Opening hours
Shops
In smaller towns or smaller shops, opening hours are usually Monday to Friday from 8 or 9 am until 6 pm. Shops are usually only open in the morning on Saturday. In larger cities, shops are usually open later, for example until 8 or 9 pm. The smallest shops very rarely have a break for lunch and if so, usually around 12 noon to 1 pm.
Hypermarkets, shopping centres and similar establishments usually have long opening hours, for example 7 days a week until 9 pm. Some larger shops operate almost nonstop (other than the early hours of the morning).
There are also small shops which are called “večerky”, which are open until late at night and often at weekends. However their disadvantage is their higher prices than in other shops and a limited choice of goods.
Banks
Banks are regularly open on weekdays during working hours. Some banks are open later, for example until 8 pm. Busy branches in the city centres are usually open longer. Access to cash machines is ensured 24 hours a day.
Authorities
Monday and Wednesday are standard office days for authorities, from 9 am until 5 pm. You will always find somebody at the authority on these days. Some authorities provide services for the public on other days too. Offices are usually closed over lunch (often 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm).
Post Offices
Post Offices are regularly open from 8 am to 7 pm. You can find the opening hours of all branches of Czech Post
here. There is a Post Office on Jindřišká in Prague, which is open
almost nonstop.
Restaurants
Restaurants, pubs or cafes are often open from late afternoon until late at night, often until 11:00 pm. During the summer, restaurants open gardens for you to sit outside, which are usually open until 10:00 pm (due to regulations relating to a ban on loud noise at night, which usually lasts until 6 am). Bars or clubs are often open even long after midnight, especially at weekends.
Days off, public holidays and holidays
School holidays
Summer holiday in the Czech Republic begin at the start of July and last until the end of August. Apart from the fact that schools are closed, timetables for public transport are usually slightly altered in favour of tourists. Christmas holidays are usually slightly longer than the days off that apply for the whole Czech Republic. Spring holidays are usually determined by individual schools and have practically no impact on foreigners staying in the Czech Republic.
Impact on the traffic situation
Many Czechs set off to relax at the weekend and so rush hours are usually experienced on Friday afternoon. The situation is similar on Sunday evening when the “holidaymakers” return home. Rush hours are usually also created at the start and end of summer holidays.
Public holidays, other holidays and non-working days
The following special days are all non-working days.
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1 January – Restoration day of the Independent Czech State, New Year’s Day
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Easter Monday
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1 May – Labour Day
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8 May – Liberation Day
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5 July – Saint Cyril and Methodius Day
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6 July –Jan Hus Day
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28 September – St. Wenceslas Day
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28 October – Independent Czechoslovak State Day
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17 November – Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day
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24 December – Christmas Eve
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25 December – Christmas Day
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26 December – St. Stephen’s Day
How to at the weekend...
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change money – banks are mostly closed, bureaux de change are open – but they sometimes have worse exchange rates than the banks,
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buy food – look for large shopping centres and hypermarkets,
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find a doctor – there is usually a doctor in the emergency department in hospitals.