Ask long-term foreign residents what surprised them about living in the Czech Republic and you will hear the same four things: the language is hard, shops close on holidays, people are formal at first, and the country is easier to live in than the grammar suggests. Here is the daily-life picture, starting with words.
What language is spoken when living in the Czech Republic?
Czech is the only official language, a West Slavic language with a reputation for difficulty. In big cities, tourists and many residents get by in English, and German or Russian are often understood. Outside the cities and in administration, expect Czech. A few words change the tone of any exchange: Dobrý den (hello, any time of day), Na shledanou (goodbye), Ahoj (hi, between friends), Děkuji (thank you), Ano and Ne (yes and no).
The Ministry of the Interior funds integration centres across the country that offer Czech lessons and courses on life in the Czech Republic. Their public is, in their words, foreigners with legal stay; an EU citizen settled in the country is part of it. Ask the centre in your region for its programme. See also the practical side in moving to the Czech Republic.
How formal is everyday life in the Czech Republic?
More than you may expect. With a stranger, a shopkeeper, an official or a colleague, Czechs use the formal vy (vykání) and call people pane (Mr) or paní (Mrs) with the surname. The informal ty (tykání) is offered, never taken. Wait for the offer at work and at the town hall.
University titles appear before names on letters and doorbells: Ing. (engineer), Mgr. (master), MUDr. (physician), JUDr. (doctor of law). In a formal setting you may address someone by title, for example pane inženýre.
Every day of the calendar also has a first name attached, and the svátek (name day) is celebrated by many Czechs with colleagues or family, sometimes as much as a birthday.
Etiquette is easy to learn on the spot, but forms and offices are not. For anything official in Czech, Moovy can explain what a document says and what you are expected to do next. For a certified translation of an official document, use a sworn translator: fidelity matters, and some offices demand a certified translation.
What are the Czech public holidays and shop opening hours?
The law sets 13 public holidays:
- 1 January (New Year and restoration of the independent Czech state);
- Good Friday and Easter Monday (3 and 6 April 2026; 26 and 29 March 2027);
- 1 May (Labour Day) and 8 May (Victory Day);
- 5 July (Saints Cyril and Methodius) and 6 July (Jan Hus);
- 28 September (Czech Statehood Day) and 28 October (Czechoslovak independence);
- 17 November (Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day);
- 24 December (Christmas Eve), 25 and 26 December.
Retail trade is prohibited on 1 January, Easter Monday, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October, 25 and 26 December, and on 24 December after noon. Shops with a sales area up to 200 square metres stay free to open, as do pharmacies, petrol stations and shops at airports, bus and railway stations (not metro stations). On the other holidays (Good Friday, 1 May, 5 and 6 July, 17 November) large shops may open. Otherwise each shop sets its hours and must display them clearly.
The practical rule: on 28 October and 26 December, do your shopping the day before. Banks close on weekends and holidays.
What does a normal week look like?
Czech days start early. Offices and many workplaces begin at eight or earlier, lunch is a proper break and in the evening, the pub (hospoda) is a social centre. Working time is 40 hours a week by law, and employees have four weeks of paid leave in the private sector, so holidays are planned and respected. Weekends are for the countryside: hiking, cottages (chata) and cycling are national habits. If you are invited to a Czech home, take off your shoes at the door, bring a small gift, and expect to be offered a drink.
Public transport is well developed in the big cities, with trams, buses and metro in Prague, and trams in Brno and Ostrava; intercity trains and buses cover most of the country. A car is useful in the countryside.
How do you make friends and settle in?
Czechs can seem reserved at first, then become loyal friends. The easiest ways in are the ones people use themselves: a language class, a sports club, a hiking group, the neighbours of your building, colleagues on a name day. The integration centres run courses and events open to foreigners. Learning even a few polite phrases is read as respect and will change how shop assistants, doctors and officials treat you.
Many newcomers meet other expats first, which is natural, but try to keep at least one Czech-speaking contact: on the day an official letter arrives in Czech, a neighbour who can read it is worth a lot. That letter often arrives in your data box or in the post, and deadlines run from the day it is considered delivered.
What should you do in your first month, in daily life terms?
Buy a Czech SIM card, learn the local transport system, find your nearest pharmacy and supermarket, check the opening hours of the shops you use and note the dates of the next public holidays. Register with a doctor within the network of your health insurance fund; see healthcare in the Czech Republic. Keep a list of useful words in Czech on your phone, such as the street names around you and the words on your bills.
How do you pay and tip?
Cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere. Cash amounts are rounded to the crown. Many tourist places accept euros but give change in crowns, at a rate that is rarely good; pay in crowns. In restaurants and hotels, tipping up to 10% is usual. See bank account in the Czech Republic.
What are the smoking and pet rules?
Smoking is forbidden in restaurants, bars and public places. Dogs are welcome in most restaurants and cafés. Municipalities may charge a dog tax, up to 1,500 CZK a year, and a local waste fee, up to 1,200 CZK per person per year. Ask the town hall.
Whom do you call in an emergency?
Dial 112 anywhere, free of charge. National numbers: 150 for the fire service, 155 for medical rescue, 158 for the police and 156 for municipal police. Save them in your phone before you need them.
What are the common mistakes?
- Shopping on 28 October or 26 December.
- Using ty too early.
- Paying in euros.
- Counting on English at the town hall outside the big cities.
- Forgetting 24 December. Shops close at noon.
If you come from Slovakia, the languages are mutually understandable and daily life is close; for everyone else, a few lessons in the first months pay back quickly. For your wider budget, see the cost of living in the Czech Republic.