Practical information The Czech Republic is a landlocked, country located in Central Europe. It borders Germany in the west, Poland in the north, Slovakia in the east and Austria in the south. The most distant points of the country between west and east are 493 km apart, between north and south 278 km. The Czech Republic is a member of the European Union. Since Jan. 1, 1993 it has been an independent state, until then it was part of Czechoslovakia. The territory of the Czech Republic consists of three historical lands – Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Area: 78 866 km2 Capital City: Prague Administrative Structure: 14 Regions System of Government: Parliamentary Republic Population: 10.6 million Religion: roughly two-thirds of the population are atheists, Catholicism is the major religion Official Language: Czech Time: the time zone is UTC + 1, both summer and winter time are used Currency: Czech koruna (CZK) Dialling Code: + 420 Internet Domain: .cz Important Telephone Numbers: 112 SOS Emergency Call 155 Emergency Medical Service 158 Police of the Czech Republic 156 Municipal Police 150 Fire Brigade

How to get there The largest and main Czech airport is the Václav Havel Airport in Prague-Ruzyně, which meets all European standards and has three terminals. Other international airports are in Brno, Ostrava, Karlovy Vary and Pardubice. In the Czech Republic, traffic drives on the right, speed limits: motorway/outside of municipalities/ in municipalities – 130/90/50 km/h. The dense road network is dominated by 19 motorway sections totalling 1250 km. Motorway use is paid for in the Czech Republic via motorway toll stickers, which can be purchased at petrol stations or post offices; the drive-through toll is not paid by passenger cars.

64 Destination Manual 2020

The price of the motorway toll sticker for passenger cars up to 3.5 t is year/month/10 days – CZK 1,500/ 440/ 310. Buses must be equipped with an electronic device for toll collection; the toll rate for them is lower compared to freight vehicles. In the Czech Republic it is not permitted to drive after consuming any amount of alcohol whatsoever. Drivers are required to have headlights on in the daytime. Train and bus transport is widely used, including a network of cycle buses. Tourists can also use cableways and passenger boats. Larger towns have extremely efficient public transport networks. A good service is provided by the information transport system IDOS, which is a software interface for searching for connections of different types of public transport, including combinations (www.idos.cz).

Opening Hours Normally shops are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., mainly on weekdays. In large towns, opening hours are usually longer, often up to 10 p.m. and during the weekend. Conversely, in smaller towns and villages shops often close at 5 p.m. or even 4 p.m. Hypermarket chains are normally open until 10 p.m., the largest stores are open non-stop including weekends. Historical sites and museums are mostly closed on Mondays. Their opening hours are governed by the season; longer over the summer, shorter in winter. Some of the sites are open yearround, others only from April to October.

Public Holidays Jan. 1  Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State Jan. 1  New Year The first Friday after the first full moon following the spring equinox – Good Friday The first Monday after the first full moon following The spring equinox – Easter Monday May 1  Labour Day May 8  Victory Day Jul. 5  Saints Cyril and Methodius Day Jul. 6  Jan Hus Day Sep. 28 St. Wenceslas Day (Czech Statehood Day)