Prague safety

Hi all,

I%26#39;m planning to visit Prague. However, I%26#39;ve heard some discomforting safety issues like a train officer will try to fine you (even though you have a correct ticket) or someone will come up to you pretending to be a police officer.

How safe is Prague for tourists? I am easily noticeable as a tourist. Will anybody (e.g. the authorities, thieves) pick on me?

How safe is the train from Prague to Bratislava?

Thanks. :)

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Prague is generally safe, even at night. You do have to watch out for pickpockets in crowded areas and public transport. Just keep your valuables inaccessible. Also do not take taxis off the street except for those at a Fair Place stand.

Real inspectors will not fine you. It%26#39;s rare, but I have heard a few cases of fake inspectors. They show a red and gold badge in their hand. But demand to see their full idea from their pocket and examine it. A real one must allow this.

But really, I wouldn%26#39;t worry so much. Just make sure to stamp your ticket when you get on or before you go down an escalator (and that is is for the proper fare).

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Should say real ones will not fine you... if you have a proper ticket.

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If you stay in the tourist areas at night you should be fine. Like any other city.

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Damsca - I%26#39;m not sure what you mean when you say you are easily noticeable as a tourist. I find that the best way to keep safe is to blend in as much as possible with your surroundings i.e. not carrying obvious %26#39;tourist%26#39; accessories such as maps, guides, cameras, etc. in full view, being discreet about consulting maps, etc., avoiding insignia on your clothing which indicate your nationality. Being aware of your surroundings and seeming %26#39;purposeful%26#39; and not lost (even if you are) also helps. I tend to go into places like banks and cafes to check maps and if lost, ask in places like shops and hotels for directions. In my experience, even in countries where you couldn%26#39;t possibly pass for a native, you can still give the impression that you might live there or at least are familiar with your surroundings. I know that I%26#39;m blending in when people, sometimes even locals (as happened on the Prague metro) ask me for directions! I%26#39;ve visited Prague on several occasions and am planning to back soon. I%26#39;ve never had any problems in this wonderful city. Hope you enjoy it.

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Thank you all for the replies. :)

Well, as much as I want to blend in, I can%26#39;t. :) I am asian. :) So there is no blending in for me in any country in Europe. :D

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Don%26#39;t try to blend in - the fun of being in a city like Prague is the diversity of nationalities! There are far more tourists on the street than locals, so not to worry. Just don%26#39;t look like an easy victim for the professionals...

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I%26#39;m Northern European in appearance and I%26#39;ve travelled without incident in countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Thailand where I%26#39;m clearly not local. As I said, you may not necessarily look like you come from the country you are visiting but you can look like you are familiar with your surroundings, and that you are confident and know where you are going- that%26#39;s what I mean by blending in.

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My husband and I just returned from Prague last night (March 5, 2008). While we both agree that Prague is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen, we were also disappointed with the pickpocket problem that we too experienced.

Our incident happened as we were getting on the Metro at the Mustek station. First of all, we consider ourselves %26quot;seasoned travelers%26quot;. We have been to more than 20 countries in the past 10 years and have never had this happen to us. We are always %26quot;aware of our surroundings, do not stand out as Americans with the white tennis shoes, etc and are very aware of our personal belongings.

We were waiting for the train to arrive and my husband and I took note of a man to our left and a couple of women to our right. There was no one else around us at the time. As the train arrived and the doors opened, a group of about 5 men rushed up behind us (from no where) and started pushing us from behind. These were not young adolescent teenagers, these were men in their 30%26#39;s. Several of the men surrouned my husband as to separate him from me, while one of the men pushed me from behind. My husband immediately realized what was going on and yelled at me that they were trying to get in my backpack. Fortunately, when the one man pushed me, he pushed me so hard that I went flying (and therefore he couldn%26#39;t get in my backpack). I immediatley took off my back pack and sure enough the zipper was opened about 6 inches. Although they were unsuccessful, a situation like this leaves you feeling shaken and violated. These guys looked very angry when they were not successful. They all crowded around the entrance to the door and got off at the next stop to surely attack the next victom.

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Yes - unfortunately this is a common modus operandi - I have seen this a few times, and there is really nothing at all that you can do about it if you are caught by them as they appear and disappear before you have time to think, and they are so blatant about it that the poor victim is in shock while it is happening - I have even seen them counting the money that they have taken out in front of the victim and laughing about it in the victim%26#39;s face. These people are like rats and should be exterminated as such, but the law doesn%26#39;t allow this SO to avoid it as much as possible if you are already on the metro, stand away from the doors and go towards the middle of the carriage if you can.

You have to bear in mind that they will have been watching out for suitable targets - they don%26#39;t just go for anyone, and it is almost exclusively unsuspecting tourists that they target as they are more likely to have considerable sums of money on them. Whatever you do, you will still stand out like a sore thumb, seasoned traveller or not; Czechs are unlikely to have more than a couple of hundred crowns on them so they are not worth it.

I try to go with as little as possible about my person, but I have gone native - you have to ask yourself whether you actually need a backpack, for example. Any money should be well hidden away from view in inaccessible places - try not to take too much money anyway, only have on you what you really need - use ATMs/cashpoints as much as you can (the commission charged is less than the difference you would pay in inflated exchange rates), or use visa/mastercard.

Basically, just use common sense!

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You are absolutely correct that %26quot;there is nothing you can do about it%26quot;. I agree that we were targeted the minute we set foot on the metro platform. We were headed on a day trip that day out of the area so felt that it was necessary to carry our backpack with us, but immediately after we got off the metro, we purchased a small lock and placed it on the zipper. The inconvienience of having to lock and unlock the backpack was a small price to pay for our peace of mind for the remainder of our trip!