The pickpockets in Prague must be very good, because I have never seen it happen in the more than twenty times I have been to Prague. Thank you for the adequate tips, they are so true.
HONEST GUIDE is the channel you need to watch regarding scams in Prague. Literally all they do is point out scams, how they work, and where they might be found.
Was about to mention this. While Janek and Honza are doing an awesome job pointing out details of scams, it always pays to be cautious and vigilant in the first place
@@ayauyqr There are 1000s of videos about this. You know why? Because people click on them, and that's why Wolters did it anyways. Gotta make them bucks
When were you in Prague? I was there for the first weekend of April! Now that I'm seeing this, I'm bummed I didn't get to meet you in person! I chose to go to Prague for my first ever solo weekend trip and I had a great time! Prague Castle was by far my favourite part! Fortunately, I didn't have any issues with scams when I was there. I have an Austrian card since I'm currently studying in Vienna so I don't know if that helped. In any case, great video as always and keep up the good work!
Went to Prague with my family as a kid, late 90s. My dad got pickpocketed on the metro, we got stopped by fake cops at the Orloj, and the tour guide caught a woman with her hands on my mom's bag at the Castle. Most crime-ridden vacation ever. It's a pity, because most of the people there were really nice and the city was beautiful.
90s, that explains it. Criminality peaked then, because our newly elected president had the great idea to release all prisoners. The thing is, there were only a few prisoners for political reasons, we were not the worst communist country out there, plenty of them were serving punishments for real crimes, majority in fact. So in the revolution chaos in the country, when police was paralysed by management changes, suddenly all criminals were released, and at the same time, the people finaly had opportunity to spend their money, which created huge demand for them. But GDP dropped by 50%, due to collapse of soviet union, our economy lost it´s export customers. Meanwhile the only ones with money were former commies and criminals who were cheating the system before revolution. BTW this is the breeding pool of our current elites, prime example is oligarch Babiš, former prime minister and who recently lost presidential elections.
Great video. True story, I was almost pickpocketed in Prague on the tram to the castle. Three men surrounded me and tried to open my crossbody purse but I felt the tug of the strap and I was very lucky. They already had opened the purse zipper but my wallet was still inside. A very shocking experience.
All good advice. Also, if you are getting a taxi, use an official taxi rank. Maybe ask your hotel for advice. We got our hotel to call us a cab for a ride to the airport and had no problems.
Some other advice when it comes to taxis; whenever I travel abroad, I always pre order and pay for a car service to and from the airport. It's more than the metro, but you know exactly how much you are paying, and have great service.
@@woltersworld I really like that you mentioned pick pockets on public transit, a lot of people get complacent there! 👍👍 As great as the tram is for connecting you, I do say that as a European that rides the tram daily so I know what to expect. Others may not...
At the 3 minute point in the video, a rare and celebrated event happens, which you probably didn't notice. The famous "Mazačka" (an orange coloured tram) passes by. It travels along all the tram tracks, oiling them from the big tanks it is carrying on its back. The tram has quite a celebrity status in Prague.
@@woltersworld Od course it is. This tram reduces noise trams make, and reduces the wear on the rails and tram´s wheels. There is only one in Prague, so the infrastructure basicaly depends on it.
Not only decline the restaurant's currency conversion when you pay by credit card, if your credit card charges you foreign transaction fees (in addition to the exchange rate) you need to find a new credit card. Just like, if your credit card charges you an annual fee, you need to find a new card.
Wow. Still Prague despite the scams, is still very beautiful. But I hate having to worry about my wallet or money all the time. I suppose we are spoiled in the US since this seems to be the same old scams in every city in Europe. It wouldn't stop me from going though.
I agree, same scams in general. In non violent places where there are not much assaults or violence, the scams and pickpockets are the Most common crimes.
In Northern Europe there are no scams like these. Prague is famous for these type of scams, it's also the porn capital of Europe, so all around shady place
I got scammed at a restaurant. The server “offers” you a cup of some alcoholic beverage. If you say no they’ll kinda suggest it’s on the house. But when you get your bill it’s on there and about $7 a cup. Say no firmly.
That's because it's not a crime that is worth going after. Pickpocketing happens in cities in America too. NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc. Locals just shrugged their shoulders, because they why locals and police see it is, you should have been more careful.
Two types of scams to watch out for at currency exchange holes-in-the-walls: First: Before arriving in Prague, get familiar with what paper banknotes are still legal tender. Some of the smallest denomination banknotes have been replaced by coins. Some currency exchanges will cheat foreign tourists by giving out these obsolete banknotes, which are useless. Second: Make sure you are given Czech banknotes --- NOT Hungarian. Both the Czech and Hungarian banknotes look very similar in design; and dishonest dealers are taking advantage of this. They will give a mixed assortment of both banknotes. Make sure "Ceska Republika" is visibly shown.
Thanks Wolter for your useful informative videos. Also places to be careful of scammers are Barcelona Madrid and Rome. The scammers prey on pickpocketing and distraction techniques. In Barcelona scammers roam with fake police badges pretending to be the police ask tourists that they want to check what they are carrying with them. I reported them to the British Consulate and Spanish police after I fell victim of a scam. The Spanish police told me no police officer is undercover and everyone wears a police uniform and even if they pretend to be police officers with the uniform on, the tourists should not allow their bags to be checked and plainly refuse. The scammers need to be made accountable for their actions. Nonetheless it should not prevent you from enjoying the culture, history and traditions of Europe and what it has to offer tourists. But yeah being on your guard is important especially when you are a sole traveller.
Wolter your videos are awesome. Keep up the great work you are doing and helping us travellers to be more cautious when we just want to simply relax and just enjoy the sights and sounds of a new country, when travelling.
A lot of tourist don't know that if they are over 65 years old and they have a passport with them , the can travel on the local trains and local transport for free which can save them selves money as a tourist .
damn small world. Just watched the latest homest guide video and before yours and was gonna say same as others Honest guide is the best prague and czech travel vids.
Great video Mark! There is a channel called Honest Guide, he exposes ALL OF these SCAMMERS! For anyone going to Prague, it's a good channel to look into!
I remember my mother getting money out of an ATM in Turkey that was the first time she ever withdrew money outside the European Union, & she took the conversion because she didn't know what the rules were.
I was there three years ago, but it had never occurred to me. Carrying Euro notes are better than dollars. They would mostly take Euros, but return you Czech crowns for change, as long as you are aware of the exchange rate. Just like paying in US dollars in Canada and getting Canadian dollars for change. I wonder what changed in 3 years in Prague, maybe covid economics. As far as beer is concerned, ask for the Czech Budweiser, the original. It is a great tasting beer, not expensive. I have never experienced any of those unfortunate incidents. I was there all by myself, never had any bad time, almost everyone I met in the Old Town, spoke English. I did not know the language, found my way always with Google Maps. Honestly I never heard of any tourist scamming schemes. I do not intend to negate your comments, but I wonder what really might have changed the townspeople in three years.
I plan on visiting a couple of friends in czechia (driving over to this beautiful small mountainous country from germany luckily doesn't take alot of time) When i'm there i plan to buy me some robust new shoes for Work, so the who Exchanging money thing is Something i need to keep in mind.
Sounds like I need to get a debit card that is local and put crowns on it. Basically make sure I get the correct exchange rate and then load that money onto a prepaid card. Then small bills for tip and taxi. Ill never forget going to Venice Italy and having the tour bus tell us how they steal your wallet by slicing the bottom of your back pocket with a scalpel pressed against their thumb. For decades I now carry my wallet in my front pocket. It's a pain to pull out but I can always feel it against my leg because of the pressure and my hand is there.
i have been living in czech republic for basicaly two decades now, and i can attest to the fact that in czech republic, whereever you go, whatever you do. if there is money involved, someone always tries to f**k you over in some way shape or form. most scams are so subtle that you dont even notice. But as your street smarts get better you start to see that shit everywhere. Car dealerships, taxis, bars, drug dealers, women, banks, employers, employees basicaly everywhere you go. Beauty of czech republic is wasted on czech people. By far the lowest form of life in whole europe. Also everything is more expensive than in neighbouring countries for absolutely no reason. The whole country is a scam.
@@Rolando95 To me, as a Czech, it sounds just like typical Czech extreme self-deprecation / opposite of healthy patriotism (often fed by a lack of in-depth comparison to other places, I believe). It's not as bad as he makes it sound. He's just either native, or has gone completely native, and lost the ability to see the brighter parts of living here. :D
You should mention Trdelník. They are gonna charge you riddiculous money for bit of grilled dough, which is NOT traditional. For that money, you can get real meal or way better sweets.
For a one week trip to Prague, how many Czech Crowns would you recommend taking? I'm planning to see if my bank can order me some ahead of time. Last year I took about 200 Euro to Italy and it was enough for almost two weeks, but the dollar to crown conversion is throwing me for a loop. Usually we try to pay with credit cards if possible though.
I've been to Prague before and I avoided these scams luckily and I had such a wonderful holiday. My only tip for avoiding pickpockets is wearing trousers with button or zip pockets or tie a sweater around your waist so your pockets are well protected.
I have trousers with pocket zips and I lock the pockets with a special safety pin that locks and it requires to hands to unlock it and it is impossible for pick pockets to unlock it when they are standing up . I have travelled the world and the worst place I found for pick pockets was in central London in the very busy tourist's areas . One pick pocket tried it on me so I banged my hand down very hard on my pocket and he got the message that he was not going to rob me .
@@philipmullins5185 wow, you're smart and vigilant. I should also try the safety pin trick with my pockets, so it's more of a chore for someone to try and pickpocket me. Still you have to watch out because pick pockets will look for new tricks.
I was in Prague a month ago. It is an amazing city (ok, I was on in the torustic parts), great experience walking around, eating, drinking etc. I didn't have any issue, but I used debit card 99% of the time and Uber. I had a bad experience with other app in Prague so I just use uber. The taxis in the airport are fine, but offcouse more expensive. I felt very safe and had a great time.
Both uber and bolt works same, but bolt is cheaper most of times. Anyway I'm using here both of them and always pick the cheaper one. it is like 90% times bolt is cheaper 10% times uber is cheaper
Speaking of scams, you cant go anywhere near the pyramids without getting hounded and scammed, Wolter might not be to into that with his family and all
if you are trying to get currency from an ATM, better not take withdrawals from ČSOB, Moneta and probably a few other banks, better to get change from a respectable exchange office with good buy/sell rates. Each time I visit CZ I fall for the cash point scams (I don't mean the choose the check out in your own currency scam, but like the other outrageous hidden costs), while on the other hand I was always handed a fair deal at exchange offices, don't be afraid to change currency at exchange offices in CZ. edited: bold words disappered
LOL, im well traveled,very careful, and always inform myself before I leave home.But Prague gave me a surprise of my life some time back( before the pandemic) I had visited and really loved the place, since it was just a 3-day visit, I decided to go back almost immediately. Booked and paid an expensive all-inclusive hotel, booked and paid transportation for the time I will be there, so everything was ready. When I got to Prague, no one was there to pick me up from the airport, when I reached the hotel, it was closed. Needless to say, it was one of the worst vacations I`ve ever had because it meant I did not have enough money for hotel, food, and transportation. Thanks for sharing your tips and I hope would be travelers to Prague will check your video before getting there
We've had a package deal in Australia to visit Poland, Cech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Romania. Before we left, everybody was warning us about Romania, and at one point decided to skip Romania, regardless how much want to see the castles and other stuff. Well after getting robbed basically, by taxi drivers in Poland, scammed by money changers in Prague, have my wife's wallet stolen by pick Pockets in Hungary, and my phone stolen from hotel room in Serbia, got very disappointed and hurt by these painful experience. What saved the rest of our trip was Croatia, but specially Romania, where after the nightmare encountered in these countries, made us forget all our troubles. It may not be perfect, but the food was awesome, services were great, didn't overcharged at restaurants or ask for additional fees at the hotel, and what we liked about people, was their originality. Didn't try to impress with that fake politeness, characteristic to other touristic countries. For people who doesn't know Romania, be prepared to eat and party a lot, because Romanians are looking for any occasion to turn it into a party. Maybe that's why Romania is now a top destination, and I forgot to mention that is one of the safest country in Europe, which is very important and whish Australia will be at least half safe as Romania. Thanks to Marian, Elena, Vlad and specially to Cosmin who helped us retrieve my phone from Serbia. Multia Fericirea
Not so much a scam but anyone who is staying in a big chain hotel should note they often have their own "hotel taxi' these are plush new cars and hsve english speaking drivers the down side is its 2 to 3 times the price a official city taxi should charge
Just curious. I watch your videos a lot and you always warn about taxis wherever you go. Why on earth would you not always do Uber? The only scam I've seen on Uber is if they ask if they can cancel the ride and you just pay them less in cash. (They might pull the counterfeit bill scheme on you where you hand them a 20 Euro and they do a slight of hand for a different counterfeit bill and hand it back to you and say, hey this isn't real. So don't agree to this.)
Prague was definitely my top 5 worst places I have visited ever, people are rude, no patience, beer is horrible (supposed to be good), food was cheap and good at least but everything else is too touristy and depressing.
I lived there for a while and lady’s of the night will crowd drunk men on there way home, two girls will go up to a guy, walk with him, one will talk the other will pick pockets. Tale as old as time. Plus they ask anyone! My partner while I was heavily pregnant, my grandad while he was with my Nan. 😂 Plus they block tram entrances and while your trying to get on someone behind you will pick your pocket/bag. Heard so many people had trouble being overcharged for food and drinks. If you ask for an itemised bill they get angry and threaten you.
It's really not that bad, I went with a group of people my age as a teenager and we were fine, even going to the really, really sketchy parts of town if you have a little bit common sense you'll be completely fine.
@@jd2109 I second this! My experience even in rural Czechia has been great... Some of the stuff in Prague is worth seeing but maybe for a weekend not the whole trip
This is the only one video about Prague? Seriously? Not true and not cool. You made wrong impression. Prague is one of the most beautiful city in the world, with rich culture and history. It is clean city with lots of trees and grass. And only thing you made video is about scammers? I have been in NYC, Jersey City, Miami, Tampa, Paris, Lisbon, London, etc. and they try to scam me in every city big time! For example with renting apartment, shopping furniture, renting car, renting apartment again, USA customer service is only lies and lies, etc. The worst of all was USA. Especially when they found out I am from Europe. Every time when you travel you have to be super careful and think twice. But Prague is not the top one to be aware about scams and definitely not the first one thing to be said about Prague.
The problem with exchanges is well-known. This is why there is a law that you can get your money back within 3 hours, providing you have your receipt. So, always take the receipt! Even if the exchange would refuse to return you your initial money, you can call the police. The police will make the exchange to return you the money right away! It does really work!
When I was in Prague recently , one money exchange business in Prague had a long queue of people outside waiting to be serviced , while other money exchange businesses close by had none , the busy business was offering better prices and the customers knew it so if you see a very busy money exchange business there maybe a reason for it .
As a Czech I am sad to see so many anti-scam videos about Prague and Czechia. Not all Czechs are thieves and scammers. The city and state should do a better job policing tourist related business activities.
Good tips for visiting a wonderful city. In Europe when paying with cash in restaurants I always tell the waiter/waitress how much I want back so there's no confusion and they're holding the bill at that time (and not already stuffing it into their little change pouches).
@@woltersworld Where I am from it's illegal to panhandle or give to beggars. There is a labor exchange office, if you are down and out for any reason, you go there and exchange your labor for cash or kind. We voluntarily send small amounts to a charity each month when putting credit on our phones, or leave our small change when shopping to help. It's demeaning to sit and beg on the streets, it can also be dangerous for all, a good video from you as usual
Luckily my brother-in-law lives in Prague and he guided us around and warned us around the scams. FYI, there are signs warning of pickpockets on public transportation. As far as the beggars, there are professional beggars all over America and around the world.
I also realized that mini markets in the 1st district have nowhere price!I asked(in English)in 3 different mini markets for the price of my tobacco and I got 3 different prices.11e 12,5e and 16e(even the lowest is very expensive).They also tried to charge me 450Kr(ca 18e) for 1 small water and 1 pringles!I would strongly recommend super markets and mini markets out of the 1st district !
Public transport is super efficient in Prague, so before thinking about a cab check the public transport available. I managed to get from the airport to Chodov at around 10pm with buses sooo yea, you don't really need taxis much :)
"Letting you pay in your own currency." This is a scam that's not only common in Czechia, but probably in a lot more places than you think. Here in Canada, for example, most merchants will gladly take your US dollars. They just won't give you a very good exchange rate. And Americans are (apparently) easily fooled by the fact that their dollar is worth more than ours. Recently I saw a lady hand over $10 US bill to a merchant in Toronto. He gave her credit for $11.80 CAD. Sounds good right? Except that, at the time of that transaction, the true exchange rate was more like $1.25 CAD for $1 US, so she should have gotten closer to $12.50 CAD. Now she may have only lost 70 cents in the transaction, but for merchants in tourist areas in Canada that see American tourists all day long, that's a nice little bonus when you accumulate the amounts. And if you spend hundreds of dollars as a tourist, it ends up being a significant cost to your trip. It comes down to knowing your exchange rate, and not assuming you can pay in your own currency everywhere. When in Rome do as the Romans, as they say, and that includes paying in the local currency. In the above example, the lady would have gotten a fairer exchange rate from her credit card company, or her bank. Or probably even a foreign exchange company, for that matter (at least for the popular ones in Canada).
As always Mark. You were spot on. Particularly when doing money conversions. We had issues many years when we were in Prague. I hope it's gotten better. All the best👍👍 Jim and Harriet.
My husband had his wallet stolen as he was getting on the public transportation. My cousin told him to move it to his front pick, but he’s was prickish about it & didnt. All CC, quite a bit of money, everything. But Prague is the most beautiful city running neck in neck with Budapest. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open. Protect your purse and wallet. And realize that getting on public transportation or standing on it be aware. Don’t carry anything you don’t want stolen.
As someone who's lived in cities his whole life (except for my one year attending an awful liberal arts college in upstate NY), and takes public transportation everywhere, I never realized how many people don't keep their wallet in their front pocket, tell comments on the Internet.
Was in Prague a few years ago. No scams at all. Definitely in stores and restaurants nobody tried to give me the wrong change. I saw no panhandlers. No pickpockets. The exchange rate option happens everywhere and I m pretty sure the shop clerks probably don’t even know it’s a bad deal.
Guys dont be intimidated by those tourist scams it happens in every good city where there is plenty of tourist. Just be careful and dont let your trip get ruined by those scams. These are not specific for Prague and Prague is a very good city. Just be aware of tourist scams and try to enjoy the city.
