Place - Karolinum - Prague

Ovocný trh 560/5, 110 00 Staré Město

Karolinum is a complex of buildings located in the Old Town of the City of Prague. Karolinum, the seat of the Charles University, is one of the oldest dormitories situated in Central Europe. The dormitory was named after the Emperor Charles IV.

Prague is served by Václav Havel Airport (PRG).

From the airport, the city centre can easily be reached by means of public transportation. There are several connections served by buses that are included in Prague's public-transport system. Line 119 connects Prague airport with a Nádraží Veleslavín metro station; the bus stops at both Terminal 2 (Schengen flights) and Terminal 1 (non-Schengen flights). In order to board the bus, one has to buy a ticket for 40 CZK in advance and validate it immediately after boarding in the validation machines. Tickets can be purchased in the ticket machines at the airport. There is also a special connection with the line AE which goes directly to the city centre to the main railway station (Hlavní nádraží). AE line is outside the public-transport system, one has to buy a single-ride ticket for 100 CZK from the driver.
Another option to get from the airport is to use a taxi, the usual price for a ride to the city centre is about 750 CZK, however, the prices may differ considerably depending on the time of the day and the company. As yet another option one may order low-cost shared rides such as Uber, Bolt or Liftago by mobile app.
Prague can also be conveniently reached by train, the long-distance trains connect Prague with many European cities. Most of them arrive or go through the main railway station (Praha hlavní nádraží). Main railway station is located near the city centre, it is accessible via metro line C (red), the entrance to the station Hlavní nádraží is located in the main station’s hall.

Travelling around Prague

Prague is densely served with public transport, which creates a connected system of various means of transportation. The spine of the system is composed of three metro (subway) lines, which are accompanied by tram lines in the city centre and buses on the periphery. The tickets need to be purchased before entering the vehicle and validated in the first vehicle used to travel. The tickets are transferable, that is, when entering another vehicle in the system, the same ticket (validated in the first vehicle) may be used within its time validity. The ticket for 40 CZK is valid for 90 minutes, longer-validity or even day-pass tickets are also available. The tickets can be purchased in the machines (not all of them accept credit cards!), kiosks of the public-transport company (Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy), which are often located at metro stations, and often also at newspaper kiosks. The public transport runs 24 hours a day, however, during night hours the schedule is limited and night-time lines are operative. Metro does not run between midnight and about 5 am! We recommend downloading and installing the app PID Litacka from the app stores to you mobile devices, which allows to search for connection, schedules, and even buy tickets online.

Going to the venue

The easiest is to reach the metro station Můstek on line A (green) or B (yellow) and then the venue is within walking distance. If you leave the Metro through Můstek exit left to Na příkopě street, turn after 100 m left into Havířská street. You will see a theatre at its end. Bypass the theatre right and you come to the main entrance to Karolinum.

Miscellaneous information

The currency in the Czech Republic is the czech crown (CZK). The exchange rate varies, however it is about 24 CZK = 1 €. The rates are usually worse at the airport or in the very city centre. Street exchanges and even the banks are allowed to charge commission for currency exchange, not all of them do, just ask. It might be best just to withdraw the necessary amount of CZK from the ATM using your card in the case you need cash. Most of the shops and restaurants in Prague accept debit and credit cards, search for the stickers at the entrance which cards are accepted. In the restaurant, the tips are usually not included, the expected height is about 5-10 %, however it is not mandatory. In case of emergency, the Europe-wide line 112 works. In addition to that, line 155 is a direct line for medical emergencies, 158 for police, 156 for metropolitan police, and 150 for firefighters.

Accommodation

The organisers do not provide arranged accommodation for the participants. Prague is a major touristic destination and as such provides a wide range of hotels, apartments and other accommodation choices meeting the requirements and the budget of the traveller. Most of them are arranged within the online reservation system such as Booking.com and others. Hotels immediately at the city centre (in the walking distance from the venue) are usually more expensive, whereas hotels farther away from the centre (e.g. close to the metro stations) are usually cheaper with a comparable quality and yet the city centre might be reached within 15-20 minutes by metro. Note that the tourist season starts in Prague already in March, therefore an advanced hotel booking is highly recommended.

Lunches

A small refreshment will be provided during the coffee breaks, however, the lunches are not organised and are individual. There are many eating options available around the venue location, including the international fast-food chains. A reasonable price for a lunch menu is less than 300 CZK (about 13 €) in Prague’s centre, however, tourist-exposed places are much more expensive.