Travel information
Worldview Professional Conference workshops are dedicated to making your experience not only hugely entertaining, but very comfortable. We will be staying at the four star Hotel Maximilian, a wonderfully cozy and modern masterpiece in the city center. The hotel was completely refurbished in 2005. It has a contemporary design in balance with the rich history of the city. The rooms are well sized, sound proofed, and the hotel offers free high speed wireless, internet service. It has all the comforts you can possibly hope for and it is a quiet oasis in a city of tremendous energy. Click on this link and take a look at the Maximilian Hotel. Review each of the tabs on the left of their site. We guarantee you will be as excited as we are to have this as our base of operation.
Should you need assistance in booking your transportation to Prague, simply call Brave New World Travel at 1-800-682-1745. Be sure to mention that you are booking with Worldview Professional Conferences. The helpful staff are very experienced and will not only provide you with reservations to Prague, but will help you with any other travel plans you wish to make either before or after the workshop.
Shopping in Prague
Typically, Prague shops are open 9 AM to 6 PM Monday to Saturday, but many shops are open later to accomodate tourists. Some are even open on Sundays. Since stores are most busy on Saturday, its probably better to do your shopping during the week. Since cash payments must be made in Czech crowns, before going shopping convert your dollars or euros to avoid extortionate exchange rates. Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted while American Express is not. Global Refund is a program for non-EU residents to shop tax-free on purchases exceeding Kc 2,000. Remember, it is up to you to request a tax-free certificate with those purchases. Many times these forms are not offered. They must be filled out at the time of purchase to be valid. Have a copy of your passport number with you, as this is important information to supply the salesperson for the certificate completion. When you leave the country present your certificates to the customs official at the airport. There is special area just for this. The customs official will stamp the certificate. You may be asked to show the very items purchased so have them available for the customs agent. Then you will need to take the stamped certificates to the Global Refund desk nearby for your refund. You will have the choice of getting an immediate cash refund, having the refund applied to your credit card or if you are in a rush, having your refund mailed to you. That usually takes some time, but you will get it. For more details visit Global Refund
Entertainment
Entertainment in Prague is quite varied. Plentiful are jazz, classical, opera, pop. movies (even in English), fringe theater and much more. Often concerts are performed throughout the year in Baroque palaces, public parks and gardens. Some plays are in English. And there is the puppet theatre, a long tradition in Prague.
Transportation Around Prague
Prague's metro (subway) stops running shortly after midnight while the normal bus and tram service ends around 11:30 pm. But then the city's extensive night bus and tram service takes over.
Taxis abound, but be careful about being overcharged. To avoid being ripped off, find out how much a fare should cost. Ask at the hotel if possible. Note that as soon as you enter a taxi, there is a minimum charge. After that by law, there is a set increase per kilometer. However, that's where the problem arises because the taxi meters can be set at four different rates and most of the time, the meters are rigged. Therefore, bargain for the best price before you enter the taxi. Be reasonable and keep in mind that most taxi drivers speak only rudimentary English so communication can be difficult. It is best to write down your destination in Czech unless you can speak the language and your pronunciation is good. At night, charges will increase sometimes by 200-300%. Be certain that any surcharges are included in the figure you negotiate and agree upon before hand. If problems do arise, ask for a receipt before you pay. This will normally deter drivers from trying to overcharge you.Taxis around the main tourist sites are usually the worst offenders. Taxis however are safe.
The subway is known as the metro and is the quickest and most comfortable means of travel in Prague. it is also easy to use. Metro entrances are not always easy to spot. Look for a sign displaying the "M" within an upside down triangle. Once you have purchased your ticket and have passed through the unmaned ticket barriers, continue down the escalator to the train platform. maps of the stops made by the train can be found above the door to each subway car. Line A is the most useful for tourists, because it covers the main areas of the city center. Note that once you buy a ticket it is valid for one hour.
The tram is Prague's oldest method of transport and it is second in convenience to the metro. Some trams however only operate during the rush hour while others are only available at night.
You have to purchase your ticket before getting on the metro or tram. It is very important that you have your ticket punched upon entering the train or tram the first time after buying the ticket, otherwise you could be in for a steep on the spot fine if caught by the inspector. The machines that punch the ticket are usually found inside the door of the train/tram. A single journey ticket is valid for one trip only regardless of length. For more information see Prague Public Transportation Company which is in English. You are probably not going to use the bus unless you want to visit the outlying suburbs.
Since our hotel is so well situated, you are an easy walk to every important area and site in Prague and it would be unlikely you would need to be concerned about public transportation in the evening anyway.
