Living in Prague

Visa, Housing and Living Expenses

See the Arrival Guide for a description of the support we offer for obtaining a visa, finding housing, and other practical concerns.

Full support in getting a visa, finding housing, and other technical matters is provided for all students and applicants attending the Preparatory Semester and/or the MAE program. CERGE-EI MAE staff will be in touch with each student soon after the application is submitted to offer support.

CERGE-EI has many years of experience solving the particular concerns of foreign students in Prague.

Prague is a mid-range city in terms of the cost of essentials like housing, food, transportation, etc. It is much less expensive than Western European cities such as London or Paris, but probably more expensive than Eastern European cities such as Kiev or Central Asian cities such as Tashkent.

Of course, how much you spend on living essentials also depends on your personal standards, and Prague offers a wide range of spending options.

Contact the MAE program at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more detailed information on housing and living expenses.

A typical view of Prague's Old Town

Prague

Prague is a spectacular city. It has weathered more than 1000 years of turbulent history, including the Nazi and Soviet domination of this century. For forty years, the city was more or less off-limits for Western tourists, being located approximately 200 kilometers behind the "Iron Curtain." After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the city emerged once again as the capital of a sovereign, democratic nation.

The city of Prague is a museum, filled with a rich collection of musical heritage, cultural activities, and history. There was no radical rebuilding of the city center during the industrial revolution, so the city has maintained its unique "old world "character. Whereas cities like Warsaw and Berlin offer little evidence of what they looked like in the 1750s, the urban design of Prague is not very different from what it was even in the 15th century. Prague did not suffer the damage of other European cities during World War II, leaving its medieval network of narrow cobblestone streets, gothic churches, and baroque palaces intact.

Prague is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe and it is often called "The City of a Hundred Spires". Prague offers a wide selection of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Cubist and Socialist-Realist architecture. On any given evening, visitors may choose to see one of dozens of concerts, operas, or theater presentations. Museums boast world-class collections of art and host international exhibitions.

The Czech countryside has hundreds of castles, chateaux, and historic ruins. Moreover, there are thousands of kilometers of marked trails for hiking and biking through beautiful landscape to visit these historical landmarks. The dreamlike quiet of an older, slower-paced Europe lures visitors from all over the world, and studying abroad in Prague gives students the chance to develop a genuine feel for the city and its history at a leisurely pace.

The main staircase in the CERGE-EI building in the center of Prague