in the yard of the Institute, please check beforehand if you plan to use it.Transportation within PraguePUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONPrague has cheap and efficient public transportation. The subway runs from 5am till midnight. During the night, there are several tram and bus lines (numbers with first digit 5), all the night trams have a 30 minute headway, and go to the Lazarská stop near the Institute.The tickets cost 20 Kč for one trip including transfers (not to exceed 1 hour 15 minutes on weekdays or 1.5 hour on weekends and evenings after 8pm) or 14 Kč without transfers (not to exceed 15 minutes on trams and buses or 5 stations of the subway). Children of age 6-15 pay half of this price. For each (big) piece of baggage you should use an extra 10 Kč ticket. You need to buy the tickets in advance, they are sold in the machines at major stops, at many subway stations, and at most news-stands. On buses only, you can also buy tickets from the driver, with a small surcharge. The ticket has to be stamped (even the one from the driver!) upon entering a subway station, or the tram or bus (only the first time, no stamping on transfers). Keep the ticket until you exit the subway station, you can be checked also after leaving the train! You can also buy a 24 hour ticket for 80 Kč (sold in the machines, stamp it the first time you use it), 3 day ticket for 220 Kč, 7 day for 280 Kč, or 15 day for 320 Kč (these are sold at some subway stations and news-stands; you need to write your name and date of birth on them and stamp them the first time you use them). Monthly and quarterly tickets are also available. All these tickets allow transportation of one piece of baggage free of charge. All the three subway lines go through the city center near the Institute (the closest subway stations on line A are Muzeum and Můstek, on line B Můstek and Karlovo náměstí, and on line C Muzeum and I. P. Pavlova). The closest tram stop is Štěpánská, which is at the intersection of Ječná and Štěpánská street, between subway stations Karlovo náměstí and I. P. Pavlova; trams there include line number 22 to Hradčany (the Castle) and Malá Strana. Hotel Mazanka (the hotel of the Academy used for long term visitors and visitors funded by the official exchange programs of the Academy) is in the northern suburbs of Prague. From there, the best way to get to the city center is to take tram 17 which goes through the Old Town (along the river). To go to the Institute, get off at Nádraží Holešovice, continue by subway line C to Muzeum, and walk from there (appox. 45-60 minutes total travel time). TAXIPrague cab drivers are known for overcharging foreigners. In the case you cannot avoid using a cab, here are some hints to increase your chances:
BasicsSAFETY AND EMERGENCYPrague is a reasonably safe city. Violent crime is rare in Prague. However, as in many big cities, tourists are often subject to attempts of theft, pickpocketing, or overcharging. Also, occasionally racist attacks happen in Prague, mostly due to skinhead groups, so people with dark skin should be more cautious. Most of the problems can be avoided if you follow these simple rules (refer to further sections for details).
TRAVEL DOCUMENTSYou need a valid passport to enter the Czech Republic. Citizens of most European countries, U.S.A., Israel, and some other countries do not need visa for short term visits. Please check the details with the nearest Czech embassy or have a look at the information of the Czech embassy in the U.S.A.MONEYThe Czech currency is koruna (Czech crown, Kč). 1 Euro is about 28 Kč, 1 US$ is about 22 Kč. There are many banking machines (ATM's) in the city which can be used with Plus and Cirrus bank cards as well as major credit cards and they give you a very good exchange rate. Alternatively you can exchange money in most banks or at exchange offices throughout the city (these have somewhat higher commission, up to 10%). Do not change money with strangers on the street, otherwise you will be cheated.TelephonesThe best option (not counting Skype and its relatives) is to buy a prepaid card, one of many options is Karta X, starting at 300 Kč which you can use from any phone; you dial a toll-free number and enter the code as in the instructions. Most international call then cost around 10 Kč per minute. These cards are sold at many newsstands, post-offices, etc. Many visitors also buy a local SIM-card with prepaid calls for their cell phone; a good choice is Oskar which gives the SIM card for free with 500 Kč prepaid credit for your calls.The country code of the Czech Republic is 420; since year 2002 there are no city codes. Thus to call the Institute, you dial 222090711 in Prague and the Czech Republic, including mobile phones, 00-420-222090711 in most European countries and 011-420-222090711 in North America. The international prefix from the Czech Republic is 00. To many countries (including USA and western Europe) you can get cheaper rates after 5pm for connection over internet (with a bit lower quality); in that case the international prefix is changed to 970 00. If you stay in one of the guest rooms of the Institute, your phone number is +420-222090766 for the single room or +420-222090767 for the double room. You can make international calls from the Institute only using a prepaid card. For local and toll-free calls dial 0, wait for the tone, and then dial the number. Within the Institute, you dial only the internal extension number which consists of the last three digits, thus to call the double guest room from your office dial simply 767. Shopping and servicesPrices displayed in all Czech shops include all taxes. (In restaurants it is usual to add a tip about 5 to 10%.) The business hours are not very regular. Most shops are open on weekdays till 6pm (perhaps with a lunch break in smaller shops) and on Saturdays till 11am. Many shops in the city center have longer opening hours.There are several small food stores around the Institute. In Štěpánská street (on your right-hand side if you walk to Václavské náměstí) you find a bakery Odkolek, which is also a good place for breakfast (on weekdays only). Big supermarkets have generally better selection and lower prices than the stores around the Institute. The closest one is in the department store KRONE, which is on Václavské náměstí, across from Štěpánská at the intersection with trams. Another one is in the department store TESCO, which is also a reasonable department store for other items. It is located at the subway station Národní, which is two tram stops or 10 minute walk from the Institute. It is open every day, 8am-8pm on weekdays, 9am-8pm on Saturdays and 10am-8pm on Sundays. For fresh fruit and vegetables (and also wooden toys) try the open air market in Havelská street, which is in the Old City, two blocks north from Václavské náměstí. The closest laundromat is in Krakovská, near Václavské náměstí (walk up Žitná, take second street left and continue almost all the way down, and the laundromat is on your left). There is a small dry cleaner in Žitná in the same block as the Institute; they do laundry as well, but charge by a piece for everything, so it is more expensive. |
