Are you heading to Prague soon or still considering if Prague would be a good travel destination? Excellent! This blog post is exactly for you. I am not a journalist or an AI content creator. I am a real person who lives in Prague and works with foreigners every day (yes, a tour guide). I am writing this article for all of you travelers who are maybe solo travelers or seniors wondering if you haven’t booked tickets to some wild city full of gangs and human organ trafficking. I would like to assure you right at the beginning: you haven’t. Welcome to the safe city of Prague!
Who is writing this blog for you?
Hello, my name is Dana, and as I mentioned in the first paragraph, I work as a tour guide. Since 2015 I have been running my tiny project called Prague Behind The Scenes. I guide my guests around downtown Prague in a less touristy way, avoiding the busy, stereotypical routes full of large tour groups. Some parts of Prague are suffering from heavy overtourism, and that’s exactly what I don’t want to support. If this sounds like your mindset as well, please reach out to me, and I will be happy to design a nice downtown adventure for you!
This is my email where you can send me a tour request: [email protected]
What people want to know about safety in Prague?
During every tour, I get all kinds of questions, and many of them are related to safety. Especially how safe Prague is at night, on public transport, how bad it is with the pickpockets that are mentioned in every single guidebook, if people are carrying guns, if we have gangs, no-go zones, and how the situation is with homeless people.
These questions and topics are repeated almost on every tour. And I absolutely understand the concerns. So, here I am for all of you who are not joining me on the tour to listen to my replies. And hopefully, it will give you peace of mind before coming. Just don´t expect any wild strories, because…
Prague is safe!
I would like to mention this at the beginning because we are quite proud of it. We don’t have street gangs here or no-go zones. Public transport is safe day or night. I use it every single day since my childhood.
Prague is also a place I would recommend for solo female travelers in a heartbeat. You can also walk in Prague streets at night. Street violence, shootings, gangs of teenagers, or young guys hanging around the city are not an issue. The only challenge may come from visitors here for stag parties, who can create a bit of chaos, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. The alcohol is available everywhere, and it’s cheap.
With all the above mentioned, I didn’t mean we are 100% angels here. Of course not. There is crime as well, just nothing special I would particularly need to warn you against. In the paragraphs below you will find my 3 friendly recommendations for how to stay perfectly safe in Prague and what not to be shocked of.
Tip 1: Prague pickpockets
Yes, our international celebrities. Mentioned in almost every guidebook. But honestly, I think the guidebooks often overscare people. When I see clients on the tour who came prepared as if to some war zone, I think it’s a bit too much. But on the other hand, why not? Better be safe than sorry! Just no stress, please.
Yes, the pickpockets are here, no doubt. They work fast and efficiently. However, they are waiting for the easy catches (open bags, phones or wallets in the back pockets of your pants, etc.).
They operate in the most crowded places where you don’t pay attention to your belongings. They will not come to you and rob you, oh no, you will simply not feel anything or notice anybody.
So, here are the basic rules for how to avoid pickpockets:
- Avoid the crowded places (Charles Bridge, Astronomical Clock, Karlova Street, Mostecká Street, Christmas markets, clubs, shopping malls during the Christmas time).
- If you are in a busy place, keep your backpack, handbag, or banana bag on your belly. Zipped.
- Some pickpockets might also be on the Prague subway. Don’t leave your phone or wallet in your back pockets. Or visible in any pockets.
- Set payment limits on your card.
- Don’t carry too much cash.
- Know your bank’s emergency number or know how to block your cards on your phone.
- Don’t keep cards together with your phone (in one case) and never leave your PIN there.
- These days, I think losing a phone may cause much more trouble than “just” losing a wallet. Since we confirm or pay for almost everything with our phones, losing this would be a lot of trouble. So never leave your phone in your back pocket. I keep seeing many guys doing this!
On the other hand, I would also like to tell you, that:
- Everything mentioned above is just general precaution. It doesn’t mean that you have to be constantly stressed that somebody is watching you. Just use your common sense and don’t give pickpockets easy access to your belongings.
- I personally have never been pickpocketed.
What to do if you lose your wallet/passport/phone…
- You need to go to the nearest police station to write up a record for the insurance company, bank, and embassy if you need their assistance.
2. Tip 2: Prague Main Train Station
I need to lay the cards on the table now.
Guys, this is something we are really ashamed of. The park surrounding the Main Train Station, which you will need to pass through if you’re heading to / from Austria, Hungary, Poland or taking the Airport Express, is terrible and dirty place.
Don’t be shocked if you see beggars, homeless people, junkies, and drunk people around. You will not be in danger there, the police are patrolling, and the train station is constantly full of travelers leaving and arriving. It’s simply just an ugly and smelly park surrounding the station where you don´t want to spend much time. The local “residents” will not interact with you or attack you, they usually stay in their groups and occupy the benches.
It’s certainly not the most pleasant way to greet or bid farewell to our visitors.
The train terminal inside, though, is great and really pretty, especially the historical building and the cafés by the platforms: definitely try Foyer café or Fantova kavárna. However, once you step outside, it’s… not good at all.
So, what I advise is to leave this park as fast as possible and please leave this first impression behind, too!
Locals call the park around the Main Train Station “Prague Sherwood” (nickname). Sherwood was the dangerous forest where Robin Hood used to live.
Tip 3: Fake marihuana shops all over the city center
First of all, marijuana is not legal in the Czech Republic. All the shops pretending to be marijuana shops are a tourist trap. Prague is not Amsterdam. None of the joints or cookies will get you high. More likely, some of the products can get you down. On a hospital bed.
To make it clear, all these shops are luring tourists in to buy marijuana joints, vapes, and edibles (gummies, chocolate, lollipos…) to have some fun in Prague. But since marijuana (THC) is not legal here, of course, they are not selling it. It’s all fake, often made of various chemical substances, hemp, or who knows what… On the packaging, there is only a Czech fine print saying this is a souvenir, decoration, or collectible item not meant for eating or smoking. In Czech language. So nobody will understand unless you are Czech / Slovak.
Crazy, right? Another thing we are completely ashamed of. How is this possible? I keep asking too. Many years.
So, my warning is: don’t buy anything like this in all the small grocery stores downtown run by Vietnamese and don’t go to “marijuana” shops. Many people have ended up in hospitals with serious colapses.
More in this video.
And I believe this should be enough for this article 🙂 I hope I didn’t scare you too much. Once you arrive, you will see for yourself that Prague is a charming, safe, and very enjoyable city.
And once you know what to expect from certain places and people (Main Train Station, pickpockets, and fake marijuana shops), you will be able to explore it like a pro. If you want to learn about good locations where to stay in Prague, you can check my artcile Where to stay in Prague: 5 tips for hotel locations, sightseeing and friendly downtown neighborhoods.
If you appreciate the free information I share regularly on my blog, you can support my writing by treating me to a virtual coffee. Thank you for your kindness and thoughtful feedback on my work.
Dana, guide and blogger
Where to next?
Discovering Prague in winter: what to see and do here?
3-hour private tour of Prague downtown with Dana.