FAQ - Q & A's

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Below are some of the questions we have been asked by well-meaning people, who could not understand why we are interested in the Czech Republic. A FAQ it is, as every Homepage with some self-respect just must have one!

What are the numbers for emergency calls?
Where are the border-crossings (by car)?
Are credit cards accepted?
What are the national holidays?
How about the language?
May the dog come along?
Does the mobile phone work?
What is the road toll?
What are the speed limits?
Do you have to fear the police?
Is it safe to drink the water?
Does it pay off to exchange money on the black market?
Don't you have to bring your own toilet paper?
Is it not dangerous?
How about pollution?
Can you get anything to eat?
Are the roads not terrible?
Is it possible to get around if you do not have a car
Do they not steal everything?

Anything missing? Do ask, the only risk is, that I cannot answer!

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What are the numbers for emergency calls?
The most importants are:

SOS calls answered i foreign languages	112
Ambulance	155
Police, national, Policie Ceske Republiky	158
Police, town, Mestska Policie	156
Car accident	154
Fire	150

Where are the border-crossings (by car)?
There are great many of them and those often driving to the Czech Republic all have opinions on, which route is the smartest. My advice is: Look at a map and select the border-crossing closet to your destination point. What we do coming from Denmark-Berlin are usual,

• Towards Prague and with direction to Brno or south towards Ceske Budejovice: E55 motorway passing by Dresden towards Usti
  

• Towards Decin and the northwestern part of thecountry: Schmilka/Hrensko
  
• Towards Liberec and heading east towards Hradec Kralove: Zittau/Porajow/Hrádek nad Nisou (1.8 km through Poland)
  
• Towards Karlovy Vary and south: Oberwiesenthal/Bozi Dar

Please remember that the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia are part of the Schengen agreement.

Calculate your average speed on a Czech road (except motorways) to be not more than 70 km/hour.
UAMK has a list of border-crossings.
Nemecko = Germany; Rakousko = Austria; Polsko = Poland. 

Are credit cards accepted?
In general the answer is yes - and no:
The big supermarkets like Billa do take plastic, and shops tend to accept credit cards if they sell western brands. An exception is "tourist shops" which may be recognised by the number of card stickers on the entrance: If they have more than 10 they will hardly ever have Czech customers!
Cash is always at hand even in smaller towns. If there is a bank it is likely, that there is an outdoor cash machine.

What are the national holidays?
They are, fairly chronologically:

January 1st	Independent Czech State/New Year's Day
Varies	Easter Monday
May 1st	Labour Day/May Day
May 8th	Liberation Day
July 5th	Slavic Apostles St. Cyril and St. Methodius
July 6th	Burning of Jan Hus
September 28th	Czech Statehood Day
October 28th	Independent Czechoslovakia Day
November 17th	Fight for Freedom and Democracy
December, 24th-26th	Christmas

 How about the language?
The Czechs speak a splendid - Czech!
German and Russian are also mastered by a large part of the population, but if you as a standard imperialist expect everyone to respond in a distinctive English, you have come to the wrong place.
As the Czechs are very friendly it is not a problem at all. Smile, be happy and visit the nearest bookshop to get an appropriate dictionary.
If you prefer a gadget or software try to look closer at Ectaco.

May the dog come along?
Yes, no problems.
The dog must have the EU passport as of October 2004, but check with your veterinarian authority.
Dogs must wear muzzle, but on the street you only see muzzles on dogs like Schäefer, Dobermann and Rottweiler. However, in public transport all dogs must wear it.

Does the mobile phone work?
Yes, the country is covered like for example Denmark.
You may also buy prepaid cards within the country and save a lot of money. You have to buy the card at a tele-shop, while you also may fill it again at a kiosk (trafika)
The major mobile operators are: Go/Eurotel, Oscar and T-mobile.

What is the road toll?
If you come by car you have to pay a fee if you want to use the motorways. The sticker is to be placed on the inside of the windshield and can be bought at the border at the same kiosks where you change currency.
Prices for a car (< 3.5 t) Year 2011 are:
CZK 1,500, - for the year;
CZK 440, - for one month;
CZK 310, - for 10 days.

What are the speed limits?
They are as shown on the picture below:

Do you have to fear the police?
Nope, but the traffic police like to fine any car driver possible. There seems to be no fixed tariffs (Czech authorities claim that there is, but the Czech Republic is not the first country where the authorities do not now what happens in the real world!), which means the fine reflects what the officer thinks you are willing to pay! For your own state of mind do not consider if the fine is fair, but instead negotiate it to a level that does not hurt you. If you insist you may enjoy one of our tales, "The Speeding Ticket".

This is what happened to us when we parked illegal in Melnik. We did not know, we did wrong: The sign that usually means "No entrance" means in this part of the world "No parking without special permission". This experience did cost us 800,- Czech crowns! The only comfort: They do not discriminate against tourists; the locals were fined as well - but at a different tariff ..

Is it safe to drink the water?
Yes, the drinking water (from tap) is as safe as the Danish drinking water...

Does it pay off to exchange money on the black market?
I thought this question obsolete (2004) but it is not. You may occasionally get an offer you cannot resist, but do resist, unless you want to see yourself with a pile of valueless Zloty or even more valueless Czech money from before the currency was changed in 1993. If you do give in to the temptation, at least do not moan about it when you discover that you have been tricked. Do people exchange money on the street in your home country?
As the Czech Koruna, CZK or Kc, You can find the rate in the CzechLink section, Currency.
You can safely change money at the Cinovec border, where the exchange rates are very average, but be careful if you cross the border at other points. If you go by car do also remember to buy a permission to use the motorways.
Or do as I do: Get cash from a cashing machine with your credit card.

Don't you have to bring your own toilet paper?
No, there is no need to. You can get everything even in the minor cities. In the major cities you can get all the brands you are used to, and often the prices are similar to the prices in Western-European shops. In the minor cities one may be lucky and find the Czech products dominating the shells of the super-market and at Czech prices.
The meat in the butcher shop may not be cut as one is used to, but regard is as a challenge to the cook. The quality is not worse than what you find in a Danish shop.

Is it not dangerous?
We have met amazingly many people who thought, the Czech Republic almost was a branch of (the former) Yugoslavia, with a civil war just around the corner. Wrong! The Czechs are as political indifferent as the Danes are and will cancel any planned revolution if it starts to rain. Typically, the Velvet Revolution in -89 was very peaceful.

How about pollution?

Pollution was enormous problem, but a lot has happened in very short time. I do not know if you are still able to find regular dead forests, but I have not seen any for years. Even the rivers begin to have more species swimming around. Especially if you are outside Prague in the heating season you will never doubt that brown coal is a problem; you can literally feel it. Do you want to see one of the sources to the problem Most is a good starting point.

Can you get anything to eat?
Yes, everywhere and very cheap (we disregard Prague). The country has also been blessed by McDonalds to a degree, which makes it possible to even the most particular to survive, as long as he does not get to far away from a major city.
The Czech kitchen is solid and large and may be a problem if you are a vegetarian on diet.
Do not choose the restaurant by its outside looks: The quality of the kitchen is absolutely not to be compared with the front of the building.

Are the roads not terrible?
In general, no. You may find yourself driving slalom between craters in some of the cities, but not worse than you see in many other European countries. The only thing to be aware of is the railway crossings. They must be passed in 2nd gear unless you want to seriously injure as well car as passengers. Another good advice is to follow the traffic regulations. The police do not hesitate to fine a tourist. And another traffic issue: The alcohol limit is 0.0!

Is it possible to get around if you do not have a car?
Yes it is. One of the good sides of communism was to build a good infrastructure regarding public transport. The country has a developed railroad network and even the smallest village is visited regularly and often by bus. The transport is very cheap. You may see timetables for train and busses in the CzechLink section, Public transport.

Do they not steal everything?
We do not know! It is said about cars, that during communism, one should take care of ones windscreen wipers, after -89 of ones belongings kept in the car, and now one must be careful about the car itself. We have never experienced any inconveniences, but like home we guess it is stupid to leave a car with visible values in it, parked in a dark alley in a ghetto.