🇨🇿 Czech Republic vs 🇭🇺 Hungary

Tipping 10-15% is expected in restaurants — you tell the server the total you want to pay, including the tip, when settling the bill.

⛔Do not leave the tip on the table after paying — the server will likely think you forgot it and attempt to return it, which can be awkward.

Full guide →

Prague has an excellent integrated metro, tram, and bus network operated by DPP; validate your ticket before boarding.

⛔Fare inspectors in plain clothes are common; always validate even for a single stop.

Full guide →

Budapest has an extensive BKK network of metro, trams, and buses; validate your ticket before boarding or face on-the-spot fines from plain-clothes inspectors.

⛔Tram lines 4 and 6 are heavily targeted by pickpockets during peak hours — keep bags in front of your body and be alert in crowded carriages.

Full guide →

Czech Republic has solid public healthcare; EU citizens with an EHIC card receive covered treatment, and pharmacies are widely available.

⛔EHIC does not cover repatriation or private clinics — travel insurance is strongly recommended even for EU citizens.

Full guide →

EU EHIC cards are accepted at public hospitals, but private clinics like Medicover or Róbert Károly offer faster service with English-speaking staff.

⛔Do not drink the water in thermal baths — the high mineral content is not safe for consumption even though the baths are marketed as therapeutic.

Full guide →

Czech law is generally pragmatic, but tourists should be aware of specific rules around public conduct, especially in Prague's historic center.

⛔Strip club scams in Prague are well-documented — tourists have been handed bills in the thousands of euros with implied threats; avoid unsolicited invitations to clubs.

Full guide →

Hungary enforces zero-tolerance drink-driving (0.00% BAC), cannabis is fully illegal, and LGBTQ+ public expression faces legal restrictions introduced in 2021.

⛔Cannabis is completely illegal in Hungary — possession of even small amounts can result in criminal charges, not just a fine.

Full guide →

The legal drinking age is 18, and Czech Republic is famous for the world's highest beer consumption per capita with very affordable prices.

⛔Czech Republic enforces zero tolerance for drink-driving (0.00% BAC) — do not drive after any alcohol consumption whatsoever.

Full guide →

The legal drinking age is 18, alcohol is widely available and socially central to Hungarian culture, with ruin bars, Tokaj wines, and pálinka brandy among the highlights.

⛔Pálinka can be extremely strong (40-70% ABV) — pace yourself, especially with homemade varieties offered by locals, which are unregulated for alcohol content.

Full guide →

Use Uber or Bolt in Czech Republic — Prague taxis have a long history of overcharging tourists.

⛔Unmarked or unlicensed taxis at Prague Airport and Wenceslas Square are a persistent scam — they can charge 5–10x the legitimate fare.

Full guide →

Use the Bolt app for all taxi needs in Hungary — Uber does not operate here, and unmetered street taxis have a long history of overcharging tourists.

⛔Never accept a taxi from a driver who approaches you in the airport terminal, at train stations, or near major tourist sites — these unofficial drivers routinely charge 5-10x the legitimate fare.

Full guide →

Czech Republic uses CZK (koruna), not euros — always pay in CZK and never accept dynamic currency conversion (DCC).

⛔Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is aggressively pushed at tourist ATMs, restaurants, and shops in Prague — always insist on paying in CZK.

Full guide →

Always withdraw and pay in Hungarian Forints (HUF) — never accept 'pay in your home currency' offers, and avoid Euronet ATMs due to very high fees.

⛔Euronet ATMs are aggressively placed in high-tourist areas and airports — their fees and exchange rates are extremely poor; always use a bank-branded ATM instead.

Full guide →

Prague has several well-documented tourist scams — DCC at ATMs, taxi overcharging, and strip club credit card fraud are the most serious.

⛔Strip club credit card scams in Prague are well-documented and serious — tourists have been presented with bills for thousands of euros under intimidation; avoid entirely.

Full guide →

The most common scams in Hungary involve Dynamic Currency Conversion at ATMs and payment terminals, overcharging at tourist-area restaurants, and strip club credit card fraud near Váci utca.

⛔The strip club credit card scam near Váci utca and Vörösmarty tér is well documented and can result in fraudulent charges of hundreds to thousands of euros — never follow strangers to bars or clubs.

Full guide →

Czech Republic is generally very safe; the main tourist risk is petty theft and pickpocketing in central Prague.

⛔Pickpockets operate in organized groups in Prague's tourist areas — be especially careful when crowds gather (e.g., when the Astronomical Clock chimes).

Full guide →

Hungary is generally safe for tourists, with the main risks being pickpocketing on crowded trams and in tourist areas rather than violent crime.

⛔Pickpocketing is common on the 4/6 tram and in crowded tourist markets — remain alert in these environments and avoid displaying expensive items conspicuously.

Full guide →

Hungary is landlocked, but Lake Balaton — the 'Hungarian Sea' — is the country's beloved beach destination with warm, shallow, safe water and a full summer resort scene.

⛔Lake Balaton can develop blue-green algae blooms in hot, still August weather — check local authority warnings before swimming when temperatures are extreme.

Full guide →

Drive on the right; Czech Republic enforces zero-tolerance drink-driving (0.00% BAC) and requires a motorway vignette sticker.

⛔Zero-tolerance drink-driving (0.00% BAC) is strictly enforced — do not drive after any alcohol, including a single beer.

Full guide →

Drive on the right, purchase a HU-GO motorway vignette before using motorways, and observe the strictly enforced 0.00% BAC drink-drive limit.

⛔Hungary's 0.00% BAC drink-drive law is absolute — even a single beer can put you over the legal limit for driving, and penalties include on-the-spot licence confiscation and criminal charges.

Full guide →