Congress official language
The conference language is English. Simultaneous interpretation into other languages will not be provided.

Weather
Prague is a city with a “mild continental climate”. The average temperature at the end of October varies around 10°C.

Currency / Exchange
The Czech currency is called the Czech crown (CZK). Banknotes are circulated in values of 5 000, 2 000, 1 000, 500, 200 and 100 crowns with coins valued as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 crowns. Exchange offices are located throughout the city centre (exchange offices, banks, post offices). It is advised to exchange money in banks rather than in the highstreet exchange offices. For the current exchange rate please click here.

Passports and Visas
Every person entering the Czech Republic should be in possession of a valid passport/ID card for EU citizens. Some countries require a visa. Please contact your nearest Czech Embassy or Consulate for further information or visit the website of Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Visitors from non-EU Countries must possess a passport valid for at least a 3 month stay. Participants requiring a visa should apply immediately to a consular office or diplomatic mission of the Czech Republic in their country in order to avoid a delayed arrival to the Conference. Please note that the visa application procedure can take up to two months. It is not possible to obtain a visa at the Prague Airport.

Airport
Václav Havel Airport Prague  handles flights from within Europe and from overseas. It is located 30 minutes by car from the congress venue. The airport is well served by public transportation – buses and taxis.

Taxi
When taking a taxi, make sure the taxi is equipped with a permanently installed yellow roof lamp with the TAXI sign in black letters. The registration number, company name and the price per kilometre and one-minute-waiting rate must be displayed on both front doors with the prices set on the meter inside the cab. Participants are reccommended to order a taxi with non-stop dispatching office where the information on fares is available in advance. Prague taxi provider we reccomend to use is Tick-Tack.

Transportation
The public transportation in Prague is very easy and efficient; the journey to the city centre from the Congress venue takes about 10 minutes – on line C, no transfers are needed (Muzeum station).

• Metro – The Prague Metro network consists of 3 lines designated by letters and differentiated in colour: A – green colour, B – yellow colour, C – red colour, with transfers possible at Museum station (lines A and C), Mustek station (lines A and B), Florenc station (lines B and C). Metro operates daily from 5:00 to 0:30.
• Trams – Daytime operation is from 4:30 to 24:00. Night time operation is from 00:30 to 4:30 and is provided by tram numbers 51 to 58 with traffic intervals 30 minutes. The central transfer-station for night time lines is Lazarska stop. Tram schedules are located at individual stops.
• Buses – The daytime and night time operation of buses is similar to tram operation. Night time service is provided by bus numbers 501 to 514. Bus schedules are located at individual stops.

Fares – Basic ticket 32,- CZK, Short-term ticket 24,- CZK. The Basic ticket is valid for 90 minutes after marking. A short-term ticket is valid for 30 minutes after marking. See this link for full details on fares, fees and conditions.

Time diference
The Czech Republic is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European Time (CET) is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1). After last Sunday in March the time in the Czech Republic is shifted back by 1 hour to Central European Time and this lasts until the end of September.

Restaurants
Czech cuisine is typical of Middle European gastronomy, featuring a number of Czech elements such as bread or fruit dumplings, various kinds of soups, sauces, numerous potato dishes, cakes and a wide range of festive dishes. In general, Czech gastronomy means roasted pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, potato pancakes, plum dumplings and bilberry cakes and, of course, Czech drinks – primarily beer and first-rate wines from South Moravia, not to mention “Slivovice”, a clear Czech plum brandy and “Becherovka” a delicious herbal elixir with legendary aphrodisiac qualities.

Shopping
Most of the shops in Prague are open from 09.00 to 18.00, Monday through Saturday. Shops in the city centre are usually open from 09.00 to 20.00, Monday through Sunday. All major credit cards are accepted.

Smoking policy
Smoking is forbidden in all congress areas except terrace, however it is allowed to smoke in most restaurants/bars and public areas.

Tipping
Service is almost always included in hotel and restaurant bills. A further tip of a few coins is appropriate. Typically, the tipping in restaurants would be around 5-10%, tourist guide 10%.

Electricity
Electricity used in Czech Republic is 220 Volts / 50 Hz (type E French 2-pin electrical adapter plug and electrical outlet; identified by two round pins spaced 19mm apart with a hole for the socket’s male grounding pin. Type E outlets will also accept Type C plugs and Type E plugs will also work in Type F outlets).
A transformer is necessary for your electrical or electronic equipment if using different voltage (ie. USA, Canada).