As the end-of-year holidays approach, Czech supermarkets and retail chains are rolling out their adjusted opening hours. The rules are partly set by the country’s retail-hours legislation, and partly by each chain’s own holiday policy. Anyone planning to pick up last-minute groceries for Christmas or New Year’s Eve will need to pay attention, because most large stores will reduce hours significantly. Czech law requires all shops larger than 200 square meters to close on key public holidays, including Christmas. This means: 24 December (Christmas Eve): Large stores must close by 12:00. 25 and 26 December: Large shops and restaurants remain closed all day. Pharmacies, airport and railway-station shops, gas-station convenience stores, and small independent shops under 200 square meters are not affected and may operate normally. What Happens on New Year’s Eve Although 31 December is not a public holiday, supermarkets traditionally shorten their hours. This year, many chains are closing earlier than usual. Lidl will shut its doors the earliest, closing by 5 p.m. but opening normally in the morning. Tesco is keeping stores open until 6 p.m., after which all branches close. Tesco shops will also stay closed on 1 January. Kaufland is following the same timetable, operating...
This weekend, Prague becomes the stage for a celebration of McLaren’s exceptional Formula 1 season. After Lando Norris clinched the drivers’ championship, fans of the papaya-colored team have a reason to rejoice. The Allwyn McLaren F1 Team Celebration is set to bring the excitement of the track to the Czech capital, and admission is free for all visitors. The event is organized in partnership with the McLaren F1 Team and the lottery company Allwyn, which includes Czech Sazka. At the heart of the exhibition is the McLaren MCL39 championship car, offering attendees the chance to see up close the vehicle that powered McLaren to its title-winning season. Guests will leave with a unique video souvenir capturing their time in the studio. For those craving more hands-on action, the event also features racing simulators and reaction games, allowing fans to test their reflexes and driving skills against F1 standards. The celebration continues with the Victory Tunnel, an immersive installation showcasing the season’s most memorable moments, from decisive overtakes to the podium celebrations. Motorsport enthusiasts can also explore the Safety Features Exhibition, providing a close look at drivers’ helmets, suits, and the Halo system, highlighting the technology that protects F1 racers on...
As the Christmas season approaches, Prague has renewed its call for more respectful and humane treatment of carp, a long-standing Czech holiday tradition. The city is not trying to ban the purchase of carp, but rather to highlight the suffering many of these fish endure — from stressful transport to painful deaths in untrained home kitchens. The campaign, visible across Prague until December 23, reminds buyers to avoid placing live carp in chlorinated bathtubs, returning them to rivers or ponds, or killing them at home without proper equipment. Instead, the city encourages people to have the fish humanely slaughtered, gutted, and cut at the point of sale. By doing so, stress and suffering can be minimized, and the resulting meat handled safely. “I believe most people aim to treat animals without causing harm and with compassion. Education and ethics go together,” said the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Tourism and Animal Welfare, stressing that a growing share of the public now recognises the suffering carp undergo when killed unprofessionally. From several thousand carp stalls across the Czech Republic, about 200 are located in Prague. The city notes a gradual rise in the number of customers opting for professional slaughter at the...
Colombians living in Prague will gather this week for a festive afternoon dedicated to the country’s Christmas traditions. The celebration will take place on Saturday, December 13, at the Hotel NH Collection Carlo IV, running from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event aims to bring the Colombian community together and offer a taste of home during the holiday season. Visitors can look forward to traditional activities, music, food, and cultural presentations, with organisers hoping to recreate the warm, communal spirit that defines Christmas in Colombia. Registration is required, and organisers have outlined two forms of sign-up. Individual registration is mandatory for every Colombian citizen aged 18 and older, even if they belong to the same family. Family registration is available when the main registrant is a Colombian citizen over 18, allowing them to register a non-Colombian spouse and children under 18 within a single form. The deadline to register is December 10, and only submissions completed within this timeframe and according to the specified rules will be accepted. Visualizza questo post su Instagram Un post condiviso da Embajada de Colombia en la República Checa (@embcolchequia) Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Hue Kafe opened in July 2025 at Karoliny Světlé 283/24 in Old Town as Prague’s first Indian café. The idea came from owner Sameer Shaikh, who wanted a place where he could serve the street food he knows well and keep a clear connection to his art background. Sameer moved to the Czech Republic as a student in 2021 with a simple aim: to build a place that feels like home, where food and art come together. Alongside the welcoming atmosphere created by Sameer and his staff, Hue Kafe offers a range of Indian street food, including the chef’s specialties such as Egg Chaat, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri, and Bhel Chaat. The café also serves tea, coffee, and milkshakes. Each dish is served with attention to colour and detail, reflecting Sameer’s background in art — the idea behind the name Hues Kafe. On their website, one customer described Hues Kafe as “a unique art café in Prague with fresh and healthy food, specialty coffee, and local art displays. A perfect spot for food lovers and art fans.” Visualizza questo post su Instagram Un post condiviso da Hues Kafe (@hueskafe) Sameer wanted the café to show a different side...
Residents across Czechia will have an exceptional chance to watch one of the most reliable meteor showers of the year this Saturday night. One of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers, the Geminids, is set to peak this weekend, offering a dazzling celestial display. These fiery tails, often called “shooting stars,” occur when fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. Skygazers could see up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies during the peak Saturday night into Sunday’s predawn hours, according to NASA. Although the phenomenon occurs every December, this year’s viewing window stands out. According to astronomer Petr Gorálek from the Opava Physics Institute, the Moon will rise late enough that its light will not interfere with visibility during the most active hours. For skywatchers, that means a darker sky and a higher chance of spotting long, bright trails. The ideal period spans midnight to around 4 a.m., when the meteor stream crosses Earth’s orbit at its most intense point. While the Geminids begin appearing from December 4 and continue until roughly December 17, the brief peak offers the greatest density of visible meteors. Astronomers advise heading away from city lights and choosing a spot with a...
Czech cities are strengthening security at their festive markets to ensure public safety. From Prague to Brno, armed police officers have become a standard presence, while cities are adding physical barriers and other protective measures to control access to crowded squares. At Mariánské Square in Brno and Náměstí Míru in Prague, authorities have installed steel barriers designed to prevent vehicles from entering pedestrian zones. “These are purely preventative measures,” police officials emphasize, reassuring visitors that the intent is safety, not restriction. Security strategies vary by location. At Prague’s Náměstí Míru, cars can approach the market area, but steel posts block entry into pedestrian spaces. In contrast, Wenceslas Square has no permanent barriers, though only vehicles with special permits may access the site. Brno’s Náměstí Svobody markets employ mobile Belgian-made barriers. Michal Štástný, representative of Brno’s Central City District, explained, “These barriers are easy to move and can hold vehicles weighing up to seven and a half tons.” Their flexibility allows security personnel to adjust coverage based on crowd size and events. Shopping Centers Step Up Security Retail areas have also increased safety measures during the holiday season. Malls supplement police presence with security staff from private agencies. Linda Erebay, director...
Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience has been awarded the title of the world’s best beer experience at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony of the World Travel Awards 2025. The project has just completed a record-breaking year 2025, welcomed visitors from more than 120 countries, and has ambitious plans for 2026. National Geographic UK also highlighted it this year as one of the most exciting attractions to visit in Europe. The multimedia visitor center Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience won the World’s Leading Beer Tour Visitor Experience 2025 award in the international World Travel Awards competition — the global title for the world’s best beer visitor experience. It follows its success from October, when it won the same award at the European level. The global title was presented during the Grand Final Gala Ceremony, held on 6 December 2025 in Bahrain. Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience triumphed over major beer attractions from around the world, including the Coors Brewery Tour in the United States, Maui Brewing Company – Kihei Tasting Room in Hawaii, and the Tiger Brewery Tour in Singapore. “Winning the European award was a huge milestone for us. The world title confirms that the experience we...
A major shift in Central European aviation is underway as Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines begins the formal process to acquire Czech carriers ČSA and Smartwings. The announcement appeared first in a statement from Smartwings spokeswoman Vladimíra Dufková, confirming that negotiations between the parties have progressed to a structured sale procedure. According to Dufková, Prague City Air – the shareholder behind ČSA – reached an agreement with Pegasus to enter a sale process that will culminate in the full transfer of ČSA shares. The timeline depends on clearances from aviation regulators and other required approvals, which the parties expect to resolve within the coming year. Because ČSA owns all Smartwings shares, both carriers would be transferred together under the same transaction. Pegasus later posted a brief note on the X platform stating it had signed an acquisition agreement involving both Smartwings and ČSA. No financial details appeared in the announcement itself, yet Turkish media widely reported that the binding deal is valued at 154 million euros, roughly 3.8 billion CZK. The final amount may be adjusted once the transaction undergoes regulatory review and is fully finalized. LATEST JOBS IN PRAGUE Accounting Assistant with Spanish Active Directory Engineer [Advance/Senior] To execute the acquisition,...
As electricity and gas prices continue to ease across Czechia, a new government service is reshaping how households and companies choose their energy suppliers. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, together with the Energy Regulatory Office, has launched an independent price-comparison platform that allows users to review current electricity and gas offers without entering any personal data. Developers say the system now handles around a thousand comparisons a day. What the Platform Actually Does The tool gathers all active offers from the Czech energy market and displays them in a simple, ad-free interface. It draws from datasets newly required under the LEX OZE III legislation, which obliges suppliers to send the regulator complete and regularly updated documentation on their products. These legal changes also force companies to publish a seller security index, their contract structure, and detailed price lists. The rules target past practices where intermediaries moved clients between providers without fully transparent conditions. Why It Matters for Households and Businesses Tariffs have dropped by more than ten percent since January, and experts estimate that switching suppliers can lower annual costs by several hundred to several thousand crowns. In some cases, the total bill may fall by tens of percent,...
Czech Inn Hotels has introduced an unprecedented program aimed at supporting families while addressing the country’s declining birth rate. The initiative provides a 15,000 CZK voucher for children conceived during stays at any of the company’s 28 hotels. The offer applies to children expected to be born in 2025 and 2026. Parents must have stayed at the hotel 7 to 10 months prior to the child’s birth to qualify. The voucher can be used at Malvík, a Czech company specializing in children’s products. Additionally, families receive a full discount on venue rentals for events such as birthday parties, christenings, weddings, or other celebrations. Jaroslav Svoboda, General Manager of Czech Inn Hotels, explained the motivation behind the initiative: “Hotels are thriving, and society needs more than just investments and work. We already support hospitals, sports, and other activities. Seeing so many happy couples at our hotels made me wonder how many children might have been conceived ‘with the help’ of our rooms. We want to offer financial support to families for these new arrivals.” Families interested in applying for the voucher can contact Czech Inn via [email protected] Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Passengers using Lítačka cards issued in 2016 will have to replace them next year, as Prague’s transport authorities confirmed that these cards will no longer receive another validity extension. The cards had already been extended twice in recent years by the organizer of Prague Integrated Transport, ROPID, but their lifecycle now officially ends. Although many riders still rely on these older cards, the date printed on them may not reflect their true validity. Because extensions were granted automatically, the original expiration date—typically set for 2020—is the key indicator. If that was the date on the card, it is now part of the group that must be replaced. ROPID advises passengers to check the updated validity online or at any contact point. The expiration can be viewed in the Lítačka mobile app under the My Coupons section or after logging into the official website in the My Identifiers tab. Once the extended validity ends, the card can no longer be renewed. A new card must be issued, and passengers can choose between an in-person process or an online request. For those visiting a branch in person, applicants need to present an ID, the original Lítačka card, and a color ID photo....
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