If you want to arrange accommodations before you come, Prague-based E-travel.cz offers handy English websites. The general site at www.travel.cz provides booking for hotels and practical touring information, while at www.apartments.cz, you can book a private apartment in a wide range of prices and areas. Once in the city, you can find E-travel.cz near the National Theater at Ostrovní 7; or call their 24-hour call center (tel. 224-990-990; fax 224-990-999). Especially for those arriving by train or air, AVE Travel (tel. 251-091-111; www.avetravel.cz) can arrange accommodations or transfers inside these terminals. It has outlets at the airport, open daily from 7am to 10pm; at the main train station, Hlavní nádrazí, open daily from 6am to 11pm; and at the north train station, Nádrazí Holesovice, open daily from 7am to 9pm.
The Prague Information Service (PIS), Na Príkope 20, Praha 1 (tel. 12-444; fax 222-221-721; www.pis.cz), near Wenceslas Square, provides tips and tickets for upcoming cultural events and tours. It can also help you find a room. From April to October, it's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. During the rest of the year, it's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 3pm; it's closed on Sunday. There are also PIS offices inside Old Town Hall and the main train station.
The weekly newspaper the Prague Post (www.praguepost.com) has a fairly beefy culture section and a special supplement to help visitors. It can be found at most central newsstands.
Cedok, at Na Príkope 18, Praha 1 (tel. 800-112-112 or 224-197-111; fax 224-216-324; www.cedok.cz), was once the state travel bureau and is now a privatized agency. Its entrenched position still gives it decent access to tickets and information about domestic events, and the staff can book rail and bus tickets and hotel rooms. Cedok accepts major credit cards and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9:30am to 1pm.
Avoid kiosks that look like information points but are really ticket touts for tours and concerts. Asking for directions from a Czech on the street will be more enjoyable (and useful) than the surly response you'll probably get from the usually uninformed person staffing the kiosk.
Calling Prague--The country code for the Czech Republic is 420. In all cases, the city codes are connected to the local number in front so that the entire number that must be dialed locally has nine digits. For directory assistance in English and for information on services and rates calling abroad, dial tel. 1181.
To call Prague direct from the United States, dial 011 (international code), 420 (country code), and the 9-digit local number. From Britain, dial 00 (international code), 420 (country code), and the local number.
