Don’t let yourself be robbed in Prague!

An item of good news to begin with: On the European scale, Prague is one of the safest cities! Assaults, murders and grievous bodily harm usually do not affect tourists. Despite this, the Czech metropolis has an infamous reputation—a lot of visitors have been robbed, tricked by a taxi driver or an Exchange Office. Citypilot advises you on what to watch out for in Prague, so as to avoid any bad experiences in the capital city.

One comes across dishonest, cunning people and black sheep in all spheres—despite many fair, high quality services. In the centre of Prague, there occasionally happens to be a restaurant, a cafeteria or an Exchange Office which should be given a wide berth. Here we offer several good tips on how to recognise the fair enterprises from the unfair ones:

Prague Restaurants – examine your bill carefully

There are a lot of excellent restaurants in Prague, but unfortunately there are also a lot of restaurants offering far from good quality service. In some restaurants, mostly in the city centre, situations which should not occur, still do take place. Naturally, tourists are easier targets than locals. How can one avoid dishonest businesses? Simply: 

• Never go into any restaurant where there are no prices written on the menu! The excellent probability exists that they will determine the prices themselves, according to the guests!

• Request an itemised bill.

• Take care, when paying, to be given the correct change. Being short-changed even happens to Czechs at times, during the confusion of paying the bill.

• A favourite trick is to add more beers (or other drinks) to the bill.  Do remember what you have had to drink!

• You will find links to some notoriously dishonest restaurants in the Infobox below.

Prague Taxis  – a disgracefully notorious venture

Even abroad, Prague taxi drivers are already notorious for their tricks. Despite this, they still manage to cheat new customers. The fare of EUR100 for a distance which is easily accessible on foot is no exception. How can an unpleasant taxi experience be prevented? This is how:

• Never hail a taxi in the street, rather telephone for one! You may find an honest taxi driver in the street, but the probability is not very high.

• Also at airports or railway stations, never hop into just any taxi! If you have no other option, at least find out what the fare is to the city centre. You will find the official prices of the most important routes in the Citypilot survey!

Read on:

>> Exchange Offices and Pickpockets – what you should beware of!

You may be interested in:

• What is fair: Taxi fares in Prague and the most important routes
• Parking in Prague– where it’s safe to park.
• The Best of Prague: A list of the best restaurants, clubs and services
• Fashion in Prague: Original second-hand shops with style