A magical and suggestive capital, among the most beautiful in all of Europe. Bohemia and Moravia: two historic regions. Landscapes and large parks and nature reserves. Splendid centers, castles and towns to be discovered. Welcome to the Czech Republic, an extraordinary place where history, tradition and culture blend perfectly.
HOW TO GET TO CZECH REPUBLICA
The Prague International Airport represents the reference point for national and international connections. With its four terminals, it is one of the most important and busy airports in the whole of Eastern Europe. The plane is really an excellent solution for medium / long haul distances; is well connected, with direct flights, with many European and extra-European destinations. Other less important commercial airports are located in Brno and Ostrava.
By train, there are plenty of daily connections, with Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Again, Prague is the reference point for reaching the country. Praha hlavní nádraží, is the central railway station, the main interchange nodes in connections with the country and Eastern Europe. From here, EuroCity, EuroNight, NightJet and RegioExpress trains run to / from Hamburg, Basel, Berlin, Dresden, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich, and many other European destinations.
If you want to arrive by car, please note that you must purchase the appropriate highway mark (Dálniční známky), mandatory to travel on most Czech motorways. The motorway network is quite modern, connected to the main European motorways. The main cities are served by the motorway. The capital is about 300 kilometers from Vienna. From Bratislava, however, just over 320. The German Munich is less than 400 kilometers. Budapest, in Hungary, is 525 kilometers, while Warsaw, in Poland, about 630. You can easily face a trip by car, in the day, with the necessary breaks.
A good alternative, especially to save money, is to arrive by bus. There are many companies that organize trips to Bratislava and the rest of the country. Eurolines, Filobus, Regiojet and many more.
GETTING AROUND
The bus is one of the preferred methods for moving around the country. Many choose the bus for the cheapest price compared to the train. Furthermore, the means are modern and comfortable. In this sense, RegioJet is one of the reference points for road transport. Modern buses, efficient, equipped with all comforts: wifi, electrical outlets on the seats, and much more.
The train is a good alternative. České dráhy’s guarantees daily connections between the main cities of the Republic :, Brno, České Budějovice, Ostrava, Pilsen, Pardubice and Praga. Intercity, Express, Rychlík vyšší kvality (Rx) e Rychlík (R), represent the solutions faster, with fast connections to major cities. Local trains called Osobní vlak (Os), make stops at all stations, with fairly long travel times
The car remains a good solution to move around the country at your own pace, without having to take time and times into account. The roads, as mentioned, are in good condition and connect all the Czech destinations in a capillary way. Although, at present, only 5 motorways have been completed, the network is undergoing a major modernization whose conclusion should be towards the 2022. Motorways allow faster and faster travel. On national roads, more attention and reduced speed are needed. The views and landscapes, however, offset the longer travel time.
You can also travel by bike, and set off to discover this wonderful land and, in particular, South Moravia. In this area, in fact, you will find numerous circuits and cycle paths.
DOCUMENTS AND CUSTOMS CZECH REPUBLIC
There is no obligation to produce documents at the border, but you are always required to bring an ID card or passport with you. It is recommended, above all, to bring the CI of their children under age, even if traveling by car or train. See our special section, about that.
Dogs and cats enter freely, provided they have a health certificate and a recent certificate from the veterinarian of the ASL of residence, attesting to good health. Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies for at least 30 days.
Please note that the appropriate microchip must be applied to the animals.
To fly with animals, please refer to the individual section Airline companies.
To rent a car you need the minimum age of 21 years, the possession of the license for at least a year and, as always, a credit card. Prepaid cards are not accepted.
CURRENCY AND CHANGE
The official currency is the CZECH CROWN, referred to as CZK and with the local abbreviation Kč. In circulation you will find coins from 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 crowns, and banknotes from 100, 200, 500, 1.000, 2.000 and 5.000 crowns. In September 2018, 1 Kč is equivalent to about 0.039€ and 0.046$ American; vice versa, 1€ is equivalent to 25.50 Kč and 1$ equals 22 Kč approximately. Almost everywhere, you can pay directly by credit card and withdraw cash at ATMs. Keep in mind, however, that in some small cities, and less touristy places, you may find it difficult to make credit card payments. A cash reserve is always recommended.
Who needs to enter Bank, please note that it is open from Monday to Friday, from 09:00 to 17:00. In the center of the larger cities, some remain open until 20:00.
PRACTICAL INFO
HOUR
In the Czech Republic, the clock hands are placed one hour ahead of the Greenwich meridian (UTC/GMT + 1). Daylight saving time starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, with the hands forward an additional hour compared to Greenwich (UTC/GMT + 2).
ELECTRIC CURRENT
Throughout the country, the voltage is 230 volts, with 50Hz frequency. Typically, you will find E-type electrical outlets, like those shown in photos. The socket differ from the German ones due to the presence of a female contact, at the male pin on the socket. We recommend always using a special adapter. To the most provident, we recommend taking a look at this link.
Photo ©, Looxix
POST
Česká pošta, is the company that manages the postal, logistical and financial services of the country. Born in 1993, with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, it is a state-controlled company. On the outside, it is identified by the words Česká pošta, on a blue background and yellow logo, or the blue writing on a yellow background.
The company offers all common shipping and telecommunication services. To ship, in Europe, and in the world, you can use the common services Express mail, parcel, with tracking number. There are also private companies that offer shipping services throughout Europe.
On the official website of the Czech Post Office, from this link, all the schedules of the branches of the country and the services offered. Typically, post offices are open on business days, from 08:00 to 17:00.
SHOPS
Shops are generally open from Monday to Friday, from 07:00 to 18:00, and Saturday mornings. In the capital and the centers of greatest interest, the closure is postponed to 19:00. The shopping centers, and department stores, are open every day, except holidays, from 09:00 to 21:00.
PHARMACIES AND HOSPITALS
The sign Lekarna outside the building, indicates the presence of a pharmacy. As a rule, they are only open on weekdays, from 08.00 to 17.00. In large cities may have extended opening hours. On weekends and holidays, they are closed. Some pharmacies are located in shopping centers; in this case, they observe the same time as the shops inside. Over-the-counter medications can be bought freely, while for the more specific, a prescription will be required.
In the country, there are public and private structures. Public hospitals are concentrated mainly in large cities. Often, however, you will have to deal with long lines. In private facilities, costs are covered by the patient and / or possibly by his medical insurance. We recommend that you always bring your health card with you and, above all, take out adequate insurance coverage for medical expenses. Little curiosity: this is one of the countries with the highest number of doctors per inhabitant!
PHONE
In the Country, the frequencies Gsm 800 / 1800 Mhz and W-CDMA 2100 are used, the same as the main European countries. So you can easily use your Italian, French … smartphone.
To call phones in the Czech Republic, you need to enter the international code 00420, followed by the telephone number. O2, T-Mobile e Vodafone Česká Republika, are the main Czech telephone operators.
With the lowering of roaming costs, you can easily call from the country, taking advantage of your national tariff. Alternatively, you can use the classic VoIP calls, or make video calls, using a free WI-FI line.