First visit to Prague - Help please!

[Techniquest]

Hi all,

I was going to post in the International section of the forum, but Trip Planning is more accurate in my eyes.

I've mentioned around the place that I'm off to Prague for my first ever visit soon, 3 weeks tomorrow for that matter, and I've just spent a fair bit of time this morning researching bits and bobs. I've decided I'll note the most basic words like hello, goodbye, thank you and some others, but I'll never manage a proper sentence! However, I have just three questions for now:

1) Can I buy a multi-day pass for buses, trams and Metro at the airport? I've not yet found that answer and while it makes sense it's not been obvious in my searches so far.

2) One website says I'll need to buy a transfer ticket or something like that for luggage on the buses, is this accurate?

3) While the transport system looks insanely good fun to travel on, I'm not convinced I'll need more than a full day to see everything. My budget will be fairly tight for spending when I'm outside the UK, due to various other outgoings and timing it really badly for a trip. I know a couple of suggestions were made elsewhere on the forum, but I'd like to find a journey that takes me a bit into the country itself and involves rail interest too. Does anyone have a suggestion there?

That's all for now, but I can say that I'm rather looking forward to this!

 

[306024]

To start, language is no problem. Prague is arguably the most tourist friendly city in Europe (they do get a lot of tourists!). English and other languages are widely spoken.

Never arrived by plane in Prague, only departed. Always bought my travel tickets in Prague main station. There's a 24 hour ticket for all trams, buses and metro, valid from the moment you validate it in a machine for a full 24 hours. Can't recall if there are longer durations as I've never needed one. A bus ticket to/from the airport is required in addition, buses run to and from the main station. Luggage has never been an issue, but I travel light.

Fares are cheap, one of my favourites is the journey between Dresden and Prague, but that may be further than you envisage. A trip to Plzen (for the brewery visit) is a good and not so far.

No idea about quirky trains or locomotives as that's not my thing, but you do see some old diesels on passenger trains.

 

[Glenmutchkin]

In December 2016 there was a kiosk in the Airport arrivals hall that sold tickets for metro, trams etc. No reason to think that it is no longer there. Stamp your ticket as you get on the bus at the airport.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

1) The website of DPP (Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy), Prague’s transport company says there’s a ticket office at Prague Airport: http://www.dpp.cz/en/info-centres-at-prague-airport/ It includes ‘The sale of individual tickets for 30 or 90 minutes or for 24 or 72 hours and the Prague Card′.

2) The fares page (http://www.dpp.cz/en/fares-in-prague/) mentions a luggage fare of 16 CZK (£0.55), however these two paragraphs mentions exceptions:

Free transport applies to luggage up to and including 25x45x70 cm, flat luggage up to and including 100x100x5 cm, tube-shaped luggage up to and including 150 cm in length and 20 cm in diameter, animals in carriers with dimensions up to and including 25x45x70 cm, at most two pairs of skis including ski poles in one case (skis not in a case are not allowed on the transit system), a snowboard or a shopping bag on wheels.

One-day and multi-day tickets include transport of one item that is normally subject to a transit fee, within their time and zone validity. This does not apply to trains that are included in Prague Integrated Transit.

3) I recommend a journey on the S34 service, which is served by heritage trains and goes to Praha-Čakovice station, which is quite original (i.e. it has station masters, no real platforms, etc.). Another nice journey was to Praha-Dejvice and further to the Czech Rail Museum in Lužna u Rakovníka, however this isn’t in Prague’s ‘Prague Integrated Transit’ anymore. It takes about one hour and on the return journey I went via Rakovník and Beroun, which was also a nice scenic route. Thirdly, the Praha hlavní nadraží and Masarykovo nadraží stations are quite interesting too.

Regarding the language: I don’t speak Czech either, but learned a few phrases (Děkuji, etc.), but I bought a small Czech dictionary aimed for short-term vacations, it included many useful phrases and translations of e.g. a restaurant menu or how to say ‘one single ticket 2nd class to xy please’.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks all for the help there, very useful indeed The 72 hour pass sounds like my best option so far, especially as it avoids the faff of paying extra fees for luggage. It's a reasonable size case, so would definitely attract a fee. As I'm also having some time in London on my way home, there's no way I'll be travelling light. Especially as I've paid extra for hold luggage!

 

[70014IronDuke]

To start, language is no problem. Prague is arguably the most tourist friendly city in Europe (they do get a lot if tourists!). English and their languages are widely spoken.

Never arrived by plane in Prague, only departed. Always bought my travel tickets in Prague main station. There's a 24 hour ticket for all trams, buses and metro, valid from the moment you validate it in a machine for a full 24 hours. Can't recall if there are longer durations as I've never needed one. A bus ticket to/from the airport is required in addition, buses run to and from the main station. Luggage has never been an issue, but I travel light.

Fares are cheap, one of my favourites is the journey between Dresden and Prague, but that may be further than you envisage. A trip to Pilsen (for the brewery visit) is a good and not so far.

No idea about quirky trains or locomotives as that's not my thing, but you do see some old diesels on passenger trains.

Agreed with above. Especially the Plzen brewery bit. Plzen itself is the inverse of Prague. Incredibly few tourists for a stunning city square. (at least it was 10 years ago, when I last went in August.)

All the Slavic languages are very difficult for non-Slavs. I know one woman who was very good a languages, and she said Czech was the hardest she had learned. But if you learn a few words they love the fact that you have made the effort. It just takes a bit of dedication and effort each day to make some progress. The Czechs kind of 'sing' their language.

You could try this site.

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/

In my opinion this course has a weird structure to the 100 free lessons - the zoo chapter (I think it's 34 or some such) is a ridiculous waste of time. But concentrate on the easy bits - like single words, excuse me, good evening etc - and ignore the harder bits with no explanations as to what you are (supposed to be) saying.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for the advice on Pitzen, I'll look into that now.

I *think* I've got my budgeting worked out but it will be decided next weekend after my spin to London.

The tips there on language are good, I'll be using next Sunday as a good opportunity to practice!

 

[87015]

Loco cranky wise nearly all the classes can be sampled on a Prague day ticket as most stuff stops at somewhere in the city zone out of the Hlavni (or on the Masarykovo line for a few bits). You won't run short in a day, must be a dozen classes of loco that work in/out of Prague - and not just Czech ones! The CD app is very good and has an offline mode too for timetables.

 

[30907]

There's a few threads on the International forum as well but here goes.

1. The ticket office at the airport stays open till abiut 2100.

2. Riding the trams goes without saying. There's a new line (23 or 26) worked completely by the older Tatras and deliberately duplicating routes that have more modern accessible cars.

3. The other diesel line from Masarykovo, to Rakovnik via Dejvice is affected by bridge work ATM and starts I think at Holesovice.

4. The hourly railbus from Hlavni and Smichov up the "Prague Semmering" is worth the ride.

5. If you are there at the weekend, and can afford a couple of quid extra, most trains on line 210 up the Sasava Valley to Cercany are diesel hauled double deck stock with a 749 or 754. It's supposed to be very scenic - l'll check it out in a couple of weeks

 

[Techniquest]

Many thanks for all of that, I'll have a proper read in the coming days on all those points. Prague Semmering sounds like an excellent idea.

Sadly I'm not there at a weekend (arrive Monday 14th August, depart Thursday 17th August), but please do let me know whether the scenic route is worth a look at.

I've had a watch of some videos of the Prague Metro on YouTube, I'm already loving it and have yet to have a ride! Just from what I've seen, it looks more fun than Vienna's lot, possibly better than Stockholm's Metro (and I loved that in 2014), far nicer than New York's Subway (hardly difficult to beat that) and will rival London for enjoyment. Oh, and it definitely, 100%, looks a LOT more than Oslo's excuse for a Metro system too. Even Brussels' Metro, which I have a soft spot for, will be beaten by Prague from the looks of it!

Combined with some awesome looking trams, I don't think I'm going to be bored after the sightseeing is over. Not to mention the beer, oh this is going to be so much more fun than Norway was!

 

[87015]

Prague 'semmering' is probably worth doing even on a unit, you get a nice panoramic view as you drop down. Probably a refurbished single axle yellow 814.

If you could get to Dejvice for 1654 (Metro/Tram) there is a one for one move with a 714 (dull, but suffuciently different from most loco hauled stuff you'll have had here) from Dejvice to Velaslavin (arr 1700) then the 1719 Velaslavin to Hostivice at 1727 (shove 750 "goggle") which then makes a 1738 Hostivice to Praha Hlavni via "Semmering" unit. The climb up from Dejvice to Hostivice is a fairly scenic run through a park albeit a stagger.

There are far better places for beer, but the Vytopna beer-served-by-train resturants are good for a laugh.

 

[Glenmutchkin]

......the Vytopna beer-served-by-train resturants are good for a laugh.

I was trying to remember the name. Definitely good for a laugh.

The best place that we found was the Black Ox. A tram ride up the hill. Serves great beer and sausages. You have to ask for a menu in English unless you want to struggle with a phrase book.

https://www.avantgarde-prague.com/n...aditional-pubs/u-cerneho-vola---the-black-ox/

 

[Techniquest]

Why is that brew good for a laugh?

Sounds like a good series of moves there, I'll be writing down all these tips into my notebook on my way to Manchester Airport in 3 weeks time. Black Ox definitely sounds worth a look, again I'll be making a special note of that one.

 

[Glenmutchkin]

Why is that brew good for a laugh? .

If you Google Vytopna and click the Images tab you will get the idea.

 

[Techniquest]

If you Google Vytopna and click the Images tab you will get the idea.

Oh that is well cool!

 

[fowler9]

Prague is amazing Tech, you will love it. I've been twice, my brother is going for his fourth visit in September, I was going to go to but am already going to Croatia for a week the same month and financially it would have been impossible. I can't really add to anything anyone else has said. I love languages and have learned a few phrases in Czech, it is a little tricky as the words don't sound much like they look, they are similar in some respects to some Polish phrases which helped me. The locals do indeed love you just having a go and it puts you apart from some of the mad stag parties (Which are easily avoided). Before my first visit I spoke to a friend who had been there on a stag party. He said he wasn't that impressed so I asked him what he had seen, turns out the entire group had spent the entire trip in one Irish bar on Wenceslas Square and also a titty bar. Ha ha. What a waste. There are lots of beautiful buildings, lots of nice scenery, the public transport is interesting and the local food and drink is nice.

 

[shredder1]

Am amazing city Tech, you`ll love it mate, I`m out again in October for a week and half, flying into Prague, 2 day railtour Northern Czech and then off to Ostrava for the Crocodiles. Prague is very Westernised and you`ll soon get use to the money Crowns, koruna very cheap too, but be warned Tech, you are in serious danger of being turned into a Eurocrank

 

[306024]

If you Google Vytopna and click the Images tab you will get the idea.

The Vytopna in Prague is on a street corner but upstairs, not immediately obvious. The pizzas are huge. There is another Vytopna in Brno.

 

[Techniquest]

I say the same Shred about going Euro whenever I go to the mainland, but I haven't quite got there yet.

Pizza is mentioned, mmm that sounds appealing...

Thanks for all the input everyone, I appreciate it and now feeling very excited about my trip. There will be updates and photos on Twitter using my hashtag for my world exploration trips #TechsWorldFrenzy, which also get fed through to Facebook. Of course, there will be a full trip report too!

 

[gordonthemoron]

Prague old town (and the interesting bits of the new town and the castle) are very close together so you probably won't use public transport there that much. The Prague metro system is a Nuclear bunker (like Budapest M2 & M3, Kiev metro, Erevan metro etc).

There are lots of old bars that are worth a visit, u Fleku, u Medviku and u Zlateho Tygra all spring to mind but there are many others. U Zlateho Tygra opens at 16:00 and will be full within 5 minutes, it's Vaclav Havel's old local. Needless to say, there are quite a few irish pubs too, some better than others.

We will also be in Prague from 12th August until 17th August.

 

[fowler9]

Prague old town (and the interesting bits of the new town and the castle) are very close together so you probably won't use public transport there that much. The Prague metro system is a Nuclear bunker (like Budapest M2 & M3, Kiev metro, Erevan metro etc).

There are lots of old bars that are worth a visit, u Fleku, u Medviku and u Zlateho Tygra all spring to mind but there are many others. U Zlateho Tygra opens at 16:00 and will be full within 5 minutes, it's Vaclav Havel's old local. Needless to say, there are quite a few irish pubs too, some better than others.

We will also be in Prague from 12th August until 17th August.

I particularly like U Fleku, didn't like U Medviku quite as much but it was still great. I got a really nice t shirt in U Fleku which I then accidentally left in a hostel in Krakow on a trip the following year. I visited one Irish bar and one English bar in Prague and both on the same trip. They were on the old town square and we only went in because the Liverpool Man U game was on. We left the English Bar (The George And Dragon or something) because it was awful and more expensive than England and went on to the Irish Bar. While the match was on in the Irish Bar next door there was a bunch of Americans next to us. The game was that bad that I asked an Asian guy with the American group where he was from. Turned out he was quarter Irish from Boston so had travelled across the world to Prague to go to an Irish bar. I thought it was a bit weird, we left as soon as the match came to an anti climax as the bar was terrible.

I hasten to add I have nothing against Asian people, the Irish or of course people from England (since I am one). Just I don't know why you would bother going to Prague to sit in that environment. But hey, everyone is different, I would rather immerse myself as much as possible in the local culture, which is admittedly hard if you also want to catch a Liverpool game. Ha ha.

 

[30907]

The Semmering was an 810 railbus a couple of years ago. Not sure out to Hostivice is covered on a Central Zone ticket though, I bailed at the crossing point of Zlicin, but the excess will be minimal.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Prague is amazing Tech,
....
. Before my first visit I spoke to a friend who had been there on a stag party. He said he wasn't that impressed so I asked him what he had seen, turns out the entire group had spent the entire trip in one Irish bar on Wenceslas Square and also a titty bar. Ha ha. What a waste. There are lots of beautiful buildings, lots of nice scenery, the public transport is interesting and the local food and drink is nice.

Indeed. Why bother with the hassle of getting to the airport to sample an expensive, supposedly "Irish" bar ?? Totally bonkers.

But you failed to mention the people. I'm sure the Czechs have their baddies, but I've not met any. Mostly well-educated, thoughtful, and kind.

From Plzen to Ostrava to Znojmo and Zlin - I've found them happy to help out if you approach them in the right way.

(OK, slight porkie, as I haven't yet quite got to Zlin, but nearby.)

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I've had a drink at the 'highest Irish bar in the world' - in Cusco, Peru - just for the "why not", but otherwise I wouldn't think of going into them on holiday, just seems pointless. For the stag does and travelling sports fans only.

 

[AndrewE]

Beware, Prague was the only place in an extensive tour of Poland , Slovakia and Czech republic where they tried to rip us off- it is notorious apparently.

Everywhere else we were given an itemised bill after every meal, in Prague a jerk whizzed on a hand-held calculator and showed us an inflated number, when we argued he whizzed again and showed a different number. We made it clear that we were only paying the menu price for what we had had, so he had to lump it, in fact he didn't argue any more.

Luckily we were alerted by a local couple at the next table clearly having the same argument while we were ordering.

Bratislava was much more enjoyable, as was Sofia (twice) or Plovdiv.

 

[fowler9]

Indeed. Why bother with the hassle of getting to the airport to sample an expensive, supposedly "Irish" bar ?? Totally bonkers.

But you failed to mention the people. I'm sure the Czechs have their baddies, but I've not met any. Mostly well-educated, thoughtful, and kind.

From Plzen to Ostrava to Znojmo and Zlin - I've found them happy to help out if you approach them in the right way.

(OK, slight porkie, as I haven't yet quite got to Zlin, but nearby.)

Apologies if I gave a bad impression. The Czech people were amazing especially if you made an effort with the language. We stuck to local bars apart from this one football game. It was a mistake.

 

[fowler9]

I've had a drink at the 'highest Irish bar in the world' - in Cusco, Peru - just for the "why not", but otherwise I wouldn't think of going into them on holiday, just seems pointless. For the stag does and travelling sports fans only.

Yeah, Paddys I think it was called, I got a photo. Ha ha. Just around the corner is a English Bar called The Cross Keys which I got a photo of, one of our Friday Lunchtime bars in Liverpool had the same name. Ha ha. I mean in Cusco here not Prague.

 

[fowler9]

Beware, Prague was the only place in an extensive tour of Poland , Slovakia and Czech republic where they tried to rip us off- it is notorious apparently.

Everywhere else we were given an itemised bill after every meal, in Prague a jerk whizzed on a hand-held calculator and showed us an inflated number, when we argued he whizzed again and showed a different number. We made it clear that we were only paying the menu price for what we had had, so he had to lump it, in fact he didn't argue any more.

Luckily we were alerted by a local couple at the next table clearly having the same argument while we were ordering.

Bratislava was much more enjoyable, as was Sofia (twice) or Plovdiv.

It isn't just Prague. A cabby in Warsaw tried to charge us £50 to go around the corner (About a £5 fare) but I knew where we were and can swear in Polish. He threatened us with his mates. I threatened him in Polish with mine. I've had taxi drivers try and rip me off trying to get to my house in Liverpool where I have lived for 30 years. It happens everywhere.

 

[fowler9]

My tip if anything would be to stick to AAA cabs in Prague if you are taking a taxi, some/many other firms have a reputation. As for restaurants just keep your eyes open and don't be obviously drunk, like anywhere in the world.

 

[Kristofferson]

Do they have Uber?


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