I am going to the Czech Republic for the first time in late April, first in Prague for a day and a half but primarily going to Brno for a week. I would like to take the train to Brno. Do you have any suggestions for a first time visitor? thanks!
Greggus, Take a look at these earlier posts regarding travel to Brno: http://www.myczechrepublic.com/boards/v ... php?t=4533 http://www.myczechrepublic.com/boards/v ... php?t=4721 Taking the train to Brno is relatively simple - just go to Praha hlavni nadrazi (the main train station) and ask for a ticket to Brno (I believe you can find basic phrases here on local lingo - also you can simply write "Praha --> Brno" on a piece of paper and just indicate if you want one-way or round trip - I wouldn't expect them to speak English with you - they can be quite cranky). The train is fine, but bus travel is much cheaper and more pleasant I think. It can be a little more confusing though. If you're up for it, visit the Florenc bus station in Prague and purchase a bus ticket to Brno from there. Also, if you can read czech, or have the help of a czech friend, pick up a copy of the "Metropolis." It has listings for all that is happening in Brno, such as theater, movies, music, etc... Their website is under construction, but they do list a few things: http://www.netpolis.cz/ Have fun! I love Brno.
While this is primarily aimed at people moving to Brno, I just happened upon this website and found that it has *a lot* of very useful information for those travelling to Brno. Scroll down to find info on train and bus travel as well as things to do and see. They also give you the czech and english words you might see/need to know. http://survival.rrajm.cz/chapter10.html
I would like to add that everybody is different... I prefer BY FAR taking the train than taking the bus, even if it's more expensive and even (sometimes) slower that the bus. The main reason for me: my height (6ft. 2 in.)... I 'fit' fairly well in a train, but in a bus... Another reason: convenience (bathroom, can walk from car to car, restaurant, etc.) During my trip a few weeks ago, I took the bus twice and the train 3 times. The Ostrava-Praha bus ride for me was excrutiating...and same can be said for the Praha-Cesky Krumlov ride too. Don't get me wrong, the buses were modern and all, but the legroom is so minimal that it's just painful... Again, even in Canada, bus rides for me are painful...and our train system sucks. On the other hand, I enjoyed all my train rides (Praha-Kutna Hora-Praha and Cesky Krumlov-Praha via Ceske Budejovice) ... even the ULTRA SLOW Cesky Krumlov-Ceske Budejovice trip which you need almost 50 minutes to travel less than 30km and stops...well...I won't ruin the 'surprise'... :shock: I call it a 'cultural experience' While I didn't stop in Brno, I would suggest to check out the Moravian Krast and all its caves...that's one place that we wanted to check out, but we could not fit it in our tight schedule. BTW, I didn't have any problems whatsover buying tickets at the train stations...and the only 5 Czech words that I knew were: Ano, Ne, Dobry Den, Djekuji (sp?) and pivo!! Have fun!!! Frosken...jealous...
Good point. My preference for the bus stems from my traumatic experiences on the train. Okay, okay, they weren't "traumatic" :wink: but coming from Texas, I had absolutely no concept of trains and such, so my first few trips between Prague and Brno were a little stressful. For example on my first trip from Brno to Prague on the train I "shipped" my luggage along with the train. I don't know why I did it, but anyway...trying to find my luggage upon arriving in Prague was quite an adventure with ticket ladies yelling at me and me frantically calling my friend in Prague asking him to tell me what czech signs would point me to my luggage. I of course found my luggage and had a good laugh with the lady behind the counter. But then I discovered later that the train people in Brno confiscated my Rumove Pralinky (chocolate candy with rum) I had stashed in the front pocket! :? So anyway, I found buses much more familiar and thus less stressful. :mrgreen:
I am having trouble finding prices for a bus ticket from prague to brno or vice versa. Any suggestions on where to look. I checked the site that has all the times listings but couldn't find prices. Thanks
