4. Student Life
Currency
Although The Czech Republic is a member of the European Union and the Schengen Area, the official currency of the country is the Czech Crown. Euro is not always accepted and it could give you some problems if you try to pay with them (Disadvantageous exchange rate or not being able to pay at all).
Beware of exchange scams!
There are a bunch of exchange places which will take profit of you offering high commissions, offering a non-profitable exchange rate or showing a different exchange rate than the one they actually offer). Also NEVER exchange money on the street, is illegal and you can fall in a scam where they give you money which is useless in the Czech Republic.
Tips:
- You can pay by card in almost all establishments around the country.
- When paying by card, You will be able to choose in which currency you want to make the payment. make sure to pay in Czech Crowns (CZK), exchange rates are not usually good when converting to your home country currency when the transaction is made.
- If you need cash, you can use an ATM (ex. Česká Spořitelna, Raffeisen Bank, mBank, etc… – DO NOT USE the Euronet ATMs)
- If you need to exchange cash, be careful at the moment you choose the exchange place, make sure the rate they show is the same they offer.
- You can find more information about exchange places in this video.
Public Transport
Prague has one of the best public transportation systems in Europe. The metro, trams and buses are used by two-thirds of Prague’s population and cover the majority of the city and outskirts.
The metro especially makes getting around town a breeze since it enables you to cover long distances in a matter of minutes. If you can’t continue to your destination on foot, you’ll be able to catch a tram or bus from near the subway station.
To move around town, we recommend using public transport over driving or taking a taxi, since the traffic situation in the city center has become pretty bad in the past decade. If you insist on taking taxi, consider downloading an app such as Taxify, Liftago or Uber to avoid unexpectedly high charges.
Tickets Transport Card Schedule Long-haul Travels
Tickets
If you want to use public transport, you need to have a valid ticket before you get on the bus/tram/metro. You can buy transfer tickets for 30 minutes (30 CZK), 90 minutes (40 CZK), 24 hours (120 CZK) or 72 hours (330 CZK). Ticket from information centre, ticket machine, shop or from a bus driver needs to be validated (stamped by putting inside a yellow box) when getting on the vehicle or inside the metro/train station for the first time!
Short-term tickets for Prague (from 30 minutes to 3 days) can be purchased in following ways:
- in yellow ticket vending machines at metro stations and some surface transit stops (map)
- in information centres and selling points at most of the metro stations
- in newspaper shops in the whole area of Prague
- in the mobile application PID Lítačka (paid by credit/debit card, Masterpass or Apple Pay, ticket needs to be activated before your travel)
- inside every tram (only by contactless credit/debit card)
- by SMS – in cooperation with all mobile operators, the Prague Public Transit Co. provides passengers with an SMS ticket service, making it possible to purchase a single transfer ticket using a mobile phone. Customers wanting to purchase an SMS ticket must not have Premium SMS services blocked (these can be activated free of charge by calling the operator’s help line).
- in order to purchase an SMS ticket, you need to send an SMS “DPT *ticket price*” to 90206, for example “DPT42” for a 90-minute transfer ticket. Your should obtain a ticket within 3 minutes. The SMS tickets for 30 and 90 minutes tickets cost 31 and 42 CZK
! When using the bus, careful to notify the driver about your stop by clicking the red button right before arriving !
Transport Card
-
- Called Lítačka
- Eligibility for a student discount: until reaching the age of 26
- Eligibility proven:
- valid ISIC card issued by VSE
- Confirmation of Studies issued by VSE – distributed during Orientation Week
- The fare itself uploaded on:
- physical Lítačka card, which needs to be ordered in advance and then picked up in the city centre
- your VISA/Mastercard bank card
The easiest way to obtain the season ticket is by following the instructions on the Lítačka website.
There are 2 scenarios you might find yourself in:- You ordered the VSE ID card With ISIC card one from VSE: go online and purchase a student discount fare using your ISIC card and upload it on your VISA/Mastercard bank card.
- You ordered the basic VSE ID card: purchase the fare after obtaining the Confirmation of Studies during the Orientation Week.
Picture guide how to purchase “Lítačka” online
Transport Schedule
To be able to plan your journey in advance and view any schedule, we recommend using this website.
It is also available as an app to your smartphone in English. Please note this works on-line only, since it contains up-to-date information including suspensions or exceptional temporary changes.
Long-haul Travels
Train schedules are also available in the app mentioned above.
Student Life
ESN VSE Prague is a student organization working at VSE that pairs incoming exchange students with local students interested in meeting foreign students and helping them discover the university and the city life.ESN VSE Prague
ESN VSE Prague – Who to Contact
General Queries:
info[at]esnvseprague.cz
+420 224 098 548 / 00420 224 098 548
Buddy Programme:
bp_team[at]esnvseprague.cz
BuddyIS Related Issues:
helpdesk[at]esnvseprague.cz
Events at VSE
VSE offers more than can be found in the Academic Calendar. You can find variety of events which cover the academic, sports and cultural advantages of living in Prague.
Orientation Week
One week before the semester, Exchange students are invited to participate in the Orientation Week to learn about Prague, meet their fellow Exchange students and get ready for their journey in Prague.
Innovation Week
The Innovation Week is a week-long event that usually takes place during the seventh week of the semester. Unlike traditional timetabled lessons, students participate in innovative events prepared by lecturers. These events can be related to their enrolled courses or other topics of interest. The goals of the Innovation Week include modernizing teaching, promoting the use of the LMS Moodle platform, and encouraging interactions among students.
VSE Ball
We have traditionally organized the VŠE Ball for you since 2010. Every December, more than 3,500 guests – students, graduates, employees, school partners and their friends – take part in the Ball. Together we create one of the largest balls in Europe. Just like in previous years, this year you can expect an amazing entertainment in the form of great music, dance and orchestra. At the same time, you can look forward to the performances of the best participants in the VŠE Talent competition and the announcement of the VŠE Athlete of the Year.
Hockey Battle of Prague
The Hockey Battle of Prague is an exciting ice hockey tournament that brings together university teams form the Czech capital. In November, you can look forward a combination of ice hockey, pre and mid-game shows. Do not miss the opportunity to support our university while experiencing the real Czech sport’s atmosphere. Let’s go support VSE and show them who are we and that we will win!
Rector’s Sports Day
in April, the Rector’s Sports Day traditionally brings tournaments and competitions organised by the Centre for Physical Education and Sport in the morning. Interesting trips are also prepared. By participating in tournaments organized by the CPES, students can earn their faculty their first points in the Faculty Battle.
In the afternoon, the Jarov dormitory campus will become the venue for the student festival VŠE Birthday . There will be no shortage of student clubs – more than twenty of them have prepared activities where you can earn more points for the Faculty Battle. In addition, you can look forward to several Battle competitions, where representatives of your faculties will compete directly on stage!
You can also look forward to plenty of great food, and even more great beer. We can’t imagine a birthday without a speech by the Rector of the VŠE and the cutting of the birthday cake.