Tipping
Although there are no fixed rules on tipping, it's customary to add an extra 10-15% to restaurant bills and taxi fares. Hotel porters, hairdressers and cloakroom attendants also expect to be tipped.

Television and Radio in Prague
Nowadays many hotels, hostels and pensions offer cable and satellite television with at least one or two English/German Channels e.g. Sky News, CNN, Sat1, RTL etc. Larger, more expensive hotels usually offer a wider selection including those for sport and pay-per-view movies (HBO etc).

Czech terrestrial television consists of two national channels, CT1 and CT2, with private (and extremely successful) competition from TV Nova and Prima TV.

The Czech Republic also has a well developed AM-FM radio network with the most popular radio stations being: Radio KISS 98 FM, Radio Free Europe, Radio Prague, Impuls, Radio 1, Radio Evropa 2, Limonádový Joe, Radio Bonton and the BBC World Service.

Crime in Prague
As with any major European city, when it comes to personal security, a little common sense goes a long way. Although violent crime in the Czech Republic is still relatively rare, petty theft and car crime are on the increase. To help ensure a safe, hassle-free holiday you should take the following precautions:

i) when first arriving in Prague, be especially vigilant with your belongings at Ruzyne airport and at train stations. In particular, the city's main railway station, Praha Hlavní nádraží is known as a crime hotspot, especially after dark. Bags, suitcases, rucksacks etc. should therefore be padlocked and important documents such as passports kept on your person. Where necessary luggage should be stored in designated lockers;

ii) store valuables, cash, airplane or train tickets in your hotel's room safe (rely only upon modern safes with electronic lock codes) or the safety deposit box at your hotel. Larger items, such as laptop computers can also be left in the care of the front desk/concierge, but make sure you have obtained a 'receipt of charge' first;

iii) do not be tempted to make transactions with illegal money changers. Always exchange money at banks, hotels, bureaux de change or ATM (cash) machines;

iv) when shopping, do not take more cash out with you than is necessary. Keep bags closed and avoid keeping cash and credit/debit cards in the same place. Handbags should be worn over the neck, rather than on the shoulder;

v) use registered taxi companies rather than privateers and always ensure that:-

a) the fare is agreed in advance, or
b) the taxi's meter is on and set to zero (or the legal minimum) before commencing your journey;

When eating out, make sure that prices are properly displayed on menus, checking also that they're not unrealistically high (for the category of restaurant you're in). Go elsewhere if necessary. Also check to see that your bill actually reflects the type and quantity of food/drinks ordered, as some of Prague's restaurants have been known to overcharge (politely notifying your server if any discrepancies do exist).

If paying by credit card, ensure that you complete the correct parts of the credit slip. And, if you pay any additional tip/service charge in local Czech currency, make sure you put a line through the part of the credit slip set aside for gratuities.

In Prague, dealing with the police (policie) can be a frustrating and overly bureaucratic experience. Not only do the local constabulary have a poor reputation with locals (especially as they can behave unsympathetically towards victims of crime), few will speak a foreign language, which only serves to make things even more confusing.

Should you need the services of the police during your stay, contact the Municipal Police (Mestská Policie) by dialling 158. Easily recognisable by their dark blue uniforms, Prague's police force are usually prominent around main tourist areas, though not so much at night. That said, police vans at the southern end of Wenceslas Square seem to be an almost permanent fixture, possibly because of its popularity in the summer. As well as carrying batons, Czech police officers are also armed.

Note: there have been instances of fake police preying on unsuspecting tourists and making off with travel documents, money and credit cards. If approached by a police officer insist they show you proper identification (e.g. badge or I.D. card) and do not hand over personal documentation unless satisfied they are genuine. Also be wary of pickpockets operating in and around main tourist areas. Metro stations, trams and buses are also favoured by petty thieves.

Emergency Services in Prague
Dial the following numbers to connect to Prague's emergency services:

Police (Municipal) 156, Police (State) 158, Ambulance 155, Fire Brigade 150.

Lost Property
In the event that valuables are lost (or stolen) during your stay in Prague then immediately report the incident to the local police. Usually it helps (especially for lost passports/visas) to contact your embassy first, as they should be able to issue Czech documentation to help you obtain an appropriate police certificate. For items left on trains, first enquire at the station where you arrived (lost property offices are signed 'Ztráty a nálezy'). Failing that, lost items may be recovered from the following office:

Central Lost Property Office - Karoliny Svetlé 5, Staré Mešto, Prague 1, Tel: +420 224 235 085, Metro: Národní trída, Tram 6, 9, 17, 18, 22, Open: 8am-noon and 12.30pm-5.30pm Mon-Fri.

At Prague Ruzyne Airport lost property enquiries should be directed to: CSL Handling, Tel: +420 220 116 072, Fax: +420 220 114 452, E-mail: handling.claim@csl.cz.

Money
Although now a member of the European Union (EU), The Czech Republic's unit of currency remains (for the foreseeable future at least) the Koruna ceský (Kc or CZK). Notes come in denominations of 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50 and 20 Kc, with coins of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 Kc. As the currency is fully convertible, it's (fairly) easy to obtain holiday money before leaving home, which may also give you a better rate of exchange than banks and bureaux de change in Prague. The official exchange rate against the British pound, US dollar, Canadian dollar and Euro can be found on the Internet at: www.xe.com. Throughout our guide, prices for the Koruna are given as CZK.

Prague Restaurants Introduction
Hearty, robust fare is perhaps an understatement for Czech food. Head towards a traditional style restaurant and you'll enter a world of waist-enhancing bread dumplings, rich butter sauces, cream, eggs and animal fats. Sounds bad? Well no, Czech food is actually pretty tasty - just make sure you go easy on the apricot dumplings and beer!

Needless to say, vegetarians fare pretty badly in such places. After all, any nation that offers dumplings for pudding as well as main course is likely to be meat-oriented, with the Czech Republic (and Prague) being no exception. And, much like Hungary, vegetarianism is seen almost as an ailment rather than a way of life, so quite often it's best to plump for a modern restaurant serving international fare.

Fortunately, most major cuisines are represented in the city, with good quality French, Italian, Japanese, Indian and Mexican restaurants. Indeed, a good number of Prague's more upmarket eateries compare favourably with those in London, Paris and Berlin, especially on price.

Menus are printed in German and English, often with photos to show how the dish will look, while credit cards are now widely accepted. If prices aren't clearly listed, or appear higher than those on a Czech language menu then go elsewhere. Moreover, wherever you dine, check the bill carefully as overcharging is commonplace. For more details on Czech cuisine click here.

Prague Cafés
While Prague's café culture lags behind that of Vienna and Budapest, the city still boasts some excellent turn-of-the-20th-century coffee houses, along with café-cum-brasserie style premises that offer light lunches as well as traditional pastries, cakes and puddings. For the low-down on the best places in town see our café pages.

Prague Bars & Pubs
Beer is very much the lifeblood of Czech society, with a rate of consumption that easily tops the world league table. Visit a typical Prague pub (pivnice or hosposa) and you'll find simple wooden benches, beer sold by the half-litre, and an atmosphere that (thankfully) makes few concessions to foreign visitors. For wine drinkers, wine cellars (vinárna) are the place to head, with good quality South Moravian reds sold alongside cheaper - more potent offerings - that will almost certainly give you a hangover the next day!

Venture into a Czech bar and, along with beer and wine, you'll find a range of traditional spirits which include becherovka (an acquired taste), slivovice plum brandy (warming to say the least) and the French invented, but now adopted absinthe (a hallucinogen in large doses).