- English is a complicated thing in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic has been under a capitalist system for nearly 30 years and part of the EU for even less, leaving little time for the country to learn English as a second language. As a result, you’ll find that pretty much every young person knows some level of English and older people may not know as much – typically the older they are, the less likely they are to know English.
- Beer is super cheap. Almost like living your whole life with a glove on and finally taking it off to feel the world around you for the first time, the Czech Republic’s tasty and cheap beer will change your life (if you’re into beer as much as we are). The beer is consistently rated as amongst the best in the world and won’t bust your bank, and even better than that – it’s not expensive to have a night out drinking with friends.
- Czechs are reserved. If you’re from a country where people are bubbly and always greeting each other, you may be disappointed to know that Czech people are simply not like this. There are a number of different theories as to why, but most Czech people won’t randomly start a conversation with you, approach you if it looks like you’re lost, or sometimes even look at you. But…
- Czech people are really close with their family and friends. Many Czech people spend their weekends with family in cottages outside the city, or having dinner with family, or doing something with their family. Family is super important to Czech people and so are their friends. As we mentioned already, Czech people can be a bit cold and reserved but once you earn their friendship, this is a deep and fulfilling friendship that’s sure to last a lifetime.
- Services are cheap. The Czech economy is booming right now and unemployment is insanely low, but wages are still comparatively lower than Western Europe. You will find as a result that services are cheap to you as a foreigner because they are affordable for Czechs.
- It’s super safe. There is a shocking LACK of crime in the Czech Republic, and especially with violent crime. Any time there’s a murder it almost becomes a national story because of how unusual it is. This makes the Czech Republic a place where you can feel free to do whatever you want, especially at night when you might otherwise feel unsafe in other countries.
- Czech people communicate differently. Always put things on paper. Czechs tend to be non-confrontational which can make their intentions unclear. If you’re dealing with serious things or a lot of money, have a paper trail because a nod and a handshake isn’t enough. Czechs aren’t bad people or liars, they just communicate in a different way and the language barrier may also be a problem.
- The Czech Republic is the most irreligious country in the world. While the country has an obvious Catholic past, it is still highly irreligious which makes Czech people generally secular-minded and accepting of other religions.
- Bureaucracy is hell in the Czech Republic. If you have to deal with Czech bureaucracy, be warned that it can be very complicated (even for Czechs and Czech speakers). Prague is, after all, the home of Franz Kafka whose works were inspired by unnavigable and complicated bureaucracy. But fear not as it’s possible to find your way through!
- Public transportation is amazing. While the country’s bureaucracy may not function like a well-oiled machine, certainly public transportation does. In Prague, all modes of public transportation are rarely late – even by a minute. In fact, you have to be more worried that your tram or bus might come early and leave you behind rather than it being late! To get a closer look into the transportation system in Prague, you can visit this link: https://pid.cz/en/travelling-around-prague/
