Shopping

Shopping in Czech Republic

No holiday or break is complete without a bit of shopping. You can shop for souvenirs including Bohemian glass and crystal, pottery, porcelain, wooden folk carvings, hand-embroidered clothing, and food items. Splendid shops specializing in glass and crystal, while various associations of regional artists and crafts people run their own retail outlets (pay in local currency). Other special purchases include pottery (chiefly from Kolovec and Straznice); china ornaments and geyser stone carvings from Karlovy Vary; delicate lace and needle embroidery from many Moravian towns; and blood-red garnets and semi-precious stones from Bohemia.

Shopping Hours:

Mon-Fri 0900-1800 Sat 0900-1200. Supermarkets and food shops in large towns and cities are open from 0700 and often stay open until late. The number of shops also open on Sunday is constantly increasing.

Currency Information:

Currency

Koruna (CZK) or Crown = 100 haler. Notes are in denominations of CZK5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50 and 20. Coins are in denominations of CZK50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20 and 10 hellers.

Currency exchange

Foreign currency (including travelers cheques) can be exchanged at all bank branches and at authorized exchange offices, main hotels and road border crossings.

Credit & debit cards

Major cards such as American Express, Diners Club, Discover, Visa, MasterCard and others may be used to exchange currency and are also accepted in some hotels, restaurants and shops. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers cheques

These are widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take travelers cheques in US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling.

Currency restrictions

The import and export of local currency is limited to Kc200, 000 or 10 golden coins. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited.

Exchange rate indicators

Date	At time of publishing
£1.00=	43.67
$1.00=	24.74

Banking Hours:

Generally Mon-Fri 0800-1800. Some banks close early on Fridays.