Prague tourist traps and scams: six tricks, six cheap fixes

You have just got off the tram at the Old Town, the sun is out, and a booth with a huge green sign is promising "0% commission". It feels like the sort of deal a sensible traveller takes. It is also the first of the handful of places where visitors to Prague lose money, and it is nowhere near the worst.

The good news is that Prague is an easy, safe city and most visitors never meet a real problem. The ones who do tend to be caught in the same few spots, by the same few tricks. None of them is clever. Each one dies to a single habit, and this guide gives you the habit.

The exchange booth with the big green sign

A booth near the Old Town Square promising "0% commission" has to earn its living somewhere, and it does so in the gap between the rate it buys at and the rate it sells at. Read both numbers on the board, not just the large one. If the gap looks wide, walk on. A street or two off the tourist route, rates are usually kinder.

Better still, skip cash. Czechia uses the Czech crown (CZK), not the euro, and cards work almost everywhere (our guide to paying in Prague has the detail). If you do need notes, use an ATM attached to a bank branch, not a free-standing machine on a tourist street.

One related trap catches even seasoned travellers. If a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and choose CZK. The conversion on offer is rarely better than your own bank's, and the screen is worded to make the helpful-looking option feel like the default.

Taxis hailed outside the sights

A cab idling by Charles Bridge or Wenceslas Square, waiting for visitors, is the classic source of an inflated fare. A driver waiting for a tourist has little reason to be fair, and the fare may bear no relation to what the meter would show. The fix is dull and effective: order by app or phone a dispatcher, so the route and price are on record. We cover how in our guide to taxis and ride-hailing. For short hops through the centre, a tram usually wins anyway.

If you do take a street taxi, check the meter is running and ask for a receipt at the end. Drivers are expected to give you one.

The menu with small print

Restaurants on the main squares know most customers won't be back, and some price accordingly. The menu is where it shows. Before you order, check for these:

• Fish, steaks and specials sometimes priced per 100 grams, so the number on the menu is not the price of the plate.
• Bread, sauces and sides that arrived unasked and landed on the bill. Send back what you didn't order, or ask.
• A cover or service charge. If there is one, it should be printed on the menu.
• Drink sizes. A beer is traditionally half a litre, so compare like with like.

Walk two streets away from a big square and read the menus again. The difference is often obvious before you sit down. Locals do exactly this, which is why the places that fill up with Czech office workers at lunchtime are rarely the ones with a waiter in the doorway beckoning you in.

When the bill comes, read it line by line. It takes thirty seconds, and it is entirely normal to ask what an unfamiliar item is. A restaurant with nothing to hide will explain without fuss.

Pickpockets in the crowd

Packed trams, the metro at rush hour, Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square are where bags get opened and phones vanish. The tram up to the Castle is a known favourite. Thieves tend to work in pairs, and the trick is usually a distraction: a jostle in a doorway, a map thrust in your face, someone who stumbles into you just as the doors close.

Keep your phone and wallet in a front or zipped inner pocket, keep a hand on your bag in a crush, and don't leave a phone on a café table at the edge of a busy pavement. A backpack worn on your back in a packed carriage is an open invitation, so swing it round to the front.

Street offers that aren't offers

Someone presses a leaflet on you, sells you a ticket to a show or offers a "special" tour. Classical concerts in historic buildings are real and often perfectly pleasant, but compare the price and programme with the venue's own website before buying from a person on the street. A tour company with an office and an online booking page is easier to hold to account than a stranger with a clipboard.

The same goes for anyone who is suddenly very friendly and keen to show you a bar. If the evening ends with a bill you did not expect, you will have no menu to point to. Choose where you drink; don't let it be chosen for you.

Tickets and passes

Buy public transport tickets from official sources: the PID app, machines at stops and stations, or the transport offices. Check current options on the PID website (as of 2026; check the official source). Your ticket has to be valid before you board, which means validated or activated, not merely bought. Plain-clothes inspectors are real, and they do fine visitors who travel without a valid ticket.

If an inspector stops you, ask to see their identification before paying anything, and expect to be given a receipt. A "fine" collected in cash with no paperwork is not a fine.

If it goes wrong

Frequently asked questions

Is Prague safe for tourists?

Yes. Violent crime against visitors is unusual. The realistic risks are overcharging and pickpocketing, both of which are easy to reduce with the habits above.

Should I change money before I arrive?

You rarely need to. Cards work almost everywhere, and a bank ATM is a better source of notes than a booth on a tourist street.

Is it rude to ask for the meter or to question a bill?

No. Asking is normal, and an honest business will answer without a fuss.

Are plain-clothes ticket inspectors real?

Yes. Have a valid ticket before you board, and ask to see identification if someone you do not recognise asks for money.

Before you head out tonight, check the exchange rate in your banking app so you know what fair looks like, put a taxi app on your phone, and read the menu before you sit down.