Welcome to Prague 1 · A note from your neighbours
This is a home.
Not a hotel.
You scanned this from a door in the historic centre. Real people live behind these walls, and their everyday city is quietly disappearing. Here's how to be a great guest, and how to see the Prague that locals actually love.
Five things that keep a building liveable.
None of this is about stopping your fun. It's the difference between a building where people want to live, and one they leave.
Quiet after 22:00
Old Prague buildings carry sound: the staircase, the courtyard and the street all echo. Take the night inside, and keep voices down on the way home.
No parties in residential flats
This is a home address, not a venue. A family with a newborn, a nurse on an early shift, an 80-year-old: they're all on the other side of that wall.
Treat the shared spaces as someone's home
Because they are. Hold the front door, don't block the entrance with luggage, sort your rubbish, and say hello in the hallway.
Keep the entrance secure
Don't prop the street door open or hand the code to strangers. It's the only thing between the building and the street.
When in doubt, ask a neighbour
Most people here are friendly and a little tired of noise. A quick hello goes a long way, and they give the best tips in the city.
The centre is emptying out.
In 1869, over 84,000 people lived in Prague 1. Today, only about 13,000 actually do. Homes became short-stay rentals, bakeries became souvenir shops, and the people who stayed carry the cost: the noise, the wear, the slow loss of a real neighbourhood.
Residents of Prague 1, over 150 years
Registered residents from 84,436 (1869) down to 32,552 (2004), and the number who actually live here today (~13,000), estimated from mobile-network (SIM) data. The gap is the flats that are no longer homes. Sources: ČSÚ (1869–2004) · SIM-based study (today)
~4,500
flats in Prague 1 are now run as short-term rentals instead of homes.
Estimate · IPR / Inside Airbnb
More information →22:00
the hour after which noise in the staircase wakes whole families.
House rule
The traps locals quietly avoid.
Not a lecture, just practical advice from people who live here. A few corners of the centre are built to separate visitors from their money and their good night.
Overpriced corner shops
The lit-up “mini markets” by the squares charge several times the normal price for water, beer and snacks. A regular supermarket one street away costs a fraction.
“Cannabis” candy shops
The green-neon shops sell HHC and similar lab-made cannabinoids as gummies and lollipops. They're sold as collector's items, not to smoke or eat for a reason: the dose is unpredictable and overdoses (racing heart, panic, vomiting, blackouts) land tourists in hospital every season. Overpriced and best skipped.
Late-night clip bars
Bars with touts outside, “free shot” flyers and no prices on the menu. Inflated bills, watered drinks, pickpockets. If someone's pulling you in off the street, walk on.
Exchange offices with bad rates
A big “0% commission” sign usually shows the “WE SELL” rate. Read only the “WE BUY” column and ask how many crowns you'll get in hand first. By law you can cancel an exchange within 3 hours (up to €1,000): keep the receipt. Easier: just pay by card.
ATMs with “conversion”
Bright non-bank ATMs offer to bill you in your home currency at a dreadful rate. Always choose Czech crowns (CZK) and decline the conversion. Prefer real bank ATMs (ČSOB, Česká spořitelna, KB, Raiffeisen).
Street taxis
Cabs waiting by the sights or station quote low, then charge 2–3×. Don't hail off the street; order via Uber, Bolt or Liftago, where the price is fixed in the app.
Two machines: orange sells, yellow validates.
An un-validated ticket counts as no ticket: inspectors do check, and the fine is far more than the fare.
© Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy / ROPID (PID)
3 lines: A green, B yellow, C red. They cross in the centre at Můstek, Muzeum and Florenc.
Settle in like a local.
A few small things that make Prague easy, and a couple of words that go a long way.
Pay by card
Prague is very card-friendly, you rarely need cash. If you do, use a real bank ATM and choose CZK.
Tap water is great
Ask for “kohoutková” in restaurants instead of buying bottled water. It's safe and free.
Tipping
Round up or ~10% for good service. Say the total you want to pay as you hand over the money.
Getting around
Trams, metro and buses share one ticket; night trams run after midnight. The PID Lítačka app does it all, and validates for you.
Emergencies
112 general · 158 police · 155 ambulance. A pharmacy is a “Lékárna”.
A little Czech
Dobrý den — hello · Děkuju — thanks · Prosím — please · Na zdraví — cheers.
Not sure where to go? Let the dice decide.
Real places locals actually love, one tram stop out of the postcard. Pick a mood, roll, and go. No touts, fair prices.
A starting point, not gospel: ask the neighbour who left this note for their own favourite.
Want to really understand Prague?
Two locals, Janek and Honza, run Honest Guide, a YouTube channel that's been busting tourist scams and showing the honest, useful, often funny side of the city since 2016. If you're curious about the real Prague beyond this door, start there.
Independent creators, not affiliated with this project. We just think they're great.
Honest Guide
Open the channel →Residents shaping the future of Prague 1.
A citizens' assembly brings together residents of Prague 1, chosen by lottery, to work out real recommendations on the issues that shape our city, from short-term rentals to how the centre lives, which the city then has to answer publicly. If you live here, take part. If you're visiting: thank you for reading, and enjoy Prague.