Advice

Here’s my advice on anyone planning on coming to Prague:
See?! No dude with a moustache and top hat.: Image courtesy of Czech National Bank website.
1. The Koruna is NOT Monopoly Money: It may seem like it is when the ATM spits out crowns in the form of hundreds and thousands, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. Develop a sense of how much 100, 200 and 500 crowns are as quickly as possible and you won’t blow as much money in the beginning.
2. Go To The Castle When It’s Not Too Warm And Not Too Cold: Too warm and there are hundreds or thousands of people there, too cold and you’ll be killing yourself because it’s on top of a huge ass hill. It’s very beautiful.
3. Hit The Botanical Gardens/Wallenstein Garden/Letna/Petrin Parks When It’s Warm: Prague gets very gray and very dark very quickly in the fall and stays that way until like, April. These places are some of the most beautiful and green in the city, so make sure you take advantage of them when you can.
4. Don’t Take The Jewish Quarter Tour Unless It’s Free: The Jewish Quarter is very nice, and very close to campus. The tour though is about three hours long and you’re over it about an hour in. Don’t miss the Jewish Quarter, just don’t take the official tour.
5. Buy A Subway Pass: It makes your life much easier, and you can take any public transport at any time for however long you need it. It’s tempting not to get one, but chances are over a whole semester, you’re going to get caught, and getting caught once costs half the price of the 90-day pass.
6. Visit The National Museum on the 1st Monday of the Month: It’s free! And it’s worthwhile just to see how Czech museums differ culturally from New York ones, or even other European museums in countries that are more museum-friendly/have more money.
7. Go To The Narodni Divadlo/Rudolfinium: These are the national theater and ceoncert hall/opera house respectively. They are beautiful, cheap, and the performances are always great. Plus, Czech people love them so it’s a good way to experience Czech theater without the “tourist trap” flavor.
8. Find A Local Bar: Wherever you live, it’s good to have a place where the people know who you are on sight. This is especially applicable in Prague, where people often hate you.
9. Smazeny Syr: This could be the best or worst recommendation anyone has ever made to you. Yeah the beer’s good, the sausages are great, the goulash is amazing, but the crème de la crème of Czech cuisine is the drunchie food smazeny syr. You WILL get addicted and you will like it.