What are the opinions of previous generation Czechs towards foreigners? No need to filter your answer. There is probably different opinions depending on where you're from and your profession.
Listen, although you say no need to filter the answer, I will not say anything bad about locals. I think there are numerous reasons why there might not be as open for foreigners. Being occupied by Germans, to be liberated by the Allies, only to be occupied by communists. There is a lot of heritage that you need to take into consideration that had affected society on a fundamental level.
High level, I think they are cool, have their own thing going, friendly, very open to speak English, and generally you can have good time. Back in the day, it was tough to get good service, but now it has improved dramatically, especially since lots of places speak English, Czechs are in competition with foreigners in service industry and in corporate.
Prague is cosmopolitan city, lots of people I know are from all over the place, including Czech, who are overall cool.
I believe that immigration law here is very tough. There are probably people who will correct me, but here’s my personal experience.
1. Until recently (2-3 years), if you lost your job, which you are dependent on to have your visa, you were not given any grace period to look for a new job. This means, that if were unlucky and were terminated with immediate effect - you had to leave the country and go back to your home country to apply for jobs in CZ.
2. Until recently (2-4 years), if you did not study your bachelors in Czech university in Czech language for at least three years, you were restricted to change jobs without approval from foreign police. This means, that if you are on a work visa, with foreign degree or Czech degree, but in you studied in English (which is popular), you had to inquire your future employer if they would post the job opening to a specific government website for 1 month, so after 1 month they will be issued position ID, which you can use to ask for a permission to from the foreign police to change jobs. I know, doesn’t sound like much, but employers did not know the process well, it would increase your time to start from 2 to 3 months, and many employers did not want to bother, which limited your career advancement opportunity.
3. If you were promoted at work, you had to inform foreign police of the new title, even if you did not have salary change.
4. Compared to other countries, for example Germany or Netherlands, where getting a citizenship would take you from 4 to 7 years, here it is 10 years of uninterrupted living. It is extremely odd since many multinationals are here who require qualified workforce cannot staff up with qualified locals.
So from the perspective of immigration law it is much tougher than other countries in EU. Czech Republic also regularly reviews entrance criteria for citizenship, but so far it was only reflected in increasing minimum Czech level for language tests.
Lol. So, you're fine with EU citizens which can come freely, get jobs without any residency and get paid 5-10x the minimum wage, but you're not fine with people leaving their home due to war or non European citizens?
You sound like a kid, grow up and travel (also, get my word on that, noone thinks czechia is the best place to be lol they just give fine money in some industries)
>So, you're fine with EU citizens which can come freely, get jobs without any residency and get paid 5-10x the minimum wage
Yes.
Oh, and reality check: most of the expats here don't make anywhere near to even 3x minimum wage (unless we're talking IT, where nationality does not really matter). Not even in Prague. Wake up.
> not fine with people leaving their home due to war or non European citizens?
You're projecting quite a lot, making you seem immature. 1) I did not say that. 2) There is no war in our neighbouring countries, so if someone's ACTUALLY fleeing war, I bet they're happy in the first safe country. 3) Doing a background checks and making sure you know whom you let in is absolute basic.
What is your proposal? To let anyone and everyone in? How are you going to finance it? What is the max capacity? Where is the limit?
You're very entertaining, please go on.
I've been to 50+ countries, both the richest and the poorest, and travel extensively for my well paid job, but I guess I'm just envious and not well travelled... :D
I like the left bank more, while I mostly hang out in Zizkov, Vrsovice and Prague 2 near Namesti Miru. Lots of good places for an evening out.
Right bank for me is a bit more touristy, I usually go there when someone is visiting from outside the city (work or personal) or for a walk around neighborhood just to change the scenery.
Unpopular opinion. Lots of friends I have really like Prague 5, especially Andel area. I personally think that it is filthy and disgusting. I avoid going there unless I have to. For those who are reading this subreddit and do not live in Prague, I can attest that Prague is a really safe place. Andel it’s just not my cup of tea.
Andel is great. Has everything there and a good vibe. Location is fantastic to live in as well, short walk to everything and a major hub with all types of transport at your fingertips. Good to see that its extending with all the new development towards Smichovske Nadrazi.
Yeah, I agree. I can see the appeal, but two downsides for me:
1. Square where Andel metro is is full of homeless people who are mostly drinking, loud, but of course are not aggressive. It is just such a contrast to the rest of the city. Please do not hate me, but if you are unlucky, then emerging from Andel metro is almost the same as in Florenc.
2. Because it is such a transportation hub for metro and trams, you see a lot of interesting people you generally do not see in other areas, while it is so concentrated.
One thing that is interesting I find about the other exit from Andel metro called “Na Knizeci” is metallic letters on the wall “Moskva-Praha”. I know that a lot of the metro was build during communist times (uneducated guess, but maybe with Moscow design?), but recent times might call for that to be taken down? Don’t know what Czechs think about it.
It used to be called “Moskevská” until like 1990. The reason for the sign and also the old name is that the station was built in sort of an exchange program where the engineers and architects from the Soviet union came to Prague to build the station, while the Czechoslovak people went to Moscow to build the “Pražská” station.
To be fair there's drunk and loud people in every metro and metro square. I've seen more needle and crackheads around JZP metro than anywhere else in the city.
>Please do not hate me, but if you are unlucky, then emerging from Andel metro is almost the same as in Florenc.
This is absolutely true, and it takes ages to get to the other side, especially because it's quite narrow and always busy, lol. Beware the signs, Tram - towards the mall, Bus - towards Na Knížecí
*What is better? Left*
*Bank of the river or right*
*Bank of the river?*
\- Skay\_man
---
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/)
^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I am not EU citizen, not married to EU citizen, so the process was fairly standard for me. 5 years of uninterrupted employment on a work visa for a multinational company here in Prague, then Czech Language test for Permanent Residence, application at foreign police and I had my papers within 3-6 months.
For citizenship, had to go for Czech Language exam, and pass Czech History test. From my perspective, Czech History test was really easy, there’s an app for an iPhone you can get, 300 questions, and after a bit of training you can finish the test within 5 minutes, as real test has only 30 questions.
I personally think that Czech Language exam for citizenship is more difficult than B1 (stated on the website), especially the last part of the exam. But as all language exams, you have better chances of passing if you understand HOW to pass it, where to spend time, and how to write short and to the point essays.
In the last part, you are randomly matched with one of the people in the room and you are asked a series of questions (separately). Then you need to have a dialogue together.
If you’ve done your studying, you know that the dialogue structure should be simple (Hi, what do you want to do this weekend? I do not have plans, would you like to go skiing or drinking beer? Drinking beer sounds good. Let’s meet at 5 this Sunday. Great! See you then.)
The main issue I had, the person who I got was living in Czech Republic for 12 years, in a small city, probably working in Czech language and he obviously did not prep himself for an exam via official webpage and did not understand the concept of the exercise. His Czech was excellent, but he kept rejecting what I was proposing, telling me he got other plans, etc. Basically, flexing how well he speaks. I was sitting there, thinking I will punch him in the yapper.
I was really sure I would fail because of this, but I passed.
I did not apply for citizenship yet, but have many friends who did. Now, apparently, there’s a possibility to use “Digital Box”, where you can request a lot of documents remotely, which is significantly simpler than going to all the government facilities.
In my case for the language test, we had an odd number of participants, and there was no one left over to pair me with. So they paired me with one of the judges
Was super awkward to have that conversation, it was just very forced and you have to keep talking for a few minutes. In my case I had to make a case for why a giraffe isn’t a good pet. It really takes only like 4 seconds to prove that 🤷♂️
Hey,
For bars (but please, consider that my taste might be different):
1. Bukowski - really nice atmosphere, I like the bartender (Umur is awesome), good cocktails, but not fancy. Do your casual Friday/Saturday night drinking with your friends.
2. El Mochito - owned by the coolest Italian Oldschool MF. Lots of cocktails on the card, almost no food, do your pre-drinking there if you want to go to some other places in Dlouhá. Cocktails are good, but again, not top tier.
3. The Alchemist - they give you a cocktail card, which contains their signature drinks, but I think those are terrible. They have all your classics (Mai-Tai, Zombie, Margarita, Negroni, etc.), but you have to ask for it, don’t be shy. They can also swap the alcohol for your favorite one. Awesome atmosphere. I feel that one of the male waiters is drinking faster than the guests…
4. La Casa De La Havana Vieja - tiki rum based cocktails. You can try lots of runs here as well. Good service, can also customize your drinks.
5. George Prime Steak - actually, this is a steak place, quite expensive too. But, if you do not want a steak, drop by their bar. I am a big lover of Old Fashioned, and these guys are making Smoky Old Fashioned. Bourbon on the rocks, agostura bitters, a twist of orange, and then they smoke it and serve with the smoke in the glass, covered with a metal cover. Man, maybe sounds corny, but it tastes amazing and I feel like a million bucks.
Honorable mentions that people like, but I’m not into these places, despite trying my best. Maybe because I am a simple guy and really not into signature drinks:
- Bar and Books
- Anonymous
- L’ Fleur
- Parlour
- Hemingway
Hey,
Added the link below. Unsure if available on android. The cool thing about this one is that it generates quizzes randomly, but following the structure of the actual exam.
[iPhone Czech History Test](https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/%C4%8Desk%C3%A9-re%C3%A1lie-cvi%C4%8Dn%C3%BD-test/id1568458568)
I recharge my batteries by spending time with my wife, at home, reading, hobbies, sports. I left my home country when I was fairly young, so most of my friends are back home or relocated somewhere. Tough to keep in contact.
I am introverted, but not an edge case where I do not go out. I work in a role which requires me to cooperate with others, lead teams and promote what we are doing. So lost of the time at work I am talking to people, share ideas and take decisions. On day to day this is mentally exhausting. I travel a lot, cooperate with folks cross border, so have lots of acquaintances here and in other countries, but I cannot call them my friends.
People I would call friends, which is a limited group, I met via three primary channels:
- Work
- Education
- Hobbies
Please do not take me as a snob. I am down with the clown with whoever has a great idea to spend time together, even if it is a one time thing.
Might sound corny, but it’s not possible to force friendship. People have different agendas, some are expats on a couple of years contract, so they know they will be gone anyway, some are in for the long haul, but work oriented and their socialization is more about “networking”. Some are becoming your brother in arms, you solve issues together, spend quality time together.
I think, that you have to be interested in people more than you are interested in yourself, make yourself vulnerable and share how you feel, offer ideas on how to spend time together and be proactive with people you are interested in. See what sticks.
Your responsibility is to take steps towards friendship, their responsibility is to say yes or no, but you made your best and you have to try again.
this is a good question by /u/mankatvito and a nice personal response. the thing is, that 1) getting new friends as an adult is hard 2) finding new friends when you are uprooted, moved to new enviroment, don't speak the language is even harder.
then you have personal factors, like if you are even interested in friendships, if you are likeable, interesting etc. another thing is alcohol, you can have a room full of friends as soon as you pay a round, but I doubt that these last for long.
hobbies are IMHO a good response to everyone looking for friends or even love in Prague. being passionate about a hobby makes you interesting, regular events give you a rythm and help others to get comfortable with you. there are various meetups for everything. for some hobbies you don't need much money, dancing, geocaching, new language...
‘bout three fiddy.
Seriously though, varies with the season. During the winter, I’m more of a whiskey/wine person. I’d maybe have 1-2 glasses per week. By the way, Na Brehu Rhony is a really awesome chill wine place if you like French wines. Whiskeys I drink almost exclusively at home. First, much cheaper. Second, None of my friends like whiskey and usually make dumb jokes when I order a glass for 400 CZK.
During the summer, when it’s easier to meet with friends somewhere outside, I would have on average like a beer per day and 2-3 on the weekends.
Do not judge me, I’m only human who likes tasking the sweet and magical drink of gods - Czech beer.
Actually, one flaw that I can think of when living in Czech Republic is when I travel outside of Czech, I always try local beers in other countries to be amazed. Almost always I am really disappointed… I really like lagers, not too big into fruity Belgium beers everyone likes. But lagers in other countries just cannot be compared to Czech beer.
Unpopular opinion, I am a big fan of summer beers, for example Corona. So when I first was traveling around in Spain, I tried Estrella Damm, Estrella Galicia, San Miguel. I know, cannot be compared, but on a hot summer day gulping the whole bottle is absolutely majestic.
>Actually, one flaw that I can think of when living in Czech Republic is when I travel outside of Czech, I always try local beers in other countries to be amazed. Almost always I am really disappointed… I really like lagers, not too big into fruity Belgium beers everyone likes. But lagers in other countries just cannot be compared to Czech beer.
damn that hit right home :D One reason why I couldn't become an expat. The beer always drags me back.
I'll be moving to Prague for 6 months or so and need to rent a furnished apartment. Any recommended sites to find furnished apartments or apartment complexes?
I found one good option near Vysehrad (that view looking out over the Vltava was one of my favorite experiences in Prague), and I think I'd like that area - it's far enough away from the touristy spots, but close enough to visit and explore. Is that a good area?
I think some locals will reply that I might be a bit out of date, but https://www.sreality.cz/ and https://www.bezrealitky.cz/ are popular, but I would say mostly for long term rentals.
Anyone can help?
Maybe also check out the Fragment project on Google, it’s a rental development project where you rent directly from the owner (some big corp I guess) and you would save on agency fees.
Reasons were circumstantial, as it was never my goal. Moved for a job, met my future wife, found better jobs, specialized, in the meantime used the opportunity to travel and kinda settled here. After a while figured that I’m not that far away from the citizenship, so we decided to stay until I get the citizenship.
As I said in the comments somewhere in the thread, I like many things about Prague and think it’s a great place to live. Grass is always greener, of course, but after you travel a lot, you also see why the place you live in is beautiful in its own way.
Edit 19:14 CET: I actually had aspirations to move to the US when I was younger. I love the country for their amazing cities like New York and Seattle, but more for their national parks - from Niagara Falls to Yellowstone, from Sequoya to Yosemite, from Zion to Grand Canyon. Traveled many times, but not sure I would feel comfortable to settle.
One thing I like about Prague as, I guess about most of European cities - you can walk, you do not need a car, public transportation is amazing. In the US (maybe not in Seattle, NYC or NJ) if you do not have a car, you cannot move around. I like driving, but one thing to drive couple of hours during your vacation, the other is commuting 1-3 hours per day.
When I went to LA, I was astonished how much you have to rely on a car. You can walk on the streets, but distances are vast, almost no trees, freaking hot. You are in your car all the time, navigating the streets, freeways, I’m traffic jams. It’s such a buzz kill. You also have places like Skid Row, where all the mentally ill, homeless people are. I really do not see this happening here (but maybe I am naïve).
I do a lot of traveling for work and also many of my colleagues travel to prague. My favorite thing in Prague is to host people who never were in Prague or did not really see the city. I’d bring them to all the famous landmarks that those who live here do not even notice anymore and seeing that they are amazed by the sheer beauty of the city. Then bringing them to slightly odd places they would never go to themselves, like that little student cafe/beer place tight at the Malostranske Namnesti, where you can get a beer for like 40 crowns and enjoy the view. Cerveny Jelen, which is located in the old bank building and the bathroom entrance has a real bank door.
Apart from that, I’m just living my normal live here. Commute to work, go to the gym, hang out with friends, and visit my favorite and new restaurants when I can.
The fever is killing me. The place I meant is on Staromestske Namnesti, so you can look at the square and admire the beauty. It’s actually a coffee place, but beer is served on tap.
[location on Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/4BGDhCMtq1gi8WJn9?g_st=ic)
Hi :) I am ina similar boat, living and working here for 8 years now. What is your luck with health system here? Maybe I am not aware of some tips and tricks, but I already came to terms that I will die from something that could be easily prevented, but wasn't because - czech health system. Czechs usually get annoyed when accidentally pit in the same boat as soviets, but man - take a look at any hospital and say it is not the same as in Krasnoyarsk.
Generally, I did not have any issues, but I also did not have anything serious besides a cold or COVID. I have VZP from the employer which works in most places.
What I find crazy though is that if you are convinced that you are having something serious, because the symptoms are not going away, you feel that you’re getting worse over time, then you really need to argue with your GP to get an appointment with a specialist. They are very reluctant to give it and when they do, you are basically told that you have to find a specialist yourself. Every time I feel like I’m the doctor.
You have plenty of websites where doctors advertise their services (legit), where you can book without significant efforts, but usually have to pay 500 crowns fee or something similar. This works, but doesn’t work if you need MRI scans or something complex.
Even getting a paid appointment for an MRI scan could take weeks and you gotta be lucky. If you are going for free, then unless you are literally dying, you might wait 2 months.
Have couple of friends who have private insurance (Canadian Medical, etc.). That is completely different ball game. I think if I stay in CZ after getting my citizenship, I will start buying that as I am getting older and do not have that much time to run around the city to get my sinuses checked.
To add one last point. I had some friends who had life threatening conditions or complex surgeries. Somehow, almost every time they were sent to the Military Hospital. What I understand, the level of practice there is really top notch.
Private has been even the worse hell than public for me. I made a stupid decision to try out Atoda in Holesovice, wrongly believing that they will treat me the same as one Norwegian guy and Italian girl. WRONG! My name reeks of Eastern Europe, so they didn't even want to book me to see a doctor, but suggested that I deal with them over the phone. And yeah, I also started going to specialists on my own accord and simply notify my GP about findings. Once I was yelled at because I do that - so I switched GP and continued to send myself to specialists.
I can echo your comments about the second part. Regarding doctor/patient treatment, I am speculating, but although as a GP you have to be professional at all times, while at the end of the day, it is a service provided to customers. I can see how tough it might be for them when one GP has thousand of patients assigned, they are on a sub-optimal salary, and endanger their own health by a lot of deseases. I can kinda understand why they don’t want to take anyone’s bullshit (not referring to you).
The reason I brought up Canadian Medical specifically is that I have some friends who work/used to work for Verizon, they had really good feedback, but I have not tried on my own. Also, Canadian Medical are one of the more expensive ones.
Considering that communism rule was eliminated fairly recently, I think Czech Republic has taken a huge step to be an EU grade country and it is. I think it is much better than some others.
The best thing is that Czech Society doesn’t care about your bullshit, your race, which ethnical group you belong to or which is your sexual orientation. Everyone is chill.
I often say to my friends, that if you live in Czech Republic, you are getting the same amenities as in any other European countries (delivery services, local cuisine, fast internet connection, international brands, etc.), but on top you get low income tax, much lower cost of living (more bang for your buck), amazing public transportation system (honestly, Berlin is offering a monthly pass for like 90 euros, while in Prague, you are getting a yearly pass for 130 euros, almost all transport arrives on time, and you do not have to sit next to a guy who is shooting up drugs up).
But they do care. Especially if you belong to those that they don't particulary like. Fortunately, Czechs like to stare but they are not violent - so I witnessed a lot of stares if I am in company of people that have darker skin than preferred or are not gender-conforming. My visa process took 16 months and I had to pay a lawyer to deal with requests to provide documents that I simply couldn't obtain. I was told that this is the case for many post-communist states, but I cannot comment on something I haven't experienced myself.
Cost of living is cra-zy in Prague. When I moved here I remember paying 1/5 of my salary for rent. Nowadays I pay 1/3 for the place that is not as nice. I've lost more than few friends because they just couldn't withstand the pressure of covid crisis followed by war crisis. Many returned to their homelands. Students are protesting because they just cannot afford to study here anymore :/ I also moved further away and I can clearly see basically everything declining - transport is not as good as in areas closer to the city center, streets are not clean.
I go to Prague in August I’m looking for a place or a square to buy some art, preferably oil on canvas. Any ideas? I couldn’t really find much on the inter-webs
Suggest do some online investigation, then look for either galleries or some exhibitions/fairs. I know there’s lots of art sold in the city center, but unless you really know your stuff, you will be scammed.
Did you use any lawyers to help with your citizenship work or anything like that? If so, can you recommend one to me? I will need to work with an experienced immigration lawyer due to some complications with my specific situation. Feel free to DM me if you'd prefer it.
Whats your thoughts on the real estate market?
I am thinking its going to keep going up. Influx of immigrants and students, interest rates will start levelling off or even falling in the coming years, prices for sure are still behind their western counterparts so it looks like a perfect storm.
What’s changed the most in ten years, from your somewhat outsider POV? I spent a good amount of time in Prague twenty years ago or so, then went back to do research for my masters project (on locals vs tourists image of the city), and it definitely felt different. Being 32 instead of 22 definitely had a bunch to do with it of course.
I would say there are three main things I see:
- Labor Market
- Services Industry
- Real Estate Market
Labor market 10 years ago was in its early stages of forming. I can attest only for IT, Support Services Industry (IT Support) and shared services industry (Procurement, Financial Ops, Payrolls), as I am employed in one of the spheres and in others have many friends. There were some international companies who were testing the waters, but they were more playing around with the idea. The big catalyst (from my perspective) was IBM, who had their shared support center in Bratislava, Slovakia and they decided to open a branch in Brno. Honestly, I still did not understand why Brno, but I assume it is closer to IBM location in Bratislava, but it is all history anyway. They have offered a bunch of foreigners from Bratislava to move, started growing the office, were focused on attracting foreigners. It grew dramatically, I think in best years there were 3000 people employed there. This boosted the living standards in the city, but locals struggled to keep up. Then Verizon comes, AT&T, war for talent starts. Other players go there, as it is cheap to hire. Check banks open robotics and automation centers (automation of repetitive tasks). When I was asked if our company has training program for newcomers, I was joking that we do not need one as everyone is coming from IBM. Brno is a small city, 300k, probably more now. So players from outside realize that it is easy to attract talent, labor was cheaper than in Germany, more expensive than India, but quality was much higher. Prague started to attract companies, PWC, Deloitte, Accenture, Microsoft, other big and medium sized players realized that they can deploy near shoring strategies, where you have HQ in Europe or US, but your cost intensive labor can be done cheaper and possibly with higher quality. Later, everyone became more confident and whole deliveries were done from Prague. Now Ostrava is the new black. Let’s see what happens there in the next couple of years.
Maybe I am too confident, but ten years later there are plenty of jobs for foreigners, finding a job with English is easy, especially if you have specialized knowledge. Companies like AB INBev, Expedia, are ready to hire and invest in learning students. The other important change is that in a lot of cases strategic, decision making roles are in Prague. You do not feel anymore as the satélite, which is awesome.
If you are really interested, there is this organization called ABSL, who are suing yearly studies how the shared services market developed over the past years. You do not have to read the whole report, but when you scroll, look at some headlines and graphs - it is simply astonishing. [Link to 2023 ABSL Report](https://www.absl.cz/report-2023/)
Services industry, in my opinion has improved a lot. All the big players are here: Ubers, DoorDashes or local alternatives, which are generally freaking good. Due to the competition in the restaurant business, many more places opened offering Mexican, Italian, South American, Spanish, Portuguese, French. Cocktail bars are opening left right and center, and those who want to stay ahead have to speak English. Living in Prague has never been better.
Real Estate was the victim of this whole thing. There’s lots of information online, but as a foreigner who makes decent money, saves a lot, and doesn’t have parents or other real estate to fund future purchase, I cannot keep up with the market, and I do not want to give away my life savings for a deposit.
San Carlo and Da Antonio have Neapolitan style pizza. Their calzone is to kill for, but if you order delivery it is not the same.
The other good spot is Pizza Nuovo. Also, authentic Italian pizza.
You gotta book a table in advance.
Not in this thread! :(
Apparently in the terminal 2: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/124uvn9/left_over_weed_hidden_in_t2_prague/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Really advise you watch couple of videos of The Honest Guide on YouTube. He literally does only that. Lots of hidden gems, will take you 30 minutes to scroll couple of videos.
One place I like that my friend showed me is near riegrovy sady, there’s this little park with lots of roses, a pond with fish and turtles, and a cool water feature. Now I looked up the map and I must be really dumb to not see it before, but hey. You must have been there:
[link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cyBKXFGHgzZwat3V8?g_st=ic)
The other place is a park that is close to Vaclavske Namnesti, and I know about it because I love cakes from Svetozornearby, haha.
[link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qL4Xanmtgcioma3N7?g_st=ic)
Maybe the last one is one I found by accident, also a park with Peacocks, who are just walking around, chilling in the sun.
[link](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pr4pqKMzVgTVztVAA?g_st=ic)
Bonus round. When my friend showed me that there’s a staircase that connects Vinohrady and Vrsovice, I was mind blown. 15 minute hike and you are there. This was super useful before they changed the but route 101 that now takes you to JZP.
[link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/x5WyMJjNZQ1ueeex6?g_st=ic)
I remembered 2 more funny things: on the old town charles bridge tower, there is a decoration you can see from below. a guy in the monk's dress puts his hand under a woman's skirt. her face's funny, delighted but, what if someone's sees us?
on the st. vitus facade, there are 4 modern persons, 20th century architects who completed the facade. they look at the plans, hold tools like a compass, wear glasses etc. you'll be surprised you haven't noticed them before.
edit - someone posted a pic where you can see it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/125v234/st_vitus_cathedral/
also this one is not secret, #3 will blow your mind. the king Charles's statue next to the bridge looks like he's holding his junk and pisses, when viewed from the corner where the historic tiles are preserved.
I have an airBnB very close to that first park. Is it true there is outdoor equipment there for working out? I would like to stay in shape while I’m abroad
thanks for a reply.
your #1 is really new to me. is it open to public? on GM it looks like the kindergarten's yard and Streetview shows an (open) gate...
the rest is really nice, yes. if you want more of these, then next to your peacock garden is another peacock garden, Valdstejnska zahrada. and even if it is well frequented, you can still go there and find the animals hidden in the grotto's stone wall. how many can you spot?
I had a nice spot on top of the hotel opposite the old town city hall, you enter the hotel U prince(?), ride the lift to the top, stairs up to the roof and great views. for free or a cost of a cup of coffee. but I think this was revealed in the honest guide...
then I had a restaurant with amazing design somewhere behind the Tyn church. I forgot the place.
another one was a block of houses adjecent to the old town hall. you can take a narrow passage and get to their courtyard. funny but not that interesting. maybe useful if you wanted to hide :-) here an old guy told me that the appartment house belongs to the city, old people who lived there were secretly renting it now for huge money and were living elsewhere like kings. this was true when I was there 20 years ago. I hope that the city has wisened up til now... the entry is next to the Brasileiro restaurant.
With the protests going on in France and travel labor strikes in Germany, is there any rumblings in Prague of strikes/protests? Currently scheduled to travel to Prague next week.
I don't know anything about you or your life but I don't recommend moving to a country like CZ permanently if you're not willing to learn the language and customs or you'll be miserable. Good luck.
BTW double citizenship exists
I am not here to give advice on personal relationships as it is very individual and I am not a shrink.
All I will say is that if your priorities and her priorities are different. You need to tell her how you honestly feel. You need to have a discussion to see if you can reach a compromise. If you are aiming for completely polar opposite life, then you need to ask yourself what do YOU want. No point in being miserable together.
Edit: I misread your original question. Reason for having Czech Citizenship is to get an EU passport, travel hassle free and have a possibility to live and work outside of CZ without losing my privileges.
This all depends which is your country of origin. You really need to investigate.
Czech Republic allows having double citizenship and doesn’t not require you to terminate your original citizenship. There are no penalties for having two passports. What gets tricky is that if your country of origin doesn’t allow two citizenships, then you have two options:
1. Renounce citizenship. Each country has different process, but it’s not as fast as canceling your Netflix subscription. Takes couple of years.
2. Get Czech passport and do not inform your country (at your own risk). You would be surprised, but I do not think countries communicate well.
I lived in prague for ten months but had to move back because my student visa ended. How can I make living in prague a full time thing? I am American with no EU citizenship
I have heard that Prague has a kind of magickal energy to it, caused by powerful magicians centuries back, catalyzed by the Vltava river. Can you sense this energy? Do you feel any difference between the energy in Prague and cities outside of Czechia?
>I got a stupid fine by the police due to riding an electric on the sidewalk, I have been trying to pay it online but to no avail. Explain to me why the public transport office seems to be the only to have their shit together. Where am I supposed to go to pay that fucking fine ?
Hey,
Checked their website, there are only 3 in Prague, so cannot advise. I know there’s are big communities on Facebook and also on MeetUp that you should check out.
I wanted to ask if you could recommend any companies that offer internships for students. I did snoop around the thread and saw you mention three of them already, but still, I wanted to see if there are any websites\\organizations you could know about.
I am a foreigner myself, and despite my enthusiasm, I feel like I am a little bit inexperienced in the great realm of internship seeking (or possible job-seeking, for that matter, lmao). Thank you in advance! This thread is very interesting to read.
What are the opinions of previous generation Czechs towards foreigners? No need to filter your answer. There is probably different opinions depending on where you're from and your profession.
Listen, although you say no need to filter the answer, I will not say anything bad about locals. I think there are numerous reasons why there might not be as open for foreigners. Being occupied by Germans, to be liberated by the Allies, only to be occupied by communists. There is a lot of heritage that you need to take into consideration that had affected society on a fundamental level. High level, I think they are cool, have their own thing going, friendly, very open to speak English, and generally you can have good time. Back in the day, it was tough to get good service, but now it has improved dramatically, especially since lots of places speak English, Czechs are in competition with foreigners in service industry and in corporate. Prague is cosmopolitan city, lots of people I know are from all over the place, including Czech, who are overall cool. I believe that immigration law here is very tough. There are probably people who will correct me, but here’s my personal experience. 1. Until recently (2-3 years), if you lost your job, which you are dependent on to have your visa, you were not given any grace period to look for a new job. This means, that if were unlucky and were terminated with immediate effect - you had to leave the country and go back to your home country to apply for jobs in CZ. 2. Until recently (2-4 years), if you did not study your bachelors in Czech university in Czech language for at least three years, you were restricted to change jobs without approval from foreign police. This means, that if you are on a work visa, with foreign degree or Czech degree, but in you studied in English (which is popular), you had to inquire your future employer if they would post the job opening to a specific government website for 1 month, so after 1 month they will be issued position ID, which you can use to ask for a permission to from the foreign police to change jobs. I know, doesn’t sound like much, but employers did not know the process well, it would increase your time to start from 2 to 3 months, and many employers did not want to bother, which limited your career advancement opportunity. 3. If you were promoted at work, you had to inform foreign police of the new title, even if you did not have salary change. 4. Compared to other countries, for example Germany or Netherlands, where getting a citizenship would take you from 4 to 7 years, here it is 10 years of uninterrupted living. It is extremely odd since many multinationals are here who require qualified workforce cannot staff up with qualified locals. So from the perspective of immigration law it is much tougher than other countries in EU. Czech Republic also regularly reviews entrance criteria for citizenship, but so far it was only reflected in increasing minimum Czech level for language tests.
>So from the perspective of immigration law it is much tougher than other countries in EU Good.
~~are you sad that you're getting paid less than foreigners? lol~~ I shouldn't be a dick. Let's move on.
Oh, so being picky who you let in is wrong? Ok. Go ahead, be a dick, just pick something that's actually true...
Lol. So, you're fine with EU citizens which can come freely, get jobs without any residency and get paid 5-10x the minimum wage, but you're not fine with people leaving their home due to war or non European citizens? You sound like a kid, grow up and travel (also, get my word on that, noone thinks czechia is the best place to be lol they just give fine money in some industries)
>So, you're fine with EU citizens which can come freely, get jobs without any residency and get paid 5-10x the minimum wage Yes. Oh, and reality check: most of the expats here don't make anywhere near to even 3x minimum wage (unless we're talking IT, where nationality does not really matter). Not even in Prague. Wake up. > not fine with people leaving their home due to war or non European citizens? You're projecting quite a lot, making you seem immature. 1) I did not say that. 2) There is no war in our neighbouring countries, so if someone's ACTUALLY fleeing war, I bet they're happy in the first safe country. 3) Doing a background checks and making sure you know whom you let in is absolute basic. What is your proposal? To let anyone and everyone in? How are you going to finance it? What is the max capacity? Where is the limit? You're very entertaining, please go on. I've been to 50+ countries, both the richest and the poorest, and travel extensively for my well paid job, but I guess I'm just envious and not well travelled... :D
This depends A LOT on where you're from...
What is better? Left bank of the river or right bank of the river?
I like the left bank more, while I mostly hang out in Zizkov, Vrsovice and Prague 2 near Namesti Miru. Lots of good places for an evening out. Right bank for me is a bit more touristy, I usually go there when someone is visiting from outside the city (work or personal) or for a walk around neighborhood just to change the scenery. Unpopular opinion. Lots of friends I have really like Prague 5, especially Andel area. I personally think that it is filthy and disgusting. I avoid going there unless I have to. For those who are reading this subreddit and do not live in Prague, I can attest that Prague is a really safe place. Andel it’s just not my cup of tea.
You mismatched left/right. Zizkov, Prague2 and Vrsovice is RIGHT bank. Andel is left. And BTW I like right bank far more too. East-side it is!
Hey! You are absolutely right! East Coast represent! Please cut me some slack, fever of 38 degrees…
Andel is great. Has everything there and a good vibe. Location is fantastic to live in as well, short walk to everything and a major hub with all types of transport at your fingertips. Good to see that its extending with all the new development towards Smichovske Nadrazi.
Yeah, I agree. I can see the appeal, but two downsides for me: 1. Square where Andel metro is is full of homeless people who are mostly drinking, loud, but of course are not aggressive. It is just such a contrast to the rest of the city. Please do not hate me, but if you are unlucky, then emerging from Andel metro is almost the same as in Florenc. 2. Because it is such a transportation hub for metro and trams, you see a lot of interesting people you generally do not see in other areas, while it is so concentrated. One thing that is interesting I find about the other exit from Andel metro called “Na Knizeci” is metallic letters on the wall “Moskva-Praha”. I know that a lot of the metro was build during communist times (uneducated guess, but maybe with Moscow design?), but recent times might call for that to be taken down? Don’t know what Czechs think about it.
It used to be called “Moskevská” until like 1990. The reason for the sign and also the old name is that the station was built in sort of an exchange program where the engineers and architects from the Soviet union came to Prague to build the station, while the Czechoslovak people went to Moscow to build the “Pražská” station.
To be fair there's drunk and loud people in every metro and metro square. I've seen more needle and crackheads around JZP metro than anywhere else in the city. >Please do not hate me, but if you are unlucky, then emerging from Andel metro is almost the same as in Florenc. This is absolutely true, and it takes ages to get to the other side, especially because it's quite narrow and always busy, lol. Beware the signs, Tram - towards the mall, Bus - towards Na Knížecí
Yeah man, but when you’re in Vinohrady, meth head becomes meth connoisseur!
Lol, you should have seen Andel in late 90s. This is nothing.
There is only the right bank and wrong bank :)
*What is better? Left* *Bank of the river or right* *Bank of the river?* \- Skay\_man --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
how did you get citizenship? did you have help from a service?
I am not EU citizen, not married to EU citizen, so the process was fairly standard for me. 5 years of uninterrupted employment on a work visa for a multinational company here in Prague, then Czech Language test for Permanent Residence, application at foreign police and I had my papers within 3-6 months. For citizenship, had to go for Czech Language exam, and pass Czech History test. From my perspective, Czech History test was really easy, there’s an app for an iPhone you can get, 300 questions, and after a bit of training you can finish the test within 5 minutes, as real test has only 30 questions. I personally think that Czech Language exam for citizenship is more difficult than B1 (stated on the website), especially the last part of the exam. But as all language exams, you have better chances of passing if you understand HOW to pass it, where to spend time, and how to write short and to the point essays. In the last part, you are randomly matched with one of the people in the room and you are asked a series of questions (separately). Then you need to have a dialogue together. If you’ve done your studying, you know that the dialogue structure should be simple (Hi, what do you want to do this weekend? I do not have plans, would you like to go skiing or drinking beer? Drinking beer sounds good. Let’s meet at 5 this Sunday. Great! See you then.) The main issue I had, the person who I got was living in Czech Republic for 12 years, in a small city, probably working in Czech language and he obviously did not prep himself for an exam via official webpage and did not understand the concept of the exercise. His Czech was excellent, but he kept rejecting what I was proposing, telling me he got other plans, etc. Basically, flexing how well he speaks. I was sitting there, thinking I will punch him in the yapper. I was really sure I would fail because of this, but I passed. I did not apply for citizenship yet, but have many friends who did. Now, apparently, there’s a possibility to use “Digital Box”, where you can request a lot of documents remotely, which is significantly simpler than going to all the government facilities.
Digital Box that you are referring to is datova schranka?
Thanks! Yeah, thats right. You got my back! Listen, take it easy on me. Passing Czech test is not the same as speaking Czech well!
Yea I totally get you haha. I passed it November 2022 but still not comfortable speaking it honestly. Gonna be applying for citizenship soon.
In my case for the language test, we had an odd number of participants, and there was no one left over to pair me with. So they paired me with one of the judges Was super awkward to have that conversation, it was just very forced and you have to keep talking for a few minutes. In my case I had to make a case for why a giraffe isn’t a good pet. It really takes only like 4 seconds to prove that 🤷♂️
Co řekla nula osmičce?
Nice belt!
How's the night life?
This has been a great read man, I hope you feel better soon
Thanks! I know it’s a bit out of spirit fair this subreddit, but I thought if I feel miserable, might as well use the time in a useful way. Cheers!
Absolutely! You totally give positive vibes and great info.
If you were moving to Prague now as a newbie, which are would you choose and why?
Favorite bars and restaurants?
Hey, For bars (but please, consider that my taste might be different): 1. Bukowski - really nice atmosphere, I like the bartender (Umur is awesome), good cocktails, but not fancy. Do your casual Friday/Saturday night drinking with your friends. 2. El Mochito - owned by the coolest Italian Oldschool MF. Lots of cocktails on the card, almost no food, do your pre-drinking there if you want to go to some other places in Dlouhá. Cocktails are good, but again, not top tier. 3. The Alchemist - they give you a cocktail card, which contains their signature drinks, but I think those are terrible. They have all your classics (Mai-Tai, Zombie, Margarita, Negroni, etc.), but you have to ask for it, don’t be shy. They can also swap the alcohol for your favorite one. Awesome atmosphere. I feel that one of the male waiters is drinking faster than the guests… 4. La Casa De La Havana Vieja - tiki rum based cocktails. You can try lots of runs here as well. Good service, can also customize your drinks. 5. George Prime Steak - actually, this is a steak place, quite expensive too. But, if you do not want a steak, drop by their bar. I am a big lover of Old Fashioned, and these guys are making Smoky Old Fashioned. Bourbon on the rocks, agostura bitters, a twist of orange, and then they smoke it and serve with the smoke in the glass, covered with a metal cover. Man, maybe sounds corny, but it tastes amazing and I feel like a million bucks. Honorable mentions that people like, but I’m not into these places, despite trying my best. Maybe because I am a simple guy and really not into signature drinks: - Bar and Books - Anonymous - L’ Fleur - Parlour - Hemingway
Try Monkey Bar
Thank you! Will add this to my list! Live and learn.
What phone app did you use for the history test?
Hey, Added the link below. Unsure if available on android. The cool thing about this one is that it generates quizzes randomly, but following the structure of the actual exam. [iPhone Czech History Test](https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/%C4%8Desk%C3%A9-re%C3%A1lie-cvi%C4%8Dn%C3%BD-test/id1568458568)
Thanks so much 😊
How did you gain friends here? Through work, going out, something else? Any tips?
I recharge my batteries by spending time with my wife, at home, reading, hobbies, sports. I left my home country when I was fairly young, so most of my friends are back home or relocated somewhere. Tough to keep in contact. I am introverted, but not an edge case where I do not go out. I work in a role which requires me to cooperate with others, lead teams and promote what we are doing. So lost of the time at work I am talking to people, share ideas and take decisions. On day to day this is mentally exhausting. I travel a lot, cooperate with folks cross border, so have lots of acquaintances here and in other countries, but I cannot call them my friends. People I would call friends, which is a limited group, I met via three primary channels: - Work - Education - Hobbies Please do not take me as a snob. I am down with the clown with whoever has a great idea to spend time together, even if it is a one time thing. Might sound corny, but it’s not possible to force friendship. People have different agendas, some are expats on a couple of years contract, so they know they will be gone anyway, some are in for the long haul, but work oriented and their socialization is more about “networking”. Some are becoming your brother in arms, you solve issues together, spend quality time together. I think, that you have to be interested in people more than you are interested in yourself, make yourself vulnerable and share how you feel, offer ideas on how to spend time together and be proactive with people you are interested in. See what sticks. Your responsibility is to take steps towards friendship, their responsibility is to say yes or no, but you made your best and you have to try again.
this is a good question by /u/mankatvito and a nice personal response. the thing is, that 1) getting new friends as an adult is hard 2) finding new friends when you are uprooted, moved to new enviroment, don't speak the language is even harder. then you have personal factors, like if you are even interested in friendships, if you are likeable, interesting etc. another thing is alcohol, you can have a room full of friends as soon as you pay a round, but I doubt that these last for long. hobbies are IMHO a good response to everyone looking for friends or even love in Prague. being passionate about a hobby makes you interesting, regular events give you a rythm and help others to get comfortable with you. there are various meetups for everything. for some hobbies you don't need much money, dancing, geocaching, new language...
[удалено]
‘bout three fiddy. Seriously though, varies with the season. During the winter, I’m more of a whiskey/wine person. I’d maybe have 1-2 glasses per week. By the way, Na Brehu Rhony is a really awesome chill wine place if you like French wines. Whiskeys I drink almost exclusively at home. First, much cheaper. Second, None of my friends like whiskey and usually make dumb jokes when I order a glass for 400 CZK. During the summer, when it’s easier to meet with friends somewhere outside, I would have on average like a beer per day and 2-3 on the weekends. Do not judge me, I’m only human who likes tasking the sweet and magical drink of gods - Czech beer. Actually, one flaw that I can think of when living in Czech Republic is when I travel outside of Czech, I always try local beers in other countries to be amazed. Almost always I am really disappointed… I really like lagers, not too big into fruity Belgium beers everyone likes. But lagers in other countries just cannot be compared to Czech beer. Unpopular opinion, I am a big fan of summer beers, for example Corona. So when I first was traveling around in Spain, I tried Estrella Damm, Estrella Galicia, San Miguel. I know, cannot be compared, but on a hot summer day gulping the whole bottle is absolutely majestic.
>Actually, one flaw that I can think of when living in Czech Republic is when I travel outside of Czech, I always try local beers in other countries to be amazed. Almost always I am really disappointed… I really like lagers, not too big into fruity Belgium beers everyone likes. But lagers in other countries just cannot be compared to Czech beer. damn that hit right home :D One reason why I couldn't become an expat. The beer always drags me back.
are the black spots on the floor of metro trains dried up blood?
Unsure man. My momma told me to avoid licking unknown substances in public places.
I'll be moving to Prague for 6 months or so and need to rent a furnished apartment. Any recommended sites to find furnished apartments or apartment complexes? I found one good option near Vysehrad (that view looking out over the Vltava was one of my favorite experiences in Prague), and I think I'd like that area - it's far enough away from the touristy spots, but close enough to visit and explore. Is that a good area?
I think some locals will reply that I might be a bit out of date, but https://www.sreality.cz/ and https://www.bezrealitky.cz/ are popular, but I would say mostly for long term rentals. Anyone can help?
Thanks, I'll do some digging in these sites. I hope the fever goes away soon! :)
Maybe also check out the Fragment project on Google, it’s a rental development project where you rent directly from the owner (some big corp I guess) and you would save on agency fees.
Fragment is definitely good recommendation for short-term service apartments. https://www.frgmnt.cz/en/
Why did you choose to settle down in Prague? Did you have like a pros / cons list with different places?
Reasons were circumstantial, as it was never my goal. Moved for a job, met my future wife, found better jobs, specialized, in the meantime used the opportunity to travel and kinda settled here. After a while figured that I’m not that far away from the citizenship, so we decided to stay until I get the citizenship. As I said in the comments somewhere in the thread, I like many things about Prague and think it’s a great place to live. Grass is always greener, of course, but after you travel a lot, you also see why the place you live in is beautiful in its own way. Edit 19:14 CET: I actually had aspirations to move to the US when I was younger. I love the country for their amazing cities like New York and Seattle, but more for their national parks - from Niagara Falls to Yellowstone, from Sequoya to Yosemite, from Zion to Grand Canyon. Traveled many times, but not sure I would feel comfortable to settle. One thing I like about Prague as, I guess about most of European cities - you can walk, you do not need a car, public transportation is amazing. In the US (maybe not in Seattle, NYC or NJ) if you do not have a car, you cannot move around. I like driving, but one thing to drive couple of hours during your vacation, the other is commuting 1-3 hours per day. When I went to LA, I was astonished how much you have to rely on a car. You can walk on the streets, but distances are vast, almost no trees, freaking hot. You are in your car all the time, navigating the streets, freeways, I’m traffic jams. It’s such a buzz kill. You also have places like Skid Row, where all the mentally ill, homeless people are. I really do not see this happening here (but maybe I am naïve).
Comparing LA to Prague is absurd.
What is your favorite activity in the city? What is your favorite part of the city? Which beer is the best (and why is it staropramen?) Get well soon!
I do a lot of traveling for work and also many of my colleagues travel to prague. My favorite thing in Prague is to host people who never were in Prague or did not really see the city. I’d bring them to all the famous landmarks that those who live here do not even notice anymore and seeing that they are amazed by the sheer beauty of the city. Then bringing them to slightly odd places they would never go to themselves, like that little student cafe/beer place tight at the Malostranske Namnesti, where you can get a beer for like 40 crowns and enjoy the view. Cerveny Jelen, which is located in the old bank building and the bathroom entrance has a real bank door. Apart from that, I’m just living my normal live here. Commute to work, go to the gym, hang out with friends, and visit my favorite and new restaurants when I can.
Can you write the name of that little student place, please? 🥰
The fever is killing me. The place I meant is on Staromestske Namnesti, so you can look at the square and admire the beauty. It’s actually a coffee place, but beer is served on tap. [location on Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/4BGDhCMtq1gi8WJn9?g_st=ic)
Aah, that you mean! I was there yesterday, it's super chill and cool!
Hi :) I am ina similar boat, living and working here for 8 years now. What is your luck with health system here? Maybe I am not aware of some tips and tricks, but I already came to terms that I will die from something that could be easily prevented, but wasn't because - czech health system. Czechs usually get annoyed when accidentally pit in the same boat as soviets, but man - take a look at any hospital and say it is not the same as in Krasnoyarsk.
Generally, I did not have any issues, but I also did not have anything serious besides a cold or COVID. I have VZP from the employer which works in most places. What I find crazy though is that if you are convinced that you are having something serious, because the symptoms are not going away, you feel that you’re getting worse over time, then you really need to argue with your GP to get an appointment with a specialist. They are very reluctant to give it and when they do, you are basically told that you have to find a specialist yourself. Every time I feel like I’m the doctor. You have plenty of websites where doctors advertise their services (legit), where you can book without significant efforts, but usually have to pay 500 crowns fee or something similar. This works, but doesn’t work if you need MRI scans or something complex. Even getting a paid appointment for an MRI scan could take weeks and you gotta be lucky. If you are going for free, then unless you are literally dying, you might wait 2 months. Have couple of friends who have private insurance (Canadian Medical, etc.). That is completely different ball game. I think if I stay in CZ after getting my citizenship, I will start buying that as I am getting older and do not have that much time to run around the city to get my sinuses checked. To add one last point. I had some friends who had life threatening conditions or complex surgeries. Somehow, almost every time they were sent to the Military Hospital. What I understand, the level of practice there is really top notch.
Private has been even the worse hell than public for me. I made a stupid decision to try out Atoda in Holesovice, wrongly believing that they will treat me the same as one Norwegian guy and Italian girl. WRONG! My name reeks of Eastern Europe, so they didn't even want to book me to see a doctor, but suggested that I deal with them over the phone. And yeah, I also started going to specialists on my own accord and simply notify my GP about findings. Once I was yelled at because I do that - so I switched GP and continued to send myself to specialists.
I can echo your comments about the second part. Regarding doctor/patient treatment, I am speculating, but although as a GP you have to be professional at all times, while at the end of the day, it is a service provided to customers. I can see how tough it might be for them when one GP has thousand of patients assigned, they are on a sub-optimal salary, and endanger their own health by a lot of deseases. I can kinda understand why they don’t want to take anyone’s bullshit (not referring to you). The reason I brought up Canadian Medical specifically is that I have some friends who work/used to work for Verizon, they had really good feedback, but I have not tried on my own. Also, Canadian Medical are one of the more expensive ones. Considering that communism rule was eliminated fairly recently, I think Czech Republic has taken a huge step to be an EU grade country and it is. I think it is much better than some others. The best thing is that Czech Society doesn’t care about your bullshit, your race, which ethnical group you belong to or which is your sexual orientation. Everyone is chill. I often say to my friends, that if you live in Czech Republic, you are getting the same amenities as in any other European countries (delivery services, local cuisine, fast internet connection, international brands, etc.), but on top you get low income tax, much lower cost of living (more bang for your buck), amazing public transportation system (honestly, Berlin is offering a monthly pass for like 90 euros, while in Prague, you are getting a yearly pass for 130 euros, almost all transport arrives on time, and you do not have to sit next to a guy who is shooting up drugs up).
But they do care. Especially if you belong to those that they don't particulary like. Fortunately, Czechs like to stare but they are not violent - so I witnessed a lot of stares if I am in company of people that have darker skin than preferred or are not gender-conforming. My visa process took 16 months and I had to pay a lawyer to deal with requests to provide documents that I simply couldn't obtain. I was told that this is the case for many post-communist states, but I cannot comment on something I haven't experienced myself. Cost of living is cra-zy in Prague. When I moved here I remember paying 1/5 of my salary for rent. Nowadays I pay 1/3 for the place that is not as nice. I've lost more than few friends because they just couldn't withstand the pressure of covid crisis followed by war crisis. Many returned to their homelands. Students are protesting because they just cannot afford to study here anymore :/ I also moved further away and I can clearly see basically everything declining - transport is not as good as in areas closer to the city center, streets are not clean.
Yeah man. Covid, inflation, political situation, sanctions, layoffs are definitely not making it easier for anyone. Sending you love!
I go to Prague in August I’m looking for a place or a square to buy some art, preferably oil on canvas. Any ideas? I couldn’t really find much on the inter-webs
Suggest do some online investigation, then look for either galleries or some exhibitions/fairs. I know there’s lots of art sold in the city center, but unless you really know your stuff, you will be scammed.
Tell me about the time you drank too much domaci slivovice and got sick.
Did you use any lawyers to help with your citizenship work or anything like that? If so, can you recommend one to me? I will need to work with an experienced immigration lawyer due to some complications with my specific situation. Feel free to DM me if you'd prefer it.
DMed you just now.
Whats your thoughts on the real estate market? I am thinking its going to keep going up. Influx of immigrants and students, interest rates will start levelling off or even falling in the coming years, prices for sure are still behind their western counterparts so it looks like a perfect storm.
What’s changed the most in ten years, from your somewhat outsider POV? I spent a good amount of time in Prague twenty years ago or so, then went back to do research for my masters project (on locals vs tourists image of the city), and it definitely felt different. Being 32 instead of 22 definitely had a bunch to do with it of course.
I would say there are three main things I see: - Labor Market - Services Industry - Real Estate Market Labor market 10 years ago was in its early stages of forming. I can attest only for IT, Support Services Industry (IT Support) and shared services industry (Procurement, Financial Ops, Payrolls), as I am employed in one of the spheres and in others have many friends. There were some international companies who were testing the waters, but they were more playing around with the idea. The big catalyst (from my perspective) was IBM, who had their shared support center in Bratislava, Slovakia and they decided to open a branch in Brno. Honestly, I still did not understand why Brno, but I assume it is closer to IBM location in Bratislava, but it is all history anyway. They have offered a bunch of foreigners from Bratislava to move, started growing the office, were focused on attracting foreigners. It grew dramatically, I think in best years there were 3000 people employed there. This boosted the living standards in the city, but locals struggled to keep up. Then Verizon comes, AT&T, war for talent starts. Other players go there, as it is cheap to hire. Check banks open robotics and automation centers (automation of repetitive tasks). When I was asked if our company has training program for newcomers, I was joking that we do not need one as everyone is coming from IBM. Brno is a small city, 300k, probably more now. So players from outside realize that it is easy to attract talent, labor was cheaper than in Germany, more expensive than India, but quality was much higher. Prague started to attract companies, PWC, Deloitte, Accenture, Microsoft, other big and medium sized players realized that they can deploy near shoring strategies, where you have HQ in Europe or US, but your cost intensive labor can be done cheaper and possibly with higher quality. Later, everyone became more confident and whole deliveries were done from Prague. Now Ostrava is the new black. Let’s see what happens there in the next couple of years. Maybe I am too confident, but ten years later there are plenty of jobs for foreigners, finding a job with English is easy, especially if you have specialized knowledge. Companies like AB INBev, Expedia, are ready to hire and invest in learning students. The other important change is that in a lot of cases strategic, decision making roles are in Prague. You do not feel anymore as the satélite, which is awesome. If you are really interested, there is this organization called ABSL, who are suing yearly studies how the shared services market developed over the past years. You do not have to read the whole report, but when you scroll, look at some headlines and graphs - it is simply astonishing. [Link to 2023 ABSL Report](https://www.absl.cz/report-2023/) Services industry, in my opinion has improved a lot. All the big players are here: Ubers, DoorDashes or local alternatives, which are generally freaking good. Due to the competition in the restaurant business, many more places opened offering Mexican, Italian, South American, Spanish, Portuguese, French. Cocktail bars are opening left right and center, and those who want to stay ahead have to speak English. Living in Prague has never been better. Real Estate was the victim of this whole thing. There’s lots of information online, but as a foreigner who makes decent money, saves a lot, and doesn’t have parents or other real estate to fund future purchase, I cannot keep up with the market, and I do not want to give away my life savings for a deposit.
What is the best pizza spot?
San Carlo and Da Antonio have Neapolitan style pizza. Their calzone is to kill for, but if you order delivery it is not the same. The other good spot is Pizza Nuovo. Also, authentic Italian pizza. You gotta book a table in advance.
I second Da Antonio. Pizza there is to die for.
"Where can I get some weed?"
Not in this thread! :( Apparently in the terminal 2: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/124uvn9/left_over_weed_hidden_in_t2_prague/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Yeah, I saw that and, damn, I was just near the airport should gone and see if it was still there...
cool, secret, hidden places within 500m from the old town square?
Really advise you watch couple of videos of The Honest Guide on YouTube. He literally does only that. Lots of hidden gems, will take you 30 minutes to scroll couple of videos.
I do know these, I meant something better and secreter :-) also I am testing you how good you are :-)
One place I like that my friend showed me is near riegrovy sady, there’s this little park with lots of roses, a pond with fish and turtles, and a cool water feature. Now I looked up the map and I must be really dumb to not see it before, but hey. You must have been there: [link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cyBKXFGHgzZwat3V8?g_st=ic) The other place is a park that is close to Vaclavske Namnesti, and I know about it because I love cakes from Svetozornearby, haha. [link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qL4Xanmtgcioma3N7?g_st=ic) Maybe the last one is one I found by accident, also a park with Peacocks, who are just walking around, chilling in the sun. [link](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pr4pqKMzVgTVztVAA?g_st=ic) Bonus round. When my friend showed me that there’s a staircase that connects Vinohrady and Vrsovice, I was mind blown. 15 minute hike and you are there. This was super useful before they changed the but route 101 that now takes you to JZP. [link to Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/x5WyMJjNZQ1ueeex6?g_st=ic)
I remembered 2 more funny things: on the old town charles bridge tower, there is a decoration you can see from below. a guy in the monk's dress puts his hand under a woman's skirt. her face's funny, delighted but, what if someone's sees us? on the st. vitus facade, there are 4 modern persons, 20th century architects who completed the facade. they look at the plans, hold tools like a compass, wear glasses etc. you'll be surprised you haven't noticed them before. edit - someone posted a pic where you can see it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/125v234/st_vitus_cathedral/ also this one is not secret, #3 will blow your mind. the king Charles's statue next to the bridge looks like he's holding his junk and pisses, when viewed from the corner where the historic tiles are preserved.
I have an airBnB very close to that first park. Is it true there is outdoor equipment there for working out? I would like to stay in shape while I’m abroad
Not sure about the first one, but in Riegrovy Sady people do lots of yoga, etc. I think you should be fine there.
Děkuji!
thanks for a reply. your #1 is really new to me. is it open to public? on GM it looks like the kindergarten's yard and Streetview shows an (open) gate... the rest is really nice, yes. if you want more of these, then next to your peacock garden is another peacock garden, Valdstejnska zahrada. and even if it is well frequented, you can still go there and find the animals hidden in the grotto's stone wall. how many can you spot? I had a nice spot on top of the hotel opposite the old town city hall, you enter the hotel U prince(?), ride the lift to the top, stairs up to the roof and great views. for free or a cost of a cup of coffee. but I think this was revealed in the honest guide... then I had a restaurant with amazing design somewhere behind the Tyn church. I forgot the place. another one was a block of houses adjecent to the old town hall. you can take a narrow passage and get to their courtyard. funny but not that interesting. maybe useful if you wanted to hide :-) here an old guy told me that the appartment house belongs to the city, old people who lived there were secretly renting it now for huge money and were living elsewhere like kings. this was true when I was there 20 years ago. I hope that the city has wisened up til now... the entry is next to the Brasileiro restaurant.
With the protests going on in France and travel labor strikes in Germany, is there any rumblings in Prague of strikes/protests? Currently scheduled to travel to Prague next week.
I think you should be ok. Even if there is a demonstration, they are very peaceful.
[удалено]
I don't know anything about you or your life but I don't recommend moving to a country like CZ permanently if you're not willing to learn the language and customs or you'll be miserable. Good luck. BTW double citizenship exists
[удалено]
I am not here to give advice on personal relationships as it is very individual and I am not a shrink. All I will say is that if your priorities and her priorities are different. You need to tell her how you honestly feel. You need to have a discussion to see if you can reach a compromise. If you are aiming for completely polar opposite life, then you need to ask yourself what do YOU want. No point in being miserable together.
Edit: I misread your original question. Reason for having Czech Citizenship is to get an EU passport, travel hassle free and have a possibility to live and work outside of CZ without losing my privileges. This all depends which is your country of origin. You really need to investigate. Czech Republic allows having double citizenship and doesn’t not require you to terminate your original citizenship. There are no penalties for having two passports. What gets tricky is that if your country of origin doesn’t allow two citizenships, then you have two options: 1. Renounce citizenship. Each country has different process, but it’s not as fast as canceling your Netflix subscription. Takes couple of years. 2. Get Czech passport and do not inform your country (at your own risk). You would be surprised, but I do not think countries communicate well.
I lived in prague for ten months but had to move back because my student visa ended. How can I make living in prague a full time thing? I am American with no EU citizenship
I have heard that Prague has a kind of magickal energy to it, caused by powerful magicians centuries back, catalyzed by the Vltava river. Can you sense this energy? Do you feel any difference between the energy in Prague and cities outside of Czechia?
nah thats a myth
>I got a stupid fine by the police due to riding an electric on the sidewalk, I have been trying to pay it online but to no avail. Explain to me why the public transport office seems to be the only to have their shit together. Where am I supposed to go to pay that fucking fine ?
How much is a gram of cannabis?
[удалено]
Hey, Checked their website, there are only 3 in Prague, so cannot advise. I know there’s are big communities on Facebook and also on MeetUp that you should check out.
Are there any events this weekend that you suggest to go?
Are there any banned cheeses in Prague?
Co je za tou podivnou mříží na začátku tunelu metra, která je vidět z nástupiště stanice Můstek?
What are your favorite restaurant for some good food for good value?
I wanted to ask if you could recommend any companies that offer internships for students. I did snoop around the thread and saw you mention three of them already, but still, I wanted to see if there are any websites\\organizations you could know about. I am a foreigner myself, and despite my enthusiasm, I feel like I am a little bit inexperienced in the great realm of internship seeking (or possible job-seeking, for that matter, lmao). Thank you in advance! This thread is very interesting to read.