Wikimedia Hackathon 2019/Travel

Prague airport
Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG) is 12 km (7 mi) northwest of the city centre of Prague. Travel time from the airport to the conference venue is approximately 35 minutes.

From Václav Havel Airport Prague to the conference venue:
 * Public transport:
 * Read first for basic info that you should know.
 * We recommend that you buy your public transport ticket either at the public transport info centers at the airport which are open from 07:00 to 21:00 and located in the arrival halls of both terminals, or by using the ticket machines outside, directly at the bus stops. Those machines accept coins and cards but no bills.
 * From airport stop Terminál 1 (non-Schengen arrivals) or Terminál 2 (Schengen arrivals), take bus 119 (direction Nádraží Veleslavín) to the final stop Nádraží Veleslavín.
 * At Nádraží Veleslavín, transfer to green Metro line A (direction Depo Hostivař or Skalka) to Dejvická station (2 stops).
 * The conference venue is 5 minutes / 500m from the Dejvická metro exit (towards Bus station).
 * Only if you arrive between 23:45 and 04:00: Take the Night Bus 910 from stop Terminál 1 or Terminál 2 and get off at the stop Divoká Šárka. From there, take the Night Tram 91 to Dejvická.
 * If you do not have to go to the venue but other parts of Prague, you could also take the Airport Express (AE) Bus which only goes to the central station and requires a special ticket, or take bus 100 (direction Zličín) to the final stop Zličín and transfer to the yellow Metro line B to the city center. See the section below for more information.
 * Taxis are much more expensive. The drive from the airport to the venue should cost you between 300CZK and 600CZK. More information is available on the airport website. The drive to the venue should not cost more than 600CZK≅24EUR. Drivers should always issue a signed receipt. Ask the driver beforehand how much the journey will approximately cost. Drivers usually accept cards (but ask beforehand), CZK and sometimes EUR (though the exchange rate might not be good).

Other airports

 * The smaller Brno–Tuřany Airport (BRQ) has low-cost flights from Munich, London-Stansted, and Milan-Bergamo. From the airport, bus line E76 goes to Brno main railway station (hlavní nádraží) and takes 16 minutes. From Brno main railway station, trains and busses go to Prague which take about 2.5 hours.
 * From Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF) there are some direct busses to Prague which take about 4.5 hours.
 * From Vienna International Airport (VIE) there are some direct busses to Prague (via Brno) which take about 5.5 hours.

By train
Many European cities (Berlin, Vienna, Budapest) have direct train connections to Prague Hlavní nádraží (hl.n.; main central station).

From the main railway station Hlavní nádraží to the conference venue:
 * You can buy your public transport ticket either at the public transport info center, or by using the ticket machines close to the Metro entrance inside the building.
 * Walk out of the railway station main entrance, turn right, and walk 2 minutes through the park to reach the tram stop. At the tram stop, cross the street and take Tram 26 (direction Divoká Šárka) to the tram stop Dejvická (20 minutes).
 * Alternatively, in the building, take red Metro line C (direction Háje) to station Muzeum (1 stop), then transfer to green Metro line A (direction Nemocnice Motol) to station Dejvická (5 stops).
 * The conference venue is 5 minutes / 500m from the Dejvická metro exit (towards Bus station).

By bus
International bus lines to Prague (such as Regiojet, Eurolines or Flixbus) usually stop at the main bus station ÚAN Florenc.

From the main bus station Florenc to the conference venue:
 * You can buy your public transport ticket by using the ticket machines downstairs in the Metro.
 * Take red Metro line C (direction Háje) to the station Muzeum (2 stops), then transfer to green Metro line A (direction Nemocnice Motol) to the station Dejvická (5 stops).
 * The conference venue is 5 minutes / 500m from the Dejvická metro exit (towards Bus station).

By car
When traveling by car, you can check free parking slots and pay for them through www.bezpecneparkovani.cz portal.

There is also a paid parking underneath the venue: http://www.garazedejvice.cz/

The center of Prague does not offer many parking spots. You could leave your car at one of the P+R parking lots located around Prague, close to public transport. (Also note that in the city center, a blue line means "parking for residents only".)

Taxis
Always call a taxi to come to you; avoid hailing taxis from the street. Use a well-known English-speaking taxi company like AAA (“Triple A”) – dial 14014.

Public Transport

 * Public transport tickets (jízdenka) are valid in the Metro (underground), on buses, trams, boats, and the funicular to Petřín hill.
 * More detailed information can be found on Prague Public Transport website
 * Ticket types: There are tickets valid for 30 minutes (24CZK) and tickets for 90 minutes (32CZK). There are also passes (24h: 110CZK≅4.3EUR; 72h: 310CZK≅12EUR), but they usually do not pay off (do the math!).
 * Buy: You can buy tickets at the public transport info centers. You can buy tickets at the yellow ticket machines which accepts coins but no bills. Some newer machines also accept paying by card and allow changing the interface language to English. Many small shops (trafika) sell tickets. Bus drivers may sell tickets but they usually only accept coins and may not speak English. If you have a Czech SIM card, you can buy an SMS ticket by sending "DPT24" (30min) or "DPT32" (90min) to the number 90206.
 * Use: You need to validate your ticket by getting it stamped. Validator boxes are in the trams, in the buses, and in the front of the escalators inside metro stations. Don't validate the ticket again while transferring to another line.
 * Find your way:
 * The venue is a five minute walk from the Metro station Dejvická (green line A, running between 05:00 and 24:00) and from the tram stops Lotyšská (day tram lines 8 and 18; night bus lines 902 and 909 running every 30 minutes between 00:00 and 05:00) and Dejvická (day tram lines 20 and 26; night tram line 91 running every 30 minutes between 00:00 and 05:00).
 * You can look up connections. Schematic overviews are available for download. You can get paper maps at transport info centers and often in entrance areas of metro stations.
 * There are also mobile applications – PID Lítačka (Prague regional transportation system) or Sejf Mobile Wallet (an universal system for micropayments).
 * Travel apps: Having one of them can be helpful when commuting from one place to other within Prague.  We recommend IDOS searcher.

Visa
Visas for stays of up to 90 days are not required for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, much of Eastern Europe, Israel, USA, Canada, and some more countries. All other nationalities, including nationals of Belarus, China and Russia, require a visa. You can check the list of countries, whose citizens are required to have visa at https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/short_stay_visa/list_of_states_whose_citizens_are/index.html. For some nationals a biometric passport is required.

Czechia is part of the Schengen Agreement, which includes all EU states (except for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania) and some other states. This means a visa issued by one Schengen country is good for all the other member countries. You can stay for a maximum of 90 days.

More and detailed information on the Schengen Visa:
 * https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/short_stay_visa/index.html
 * https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/short_stay_visa/business_conference_seminar_cultural_or.html
 * https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-insurance/ (Insurance)

List of Czech embassies where you can apply:
 * https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/short_stay_visa/outsourcing/index.html

For those who require a visa, please note that WMCZ and WMF has no control over the visa application process, or the decision of the visa adjudicator in the embassy or consulate. The conference cannot be responsible for actual visa issuances. The process length varies from individuals, you’re strongly advised to start your application as soon as you can.

Should your application be denied, we cannot change the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor will we engage in discussion or correspondence with MZV or the Embassy on behalf of the applicant.

Contact: hackathon@undefinedwikimedia.cz This e-mail address can be used for all inquiries or questions regarding the event.