The Czech Republic is easy, beautiful and well connected, and the two things most likely to cost you money there have nothing to do with coverage. They are the taxi you hail on the street and the card machine that offers to be helpful. Both are handled better with data in your pocket.
The currency conversion trick
This is the most useful paragraph on the page. The Czech Republic uses the koruna, not the euro. When you pay by card or withdraw cash, the terminal will frequently offer to charge you in your own currency instead — Canadian dollars, euros, pounds — and it will present this as a convenience.
Always decline. Always choose to be charged in Czech koruna. When the terminal converts for you, it uses its own exchange rate, which is consistently worse than the one your bank would have used — typically by three to eight percent. Over a week of meals, taxis and cash withdrawals that adds up to real money.
The same applies at cash machines, where the offer is worded to sound like a courtesy. Decline the conversion, choose koruna, and let your own bank do the maths. Being able to check what the actual rate is while you are standing at the machine is exactly the sort of small thing having data makes easy.
Street exchange booths advertising zero commission are the other version of this. The commission is in the rate.
Ride apps solved Prague's taxi problem
Prague had a long-standing reputation for taxi drivers overcharging visitors, and app-based services largely fixed it. Bolt, Uber and the locally founded Liftago all operate, set the fare in advance and record the route.
The practical effect is that the conversation simply does not happen. You order from where you are standing, the price is agreed before you get in, and there is no negotiation at the end. For a visitor this is worth more than the fare difference alone.
What coverage is honestly like
Coverage is very good. Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Olomouc all have dense 4G with thorough 5G, and the Prague metro has coverage underground. The motorway and rail corridors are well served, as are the popular day-trip towns — Český Krumlov, Kutná Hora, Karlovy Vary.
Rural Bohemia and Moravia are generally fine, with thinning in the forested border uplands, parts of the Šumava and the Bohemian Switzerland gorges. Nothing here requires the kind of planning a mountain or island destination does.
The networks you will connect to
Three operators run networks: O2 Czech Republic, T-Mobile Czech Republic and Vodafone Czech Republic. All three are solid and the differences matter little to a visitor. A travel eSIM roams onto whichever partner network is strongest where you are.
Trains onward, and why they are worth it
Prague sits within a few hours of Vienna, Berlin, Dresden, Budapest and Kraków by train, and the services are comfortable and inexpensive. RegioJet and České dráhy both sell to your phone, with seat reservations and onboard service included on many routes.
Platform information at Prague hlavní nádraží is posted reasonably late, and international services occasionally change platform. The app knows before the board does.
If you are continuing to Germany, Austria or Poland, note that a Czech country plan stops at the border. A regional Europe plan is usually the better buy for a multi-country rail trip.
Timed entry in Prague
Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter museums, the Municipal House and the astronomical clock tower all sell timed or dated tickets, and the popular slots go early in summer. Screenshot every code.
Charles Bridge deserves its own note: it is genuinely unpleasant between mid-morning and evening in season and genuinely beautiful at six in the morning. Knowing that, and being able to check when the crowds thin, changes the experience of the city more than any ticket.
Beer halls, bookings and knowing which is which
Some famous Prague beer halls take no reservations and you queue; others require them days ahead. Which is which is not obvious from the outside, and getting it wrong means either a wasted walk or an hour standing up.
A quick check before you set out is worth it. The same applies to the increasingly good restaurant scene, which books up in a way the city's reputation for cheap beer does not prepare visitors for.
How much data you will actually use
Plan on 3 to 5 GB for a week. Prague is compact and walkable, journeys are short, and the main draws are navigation, ride apps, tickets and photographs.
Timing your plan to the trip
Choose a plan that outlasts your departure. Install at home on Wi-Fi before you fly — the profile stays dormant until it first connects to a Czech network, so the countdown starts on arrival rather than on purchase.
Who this suits
First-time Prague visitors relying on ride apps rather than street taxis. Anyone paying by card who would rather not lose several percent to a terminal. Day trippers to Český Krumlov or Kutná Hora. Rail travellers continuing to Vienna, Berlin or Kraków, who should check their coverage crosses the border. And anyone timing Charles Bridge around the crowds.
Getting to Český Krumlov and the day trips
The most popular day trips from Prague are not all best reached the same way. Kutná Hora is a straightforward train. Český Krumlov, however, is usually faster and more comfortable by coach than by rail, and the comfortable operators sell reserved seats with onboard service for very little.
Karlovy Vary is similar. Working out which mode wins for which destination is a five-minute job with data and guesswork without, and the difference can be an hour and a half each way.
Book ahead in summer. The popular departures fill, and turning up at Prague's coach station hoping for a seat on the last bus back from Krumlov is how people end up staying a night they had not planned.
Before you book
None of this matters if the documents are wrong. Check where Czech Republic currently stands before you book anything: check the current entry requirements · how the checker works · browse the region.
Frequently asked questions
Should I let the card machine charge me in my own currency?
No. Always choose Czech koruna. When a terminal or cash machine converts for you it uses its own rate, which is consistently worse than your bank's — often by several percent, which adds up across a trip.
Are Prague taxis still a problem?
Much less so, because app services largely replaced street hailing. Bolt, Uber and Liftago all operate, fix the fare in advance and record the route, which removes the issue entirely for visitors.
Does my Czech plan work in Germany or Austria?
No, a country plan stops at the border. Since Prague is within a few hours of Vienna, Berlin and Kraków by train, a regional Europe plan is usually the better choice if you are continuing.
How much data do I need for a week in Prague?
Three to five gigabytes is comfortable. The city is compact and walkable, so navigation use is moderate compared with a driving or island destination.