The Castle Steps: FAQs

Can we park near the building? Yes, but not directly outside it. There is a carpark which costs 40Kc an hour about 50m away; about ten minutes' walk away you can park for free. There is also a secure underground carpark just a few minutes' walk from the building. We will send you full details of this when you book.

Note that the Czech Republic has an extremely good public transport system so if you are planning to travel around the country we would recommend that you don't use a car to do so. This is obviously much better from an environmental point of view.

How far is it to the metro? About eight minutes' walk. It is easy to get here from the station or the airport. There are maps here and we will send you more detailed directions after you book. Because the apartment is right in the very centre, you are unlikely to need to use the metro while you are here. You can easily walk to all the sites.

Can we bring children? Children are welcome: children and adolescents up to 16 years of age cost 1/2 the adult rate. If you have a baby whose nappy needs to be changed or you need to prepare special food you may find one of our Self-Contained Apartments especially convenient. We have a range of cots and cradles available: please make sure that we know what you need and we will get it read for you.

Can we bring companion an animals? Yes, they are free and welcome. Dogs in particular are very common in Prague. They need to wear a muzzle or be carried in a bag when you are on public transport, but they are allowed into most restaurants and shops. If your companion animal travels with you on public transport you will need to buy a separate 20Kc ticket. Dogs, cats and ferrets require a health certificate, a recent rabies inoculation and an embedded microchip. An EU animal passport is sufficient if you are coming from another part of the EU. You can find details here.

Can we get a pick-up from the airport or station? Yes of course. This costs 600Kc (about €24/£17/$36) from the airport and 450Kc from the station for up to four people. Somebody will be waiting for you with a sign with your name on it, and they will stay there even if your flight is delayed. If you are picked up at the station the driver will be waiting on the platform to help you with your bags. Just let us know on the booking form and we will make all the arrangements. You can pay in crowns, dollars or pounds instead if you prefer, but note that these prices will vary depending on the exchange rate (unlike our room prices, which are fixed).

How long does it take to get a response? We will usually respond within about three hours, sometimes much more quickly. We have staff on-hand seven days a week and in the evenings. Please call if you are booking at the last minute. If you prefer you can email us your number and we will call you back.

Do I need to pay a deposit? Not any longer: we have stopped asking for deposits because this was inconvenient for some people. We will confirm your reservation on the strength of a fax. The only exception to this is for very large bookings (over 1000 euros).

Can you give me some background information about Prague? We are happy to answer any questions you have. Between us we have about fifty years' of experience in Central and Eastern Europe and can help you both with your stay here and with travel to other destinations in the region. In the meantime, there is an excellent on-line guide to Prague written by expat Jason C. Holt.

Do you use products which are vegan and ecologically sound? Yes we do. All the cleaning materials we use, including the laundry liquid and the soap provided for our guests, are 100% vegan and easily biodegradable. We use Ecover products imported from Belgium.

We do not use pillows, duvets or mattresses which contain dead animal parts such as feathers.

We use Dyson vacuum cleaners from the UK which clean dust particles much more effectively than conventional vacuum cleaners. If you have any particular problems with allergies please let us know and we can advise you.

Do we need a visa for the Czech Republic?
Visas are not needed for citizens of other EU or other EEA countries nor for Americans, Canadians, Australians or New Zealanders. Don't forget that it is your citizenship which is important, not where you live.

Visitors who need a visa also need to register their visa when they arrive. The Czech Consulate in Ottawa is a good source of general information about visas, but you may find it more convenient to make your application in the place where you live. There is a list of Czech Consulates here.

Please make sure that you leave enough time to get your visa. If you need a visa and don't have it you will not be allowed into the country.

How do we pay? In order to simplify things and to save you money we have bank accounts in euros, US dollars, Czech and pounds. We will quote you the price in one of these currencies. If the exchange rates change between then and the time you come you won't be charged any extra.

Please don't forget that you will need to pay for the whole of your stay as soon as you arrive. Please bring cash: unfortunately we cannot take travellers' cheques. If you come from Scotland or Northern Ireland please change your money into Bank of England notes!

If you are worried about bringing large amounts of cash with you, you can either pay in advance by sending us a cheque or get Czech crowns out of an ATM when you arrive.

If you would like to pay in Czech crowns please let us know in advance. There are three ATMs within a few minutes' walk of The Castle Steps.

We will quote you a price based on today's exchange rate and we will stick to this, no matter what happens to the crown in the meantime.

Please note that you will NOT get a better price by paying in crowns, you will always get a slightly worse price (because you have to change the money).

When can we check-in/check-out? You can check in whenever it is convenient for you. Our normal check-out time is 10am; however, if the next people are not coming until later in the day you can stay a little longer. If you have a later flight you can always leave your bags in the office until you leave.

Does the price include Internet access? Yes.

Guests have free access to the Internet throughout the day in an area next to our office. You can also use the printer, send faxes, scan documents or burn your photos onto CDs. If you need to use the Internet on your laptop you can borrow one of our 4G modems.

Our Booking Manager will send you a copy of the Booking Form. If you lose it there is another copy here in Adobe Acrobat format or here in Word format (please right-click and select "save as...) If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer you can download it for free here.

Please fax this to us on one of the numbers below. For your convenience we have set up fax numbers in several countries.

If you live in the UK you can fax locally to 020-7900-3226.

If you are in the US you can fax toll-free to 1-866-461-2637.

If you are in Australia you can fax to (03) 86485885

If you are in New Zealand please fax to 00-61-386485885

If you live anywhere else in Europe please fax to +44-20-7900-3226. Please don't forget to add your international access code (for example, 00 for most countries in Europe, 011 for the US or 0011 for Australia). You can get a complete list of International Access Codes here.