Ten things not to do when visiting the Czech Republic.
I'm Katrina Dzuris, an American living in
České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
And you're watching Czeching with Katrina.
And there's a fun guy in the background being funny.
Number one, do not tip 20%. In the Czech Republic,
they really just round up.
They don't really tip 20%.
The servers get more per hour.
They get like the minimum wage or above minimum wage, whatever.
But they don't get paid, like in the States, servers get
paid $3 an hour.
And instead of the minimum wage of $10 an hour.
So servers you tip because that's what they live off.
But here they really live off their wages.
And a tip is just a little extra.
Most Czechs just round up.
So if your bill is like 340 crowns, trust me, that's not
a lot of money.
But so you feel like 340 crowns, you might round up to like
360 or something.
You just like tipping a dollar.
You just tip a little bit.
But if you're American speaking English and you tip like
a Czech, then you're going to look like a jerk because they
know Americans make more money than Czechs.
I tip about 10%, sometimes 15, definitely in the village
that we live in or in the city or in the city, in Budějce,
in restaurants that I frequent.
I definitely am gonna tip like 10 or 15 percent because I'm American
and I think that they expect it, you know, they know that
you're American and they know they tip more an America and
Americans should hit more.
So that's my recommendation.
If you're in Prague and you're never going to see those people
again, tip how you think they deserve the service knowing
that they're not living off the tips, it's just extra.
But if you are in a place with somebody like me who lives
here and we're in a place like a "regular", then a tip about 10%.
Number two, don't ask the taxi driver how much to get from
here to there, because you're going to ask in English and
they're going to know you're a foreigner and that you don't know
the rates and they're going to way overcharge you.
So the rates are supposed to be posted around to other people.
Google it.
Look it up, watch be Honest guide.
He's great.
He gives lots of advice.
It should be posted, though, and so do not ask a taxi driver
how much money to take you from here to there.
Number three, don't order water and expect it for free.
Water is not free.
In fact, Czechia is known for the fact that their beer is cheaper
than water.
So you you're not going to get water for free when you order
water, it's going to come in a bottle, usually with an empty
glass. It's like getting bottled water in the States.
That's what you're going to get here is bottled water.
If you you would get tap water.
Maybe if you ask for a special you might get tap water, but
they're still going to charge you for it because water costs
money. Don't expect appropriate.
Number four don't ride public transport without a ticket.
The odds of you getting caught might be slim.
However, the risk is not worth it at all.
Tickets to ride public transport are very cheap.
We're talking $1 to $2 to jump on a train for - it gives you
like 15 or 30 minutes or something on a tram or a train or a subway.
It's literally not worth it.
But if you get caught riding in public transport without a
ticket, the fine is outrageous.
I think it's like $50 or $60 or something.
It's just not worth it.
It's not worth it at all.
Pay the $1 or $2 by the freaking ticket
Number five.
Don't order off menu or send your food back.
It's really frowned upon here.
It's not like in the States where the customer is always right.
They're going to get really offended.
And who knows what it might do to your food when you send
it back in the kitchen?
Just you know what?
Food is so inexpensive here in a restaurant.
If you don't like it or something you don't like about it,
that is a side and order something else.
I mean, it literally costs you like $3 and $50 for that meal.
So that is aside, get a different meal.
Pay another $3.50.
Okay, you spent $7 on your meal that day.
Do not send it on back and don't order off menu.
If it comes with tomatoes and you don't like tomatoes, pick
them off unless you're in a pizza place.
A lot of times they let you create your own.
They don't mind that at all.
Just say I just get a pizza with this.
This and that.
Then they're fine with that.
But otherwise stick to the menu.
Number six
Don't talk really loud just because you don't speak Czech.
You understand the words that are coming out of my mouth.
Look, if they don't understand you speaking louder is not
going to help them all of a sudden
miraculously learn English.
So don't raise your voice just because they don't speak English.
It does no good and just makes you look like a moron.
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Number seven don't exchange currency without first looking
up the rate.
on an official government site. Lots of exchange places will
ripe you off.
They do have bad rates written on there.
They have hidden fees, so make sure you're looking up the
proper rate of what it's supposed to be and then go to Exchange
Place that has that rate or close to it.
Which brings me number eight.
Count your change! When you buy something, count the change
they get back to you.
A lot of places in high tourist places are known to cheat
tourists or foreigners on their change that they get back.
So take the time.
If there's a line behind you who cares?
You're the one buying it and you have a right to make sure
they gave you the right change back.
So when you get your change back, count it up.
Do the math in your head.
Make sure you paid the right price and got the right change
back. Number nine.
Don't buy souvenir from the Charles bridge.
The Charles Bridge is just very, very beautiful and you're
gonna love the walk.
It's a gorgeous place to be and I recommend you go there,
but that's not the place to buy your souvenirs there is a
place and I'm going to put it right here. Havelské Tvžiště
That's where you buy your souvenirs.
It's an awesome market,
outdoors in Prague.
If you're in Prague, that's where you buy your souvenirs and it's
an awesome market, you can walk around if you enjoy looking
at all the beautiful things and the prices are pretty good
because they don't have a high overhead.
So in Prague, buy your souvenirs there.
If you go to Krumlov, just be careful.
Some of the places like if you're right by the Castle.
Of course you're not gonna want to buy stuff there.
If you're in Hluboka, you're not going to buy your souvenirs
inside the Castle.
Just walk through the town and there's little places in there
that are going to have the same kind of stuff so you can
buy it there for a little cheaper.
Just be careful where you buy your souvenirs. Think about
"how close am I to the main attraction" and the closer you
are, the more you'll pay for the souvenirs.
Number 10.
Don't ask at a souvenir shop,
"How much is this?"
If the price isn't on the product, go somewhere else and
buy it because they're purposefully leaving the price off
of it in order to size you up, see if you're foreigners or see
if you're from America or some place that maybe is known
to have wealthier travelers.
And then they're going to make the price based on what you
look like and what they think about you.
So only by at places where the prices are actually marked
on the products.
That's ten things not to do when visiting.
Czech Republic.
Tak, Příští Týden, Čau!
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