GENERAL INFORMATION

Prague – the capital of the Czech Republic situated on both banks of the Vltava river is a beautiful city with a rich history. Thanks to its location in the centre of Europe, Prague has always been an important crossroads of trade and culture. In the course of its thousand-year history, Prague has always been the political, cultural, and business centre of the country. Prague, often called “Golden” or “Hundred-spired”, is an architecturally unique European cities, attractive for tourists from around the world.

Visitors find themselves enjoying a living museum of European architecture from Romanesque time to the present. Prague has 1,200,000 inhabitants and stretches over approximately 500 square kilometres. The dominant feature of the city is Prague Castle, which houses the gothic St. Vitus’s Cathedral. The castle had been the seat of Czech kings since 1087, until 1918 when it became the seat of presidents o Czechoslovakia, and since 1993 it has been the seat of the president of the Czech Republic.

TRANSPORTATION

Public transport

Prague has a very efficient subway, tram and bus transportation system. On the new Prague underground, peak hours trains run every 1 or 2 minutes, and during off-peak hours at least every 10 minutes. (more)

Airport

Prague International Airport handles flights of most European carriers and also some overseas flights. It is located 30-45 minutes by car from the centre of Prague. There is a good connection between the airport and city centre by public transport and taxis. You can easily get to the city centre using one of the public buses. For the quickest transport to the city centre or the nearest metro station we advise using routes 119 and 100. Unfortunately there is no subway or train connection to the city.

Czech Airlines (CSA) is the official carrier for IAC 2010 (more). 

Company Carrow - private transportation

Contact person: Teddy Goda
Email: IAC@carrow.cz
Price: (price list)

When you make the reservation please use the e-mail IAC@carrow.cz as a code for this conference.

Payment can be made by cash or by credit card. Please specify the payment method in your e-mail to CARROW.
http://www.carrow.cz/en

ENTRY FORMALITIES

All foreign visitors to the Czech Republic must possess a passport valid for at least the next three months. Participants requiring visa should apply in advance to consular offices of the Czech Republic or diplomatic missions in their countries in order to avoid delay in travel to the Symposium.

CLIMATE

Early autumn in Prague can be absolutely beautiful. The city is usually quite pleasant and mild with temperatures around 20°C. Evenings can be cooler and rainy, so we suggest you bring a light coat and an umbrella. You can view the current weather conditions at www.weather.com.

CURRENCY

Czech crown (CZK, Kč) is the official currency in the Czech Republic. Exchange of foreign currency is available at Prague international Airport and at most hotels, banks and exchange offices throughout the city. International credit cards are accepted for payments in hotels, restaurants and shops. Payment in cash in EUR is also available in some restaurants and shops, please ask for details on-site. You can find the official exchange rates on the website of the Czech National Bank.

ELECTRICITY

The Czech Republic uses a 220 volt 50 Hz system, sockets have the European standard and plugs are three-prong grounded.

SHOPPING

Most shops in Prague are open from 9:00 to 18:00, Monday through Saturday. Shops in the city centre are usually open from 9:00 to 20:00, Monday through Sunday.

TIPPING

Service is usually included in the bill in bars and restaurants but tips are welcome. If you consider the service good enough to warrant a tip, we suggest about ten percent.

TIMEZONE

The Czech Republic is on Central European Time (CET) – Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 1 hour.

From April to October, along with the rest of the CET zone, the Czech Republic observes summer time, i.e. GMT + 2 hours.

CZECH LANGUAGE

Even though at all the hotels, shops and restaurants in Prague English are spoken, we include a few basic Czech words and sentences that can be useful during your stay in Prague.