Venue information

The IGAFIT Highlights of Algorithms 2023 Conference is taking place at Charles University, at Mala Strana (Malostranské námestí 2/25, Praha 1):

Building plan

Lectures will be held in S3 and S4 lecture rooms on the third floor.

Arriving

By plane

Prague airport is one of the major airports in central Europe with many direct flights from major European cities and some direct flights from large cities around the World. To get to the conference venue you can use:

By train

There are several good connection mostly from neighboring countries. If you buy tickets online in advance (via cd.cz e-shop for an example) there can be a significant discount.

By bus

The cheapest but maybe the most uncomfortable way. However there are plenty of buses from every major city in Europe.

Visa requirements

Czech Republic is a part of the Schengen area and as such shares its visa policy. For EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, the only requirement is a valid passport or national identity card. There are many other countries whose citizens are exempt from visa requirement. For details about visa requirements in the Schengen area please consult the webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Getting around

Prague has a quite dense system of public transportation. To plan your travels you can use an online connection search or Google maps. The price of a ticket is 40 CZK per 90 minutes.

If you would like to use a taxi, try to avoid getting a taxi on the street (it is advisable to call one of the major Prague Taxi services), and if you have to, try to negotiate the price in advance. If you take a taxi on the street, you should know that the maximum price designated by the city council is 36 CZK per kilometer. Ridesharing apps usable in Prague include Uber, Bolt, and Liftago. See also below for some further comments.

Restaurant recommendations

Most restaurants have lunch menus with cheaper dishes on working days. If you do not see a lunch menu at the table, ask the waiter. Some restaurants may be cash only, we will indicate so to the best of your knowledge.

To help you avoid tourist traps, a typical cost of a lunch daily menu meal is around 180 CZK, dinner meal 250+ CZK, drink 40+ CZK.

Restaurants near the conference venue

Sightseeing

There are many guidebooks about Prague. For a selection of interesting places you can check Wikitravel. Another warmly recommended source is the Honest Guide YouTube channel.

Things to be aware of

Since Prague is a major tourist destination, it is unfortunately unavoidable that certain tourist traps exist, which you should be aware of. You can find a whole list of YouTube videos by the Honest Guide on scams found in Prague. Generally speaking Prague is a very welcoming city, but you probably should know about the following potential traps.

  • At the airport: it is advisable not to exchange money, nor to withdraw money at the airport (tickets for public transportation can be bought at a ticket machine at the bus stop, which accepts credit cards). The exchange offices at the airport often have terrible exchange rates (see also the note about exchanging money below). Many ATMs at the airport will try to fool you into withdrawing large amounts of cash, by only offering huge values. Remember that 1 Euro is approximately 25 CZK, and that Prague is still quite cheap compared to other European cities (as witnessed by the above mentioned lunch prices for instance). If you need cash, it is recommended to either exchange or withdraw money in the city (see comments below), or bring it with. Most places in Prague will accept major credit cards though.
  • Exchanging money: especially in the very touristy old town of Prague, some exchange offices will try to offer you terrible exchange rates (for example 15 CZK for 1 Euro, while 1 Euro is worth about 25 CZK). Always check the exchange rate thoroughly: it should be at around 24 CZK for 1 Euro. Also, never exchange cash in the streets, as you will most likely receive some completely worthless currency instead of Czech crowns! We recommend eXchange, which has fair rates.
  • Withdrawing money: at the airport some ATMs only offer to withdraw huge amounts of cash, which you will most likely not need (Prague is still quite cheap compared with other European cities, see above mentioned lunch prices for example). In the city you can come across ATMs that try to convince you that you should use their exchange rate instead of your bank's rate: you will get a choice between using the rate of the bank that the ATM belongs to and your bank, but the button for your bank will be colored red while the ATM's bank will be colored green to indicate that the latter is the supposedly better choice. However, this is often not the case, as the ATM's bank will have a worse rate.
  • Taxis: some taxi drivers will try to charge you horrendous rates, e.g., 5000 CZK instead of 500 CZK. It is recommended to try and avoid getting a taxi on the street (it's advisable to call one of the major Prague Taxi services) and if you have to, try to negotiate the price in advance. The maximum price designated by the city council is 36 CZK per kilometer.
  • Shops and restaurants: in the old town area, some restaurants and corner stores will be quite overpriced. It is recommended to always check the prices before deciding to buy something at a store or ordering at a restaurant. For restaurants, the above list of lunch prices can guide you. If you enter a store and see that a can of coke costs 80 CZK, run!