Convert GBP to CZK Pound sterling ↔ Czech koruna Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Pound sterling and read it in Czech koruna at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
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Common amounts — Convert GBP to CZK (Pound sterling ↔ Czech koruna)
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The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
A pint in London, a half-litre in Prague: the beer test for the pound and the Czech crown
Economists sometimes compare countries with a hamburger or a coffee. Between Britain and the Czech Republic there is a better measuring stick, a glass of beer. The Czechs drink more beer per head than any other nation, and the British have a pub on nearly every corner, so the price of a glass in each country says a lot about the cost of living. This page makes the comparison easy. It takes the European Central Bank's reference rates, in which the pound and the Czech crown are quoted against the euro, combines them into a pound-to-crown rate and shows the date beside the result. Your amount stays in your browser. The text below uses the glass of beer as a guide through Czech life, and each section is a reason to Convert GBP to CZK and to understand what the figure means.
Using the converter
Type, read, check the date
Enter an amount in pounds sterling and the page shows the value in Czech crowns, with the date of the rate underneath. At weekends it states that the rate is Friday's. A table of round amounts and a thirty-day line complete the page. To go the other way, from crowns to pounds, use Convert CZK to GBP.
What the figure really is
The reference rate is the middle of the market, fixed once a day. It contains no margin for a bank or card network. The rate you are offered will be somewhat worse, and the difference is the price of the service. Each time you Convert GBP to CZK here, you obtain the number against which any offer should be measured. A gap of one per cent is good, three per cent is typical for banks, and anything beyond that is a signal to look around.
The glass itself: half a litre against a pint
Whenever you read a price per glass, Convert GBP to CZK for it, and then divide by the volume to reach a true price per litre.
Two measures, two habits
A Czech beer is served in a half-litre glass, which holds a little less than a British pint. A pint is 568 millilitres, while half a litre is 500. If you want to compare the price per litre in the two countries, you must correct for the difference, and the tool at Convert mL to oz helps for American readers. A pint costing five pounds works out at roughly eight and a half pounds a litre; a half-litre costing fifty crowns is a hundred crowns a litre. To compare the two, Convert GBP to CZK for the pint and divide by the amounts of beer.
Why it costs less in Prague
Czech beer is cheaper for several reasons. Taxes on alcohol are lower, wages in pubs are lower, and competition among breweries and pubs is intense. Rents for pubs in regional towns are modest. The result is that a half-litre in a local pub costs a fraction of a London pint, and in tourist zones in central Prague the price is higher but still below British levels.
The tourist trap and the local pub
The difference between the two prices becomes obvious the moment you Convert GBP to CZK for both and subtract.
On the Old Town Square, a half-litre can cost three or four times what it does in a neighbourhood pub two streets away. The beer is the same; the view is different. If you walk ten minutes from the main squares, the price falls sharply. A visitor who wants to see how Czechs drink should look for a hospoda, a plain pub, with a menu in Czech and tables of regulars.
Pilsner Urquell: the beer that changed the world
The 1842 recipe
Even a modest brewery visit is worth planning: Convert GBP to CZK for the ticket, the lunch and the return train before you leave.
In 1842 the brewery in Plzeň produced a new kind of pale, clear lager, using soft local water, Saaz hops and bottom-fermenting yeast. It became Pilsner Urquell, and the style spread across the world, so that most of the lagers you drink today are descendants of that beer. The brewery offers tours, including a visit to the sandstone cellars where unfiltered beer is drawn from oak barrels. A ticket costs around 300 to 400 crowns, and a tasting is included.
Plzeň on a day trip
Plzeň is about an hour from Prague by train, and a return ticket costs only a few hundred crowns. A day there, with the brewery, lunch and a stroll in the old town, comes to about 1,500 crowns a person. Convert GBP to CZK for the budget, and you will see how a day out in a Czech city compares with one in an English market town.
Budvar and the dispute over a name
České Budějovice
The town of České Budějovice, called Budweis in German, has brewed beer since the thirteenth century. Its Budvar brewery, founded in 1895, makes a lager that shares its name with a famous American brand. The two companies have fought over the right to use the word Budweiser in many countries for more than a century. In Britain, a settlement allows both to sell, but under different labels. For a drinker, the matter comes down to taste, and Czech Budvar is richer and more bitter than its American namesake.
South Bohemia, in a weekend
For a weekend away from Prague, Convert GBP to CZK for the room, the meals and the river trip, then add a margin of ten per cent.
South Bohemia is a region of ponds, castles and cycling routes. Český Krumlov, with its castle above a loop in the river Vltava, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a magnet for visitors. Rooms in a small guesthouse cost about 1,500 to 3,000 crowns a night, a main course in a restaurant 200 to 350. Rafting trips on the Vltava in summer are inexpensive and good fun.
Pubs, rules and tipping
How to order and how to pay
When the bill arrives in crowns, a quick Convert GBP to CZK on the total tells you at once whether the evening was a bargain.
In a Czech pub, a waiter keeps a tally on a slip of paper at your table, and you pay at the end by telling him what you want to settle. If you arrive with a group, say at the start how you will pay. If a waiter brings a new beer without asking, it is because he has noticed your glass is nearly empty, and you can decline it. Many places have a card machine now, but small ones prefer cash.
Rounding up the bill
Tipping of about ten per cent is customary. Instead of leaving coins on the table, tell the waiter the total you want to pay, including the tip, as you hand over the money. If he says the bill is 187 crowns and you say 200, he will understand. A service charge is sometimes added on tourist menus; check the bill before paying.
Opening hours and the smoking rules
Smoking is banned in Czech pubs and restaurants, and outdoor terraces are the only place to smoke. Many pubs open at ten or eleven in the morning and close at midnight or later. Lunch menus, served between 11 and 2, are cheap and filling, with soup and main course for 150 to 220 crowns.
Beer spas, brewery hotels and other oddities
Bathing in beer
It is a curiosity, and priced like one, so Convert GBP to CZK for the session and decide whether it is worth the novelty.
A few spa hotels in Prague, Chodová Planá and Třeboň offer beer baths, in which guests soak in a wooden tub of warm water mixed with hops, yeast and herbs, while drinking a glass of beer. The treatment lasts about an hour, followed by a rest, and costs between 800 and 1,500 crowns a person. It is a novelty rather than a medicine, but many visitors enjoy it.
Brewery tours and museum visits
Many Czech breweries offer tours, from big brands to small family breweries, with prices of 100 to 400 crowns. The Prague Beer Museum, the Brewery Museum in Plzeň and the Strahov Monastery brewery are all worth a visit. A visit to a monastery brewery with a glass of dark beer combines history and refreshment.
Beyond beer: castles, bones and railways
Karlštejn and Kutná Hora
The comparison with a British day out is only fair if you Convert GBP to CZK for tickets, trains and lunch alike.
Karlštejn Castle, built in the fourteenth century, stands about forty minutes from Prague by train. Kutná Hora, with its silver-mining past, is home to the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel decorated with human bones. Entry fees are between 150 and 400 crowns. Both trips are easy to do in a day, with return tickets at modest prices. Convert GBP to CZK for the total and compare with a day trip from London to Windsor or Canterbury.
Trains, trams and buses
Czech public transport is cheap and dependable. A 24-hour pass for the Prague network costs around 130 crowns, and a 72-hour one about 330. Intercity train fares are low by Western standards. Distances are in kilometres, and Convert km to mi translates them for British and American readers.
Czechs and Britons: three stories
The RAF's Czechoslovak squadrons
During the Second World War, hundreds of Czechoslovak airmen served in the Royal Air Force, including in Nos. 310, 311, 312 and 313 Squadrons. They fought in the Battle of Britain and later in the bomber campaign. Memorials in Britain and in Prague recall them. For many families, the connection between the two countries goes back to that period.
Nicholas Winton and the children
In 1939, a young London stockbroker, Nicholas Winton, organised the transport of 669 mostly Jewish children from Prague to Britain, saving them from the Nazis. He did not speak of it for fifty years. Their story is told in museums and in a statue at Prague's main railway station. It is one of the many reasons why Czechs hold Britain in affection.
Czechs in Britain today
A family that sends money every month should Convert GBP to CZK on the same day each time and write down what the recipient got.
Tens of thousands of Czechs live and work in Britain, in healthcare, engineering, hospitality and technology. Many send money home regularly. They Convert GBP to CZK each month and compare the figure with what the recipient sees, and the habit saves them real money over a year.
A weekend in Prague, round by round
Friday evening: arrival and a first half-litre
Start the weekend with a number: Convert GBP to CZK for your daily limit, and keep it on a note in your phone.
The flight from London lands in about two hours, and the airport bus or train into the centre costs less than a pub lunch in Britain. Check into a hotel in the New Town or Vinohrady, where rooms are cheaper than in the Old Town, then walk to a local pub for a half-litre and a plate of fried cheese. A first evening, with two beers each, a main course and a dessert, might cost 800 to 1,200 crowns for two. Convert GBP to CZK for the sum and you will see why weekend breaks to Prague remain popular.
Saturday: castle, bridge and dumplings
Climb to Prague Castle in the morning, when crowds are thinner. The ticket for the main circuit, covering St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane, costs around 250 to 450 crowns, depending on the route. Cross the Charles Bridge on foot, with its statues and buskers, and have lunch in Malá Strana: roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, the national dish, at 250 to 350 crowns. In the afternoon, visit the Jewish Quarter, where several synagogues and the old cemetery are covered by a joint ticket of around 500 crowns.
The astronomical clock
The clock on the Old Town Hall dates from 1410 and puts on a small show of apostles every hour. A crowd gathers a few minutes before the hour, and the whole thing lasts less than a minute. The tower beside it offers views of the city for about 250 crowns. If you are short of time, watch the clock from a café across the square, though the prices there are high.
Saturday evening: music and a late supper
Prague offers opera, ballet and concerts at prices well below London's. A ticket for the State Opera or the National Theatre can be as little as 400 to 1,500 crowns for a good seat. Check programmes online and book early for popular nights. A late supper at a pub, with a goulash and a dark beer, rounds off the day for about 400 crowns a person.
Sunday: markets and a quiet park
Naplavka, the riverside embankment, hosts a farmers' market on Saturdays, and the Havelské market in the Old Town sells fruit, souvenirs and crafts every day. Vyšehrad, a fortress on a rock above the Vltava, has a church, a cemetery where Dvořák and Smetana are buried, and quiet gardens with views of the river. Entry is free for most of the site. Spend the afternoon here, and take the tram to the airport in the evening.
What the weekend adds up to
Two people, two nights
A realistic total for two people in a mid-range style might be hotel of 3,000 crowns a night for two nights, meals and drinks of 2,500 a day, tickets and entrance fees of 2,000, local transport of 400, and a concert of 2,000. That comes to about 17,000 crowns. Convert GBP to CZK on your own total and add the flights, which are priced in pounds.
Cutting the cost
Choose a hotel outside the centre, eat the main meal at lunchtime, buy a transport pass, and use free sights such as the parks and bridges. You can easily halve the daily spend without feeling deprived. Czech cooking in small restaurants is generous, and a pub lunch is the best value of the day.
Adding a splurge
Prague also has restaurants with Michelin stars, rooftop bars and river cruises with dinner. Prices there are still lower than in London, but not small. Decide in advance which one to try, and spend on it rather than on a dozen mediocre ones.
The crown and its character
A currency of its own
The Czech Republic has not adopted the euro and has no fixed date for doing so. The koruna, the crown, is divided into a hundred haléř, but coins of that size were withdrawn, and prices are rounded to the nearest whole crown. Coins run from 1 to 50 crowns, and notes from 100 to 5,000. Many shops in tourist areas show prices in euros too, at an unfavourable rate. Pay in crowns.
What moves the rate
The crown responds to Czech interest rates, set by the Czech National Bank, to the euro area's economy, on which the Czech Republic depends heavily, and to risk sentiment. The pound-crown rate also reflects the pound-euro rate. A visitor does not need to follow these forces, but should keep in mind that a rate can move several per cent within a month.
The exchange-office traps
Anyone tempted by a big board in a window should first Convert GBP to CZK here and see how far the advertised rate is from the reference one.
Exchange offices in central Prague are notorious for rates that look attractive and conceal commissions of ten or fifteen per cent. Look for the buy and sell rates, the commission and the total you will receive. Better still, use a cash machine in a bank branch and refuse the machine's offer to convert into pounds, because that dynamic conversion is usually poor. Convert GBP to CZK on this page first, so you know what to expect.
Related conversions
Other currencies on the same trip
Neighbouring countries have their own money. Convert GBP to PLN covers Poland and Convert GBP to HUF Hungary. For Germany and Austria, which use the euro, there is Convert GBP to EUR, and for a euro price in the Czech Republic, Convert EUR to CZK. For dollars, use Convert USD to CZK.
Time and drink measures
The Czech Republic is one hour ahead of Britain throughout the year; Convert GMT to CET confirms it. For bottle sizes and glass sizes, Convert L to oz turns litres into fluid ounces.
Mistakes to avoid
The terminal's offer
If the card machine offers to charge you in pounds, say no. Pay in crowns.
Euro prices in shops
Shops that show euro prices give a poor rate. Ask for the crown price.
An old rate
A rate from last month can be several per cent out of date. The date beside the result is there to protect you.
Last orders
The page downloads only the table of daily reference rates. The amount you type never leaves your device, and there is nothing to register. From the first half-litre to the last, the habit is the same: Convert GBP to CZK, read the date, compare any offer against the figure and keep a note. Na zdraví.