antiquing in cesky krumlov and how to get there

Hello, I am a 59 year old female antique dealer from Minnesota. I will be in Prague April 19 to April 29, 2006. I have only been there once. I do not yet know where I am staying. I am trying to find travel and hotel in Cesky Krumlov, but it is very hard to find info. It would also be nice to have someone to visit with while I am there. So if you have information to share, I would appreciate it. Thank you, Sandy

 

Try this site:
Cesky Krumlov

 

thank you so much. i had been to that site before. have you been to cesky krumlov? I need to figure out how to travel there from Prague. This is my first trip alone and I thought it would be easier to get reservations etc. Iam wondering if calling would be better than email and if a hotel does not take a credit card, how can i be sure i will have a reservation? also, returning home, my flight leaves at 7 a.m. so I NUST be to the airport by 5. IT is imperative that I know I have transportation.

 

Hi Kitty46,
Yes I have been to Český Krumlov. [Pictures HERE ] I stayed at Pension Ingrid and Ingrid was wonderful. She did not speak much English, but with my Czech and German and a little English there was no problem.
I booked by e-mail, and she didn't even ask for a deposit! I paid on arrival.
There are many small hotels there, and I am sure you will be OK.
There is a bus direct from Prague (Florenc bus station) - it was midsummer, so booking ahead helped to be sure of a seat. You would need to return to Prague the day before your flight home to be at the airport so early.

I am sure someone on the forum who is located in Prague can give more up-to-date information on buses and booking.

Have a great trip.

Chris

 

:lol: Thank you so much!!!!!You are comforting. I don't know any Czech or German, but I bought a phrase book and last trip we did a lot of pantomine. I was wondering if I could count on email making me a firm reservation and you have said it does. One thing I have already learned (I was very anxious) was that there time table is a little different from ours for replys. Can you really book a bus seat ahead of time? Do you think I can do it from the US? What is "the forum"? Thanks so much!!!I appreciate it. I shouldn't be such a worrywart, but this is kind of scarey for me. I have always gone with tour groups...this is my first time all alone. Sandy

 

Kitty,
I am not sure if you know that Cesky Krumlov is VERY touristy town. You can see practically only tourists in Old town. People there speak anything but Czech (no worry for you there). If you see locals, they work there - catering to tourists. All shops are set up for tourists only. I don't think that you will find genuine antiques, or bargains there - only lots of souveniers etc. and prices are "for tourists" too. To enjoy castle (2 or 3 different tours) and old town day and night, nice meals in quaint restaurants, you will need cca 2 night there.

You will do much better in Prague. In Centre of Prague, antiques are more expensive than in USA. You may find something when looking for "out of the way" shops. You can do that easily by getting "metro pass", using different street cars and letting them take you wherever they go. Look for interesting shops and get off at the next stop to explore. Lenght of time you are going for doesn't seem long enough to explore, especially it is your first time in CR.

In no way I am saying do not go to Cesky Krumlov. It is unique experience we on our continent do not know. However it is not a place for antiquining, but if you enjoy centuries old beautifully restored architecture, you will be delighted.

The fastest way to Cesky Krumlov is by bus and it takes 3-4 hours one way from Florenc bus terminal. On the way back it comes to Knizeci and you will take Metro (Andel) from there to your accommodation. Train is slower and not as convenient. Visitors sometimes do not realize, that even though it doesn't look far on map, travel in CR takes much longer than in USA.

You will find bus schedule at http://www.vlak-bus.cz/DepForm.asp?tt=J&cl=E5 It is in English. Leave Prague early morning to allow enough time. After you arrive it is short walk to Old Town Cesky Krumlov.
Good luck.

 

Thank you very much. I printed the bus schedule for myself. I am feeling very fortunate. I was in cesky krumlov last year for 4 hours. I met the very nice people who own Nostalgie Antiques and Nostalgie Pension. I have my reservation there now and the mother will pick me up at the bus station. I will be there 3 nights. I did well buying in their antique store. I bought many hatpins, buttons, and paperweights. Mostly buttons. Could you tell me if I need to purchase my bus ticket ahead of time. I arrive in Prague on 19/04 and will spend the next day finding out how to get to the tourist information center and the Florenc bus station. Yes i intend to go to the castle. I would also like to see the real town, not the tourist town. Do you know, does CZ have "charity" shops like England does? In Prague I am hoping to stay at U Lilie pension on Liliova as I am familiar with that area. I am waiting for them to reply to me. There is a good shop near there called Much antiques. I was thinking of riding around and getting on and off the bus. I like to do things like that, but the foreign language is a little scary. Do I buy the metro pass in Prague or do I have to order from the U.S. ahead of time? thank you for replying to me. i appreciate it.

 

Hi Kitty,
It looks like you were in CR on organized tour. You say you were planning on "riding the busses".....even though, there are busses in Prague, there are more in the areas out of the Prague (from outer Metro stations) with not much to see in way of the stores. I would suggest that you use trams (streetcars) as their stops are much closer to each other and easy to use.

You have to take advantage of internet search in order to be informed before you go and not to wait on finding out how to get around when you get there. Most important information re CR is also in English, including city transportation. Here is link to some, but there are maps and tourist information on internet, a lot on this website will be very useful. Also use key words and search in this Forum and you will get detailed information just about anything.
http://www.dp-praha.cz/en/index.htm

Lilliova street is right in the centre of tourist area by Old town square. I am pretty sure that you won't find any bargains there, but I quess money is no object, just the pleasure is important. Just be carefull with your purse as that area is notorious for pickpackets. Be aware of your valuables at all times.

To find your way around ahead of the time, just type name of the stop you are coming from and where you want to arrive and this link will show you how to get there http://www.dp-praha.cz/idos/connform.aspx?tt=pid&cl=E5 - as I said all pertinent info you need is on internet, you just need to look it up.

There is Sue Rider (GB) store in Prague and many others, this too you will find by search on internet i.e. Prague charity stores....Sue Rider etc. and you will find adresses and check it on City transportation map/info which will tell you how to get there. Transportatiion in Prague is very very easy, get map of underground and streetcars and you will be fine. You can buy Metro pass (valid for ALL transportation in city of Prague) at the airport. When you come out of the arrivals, still in the main hall it is available in one of the booths. You can get pass for one, two etc. days up to one week. They speak English there.

You can get to Florence by underground (easy) and get there about one hour early a buy ticket then. Lady at the wicket speaks English. I don't think that you can buy bus tickets from USA, it would not make any sense.

Your closest Metro (underground) will be either Mustek or Staromestska. Closest streetcar stop is Staromestska. Following link will tell you how to get from there anywhere you need to go. i.e. Florenc (bus terminal) or to any other stop, you just have to fill it in with particular stop names. http://www.dp-praha.cz/idos/connform.aspx?tt=pid&cl=E5

You are asking "What is "the forum"?" It is HERE ...discusion forum on this website. Go with your cursor to yellow line above, click on "Search" and type in any word(s) which would be main word in your question. It will find all discussions on this web site about CR where the key word was used.

Hope you have enjoyable trip.

 

Magan, you have been extremely helpful! Part of my problem is that I am not very computer savvy. Your websites have been very helpful. I am glad to know all of the information available right at the airport! So far, I have my 2 hotels booked ( a major accomplishment for me). I chose them because I am familiar with them and that is security for me. I thought they were good values because the travel agent wanted me to pay $150 and U Lilie is $84 and Nostalgie is $63. Now I see Ingrid is even less...but the owner will pick me up at the bus staion in Cesky Krumlov. Another comforting fact. yes, I was on a tour..not a commercial one, but one led by a local antique dealer. sorry, i didn't even know what forum was. This is the first time I have ever gone to a blog, if this is what this is. For you antiquers out there. Antique Mucha on Liliova had some very good buys. I am a dealer and I buy for resale, so I always watch my prices. It WAS disappointing however, to learn that many of the perfume bottles were NEW. And yes, money is an object...I am flying on a free ticket. This will be sort of my "challenge" in life before I turn 60. As AnaisNin wrote.."Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage". I have been selling on ebay for the last couple of months to pay for my trip. Thank you for the warning. It is nice to feel that someone is looking out for me. Sounds like that Metro pass will be a good idea. then i don't have to have correct money to put in yellow machine. One final question, in looking at my bus schedule. What do these words mean? aut.na'dr, and runs on Sun. 17 IV,1,8V runs not 16,30lV.,7V? Thank you very much :wink:

 

Hi Kitty,

"What do these words mean? aut.na'dr, and runs on Sun. 17 IV,1,8V runs not 16,30lV.,7V?"

These words are secret codes used by public transportation companies to confuse passengers. :lol:

I will try to decipher it:

aut.nádr. (autobusové nádraží) - bus station
runs on Sun. - operates on Sundays
17 IV - April 17
1 V - 1st May
etc.

More abbreviations:
Po (Pondělí) - Mon (Monday)
Út (Úterý) - Tue (Tuesday)
St (Středa) - Wed (Wednesday)
Čt (Čtvrtek) - Th (Thursday)
Pá (Pátek) - Fri (Friday)

Mon - Fri are working days ("Pracovní dny"), the sign for working days is symbol with two crossed hammers.

So or S in circle or "Den pracovního volna" (Sobota) - Sat (Saturday)
Ne or + or "Den pracovního klidu" (Neděle) - Sun (Sunday)

Each week day can be also abbreviated by symbol with number in circle:
(1) - Monday (czech week starts on Monday)
.
.
(5) - Friday
.
(7) - Sunday (end of the week)



"Den pracovního klidu" = Sundays and Holidays
"autobusová zastávka" = bus stop
"zastávka na znamení" or X - bus stops here only when you signal to driver to do so - in bus by pressing signal button, from outside (on the such bus stop) by wawing hand

 

Oh my goodness!!!!!Thank you for taking all that time to write things out. I am sure there are others who will welcome the information. How will I ever learn it all? I have been printing everything. There is so much good information here. I am so glad I found this site!!! Now, would anyone like to know anything about northern Minnesota?!Thank you Thank you :lol:

 

I am glad you getting everything "sorted out", Kitty46.

I am sure you will be well taken care of by your host at Nostalgie.
[BTW - Ingrid came to the bus station to meet us when we arrived and helped with our luggage, which was very kind, but it was only literally 5 minutes walk to the hotel!]

One other point I would mention: It may not be a problem in April, but when we travelled to Krumlov in June (we went for the festival of the Five-Petalled Rose) we were glad that we had booked a seat on the bus. I mean a místenka, a reserved seat, not just a travel ticket. It usually is a little more to reserve the place, but all those with reserved seats were allowed to board the bus first, and then those with tickets but no reservation, and finally any who wished to pay on the bus if there was room.
Sorry to say, there was a man (American, sadly) who had no reservation, but had bought a ticket in advance, who insisted on getting on before some who had seat reservations, and then refused to get off again. The driver was at the point of calling the police before the man got off. He did get on the bus later, but those with reserved seats took precedence. For the few crowns extra, I thought it was worth it, if only for the peace of mind. At my age (56) and with a heart condition, that was important.

Hope this helps.

 

CzechChris-Thanks for writing. Maybe some day we can meet. I used to go to England once or twice a year, but have not for over a year because the dollar is so weak for me to buy items to resell. I love your country! The people are so kind. I always stay in Bloomsbury. Maybe I will come for Ardingly in September. If I had known about Ingrid, I would have booked there, but this whole trip is almost outside of my comfort zone because I don't know the language, can't read the signs etc. It is sort of like my challenge to do this before I turn 60. And do it I will! I told my husband when things weren't coming together, that at the very worst, I would just sleep in the airport and take a cab to town every day! Sorry to say there are jerks every where, but someday he will get his(not my husband-the man on the bus). Thank you, Sandy

 

I suggest buying a small Cz-Eng/Eng-Cz phrasebook, if you do not have one already from your previous trip. I am sure the bookshops in the centre of Prague will have them if they are not available in Minnesota. (And there is a plethora of bookshops etc in central Prague.)
Then, at least, you could point to a phrase in the book to help you out, if you did not feel confident enough to say it. Although they usually have a phonetic translation to help you.
In Prague there will be no problems with English. I know people who live there who don't speak Czech at all!

 

Thank You! That was the first thing I did after getting an airplane ticket. I got it on Amazon.com. I remember last trip, in the smaller out of the way shops, we used a lot of pantomine. It was fun. Does anyone have any ideas about shipping items home if I buy too much? Postage on my shipping calculator was over $200 for 50#. The airling told me $125.00 USD for an additional 50# suitcase. That seems best right now. Is there a UPS office in the CR? If I mail something through the post office will I ever receive it? Unfortunately, I have heard a lot of horror stories about archaic laws etc. due to the old Communist regime. Thank you Sandy

 

UPS
You can find info about UPS in CZ on: http://www.ups-czechrepublic.com/

Regarding Czech Post (Česká Pošta): http://www.cpost.cz/jetspeed/?js_language=en

I think its services are not as bad as in these stories. IMHO: CzP is above average in comparision to other EU post offices.
Just in case you are not aware of it: :wink:

• +if you wish to send something of higher value, then it would be always wise to have it insured
  +if you mail something overseas, always send it "by air mail"
  +Like in other countries the export of antiques is subject of some restriction and/or prohibition. If any "law problem" appears during delivery then UPS (or any other parcel company) will be a lot more of assistance than CzP.

 

"Ask and you shall receive". I appreciate the information and the websites. You are all so helpful! What does IMHO mean? Thank You!

 

Just Internet acronym: IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

 

Kitty: Post office is walking distance between your accommodation and Metro stop Staromestska. It is in large corner building Kaprova/Zatecka (streets). They don't speak English, so you would have to have everything packed and addressed and write on it (if by airmail) LETECKY. I thing though that luggage allowance is quite generous and you should be able to bring 2 HUGE, practically empty suitcases. Check with your airlines how many kg you are allowed, but from my experience, I have brought back very heavy loot with no extra cost. You don't need to bring too much clothes, can always rinse and dry till morning.

I have some business to do in Prague this Spring, but I have to wait till they let me know when to come. However, it is quite possible that I will be in Prague at the same time. I love any kinds of little treasures like you do, but not interested to buy for me anymore as I just downsized. It would be my pleasure to take you around for tram ride. I will be located in the same neighbourhood in Prague as you are. You probably don't know how to reach me by private message on this board, but you can write to Magan@centrum.cz to me and we can talk.

 

My 2 cents:
I was in this post office (Kaprova) several times and there were always tourists present (sending postcards only, no parcels). So I think the staff is able to deal with foreigners (at least on "postcard matters" ). If I remeber it correctly this post office is open Mon-Fri till 19.00.
Reagarding parcels: czech post offices also usualy sell carton boxes of various sizes but ... unfolded