Czech Culture and Etiquette: A Traveler's Guide to Customs and Manners

First impressions and greetings

Czechs can seem reserved at first, but the formality is politeness, not coldness. A firm handshake with direct eye contact is standard when you meet someone, and you repeat it when you leave.

• Say Dobry den (good day) when entering a shop, restaurant or waiting room; it is expected, and skipping it reads as rude.
• Use na shledanou (goodbye) when you leave.
• Stick to surnames and titles until invited to switch to first names. Academic titles like inzenyr or doktor carry real weight.

Social etiquette and the home

If you are invited to a Czech home, it is a genuine sign of trust. Bring a small gift: wine, good chocolate, or an odd number of flowers (even numbers are for funerals, and chrysanthemums signal mourning).

• Take your shoes off at the door. Most hosts offer slippers.
• Wait to be told where to sit and do not start eating or drinking before the host toasts.
• When toasting with beer or slivovice (plum brandy), say na zdravi, make eye contact with each person, and never cross arms with someone else.

Dos and donts

• Do keep your voice down on trams and the Prague metro; loud tourists stand out.
• Do validate your tram or metro ticket in the yellow machine. Plainclothes inspectors issue on-the-spot fines around 1,000 CZK.
• Dont confuse Czech with Russian, or call the country Czechoslovakia. It is the Czech Republic, also called Czechia, and it has been independent since 1993.
• Dont be loudly negative about Czech beer. Pilsner Urquell from Plzen is a point of national pride, and the country drinks more beer per head than any other.
• Dont put your feet on seats or jaywalk in front of police.

Pubs, dining and tipping

In a traditional hospoda, you often share long tables, and a fresh beer arrives when your glass is nearly empty unless you place a beer mat on top to signal you are done. The waiter keeps a tab on your table.

Tipping is modest but expected. Round up the bill or add about 10 percent. Hand the total directly to the server and state the amount you want to pay rather than leaving coins on the table. Saying the rounded figure as you pay is the local way.

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