General Information

Weather

The Czech Republic and its capital Prague are located in the temperate zone. The climate represents a mixture of oceanic and continental climate. Early May marks the full transition into spring, where the weather is naturally quite variable. The average temperature during this period is approximately 13°C (55.4°F).

However, the weather in the Czech Republic is subject to sudden changes. While rains can occur throughout the year, May often sees the beginning of the spring shower season. In the time of the conference, there can be exceptionally warm days with highest temperatures reaching above 20°C (68°F), as well as colder, crisper days with maxima around 10°C (50°F).

However, usually, the daily maxima reach a comfortable temperature of 16-18°C (61-64°F). The weather can be sunny and pleasant, but brief spring showers are common. While the heavy thunderstorms of summer are less frequent this early in the season, non-stop light rain or overcast skies can occasionally occur.

Currency

The Czech Republic is an EU member country but the local currency is Czech crown (česká koruna česká), CZK. The actual exchange rate can be found here. Euros are not generally accepted, however, some hotels accept euros, usually at the custom exchange rate. Both US dollars and euros are convertible to CZK, and also cash machines enable CZK withdrawal. Both credit and debit cards (VISA/Mastecard) are generally accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants.

Electricity

The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. The power plugs and sockets are of the type E.

Public transport

Public transport in Prague is frequent, reliable and affordable. The extensive network consists of metro, trams, buses, and regional trains. There are 3 metro lines (A, B, and C) operating from approx. 5:00 AM to the midnight. In general, the daily buses and trams operate in the same time range but not all the lines operate the whole day.

There is also a night public transport service that relies on trams and buses only. The night lines are different from the daily ones (tram lines 91-99, bus lines 901-915, the map is here) and operate from midnight to 5 AM.

The ticket (costing 40 CZK; which equals approx. to 1.60 €) can be purchased in the ticket machine at the station. The ticket is valid in Prague in metro, buses, trams and regional trains and you can change as many times you want within its time limit of 90 minutes. After getting on the first bus or tram or when entering the metro area, you have to validate your ticket.