Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be aware—even though restrooms at the city's train stations are staffed, you
need to get your toilet paper by yourself from a dispenser situated on the wall
before you actually enter the restroom. The charge here is 6Kc (25¢/10p).
Restaurants and pubs around all the major sights are usually kind to nonpa-
trons who wish to use their facilities. Around the castle and elsewhere, public
toilets are clearly marked with the letters WC .
Safety In Prague's center you'll feel generally safer than in most Western cities,
but always take common-sense precautions. Be aware of your immediate sur-
roundings. Don't walk alone at night around Wenceslas Square—one of the
main areas for prostitution and where a lot of unexplainable loitering takes
place. All visitors should be watchful of pickpockets in heavily touristed areas,
especially on Charles Bridge, in Old Town Square, and in front of the main train
station. Be especially wary on crowded buses, trams, and trains. Don't keep
your wallet in a back pocket and don't flash a lot of cash or jewelry. Riding the
metro or trams at night feels just as safe as during the day.
Taxes A 19% value-added tax (VAT) is built into the price of most goods and
services rather than tacked on at the register. Most restaurants also include the
VAT in the prices stated on their menus. If they don't, that fact should be stated
somewhere on the menu. There are no VAT refunds for the Czech Republic.
Telephone & Fax For directory inquiries regarding phone numbers within the
Czech Republic, dial & 1180. For information about services and rates abroad,
call & 1181. Dial tones are continual high-pitched beeps that sound something
like busy signals in America. After dialing a number from a pay phone, you
might hear a series of very quick beeps that tell you the line is being connected.
Busy signals sound like the dial tones, only quicker.
There are two kinds of pay phones in normal use. The first accepts coins and
the other operates exclusively with a phone card, available from post offices
and news agents in denominations ranging from 50Kc to 500Kc ($2.10-$21/
£1-£10). The minimum cost of a local call is 4Kc (15¢/8p). Coin-op phones have
displays telling you the minimum price for your call, but they don't make
change, so don't load more than you have to. You can add more coins as the
display gets near zero. Phone-card telephones automatically deduct the price
of your call from the card. These cards are especially handy if you want to call
abroad, as you don't have to continuously chuck in the change. If you're call-
ing the States, you'd better get a phone card with plenty of points, as calls run
about 20Kc (85¢/40p) per minute; calls to the United Kingdom cost 15Kc
(60¢/30p) per minute.
A fast, convenient way to call the United States from Europe is via services
like AT&T USA Direct. This bypasses the foreign operator and automatically
links you to an operator with your long-distance carrier in your home country.
The access number in the Czech Republic for AT&T USA Direct is & 00-800-222-
55288. For MCI CALL USA, dial & 00-800-001-112. Canadians can connect with
Canada Direct at & 00-800-001-115, and Brits can connect with BT Direct at
& 00-800-001-144. From a pay phone in the Czech Republic, your local phone
card will be debited only for a local call.
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