Prague

Learn more about Prague and the conference venues! To make your stay as comfortable as possible, we prepared a couple of useful tips for you.

• Frequently asked questions
• Venues
• Alternative activities
• Honest Guide to Prague Avoid tourist traps!
• Map for young travellers
• How to get to Prague?
• Accommodation tips
• The Czech Republic

Photo by mendhak

Frequently asked questions

Is Prague safe? Petty theft is a problem, especially in major tourist areas in Prague. Pickpocketing is common at busy places and on public transport. Except for that, Prague is extremely safe compared to other European capital cities. There are basically no shady areas and it's usually completely okay to walk anywhere you like, even at night.

If anything goes wrong call the emergency number 112.

Is Prague friendly? It is, just remember that people might not be used to speaking foreign languages. Saying "nerozumeem" is the simplest way of telling them you don't understand Czech.

How should I move around the town? While Uber is available in Prague, the Liftago app provides a very similar experience. Also, Prague has an excellent system of public transport, which includes three lines of metro trains, trams, and buses.

With a Czech SIM card, you can use SMS tickets, otherwise you need to buy paper ones in yellow ticket machines. During the conference you should be okay with regular 30 min tickets for 24 CZK. Zone P includes everything you need, even the airport area.

At night, there is a different, limited system of public transport and metro is completely out of order. The last train usually goes around midnight. Depending on your route it still might be okay to take public transport, but calling Uber or Liftago is usually less tiring.

Photo by Michael Levine-Clark

Venues

MeetFactory (Thu–Fri)

The main conference venue is MeetFactory, a cultural hub founded by a famous Czech sculptor David Černý. It's a unique, industrial space squeezed between a motorway and an active railroad.

How to get there: From the city center – trams 4, 5, 12 or 20 to Lihovar. Follow the sidewalk to the right, cross over the bridge, turn at first right and keep walking straight. There will be posters to guide you.

Address: Ke Sklárně 3213/15, Praha 5

GPS: 50.0532481N, 14.4082011E

Around venue: If you're into hiking, be sure to check out an excellent restaurant Na kopci ($$$) on the top of a nearby hill. Serbian restaurant Jelica ($$) is also highly recommendable.

FIT ČVUT (Sat)

Workshops will be held at the Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University in Prague.

How to get there: take green metro A to Dejvická and then walk the Technická St. Another option is to arrive at Thákurova stop (many trams and buses) and walk the Thákurova St.

Address: Thákurova 9, Praha 6

GPS: 50.1050400N, 14.3896428E

Around venue: The large rounded square nearby will host a huge regular Farmers' Market (8am–2pm). For food, pay a visit to AvantGarde ($$$) or to Bistro Santinka ($$). A rather short walk towards the Hradčanská metro stop can take you to a world of hip bistros and coffee places (Místo, Café Záhorský, a Table!).

Alternative activites

Prague is a very lively place, especially in June. During the conference days there will be multiple alternative activities you can attend:

• 9^th June: Church Night is a night when most of Prague churches are open to public, often with various cultural activities, such as concerts.
• 10^th June: Prague Museum Night is a night when most of Prague museums are open for free. Usually very crowdy, but still very worth visiting.
• 8–10^th June: Praha Žije Hudbou is a street art music festival organized in order to promote and support busking in Prague.

Looking for something else? Check out GoOut for concerts, festivals, exhibitions, movies, parties, and more.

Honest Guide to Prague

When it comes to mainstream tourism, Prague can be full of traps. Watching the Honest Guide is not only the easiest way for you to avoid them and to get the most useful tips about just anything, but it's also fun to watch!

Map for Young Travellers by USE-IT

USE-IT maps are paper tourist guides for young people, from young people. Made by locals, no-nonsense, non-commercial, free, and up-to-date. USE-IT map of Prague is very well maintained and PyCon CZ highly recommends you to get one!

Great news! We will be giving away these maps for free at the conference venue. Of course, you can also get it at other various places in Prague.

How to get to Prague?

Flight

Fly to PRG, Vaclav Havel Airport. To get to the city, use

• Uber or Liftago.
• Airport Express bus to the main railway station (50 CZK). It's fast and convenient. Be sure to have change, because unfortunately, the bus driver may not board you otherwise.
• Public transport buses to Zličín (yellow B metro line) or Nádraží Veleslavín (green A metro line) terminals.

Train

• There are direct trains to Prague from many destinations all around Europe. Use the DB train search to see what's possible.
• The main train station is called "Praha hlavní nádraží" or "Praha hl. n.".

Bus

• There are direct buses to Prague from many destinations all around Europe.
• Main carriers: RegioJet, LeoExpress, Tourbus, EuroLines, FlixBus.
• The main bus station is called "autobusové nádraží Florenc" or just "Florenc".

Car

• Check out Czech driving regulations.
• Highway sticker costs 350 CZK (10 days) and can be bought at any gas station.
• D1 highway segment Prague–Brno is under complete reconstruction. Expect detours and traffic jams. (Bus companies constantly monitor the situation and have strategies to avoid delays.)

Accommodation tips

Both Airbnb and Booking.com are at your service in Prague. For adventurous minds, there's always also CouchSurfing.

Look for accommodation around Anděl or Smíchovské nádraží to get the best connection with both the conference venue and the rest of the city. Both places have access to the yellow metro B as well as bus/tram connections to the venue.

Photo by Riccardo Romano

The Czech Republic

Never been to the Czech Republic? Here's some practical info:

• We pay with CZK (abbr. Kč, "koruna"). ATMs are omnipresent. There are money exchange booths in the city center, which offer better deals than banks and no fees, but be cautious which you choose. The exchange rate is approx. 1 EUR = 27 CZK. Cards are accepted in chains and larger places, but not so often in smaller shops, coffee places, pubs. It's useful to carry around some cash.
• We speak Czech and understand Slovak perfectly. English should be well understood, especially among younger generations. German can work as a fallback, as well as any other Slavic language.
• While June is usually sunny and can bring very warm days to Prague, it's good to be also ready for chilly, rainy days. It can be 30°C with clear blue sky as well as 15°C with heavy, London-like rain.
• We use 230 V electric plugs, type E power sockets.