After weeks of reduced service, Prague’s public transport system will resume its regular schedule on Monday, February 24.

Since January 6, public transport in the capital has been operating under reduced intervals, following the so-called half-holiday timetable due to lower demand after the New Year.

However, starting Monday, metro, tram, and city bus services will return to their pre-Christmas frequencies.

“The intervals for metro, tram, and city bus lines will be shortened to match the schedules in place before Christmas. For example, trams will run every eight minutes during peak hours on weekdays, while key lines 9, 17, and 22 will operate every four minutes,” Drápal said.

The half-holiday schedule, which is implemented every year, mainly affected peak-hour frequencies during weekdays. Now, with demand increasing again, full service is being restored.

Alongside the return to regular timetables, minor adjustments will be made to select bus lines starting February 24 to enhance connections and improve coordination between services.

These changes affect routes 106, 122, 139, 150, 196, and 197. Additionally, a new early-morning service will be introduced on night line 915 (Miškovice – Čakovice) to better align with the first departure of line 185.

These updates aim to make Prague’s public transport system more efficient and reliable for daily commuters.

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The STEM Agency has published the results of its latest survey on Czech attitudes toward various nationalities and ethnic groups living in the country.

The research, conducted from January 16-25, 2025, surveyed 1,034 Czech citizens aged 18 and over through a combination of in-person and online methods.

Respondents were asked, “How would you feel if your neighbor was from this nationality?”

As anticipated, Czechs showed the greatest warmth toward Slovaks, with 93% of respondents saying they would feel “very well, without problems” living next door to them.

The English came in second, with 83% of respondents expressing a welcoming attitude.

Americans ranked third, with 81% of Czechs saying they would be comfortable with them as neighbors.

The Ukrainians followed closely, with 46% of respondents expressing no issues with having them as neighbors, while 35% of Czechs would accept Russians in their neighborhood. Notably, this dynamic had shifted dramatically since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, when attitudes were reversed.

Both Jews and Vietnamese people garnered equal support, with 71% of respondents expressing no objections to having them as neighbors.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, Czechs indicated that Arabs and Syrians were the least desirable neighbors, with 20% of respondents rating them unfavorably, followed by Afghans at 19%.

The STEM Agency has conducted similar surveys regularly, allowing it to track changes in Czech attitudes toward different nationalities over time.

The most striking shift was seen with the Vietnamese community. In the 1990s, only 10% of Czechs viewed the prospect of living next to a Vietnamese person positively.

By 2005, this figure had risen to 30%, and today, it stands at an impressive 71%.

In the Czech Republic, the Vietnamese are widely regarded as hard-working individuals with a rich culture, who have integrated well without any perceived aggression.

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Smartwings is set to enhance its summer flight schedule with more direct connections from Prague to the Azores.

Starting April 1, the airline will operate three weekly flights to São Miguel, the largest island in the Atlantic archipelago. Flights will depart from Prague on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Last year, Smartwings carried over 15,000 passengers on its Prague-Ponta Delgada route. This year, the airline aims to double that number.

The route, launched last spring, was the first direct connection between Prague and the Azores, eliminating the need for layovers. Flights are operated by a Boeing 737 with a 189-seat capacity.

Smartwings anticipates strong demand for the upcoming summer season and plans to increase capacity across multiple routes.

During the 2025 summer schedule, the airline will fly from six Czech airports to approximately 80 destinations. Additional flights are planned for several key locations, including Madrid, Madeira, Lanzarote, Cagliari, Olbia, Lamezia Terme, Thessaloniki, Tirana, and Tel Aviv.

Passengers traveling to the Canary Islands—Tenerife and Gran Canaria—will also have the option to book business class for added comfort.

Fleet Expansion and Operational Growth

Smartwings continues to modernize and expand its fleet. In January, the airline welcomed its 11th Boeing 737 MAX 8. By June, the current 47-aircraft fleet is expected to grow by five additional planes.

While the airline primarily operates from the Czech Republic, it also runs flights from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Record Passenger Numbers

In 2024, 8.3 million passengers flew with Smartwings. Of these, 6.5 million traveled on regular and charter flights, a 20.1% year-on-year increase. This figure surpasses pre-pandemic levels by 16.3%. Additionally, Smartwings carried 1.85 million passengers on flights operated for other airlines.

The airline conducted 53,338 flights in 2024, marking an 11% increase from the previous year. Smartwings aircraft landed at 318 airports worldwide, further solidifying its position as a leading carrier in the region.

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Prague is tightening its parking regulations, restricting exemptions exclusively to emergency service vehicles.

The city council has introduced new rules ensuring that only officially marked emergency vehicles can park in designated zones, ending what officials describe as “privileged parking.”

Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) announced the changes, emphasizing that parking exemptions should only apply to vehicles that save lives daily.

Under the new regulations, only emergency vehicles with permanent markings and warning beacons will qualify for free parking in blue zones.

“This puts an end to the practice of handing out parking permits to privileged individuals and their associates,” Hřib stated. “Exemptions should be reserved for emergency vehicles that perform critical services.”

The city’s transportation department is now tasked with drafting new guidelines to clarify rules for both clearly marked emergency vehicles and unmarked service vehicles, such as those used by the Security Information Service and criminal investigators.

The reform follows a controversy involving Prague’s transport director, Martin Kubelka, who allegedly issued parking permits for vehicles registered to his wife.

While Kubelka denied any legal wrongdoing, the scandal led Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda to seek his dismissal—a decision awaiting approval from the Ministry of Interior.

However, not everyone is convinced the new measures will fully eliminate problematic exemptions.

Opposition leader Adam Scheinherr (Praha Sobě) argues that the council’s resolution lacks clear directives to revoke non-compliant permits, raising questions about how strictly the rules will be enforced.

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The number of Chinese visitors to the Czech Republic is surging.

Tourists, businesspeople, and students are once again making their way to Prague, marking a sharp contrast to the era of former President Miloš Zeman, whose efforts to attract Chinese investment largely failed.

According to CzechTourism, nearly 174,000 Chinese visitors came to the Czech Republic last year, nearly doubling from the previous year. While this remains far below the 600,000-plus visitors recorded in 2019, the upward trend is clear and is expected to continue.

The revival of direct air links has played a crucial role.

Last June, Hainan Airlines resumed flights between Beijing and Prague after a multi-year hiatus. More routes are expected soon, with Prague Airport’s CEO Jiří Pos identifying a planned Shanghai-Prague connection via China Eastern Airlines as a top priority.

CzechTourism Targets the Chinese Market

CzechTourism is actively working to attract more Chinese travelers by expanding press trips and influencer collaborations to promote the country as a desirable destination.

“We are increasing our focus on China by organizing media tours and influencer visits, which are key to building interest in Czechia,” said Lukáš Pokorný, head of CzechTourism’s China office.

Czechia will also have a strong presence at an upcoming tourism trade fair in Beijing, where local travel agencies and media will get a closer look at what the country has to offer.

Economic Impact of Chinese Tourists

The importance of Chinese visitors to the Czech economy is evident in pre-pandemic tourism figures. In 2019, China ranked as the fourth-largest source of tourists, after Germany (2.1 million), Slovakia (750,000), and Poland (672,000).

Chinese tourists primarily visited Prague and Český Krumlov, typically spending two to three days in the country before continuing their European journeys.

Vlastislav Šos, CEO of Olympik Hotels, expects a return to pre-pandemic numbers, noting a rise in reservations from Asian guests.

“Based on current and projected bookings, we anticipate Asian tourists will make up 14% of our clientele this year, up from 10% last year,” he stated. He emphasized that direct flight expansions signal long-term growth in Chinese tourism.

Chinese Students Are Also Returning

Beyond tourism, the influx of Chinese students is also notable. The Prague European Centre for Career Education expects a fourfold increase in Chinese students this year, with around 100 enrollments—half of whom have already paid tuition.

Charles University currently hosts 237 Chinese students, who often pay tuition fees in the tens of thousands of Czech crowns per semester. However, the university remains cautious in predicting future growth in Chinese enrollments.

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Chief of General Staff expresses need to boost numbers in the Czech military, despite demographic trends.

Russia should not be expected to become “friendlier” after the Ukraine war comes to an end, according to the Czech Republic military chief.

“Russia will stay here. Russia will not be safer towards us, it will not be friendlier and it will not be more predictable,” Chief of General Staff Karel Rehka said in weekend remarks to Czech television.

His remarks came days before the war reached its third anniversary and with talk of possible negotiations and peace proposals making headlines.

Rehka also pointed to the difficulty of achieving a resolution to the war in a way that prevents it from resurfacing in the future.

He added that his country’s military hopes to boost its active and reserve members to 37,500 but admitted that this is “unrealistic” given demographic trends and past recruitment efforts.

Under current plans, the Czech army is set to have 30,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 active reserve members by 2030.

Currently, the army has some 23,600 soldiers, with around 1,000 added over the past five years.

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Louis Thomas Buffon, the 17-year-old son of Italian football legend Gianluigi Buffon and Czech model Alena Šeredová, has been named in the Czech Republic’s U-18 squad for its first training camp of the year.

The Pisa midfielder, who holds dual citizenship, has received his first international call-up under head coach Václav Jílek. The Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR) confirmed the squad selection on its official website today.

While his father made history as a World Cup-winning goalkeeper with Italy in 2006, Louis Buffon has taken a different path, playing as a midfielder in Pisa’s youth academy.

Although he has only featured in Italy’s Primavera junior league so far, he was included in the senior squad for the first time last weekend.

During Pisa’s Serie B match against Cesena (1:1), Buffon remained on the bench but gained valuable experience. Interestingly, Pisa’s head coach is Filippo Inzaghi, a former Juventus teammate of his father.

The Czech U-18 national team, led by Václav Jílek, is set to reunite for the first time since November, when they played two friendlies against Austria, losing 0:2 and winning 1:0.

Buffon isn’t the only foreign-based player called up for the squad. Defender Timothy Akindileni of Queens Park Rangers, who holds both Czech and Scottish citizenship, has also been selected and could make his international debut.

The team will gather for training in Písek from February 23 to 26 before traveling to Portugal in March for friendly matches against England and France.

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The Czech Republic is in the grip of severe frosts, with temperatures in the mountains dropping as low as -30.2°C.

According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), nighttime temperatures across much of the country ranged between -9°C and -14°C, while mountainous regions experienced even harsher conditions.

The freezing conditions have persisted for several nights. “Tuesday night was particularly cold, especially in northwestern and northern Bohemia, where skies remained clear. Here, temperatures commonly fell to -9°C to -14°C, with some areas dropping to around -16°C. In the Jizera Mountains, we recorded temperatures below -20°C,” ČHMÚ meteorologists reported on X.

The lowest temperature of the night was measured at Kořenov Jizerka, where the station recorded -30.2°C at 5:00 AM.

“Elsewhere in the country, low-lying areas remained under compact cloud cover, preventing extreme temperature drops. In these locations, temperatures mostly ranged between -4°C and -9°C,” meteorologists added.

Daytime Temperatures Struggle to Rise

Even during the day, the frost is unlikely to ease. In some areas, temperatures will remain below freezing. “Cloud cover is gradually decreasing from the north and will continue to clear throughout the day. By the afternoon, most of the country will see sunshine, but maximum temperatures will only reach -4°C to +1°C,” meteorologists predict.

The intense frosts are expected to persist for a few more days.

“We anticipate strong frosts to continue until Thursday. However, by the second half of the week, temperatures will start to rise significantly, and daytime highs will climb well above freezing,” meteorologists forecasted.

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The City of Prague has officially approved a new name for the planned transport hub in Prague 5.

The current designation, Smíchovské Nádraží, will be replaced by Nádraží Smíchov, a name that will now be used across all navigation and information systems.

“Since this hub will connect trains, the metro, city and intercity buses, and trams in one location, it’s essential to have a single, clear name to help passengers navigate easily. The name Nádraží Smíchov accurately reflects its significance while preserving the long-standing identity of Smíchov’s railway station. And now that we’ve secured the final permit, we can begin construction as early as next year! The new station will be a state-of-the-art 21st-century interchange that will not only transform Smíchov but also improve Prague’s overall transport network,” said Zdeněk Hřib, Deputy Mayor of Prague for Transport.

The station is expected to handle tens of thousands of passengers daily, making it the third-busiest transport hub in Prague, following Hlavní nádraží (Main Station) and Masarykovo nádraží.

“I am pleased that we finally have an official name. This is not just about transport infrastructure but also about clearly defining the city’s topography,” added Petr Hlaváček, Deputy Mayor for Territorial and Strategic Development.

The adjacent tram and bus stops will also adopt this name, creating a uniform system for travelers.

These updates will be progressively introduced into Prague’s transport signage and wayfinding systems.

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One of the world’s biggest musical phenomena of today will kick off the European leg of his “The Big Ass Tour” on August 12, 2025, at Letňany Airport in Prague.

9x diamond-certified GRAMMY® Award-nominated global superstar Post Malone is set to embark on his biggest international headline tour to date with Post Malone Presents: The BIG ASS World Tour, extending his North America run to Europe this August and September 2025.

Known for redefining the modern concert experience with his genre-blending sound and electrifying stage presence, Post will bring a massive production to eleven venues across Europe — marking his first-ever stadium shows in the EU and UK.

The BIG ASS World Tour, produced by Live Nation, promises fans a concert experience filled with a mix of his biggest hits, fan favorites, and brand new songs from his sixth studio album, F-1 Trillion, released in August 2024.

Post released his debut country album, F-1 Trillion which landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was just nominated for a GRAMMY® award for “Best Country Album.”

Included on the album was the hit single “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen which crash landed at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

About Post Malone

Post Malone (real name Austin Richard Post) was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and moved to Texas, when he was about 10.

Breaking out on SoundCloud in 2015 with his single “White Iverson,” which eventually reached No. 15 on the Hot 100. He scored his first No. 1 hit with “Rockstar” featuring 21 Savage, which ruled for eight weeks.

His No. 1s didn’t stop there, though: 2018’s “Psycho” with Ty Dolla $ign and “Sunflower” with Swae Lee for the ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse’ soundtrack, as well as 2019’s “Circles” also all made it to the top spot.

He is also known for No. 1 albums such as 2018’s ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’ and 2019’s ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding.’’ He has collaborated with heavyweights such as Nicki Minaj, SZA, Young Thug, Lil Baby, Ozzy Osbourne, Meek Mill, Halsey and Future.

Tickets: 

The German investment firm Union Investment is reportedly considering the sale of the Palladium shopping center in central Prague.

According to Hospodářské noviny (HN), the company aims to secure approximately CZK 17.5 billion (around 700 million euros) — for the property.

For context, Union Investment acquired Palladium in 2015 for 14.3 billion CZK (roughly 570 million euros at the current exchange rate).

Fabian Hellbusch, head of marketing and communications at Union Investment, confirmed the possibility of selling the shopping complex.

He explained that the recovery of retail markets after the Covid downturn has led to renewed buyer interest. “Buyers have returned and are prepared to pay competitive prices for quality assets,” he noted.

The property owner has enlisted CBRE to manage the sale. The consulting firm, which played a role in the center’s previous sale a decade ago, now stands ready to facilitate this high-profile transaction.

Additionally, Josef Karas, head of the investment department at Knight Frank, remarked that “the price reflects Palladium’s status as one of the top shopping centers in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Palladium opened in 2007 and contains 170 shops and 30 restaurants, with a retail area of 39,000 square metres.

There is also designated office space in the building totalling 19,500 square metres. The site where Palladium stands was under control of the Army until being sold in the 1990s.

The new design has retained the facade of the previous Josef Barracks building. During the construction process, a number of medieval ruins were found underneath the construction site in an archeological excavation.

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The European Union is preparing to restrict certain food imports from the United States to bolster domestic agriculture.

This move comes as a direct countermeasure to US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, according to the Financial Times.

The European Commission is expected to approve a review of current import limits next week. Early indications suggest that the new restrictions may focus on products like soybeans produced using pesticides that EU farmers cannot legally apply.

By enforcing these standards, the EU aims to protect its agricultural sector and ensure fair competition in the marketplace.

Officials have emphasized that these measures are designed to shield local producers from products manufactured under different environmental and safety regulations.

In doing so, the bloc seeks to create a level playing field and maintain the integrity of its domestic market.

“We have very clear signals from the parliament, very clear signals also from the member states and from our farmers: whatever is banned in the EU, it should be banned in the EU, even if it is an imported product,” European Commission’s health commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said in an interview in January.

Trump on Thursday attacked countries that blocked US products, including the EU, which he said barred shellfish from 48 of the US’s 50 states. He has threatened tariffs on those who do not change their policy.

The commission has long opposed calls from France and other member states for reciprocal treatment, arguing that it could be in breach of WTO rules. The body only allows restrictions on scientific grounds that do not discriminate against imports.

The EU bans many pesticides because they damage plants or animals — even as its health agency has ruled that some are safe to ingest at low levels. The EU plan is included in a Vision for Agriculture road map drawn up by farm commissioner Christophe Hansen. An official with knowledge of the document plans said it referenced the need to abide by international rules.

“We are only talking about the most hazardous pesticides and there will be an impact assessment to protect competitiveness before any decisions,” one official said, adding that “we need coffee and mangoes and avocados”.

Várhelyi said pesticides using carcinogens, mutagens or endocrine disrupters should not be allowed into the bloc on imported food.

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