As Prague prepares for the visit of the American President, tourists should count on certain precautions being taken

The efforts by representatives of the Czech government have paid off: new American President Barack Obama will be visiting Prague during the Czech Presidency of the EU.

His two-day stay (4 and 5 April 2009) will be accompanied by rigorous security measures. Although details of the trip are not yet available, Barack Obama most likely will visit Prague Castle and the Congress Centre, where he will participate in a meeting with European heads of state. A visit to the Old Town is also quite possible.

Access restrictions thus will apply especially to the Castle, Congress Centre, Evropská Avenue and other locations through which the presidential convoy will pass. Public transportation also may be reduced in these locations. Some 2,500–3,000 police will attend to the security for the American head of state. In its scope, the entire event is comparable with NATO’s Prague Summit in 2002.

Prague Castle will be entirely closed on Monday, 30 March, and subsequently from 21:00 on Friday, 3 April 2009, until 5:00 on Monday, 6 April 2009. Due to these measures, the Castle gardens will not begin to be open to the public until 11 April.