Czech Currency: Insider’s Tips for Travelers

The national currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech Crown (Česká Koruna, Czech Koruna). International abbreviation for Czech Crown is CZK, Czech abbreviation is . Although the Czech Republic is a member of the European Union, we decided to keep our national currency.

5 Tips for travelers about Czech currency

These are precious insider TIPs on how to save money in Prague:

1. Best way to get Czech currency: Use ATM

ATMs are the best way to get the Czech koruna. Always look for an ATM of some BANK with a big name: e.g. KBC, Erste, Société Génerale/Komerční Banka, UniCredit, Česká Spořitelna, AirBank, Mbank, Equa Bank, Raiffeisen, etc.

Always avoid Euronet ATMs!!! They target tourists and have terrible commissions – up to 35 % and very bad exchange rates! These ATMs can be found all around Europe at touristic places including Prague. What a scam!

Never agree to exchange money in Prague streets.  Czech Republic Currency.
Never agree to exchange money in Prague streets.

2. Prague Money Exchange Offices and Rates

You should be aware of money exchange offices, especially in Prague city center. Often you can see a giant sign 0% commission. This is a little bit of a Prague Scam.

Always look at the exchange rate! Usually, the exchange rate between CZK and EUR is around 25 CZK per 1 EUR. At these offices, you can often see their exchange rate as bad as 15 CZK per 1 EUR. It means that you would lose nearly half of the money value due to their extremely bad exchange rates!

Exchange offices to AVOID in Prague:

  • Chequepoint – Blue sign with a flower instead of letter “O”
  • Interchange – red color
  • Western Union signs on exchange offices (Usually yellow color and blue sign, or orange color and white sign).

Don’t go to these places, unless you want to lose your money. Always check the “spread“ – the difference between buy and sell exchange rate. The higher the spread – the worse the money exchange.

But not all exchange offices are that bad, there are also credible currency exchanges where you can get Czech Koruna for a good deal.

Where to change money in Prague? – Honest places in Prague City Center

Near Wenceslas Square (Václavské Náměstí)

Visitor Change Na Můstku 404/2. This exchange is on the left side of the visitor center.
Opening hours: Daily 09:00–19:00 

Near Old Town Square:

At the corner of Maiselova and Kaprova street, you will find (Franz Kafka Square) Náměstí Franze Kafky 2. There is the Exchange office on the corner – big blue signs (Směnárna pro Čechy).
Opening hours: Daily 09:00 – 20:00

If you use a money exchange office in Prague, always remember: Check the exchange rate and commission!

Cards are widely accepted but you still might need some cash in Prague, Czech Republic Currency, Czech money
Cards are widely accepted but you still might need some cash in Prague

3. Pay with card

Most of the places – restaurants, shops, museums, hotels, and pubs accept cards. We highly recommend using Revolut Card while traveling. You will need cash to pay for public transport. Ticket machines accept coins. Cash will be handy also if you want to buy something at the market or some stall.

Small shops sometimes have a minimum amount of card payment. It is usually around 200 CZK (8 EUR).

BIG Money-saving TIP: If the terminal asks you in which currency you want to be charged – always choose Czech Koruna. Otherwise, you lose some money for the exchange transaction.

4. Payment by Euro

Although you can pay by Euro at some places (usually at restaurants in Prague), we wouldn’t recommend it. You usually receive a change in Czech Koruna and the exchange rate tends to be worse than in a bank or ATM.

5. Don’t ever agree to change money in the street

It’s not such a common scam, but there are some bad people who would give you probably Belarusian Rubles instead of Czech Koruna. So please don’t ever exchange money in the streets of Prague.

Must read: Prague Airport: Insider Guide – All you need to know!

Czech Republic Currency - coins.
Czech Republic Currency – coins

Czech coins and banknotes

1 crown consists of 100 halers. Halers are not used anymore; it is calculated with them only in cashless/card transactions. You can pay by card at the majority of places but not everywhere. Therefore, it’s always good to have some Czech Koruna in cash.

Coins: 1 CZK, 2 CZK, 5 CZK, 10 CZK, 20 CZK, 50 CZK

Czech coins are easy to recognize. The bigger the coin size, the higher the value.

Banknotes: 100 CZK, 200 CZK, 500 CZK, 1000 CZK, 2000 CZK, 5000 CZK

Czech banknotes also have different sizes – same as coins, the bigger they are, the higher the value. But don’t worry about the size. I bet you will primarily look at numbers.

Czech Koruna (CZK) exchange rate

You can check the current exchange rate of the Czech Koruna (automatically updated):

  • 1 EUR = 25.13 CZK
  • 1 USD = 23.49 CZK
  • 1 GBP = 29.34 CZK

If you need to find out exchange rates of other currencies, you check currency converter here.

It is also handy to download an app: XE Currency Converter & Exchange Rate Calculator. Thanks to this app you can always see what the actual price of goods is – converted to your currency.

Czech currency cheat sheets

CZK to EUR

If you prefer tables, we have prepared for you a little currency “cheat sheet” for American Dollars (USD), Euro (EUR) and British Pound (GBP).

CZKEURCZKEUR
10 0.40 200 7.96
20 0.80 300 11.94
30 1.19 400 15.92
40 1.59 500 19.90
50 1.99 600 23.87
60 2.39 700 27.85
70 2.79 800 31.83
80 3.18 900 35.81
90 3.58 1000 39.79
100 3.98 2000 79.58

*Currency exchange rate is automatically updated

CZK to USD

CZKUSDCZKUSD
10 0.43 200 8.51
20 0.85 300 12.77
30 1.28 400 17.03
40 1.70 500 21.28
50 2.13 600 25.54
60 2.55 700 29.79
70 2.98 800 34.05
80 3.41 900 38.31
90 3.83 1000 42.56
100 4.26 2000 85.13

*Currency exchange rate is automatically updated

CZK to GBP

CZKGBPCZKGBP
10 0.34 200 6.82
20 0.68 300 10.22
30 1.02 400 13.63
40 1.36 500 17.04
50 1.70 600 20.45
60 2.04 700 23.86
70 2.39 800 27.27
80 2.73 900 30.67
90 3.07 1000 34.08
100 3.41 2000 68.17

*Currency exchange rate is automatically updated.

Prague currency, Prague money

People often ask about the Prague currency – it is the Czech Koruna. Prague is the Czech capital city.

Accommodation in Prague

We recommend Old Town Apartment Konviktska directly in the city center (5-minute walk from Charles Bridge) with a great owner and the best reviews. Book right now, because it’s popular and usually fully booked early.

Another great option is MOODs Charles Bridge.

If you prefer a cheap hostel than go to The Republic Garden with a great location and good reviews. Or you can check this post about the best hostels in Prague and select hostel, which fits you the best.

More Places to visit in the Czech Republic:

Read our ultimate guide to the best places to visit in the Czech Republic:

Check this nice video about day trips from Prague:

More tips for your travels:

We have prepared for you this comprehensive list of links, discounts, and resources for travel planning in one place. Bookmark this page and whenever you plan a vacation in the future, just open it and save yourself a lot of time.

1) Where to book accommodation?

2) How to find cheap flights?

3) How to rent a car?

  • We recommend a comparison portal RentalCars.com to compare the best offers of all available rental companies.

Share this blog post about Czech Currency – Koruna for your friends.

FAQ about Czech Koruna:

What is the currency in the Czech Republic?

Czech Crown (CZK) – Czech Koruna (Kč)

What is the best way to get Czech currency?

ATMs are the best way to get Czech currency. Always look for an ATM of some BANK with a big name: e.g. KBC, Erste, Société Génerale/Komerční Banka, UniCredit, Česká Spořitelna, AirBank, Mbank, Equa Bank, Raiffeisen, etc.

Always avoid Euronet ATMs!!!They target tourists and have terrible commissions – up to 35 % and very bad exchange rates! These ATMs can be found all around Europe at touristic places including Prague. What a scam!

Which exchange offices to avoid in Prague?

Chequepoint – Blue sign with a flower instead of letter “O”
Interchange – red color
Western Union signs on exchange offices (Usually yellow color and blue sign, or orange color and white sign).

Don’t go to these places, unless you want to lose your money. Always check the “spread“ – the difference between buy and sell exchange rate. The higher the spread – the worse the money exchange.

Can I use Dollars or Euro in the Czech Republic?

You can pay by Euro at some places but the exchange rate is usually not good. There are not many places that accept Dollars.

Did this post about Czech Currency – Koruna help you? Share it to your friends: