Prague staycation program offers locals free admission to museums, galleries, and more

The program At Home in Prague will offer domestic and foreign tourists free admission to selected museums, galleries, and other attractions this summer. Visitors can also look forward to new features, such as live cultural events and a tourist tram. A similar program ran last summer, leading to a 16 percent increase in domestic tourism compares to previous years.

The program, prepared by Prague City Hall in cooperation with Prague City Tourism, will run from the beginning of July until the end of August. Just like last year, for every night spent in a participating Prague hotel or accommodation facility, the visitor will receive a voucher that can be used for free or discounted admission to selected sights, such as the Jewish Museum, the Vyšehrad National Cultural Monument, or towers that are managed by Prague City Tourism. Those interested can book a hotel from mid-June on the project's website.

“With the At Home in Prague program, we managed to attract more than 70,000 visitors to Prague during last year’s summer season, at least partially mitigating the drastic effects of the coronavirus crisis,” Hana Třeštíková, city councilor for culture and tourism, said.

A new feature for this summer is the operation of a tourist tram. The new tram line No. 42 will run from Dlabačov through Prague Castle, the bridge Čechův most, náměstí republiky, Wenceslas Square and from there to Újezd and back through Malá Strana toward Pohořelec. Historical tram carriages from the beginning of the 20th century or vintage trams from the late 1950s and early 1960s will run on the route.

“We will be able to hop on and off the tram throughout the day and enjoy a sightseeing tour of the most beautiful places in Prague. On the way, they will also learn interesting information not only about Prague's sights,” Scheinherr said.

Representatives of the city agency Prague City Tourism want to revive tourism, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. The agency worked with people in the sector to prepare a number of cultural experiences for tourists.

“The cooperation with the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic and its chairman, Václav Stárek, worked perfectly in preparing the program. He also believes that the program will contribute to the revival of the city,” František Cipro added.

This year, the metropolis is preparing mainly for domestic tourists, who came to the metropolis last year during the holidays by 16 percent more than in 2019. According to Cipro, this is the direction the city wants to maintain in the future.

The program will also be supported by a nationwide campaign, the face of which is once again singer Matěj Ruppert, who will share videos and information about the program on his Instagram profile. This will be complemented by videos full of advice and tips from Honest Guide video host Janek Rubeš, who will show visitors unusual places in summer Prague or how the whole program works.

Prague City Tourism, in cooperation with the CzechTourism agency, is also preparing campaigns to attract tourists from abroad. These will focus on cross-border markets such as Germany, Poland, Austria, and Slovakia.

“At the same time, the agency has signed an agreement with Prague City Tourism and Prague Airport to jointly promote inbound tourism. From the CzechTourism side, it is mainly about assistance in negotiating direct air connections to Prague and the Czech Republic,” Herget added.

Information about the program and a list of all the sights, places and cultural events involved in the project, including hotels, will be available on the program website.