Hi all,

My 22 year old son is moving to Prague for awhile and needs to pay cash for his apartment. Should he order the money from a bank here in the US or will he be able to get enough from an ATM in the airport? He needs 10000kc.

Also, if anyone has any interesting experiences to share about Prague, we'd love to hear about them.

Thanks in advance!!

Just put $550 in his pocket. He can change it at any bank or money exchange office in Praha.

My experiences in the train station: do not trust anyone. It is a den of panhandlers.

I've used the ATM in the airport and it worked, but I have no idea if it will work when he needs to use it. Also, that is more than a bank will probably allow you to withdraw at once. Mine would, anyway, as that's around US$400, isn't it?

I wouldn't order it in the US, koruna is harder to get than euro, etc., and may cost more. I'd give him some travelers checks in USD and if the ATM doesn't work or won't give him enough, he can cash them at an exchange desk at the airport. They have a couple and you need to check the rates, but they are pretty good in Prague, actually. There are several in the airport, and it might not pay to use the first one you see (which is still in the baggage area, as I recall -- maybe a couple are). It probably will cost less than getting it in the US. I know airports often are the worst exchange places, but in Prague, they really aren't that bad, from my experience. Money exchange is pretty competitive in Prague.

You can check your bank, of course, and see what they'll charge you (do not believe anything about how it won't cost you anything, just the daily rate -- find out what that daily rate is and compare to the actual interbank rate). If it's less than a five percent markup, that would be pretty good, though.

Thanks for the replies, hopscotch and Christina! He is arriving on a Saturday afternoon, so I don't think banks will be open. He'll have to use the airport ATM or exchange.

Good idea about comparing rates with our bank first though. When traveling, we always bring a little currency with us just in case.....

There is more than one ATM at the airiport. Facing the building exit where the luggage arrival is, the ATMs are just to the left. There are also ATMs all over Prague - hard to miss them. The question is the amount of daily withdrawal allowed by your bank on a card. Does he carry more than one card from different banks?

I do not know why some folks are afraid(?) of putting some cash in their pocket and flying to Europe. For a trip a few years ago I brought over 35 Franklins. They are as good as gold.

We were in Prague last weekend and, on arrival, tried to get out 8000 koruna. The ATM kept saying something like, this is too much, try a lower amount. My husband kept trying 1000 less each time until finally it accepted 3000 koruna and gave us that amount. There were 3 ATMS side by side so maybe a different machine would have give us what we wanted.

Later, in Prague Old Town we had no problems getting out a larger amount so it may just have been that machine. Also, in the Old Town there was a bank that looked closed to us but while we were standing there looking puzzled, wondering where else to go for money, a man gestured to a little slot in the wall we had not noticed. You put your card in there and then take it out and the door opened, revealing an ATM inside. We've travelled quite a bit but that was new on us. The bank was hidden behind some restaurants but is opposite the Astronomical Clock.
Kay

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Kay,
Thanks for the great information!!!

A lot of ATMs in Prague are inside bank vestibules with closed doors. It's actually good for security (some are on the street and open). I never knew anyone could just stick their ATM card in there and be admitted, I assumed you had to have a card from that particular bank.

Kind of doesn't make it as secure as I thought.

> You put your card in there and then take it out and the door opened, revealing an ATM inside

That's nothing new to me. At least here (Geneva, Switzerland) I see many of them, often it is located at front part of banks, you slide your ATM card (no need the card be of that particular bank) in and the door to ATM machine area opens.

Jayneann - Do a search for "turnip" and you'll find an excessively long trip report about the CZ. I tried to make it an enjoyable read.

Cheers, the turnip

Thanks turnip!!! I just read your very entertaining report!!! However, I couldn't view your pictures, the site says it doesn't except new users anymore. Any other way to see them??

Thanks again!!!