Important Safety Information
For your own safety, and for the safety of your money, credit cards, other valuables and your travel documents, PLEASE, follow not just the usual precautions (keep an eye on them at all times, leave them in the hotel and do not carry them with you to the city, etc.), but specifically:
- do not walk in the following areas of the city alone: north (lower) Wenceslas Square, Main Station (Hlavni nadrazi) surroundings, Letna Park, Karlovo namesti and surroundings, and Namesti Miru and surroundings, in all cases after 11pm workdays, midnight weekends.
- be VERY CAREFUL about your handbags and wallets in any public and especially touristic places where crowd might be present (even if it does not look like it is actually crowded). Be ESPECIALLY careful if you approach a crowd that looks artificially created in a situation where you would not expect a crowd (such as a half-empty underground train or tram or bus car).
- be EXTERMELY alert when someone stands too close to you in public transport or at the stops, or even touches you pretending it is crowded, regardless if it really is or is not. The tram lines No. 22 and 23 between "Klarov" and "Karlovo namesti" are infamous for pickpocket teams operating in them during the summer months.
- be ALERT if someone with beggar appearence approaches you (e.g., a mother with a child in hand) asking for money. They typically have a companion (or more) who watches you where you put your wallet and then robs you. Be EXTREMELY alert if such person is trying to touch you, seemingly innocently - they exploit your distraction and pull your wallet before you notice it. It is MUCH safer to avoid any contact, including eye contact, with any such person. (For those charity-minded, don't worry, there is NO ONE in this country really in need of begging. The old social system still works.)
- Change money only in the bank or ATMs or use your credit cards for payments. Be careful when using the ATM; if you spot any strange device attached to the card slot, even if tiny, do not use the machine.
- Prague Taxis have a bad reputation for overcharging. There is almost no way to avoid it once the driver decides to do that - their meters are secretly switchable, and the police is basically helpless. The only way is to know the companies that are (statistically) not so bad, such as AAA Taxi (+420 14014). They even speak some reasonable English.
OK, you have been warned. Do not take it that you cannot enjoy the city; you can and should. But simply be more careful than usual - we would like to limit the number of you who will have to deal with stolen wallets and bags etc. as much as possible!
