Money, taxis and the traps in the centre
Most of the ways a visitor loses money in Prague are the same three every year: the exchange window, the ATM screen and the taxi. All three are avoidable, and the law is on your side in one of them.
About the facts in this text: the checked dates and the links to every organiser are on the list of all markets (checked 21 September 2026). Opening hours, prices and programme mentioned in the running text refer to the 2025/26 season or to the state of the organiser's page when this was written — check before you travel.
The currency
The currency is the Czech koruna (CZK). Czechia is not in the euro area. Some shops and restaurants in the centre accept euros by private arrangement, almost always at a poor rate, and none of them is obliged to. Pay in koruna.
Cards work almost everywhere indoors. Market stalls are mixed, so carry some cash — see the food and drink page for how the mug deposits work.
Exchange offices — and the right you have
The classic trap in the tourist centre is a window advertising 0% commission in large letters while buying your cash at a rate far below the Czech National Bank rate. No commission is charged, and none needs to be: the money is made on the spread.
The thing most visitors do not know is that Czech law gives you a way out. Under the Czech National Bank's consumer rules you may cancel an exchange free of charge, without giving a reason, within 3 hours, at the same office, up to the equivalent of 1,000 EUR — if you exchanged more, the right covers that portion. The three-hour clock runs only during the office's opening hours. Keep the receipt; you need it. If the office refuses, the complaint goes to the Czech National Bank or the Financial Arbitrator.
The simpler advice: change money at a bank or a well-reviewed exchange office away from the main tourist streets, compare the rate against the CNB rate on your phone first, and always ask how much you will receive before handing over any cash.
The ATM screen
Independent cash machines — Euronet and similar, concentrated in the historic centre and at stations — do two things at once. They charge their own withdrawal fee, and they offer dynamic currency conversion: the screen asks whether you would like to be charged in your home currency, and presents it as a convenience.
It is not. Accepting means the machine's operator sets the exchange rate. Czech comparisons have put independent-operator markups on the order of 10 to 15 per cent against the ECB rate, and that is before the withdrawal fee. Always decline the conversion and choose to be charged in CZK — then your own bank converts it, which is almost always cheaper.
Better still, use a cash machine belonging to a Czech bank.
Taxis
Street-hailed taxis in the tourist areas, and touts at the airport, have a long record of overcharging: refusing the meter, quoting an inflated flat price, pressing for cash. This is the oldest complaint in Prague tourism and it has not gone away.
What works: book through an app. Uber, Bolt and the Czech app Liftago all operate in Prague, and the price is agreed in the app before the ride. At the airport, the contracted taxi lane is operated by Uber under a concession stated to run to 25 September 2028; anyone who approaches you inside the terminal is not part of that.
If you do take a metered taxi, the city sets maximum prices. Prague's price regulation (Cenový výměr č. 1/2026, published in May 2026, with effect given as 1 August 2026) caps metered fares at 70 CZK boarding, 42 CZK per kilometre and 7 CZK per minute of waiting. A driver on a regulated ride must use the taximeter and display the fare, and a licensed taxi carries a roof sign. The cap is a maximum, not a fixed price — a driver may charge less. Since 1 January 2025 the municipal maximum applies to metered rides, not to pre-agreed app fares.
Tipping
Service is not normally included. In a sit-down restaurant, rounding up or adding about 10 per cent for good service is the norm. The practical way to do it is to tell the waiter the total you want to pay when you hand over the card or cash, rather than leaving money on the table. Czech customers usually round rather than calculate a percentage. The 15 to 20 per cent expected in some countries is not the Czech standard and nobody expects it of you.
The rest of it
- Pickpocketing is the realistic crime risk, and it happens where the crowds are: the packed stretch of tram 22 through Malá Strana, the metro at Můstek and Muzeum, and the densest parts of the market on Old Town Square on a Saturday evening.
- Check the price before you order at a stall that prices by weight — the figure on the sign is often per 100 g.
- Nothing in this guide charges an entry fee except the one attraction that says so on its own page.
Common questions
Can I really cancel a bad exchange?
Yes. Czech National Bank consumer rules give you three hours, within the office's opening hours, to cancel free of charge at the same office, up to the equivalent of 1,000 EUR. Keep the receipt. If they refuse, complain to the Czech National Bank or the Financial Arbitrator.
Should I accept the ATM's offer to charge me in my own currency?
No. That is dynamic currency conversion and the machine's operator sets the rate. Always choose to be charged in Czech koruna and let your own bank do the conversion.
Is it safe to take a taxi from the street?
It is safe; it is just often expensive. Use Uber, Bolt or Liftago and the price is agreed before the ride. If you use a metered taxi, the Prague maximum is 70 CZK boarding, 42 CZK per kilometre and 7 CZK per minute waiting.
Do I need cash at all?
Some. Cards work in shops and restaurants, but market stalls are mixed and mug deposits are cash. A few hundred koruna a day is enough.
How much should I tip?
Round up, or about 10 per cent in a restaurant for good service. Tell the waiter the total you want to pay. It is not expected at a market stall.
