Avoid the taxi drivers waiting at ranks in obvious tourist locations. Hail a moving cab or call one of the services listed below. Make sure you are getting into an authorised taxi and the driver turns on the meter. It is safer to agree a fee before you get in the cab.

The main crime problems are petty pilfering from cars and pockets. Prague`s worst problem are the pickpockets. They concentrate in tourist areas like Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and the Castle, also when getting on or off a tram or train in the metro. A favourite time for them are the crowded summer months. Always remember to keep your bag closed and avoid carrying your passport, wallet and valuables in your back pocket. Never leave valuables in your car. Park your car in an underground car park. When in Prague Main Station, never leave your bag unattended, even on the train. Thieves are now boarding the train while it waits in the station and stealing luggage.

In the past, very little attention was paid to the needs of the disabled anywhere in the Czech Republic. Attitudes are slowly changing but there is still a long way to go, and the chronic shortage of funds for almost anything is not helping matters. The major problem is the transport, since buses and trams are impossible for wheelchairs and trains only slighty better. If you are a disabled traveller order the guide book "Accessible Prague�, which is available from the Prague Wheelchair Association, Benediktska 6, Prague 1 Tel 2232 5831, Fax 22481 6231

Always make sure that your hotel room/apartment is locked whenever you leave! Always keep your hotel/apartment address and important phone numbers with you.

Prostitution is not legal in the Czech Republic, though police generally turn a blind eye. If you walk down Wenceslas Square any time past 10pm, you will see prostitutes at every corner on the streets leading into the Old Town. Please don�t pick up any �girls� from the street and take them back to the apartment or hotel, especially if they are not native Czechs! It�s very dangerous !

Don�t park in the blue zone, if you do you will be clamped. Also, the town police now tow, they will take your car away if you do not pay the clamp fine quickly.

Don�t change any money with people in the street !