Frequently asked questions

About Discovering Prague

WHO ARE YOU (THE MAIN ORGANIZER)?

My name is Filip Novak. I was born and grew up in Prague. I also lived in Brno, where I studied, and in England, where I worked. I’m the founder and owner of Prague Day Trips tour agency but have now dedicated myself full time to Discovering Prague.

You can have a look at my facebook and linkedIn

WHY DO YOU ORGANIZE ALL THESE TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES?

Because I like it! By doing that I can pursue my diverse interests and use my skills. It gives me a buzz when people have a good time at my events!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IT?

Discovering Prague was founded on meetup.com in August 2014 and I became its organizer in April 2015.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU ORGANIZE EVENTS?

At least once a week, often 2 or 3 times per week.

WHAT IS THE GENERAL PROFILE OF PEOPLE ATTENDING YOUR EVENTS? DO I NEED TO KNOW THE LOCAL LANGUAGE (CZECH)?

People attending our events are international and multi-cultural. By July 2018, we‘ve had participants from 66 countries of all five continents! We use English as common language. Everyone is welcome regardless their nationality or creed. It is Discovering Prague’s culture to make everyone feel welcome and respected. Friendliness and community are important values for us!

IS DISCOVERING PRAGUE LEGALLY A BUSINESS OR A NON-PROFIT VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATION?

Discovering Prague is not a legal entity. However, I have a trade license (IČ) number 03861716 and as such pay taxes on all the proceedings from my events. Other people involved in the project invoice me.

I also hold a Tour Operator Licence (in Czech “koncese cestovní kanceláře”). This means that I am a qualified tourism professional and that all my trips longer than 24 hours are covered by Insolvency Insurance.  This insurance guarantees 100% of your money back if the trip you paid for doesn’t go ahead.

Events

DO DISCOVERING PRAGUE TRIPS AND EVENTS TAKE PLACE ONLY IN PRAGUE?

In the past, the majority of our events took place in Prague and its close surroundings (Central Bohemian Region). More recently, we expanded our activities further afield in the Czech Republic and even abroad. For example we organized excursions to Dresden in Germany or to the Polish side of Jizerske and Krkonose Mountains.

HOW CAN I BE NOTIFIED OF UPCOMING EVENTS?

The easiest and most reliable way to be informed about all upcoming events is to subscribe to our newsletter (link is at the bottom of the page). I also recommend to become a member of both Discovering Prague Meetup and Facebook groups and to like our Facebook page.

HOW LONG DOES AN EVENT TYPICALLY LAST?

It varies from event to event. So far, it’s been anything from 3 hours to two days. The length of each event is always specified in its description.

AREN’T YOUR EVENTS TOO CROWDED? WHAT IS THE GROUP SIZE GOING TO BE?

It varies from event to event. Number of participants at some events is limited due to logistics or other reasons. Some events are open. For most walks, 15-20 people turn up, if the weather’s good or for some special events it can reach up to 40-50. The maximum number of attendees at one event was 65. Bear in mind that while it can be a pain to introduce yourself over and over again, the advantage of a large group is that it gives you opportunity to connect with more people!

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE AGE OF PARTICIPANTS OF YOUR EVENTS?

Difficult to say as it varies from event to event. People of all ages turn up at our events. Don’t worry about being too young or too old! Our events are for adults over 18 years, however, you can attend most events with your children as well.

CAN I PROPOSE A TRIP OR AN EVENT?

Yes, please do! I cannot guarantee it will be organized as there are so many things to do and places to visit, but every idea and suggestion is appreciated!

CAN I CO-ORGANIZE EVENTS? WOULD I GET A FINANCIAL REWARD FOR DOING THAT?

I’m looking for colleagues who would co-organize and/or lead events. Get in touch, ideally in person at the nearest event! Depending on the nature of your contribution I’m prepared to give you a fair share of the profit. 

HOW CAN I GIVE FEEDBACK FOR A PARTICULAR EVENT?

We welcome constructive feedback in any form. Feel free to talk to us during events! If you like something during a particular event, don’t hesitate and pay the event organizer(s) a compliment! It’s the best encouragement you can give them. On the other hand, if you have a concern, talk to the event’s organizer or co-organizer as soon as he or she is available for a private chat. Please do it in a calm, matter of fact, manner to keep the event’s atmosphere positive.

If you want to share your feedback after the event, you can sent it to us by email on filip@www.discoveringprague.cz.

You can write a review on our meetup, facebook and tripadvisor page.

Discovery Pass

WHAT IS “DISCOVERY PASS”?

Discovery Pass is a subscription or electronic loyalty card which gives you a 200 CZK discount on Discovering Prague events. You can purchase it for 3 or 12 months.

I’M MOVING FROM PRAGUE. CAN I TRANSFER MY DISCOVERY PASS TO SOMEONE ELSE? 

Yes, you can transfer your Discovery Pass subscription to another person but you need to request the transfer in writing and provide the name and email address of the new holder.

Payments

WHY SHOULD I PAY YOU FOR ORGANIZING EVENTS? WHAT ADDED VALUE DOES DISCOVERING PRAGUE OFFER?

There are several points to answer this question:

Planning – All my events are thoroughly planned. Walks and hikes are pre-walked to ensure that trails are interesting and safe. Third party events are co-organized with trusted and tested partners.

Convenience – For most events, you can just turn up when you fancy, you don’t have to commit days and weeks ahead. This is particularly great with theatre tickets as the most popular shows are often sold out weeks ahead. All planning is done for you!

Large reach – Discovering Prague is the largest meetup group in the Czech Republic. Besides that, our events are advertised through a variety of other channels. This ensures that people from all walks of life turn up and natural networking follows. We had business deals and relationships started at our events!

Learning – We constantly search for interesting places to visit and activities to do. Even if you don’t attend events, you get notified about interesting places, restaurants, cultural events, activities to do etc. etc. You can then go there by yourself or with your family and friends. You can try new activities in a safe environment where nobody will judge you or look down at you. For example we had people who learnt to ski at our trips! Last but not least, I am very passionate about the Czech history and culture and sharing it with you!

Discounts – Thanks to the size of the group, you can sometimes get a better deal on ticket prices and so on.

You support a good cause. All the funds collected are used for planning of more cool events and further development of Discovering Prague!

To sum it up, I strongly believe that Discovering Prague offers exceptionally good value for money!

Having said that, I appreciate that you might see it differently. It is up to you to decide whether the price is acceptable for you or not. Participating in any of our events is entirely your voluntary choice.

CAN I PAY FOR THE EVENTS ONLINE?

Yes, of course! You can pay by credit card, PayPal or bank transfer.

HOW SAFE IS TO PAY VIA DISCOVERINGPRAGUE.CZ?

For credit card payments, we use a secure online payment gateway provided by First Data which is one of the major worldwide providers of credit card processing services for small/large businesses and national financial institutions. All credit card transactions take place on their secure website. After finishing the payment you will be redirected back to our site.

You can also pay by PayPal which is a secure and convenient way of paying online. The only information you share with Discovering Prague is your email address.

Another option is to pay by a direct bank transfer to our bank account in Fio banka. The account number is 2101263853/2010. This is as safe as paying your utility bills. The processing time is up to 2 business days, depending on your bank.

DO YOU ACCEPT CASH PAYMENTS?

We do accept cash payments (usually collected at the beginning of the events) however, you will miss out on Discovery Pass Loyalty Discounts. You will also need to wait for a hand-written receipt which is a bummer.

CAN I PAY WITH MY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CARDS OR VOUCHERS?

Yes! At the moment you can pay for Discovering Prague &CZ events by Edenred, Sodexo Multi Pass and Benefity.cz cards and vouchers. You can also use them to pay for Discovery Pass and Gift vouchers.

HOW DO I PAY WITH MY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CARDS?

To learn how to pay for Discovering Prague & CZ events with your Employee benefits cards go to this page.

Cancellations

WHAT HAPPENS IF AN EVENT IS CANCELLED?

If the event is cancelled by the organizer, your payment will be refunded in full.

CAN I CANCEL AFTER I HAVE BOOKED MYSELF FOR AN EVENT?

Of course you can. For more detailed info go to the Cancellations & Refunds Policy.