Beer, Tipping and Pub Etiquette in Prague

First, the money: Prague uses crowns

The Czech Republic is in the EU but not in the eurozone. The currency is the Czech crown (koruna, written Kč or CZK). On October 23, 2026, the Czech National Bank's rate was 24.335 crowns to the euro, so 50 Kč is roughly €2.

Some shops and restaurants in tourist areas take euros, but any change comes back in crowns, and the rate they use is their own. Paying in crowns is almost always the better deal. The same goes for card terminals and ATMs that offer to charge you "in your home currency": decline, and pay in CZK. The conversion rate on those screens is set by the merchant or the machine, not your bank.

If you need cash, exchange offices in the Czech Republic are not allowed to charge fees. If you change euros into crowns and then find the rate was bad, the law lets you cancel the exchange within three hours at the same office, for amounts up to €1,000. Keep the receipt and check that its date and time are right. Never change money with someone on the street. In September 2026, Prague police arrested two men who had been offering tourists around Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle crowns for their euros and dollars, then handing over worthless old Belarusian rubles.

How a Czech pub works

In a traditional pub (hospoda or pivnice), you sit down and wait. A server comes to the table, and you rarely order at the bar. In busy beer halls, long tables are shared. It is normal to join strangers, but ask first: "Je tu volno?" means "Is this seat free?"

Some old neighborhood pubs keep a table for regulars, the štamgasti. There is no law behind it, but sitting there uninvited can earn you cold looks. If a table has a reserved sign or a group of locals clearly treats it as theirs, pick another one.

Order simply: "Jedno pivo, prosím" (one beer, please).

The beer mat and the tally slip

When you order, a beer mat goes on the table in front of you. It tells the server you are drinking.

Your order is tracked on a small paper slip that stays on the table. Every beer gets a line or a mark. Do not lose this slip: some pubs charge a steep flat fee if it disappears. Glance at it now and then so the count at the end matches what you remember.

In many pubs, a server who sees your glass getting low will bring the next one or ask with a nod. This is where the beer mat earns its keep. When you have had enough, put the beer mat on top of your empty glass. That is the standard signal for "no more". If you leave the glass uncovered, expect another round to arrive.

One more small rule: do not pour the last of an old beer into a fresh one. It is considered bad form.

Toasting: na zdraví, and look people in the eye

The toast is "Na zdraví!" (to health), said before the first sip of the first round. Clink glasses with each person at the table, and hold eye contact while you do it. Do not cross your arm over someone else's toast. Many Czechs then tap the base of the glass on the table before drinking.

You do not need to clink again with every new round. Do it again when someone new joins the table.

Paying the bill and tipping

You pay at the table, not at the bar. Say "Zaplatím" when you want the bill, or catch the server's eye and mime writing. The usual question is: together (dohromady) or separately (zvlášť)? Separate bills are normal: each person says what they had, and the server adds it up from the slip.

Tipping is not required, but it is common in Prague. The local way is to round up and say the total you want to pay when you hand over the money. If the bill is 279 Kč and you hand over 500 Kč, say "three hundred" and you will get 200 back. Czech customers tip less than many visitors expect: surveys put the average at around 5-10%. A tip of about 10% is generous for good service, and rounding up is fine for a couple of beers.

With a card, the same rule works. Tell the server the amount before they type it in, because many terminals have no tip screen. Cash still matters in small pubs, so carry some crowns.

Before you pay, compare the bill with your tally slip line by line. It takes ten seconds and catches the occasional extra beer or dish you never ordered.

Smoking: not indoors

Smoking has been banned inside Czech restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés since May 31, 2017, under Act No. 65/2017. Smokers step outside, so the doorway and the beer garden are where you will see them now.

Getting from Prague Airport to the center

Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) is about 20 km from the center, and there is no train or metro to the terminals. Your choices are the bus, the Airport Express or a car.

Bus 59 replaced the old bus 119 in March 2024 and now runs as a large trolleybus between the airport and Nádraží Veleslavín on metro line A. One 90-minute ticket covers the bus and the metro into the center. Buy it in the PID Lítačka app, at a ticket machine, or at the airport. Validate a paper ticket once when you first board, and activate an app ticket at least a minute before you travel. At night, lines 907 and 910 run every 30 minutes.

The Airport Express is a special-fare line from Terminal 1 to the main train station (Praha hlavní nádraží). The fare is 200 Kč, and 24-hour and 72-hour passes are not valid on it.

For a taxi, use the airport's official service at the self-service kiosks or the counter in the arrival halls. You see the price before you ride and get a six-digit PIN to give the driver. The airport puts a typical fare to the center at around 800 Kč (about €32) and warns against accepting unsolicited ride offers from people outside the terminal, even if they wear "taxi" badges. If you do take a metered taxi in the city, Prague restored its maximum meter rates on October 21, 2026: 42 Kč per km and 7 Kč per minute of waiting. Always ask for a receipt.

If your flight lands late, you are traveling with children or a lot of luggage, or you are a group who would need two taxis, a fixed price arranged before you fly is the calmer option. ShuttleHero offers Prague Airport transfers from €40 per car for 1-3 people, paid by card in advance. The driver waits in arrivals with a name sign, tracks your flight and gives you 60 minutes of free waiting after you actually land, and you get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before pickup.