Information for the Assessment of Sustainability Indicators Workshop Participants

A. The Workshop Information

Meeting

The meeting will take place on April 10-14, 2003. We will start on Monday at 9.00 a.m. and finish on Friday after lunch at about 1.30 p.m. Lunch will be served in the Restaurant “U Supa” (At a Vulture) near the meeting venue (http://www.restauraceusupa.cz/onas.html).

Accommodation

Accommodation (incl. breakfast) of the ASI participants is arranged in several Prague hotels.

Transport from the airport to hotels

There are several possibilities to travel from the airport to the city and your hotels. 1) by bus nr. 100 to metro station “Zlicin” (line B), than by metro to station “Mustek” (downtown) 2) by airport minibuses CEDAZ to Namesti Republiky (Republic Square) at the downtown; ride is 90 CZK (cca 3 EUR); http://www.aas.cz/cedaz/default_e.htm 3) by taxi (we are going to reimburse the taxi from the airport - please don't forget to take the receipt; ride should cost about 500-600 CZK).

Workshop venue ASI meeting will take place in the in the Small Aula of the historical complex of the Charles University „Karolinum“ (just follow arrows from the reception). This complex is located in the „Old Town“, only 300 m from the historical Old Town Square. Address is Ovocny trh 3, Praha 1 (indicated by a red square on the map).

B. General Information

Electricity

There is 230V/50Hz electricity network in the Czech Republic. Outlets are the same type as e.g. in France.

Public Transport in Prague

Public Transport in Prague is quite effective. For using public transport you have to buy forward ticket (12 CZK for 60 minutes for the whole network, or 8 CZK for 15 min without change). You have to stamp the ticket at the start of your journey in the tram/bus/metro. The scheme of public transport with some explanation in English is available at http://www.dp-praha.cz/defaultx_e.asp

Sightseeing of Prague

There are plenty of places of interests. In May, most of them are open and fully functional (for more information, see the below websites).

Currency

1 Czech crown (1 CZK) = 100 halers Exchange rate is approx. 1 USD = 27 CZK; 1 EUR = 32 CZK. Every-day official exchange rates are available at http://kurzy.fin.cz/.

You can change money to CZK and back without any limitations in many exchange offices or banks in the city. Many cash machines are available in the city. All normal credit cards are accepted in larger shops and restaurants in the center of the city. We do not recommend to change money with people in the street.

Languages

The official language is Czech; Slovak is a close language and people understand it. English, German, French and other languages are taught in schools as second languages.

Weather

The Czech Republic has a typical continental climate with warm humid summers and cold dry winters. In the north the mountain winters are more severe and generally snow falls for 40 to 50 days in winter with fog persisting in the low lying areas. Average annual precipitation in Prague is about 510 mm (20 inches) while average temperature ranges are from -4 to 1 degrees Celsius (25 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 14 to 23 degrees Celsius (57 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.

It is quite difficult to predict Spring weather in Prague: In general, May is one of the best months. Usually warm (about 20 Celsius) with likely showers. Please, look at this page prior to your departure.

Telephones

Both fix and mobile networks work in the Czech Republic in a standard way. There was a general renumbering of telephone networks on 21st of September 2002, all telephone numbers in Czech Republic have now 9 digits and do not start with 0, only special numbers starting with 1 can be shorter. If you have any old telephone number, be so kind and contact us to find a new number. There are phone boxes operating for coins or cards in streets. Phone cards might be bought in all tobacconists’ and newspaper shops.

Taxi

A cab ride in Prague can be colorful, amusing and efficient, or hellish and frustrating, depending mostly on the driver. There is a plenty of rumors circling around about Prague's taxi drivers. Dishonest taxi drivers are giving all of Prague's taxi drivers an appalling reputation. The drivers waiting at ranks in obvious tourist locations are all "crooks", so try to avoid them. Before you get into a cab, make sure it's an authorized cab - i.e. it has clearly marked registration number and fares printed clearly on the doors. There are plenty of honest cabbies out there and Prague Site offers or you hotel will provide you with a list of reliable taxi companies that phone number you can dial without worries.

Safety measures

Violent crime is still rare (by the standards of some other countries), but there is a great deal of theft. Leave your valuables in the hotel. Be very alert to the danger of pickpockets in crowded places, particularly on trams, metro and also in restaurants.

Important telephone numbers CHU Environment Center secretariat: (+420) 251 080 202 Police: 158 Ambulance: 155 Emergency number from mobile telephones: 112

C. Useful websites

About Czech Republic www.czech.cz; www.visitczechia.cz;

About Prague www.prague.cz; www.visitprague.cz;  www.praguesite.cz;

Map of Prague http://mapy.atlas.cz/;

About Charles University http://www.cuni.cz/index.php?lng=eng;