How To Get From Prague or the Prague Airport to Cesky Krumlov
Short Version
a) The easy way - When on a nonstop flight from New York, Atlanta, or London, you will arrive at Terminal 1 at Prague's airport. If your flight to Prague departs from a Schengen country (almost all of the countries of Europe), you will arrive at Terminal 2. If you are with several people, you have heavy/valuable luggage, it is a holiday/weekend when buses/trains overflow with riders and vacant seats can be hard to find, the weather is bad, you have too much jet lag to deal with public transportation or cranky children, etc., consider the chauffeur and shuttle services mentioned in the "long version" below. If you use a chauffeur service, two hours and 45 minutes after leaving the airport and at a cost of $150 (exchange rate as of this writing), your group will be at your lodging in Cesky Krumlov; a shuttle service costs approximately $50 per person with the conditions noted in the long version below. (For travel between a hotel in the center of Prague and Cesky Krumlov on Sunday morning, the trip takes two hours and fifteen minutes. However at busy times like Sunday afternoon, Friday afternoon, etc. an additional thirty minutes or more is required). As the current highway renovation south of Prague opens more segments, the travel time continues to shorten.
b) For the adventurous who have more time and would rather pay a mere fraction of the above prices - After going through passport control and baggage claim at Termnal 1 of the Prague airport, in the "Arrival Hall" are ATM machines to the left of the main exit doors directly ahead; the "Student Agency" (see link below) ticket booth is to the right side of these doors. Don't worry if you are not a "student" since anyone can ride this bus. I don't know why this name was chosen since the function of language should be to convery information and not to confuse/mislead. If you have not already obtained a ticket with a seat reservation at the "Student Agency" website, they will sell you a ticket here if a seat is available. Get some coins with your change since you will need them to buy a ticket (26 CZK as of this writing) to ride the airport bus to the ZLICIN metro station then ride the metro to the long distance bus station NA KNIZECI. Although the ZLICIN metro stop is less "touristy" than the DEJVICKA metro station (see below), always be aware of your luggage and avoid being caught in crowds associated with pickpockets in tourist areas (ie., on stairwells, entering/leaving metro cars and trams, etc.) and keep valuables in a money belt under your clothes. Usually it takes about one hour to get from the airport to the NA KNIZECI bus station from which the "Student Agency" buses leave for Cesky Krumlov. Although a taxi to the bus station is faster, it costs over twenty times as much. See article below to avoid being ripped off on taxi fares, and always avoid people who approach you offering a taxi ride. Outside the "Arrivals Hall" go to the stop for bus #100 (directly ahead on the other side of the plexiglass wall), and buy your ticket from the nearby machine. Validate the ticket when on the bus in one of the machines in the aisle; keep the ticket with you until you exit your last metro stop in case an undercover policeman asks to see it. (If it appears the bus will leave before you have time to buy a ticket from the machine, the bus driver will sell you a ticket for a slightly higher price). If you have large luggage, you will need a separate ticket for it. ZLICIN is the last bus stop for this bus. There get on the metro, and ride it to metro station ANDEL. At ANDEL turn to your left when you exit the metro car (assuming you boarded it at ZLICIN), ride the escalator up to the small shopping area below the NA KNIZECI bus station (be sure to take the correct exit since the opposite ANDEL exit is far from the bus station), and walk up the stairs at the far left end of the underground shopping area to catch your bus to Cesky Krumlov. If your flight arrives at Prague's Terminal 2, see details in the long version below concerning getting from its Arrival Hall to Prague's long distance bus stations and train stations. As of this writing there is no Student Agency ticket office in Terminal 2 although its ticket office in the Terminal 1 Arrival Hall is within easy walking distance. See details below concerning getting from the Cesky Krumlov bus station to its historic center.
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Long Version - For details about each step of the way, see articles below:
FLYING TO THE PRAGUE AIRPORT - Although the removal of passport control made travel between European Schengen Countries easier, overseas passengers going to Schengen countries such as the Czech Republic must now go through passport control at their transit airport if it is in a Schengen country. Therefore it is much easier to take a nonstop flight from Atlanta, New York, London (Heathrow airport is known for delays, long distances between gates, congestion, recurrent luggage problems, etc.), or some other non Schengen city and go through passport control at Prague airport. Heathrow is also known as "the world's only construction site with its own airport." Historically Paris' CDG (the busiest airport in continental Europe) has been a struggle for transit passengers, often a "Mission Impossible." "Your mission, should you decide to accept it" will be to experience long distances between gates, absent/misleading signage, overwhelming crowds, indifferent customer "service" (CDG passengers write, "the guy at the ticket counter said he would not speak to us because we had the wrong attitude and would only speak with passengers with the right attitude," "it took forever to find a staff member that would give us directions and my friend speaks fluent French," and "why transport passengers from their arriving Terminal to a different Terminal over a mile away for security then back to their original Terminal for their connecting flight?"), congestion by design (check-in and boarding areas in some terminals are so narrow that other passengers are blocked from getting to their flights), glass ceilings that become solar heaters on summer days, omnipresent cigarette smoke, baffling positioning/naming of terminals (although halls 2ABCDEF of Terminal 2 are physically connected, hall 2G of Terminal 2 is 1.6 miles away on the other side of two huge buildings, Satellite 3 and Satellite 4; Satellite 3 is not to be confused with Terminal 3 although even the French president calls Satellite 3 a "Terminal"; some CDG maps label Satellite 3 as "Satellite 3" but other maps label Satellite 3 as "La Galerie Parisienne," causing some web travel instructions to say that S3 and "La Galerie Parisienne" are two different buildings and confusing even French speaking tourists since "galerie" in French means "gallery, arcade, loft, tunnel, or roof rack"), management's main concern (a "spectacular shopping experience," even boasting at the opening ceremony for the half mile long S3 that "commercial considerations were at the heart of discussions over the design and layout of the new terminal") is antagonistic towards most passengers' main concern (a smooth/rapid transit to one's connecting flight without having to fight through crowds in an over priced store to reach one's next departure gate), passengers forced through crowded passport control bottlenecks even when flying to another Schengen country, etc.; their current procedures are worse than ever unless Paris is your final destination. Although there is a CDG website titled "easycdg.com," to quote Robin Williams from one of his movies, "it's never easy." The "official" intra Terminal 2 connecting time of 60 minutes is overly optimistic; as recently as several years ago several airlines were infamous for scheduling only 45 minutes between their connecting flights causing many passengers to miss their connections. Truly these passengers were sent on a "Mission Impossible," especially if their arriving flight did not park at one of the terminal gates. When you ask CDG employees (who often do not speak English very well) for directions, be aware that saying "Terminal S3" sounds almost the same as the entirely different "Terminal 3". Although some CDG websites say that Terminal 2 shuttle buses leave from all arrival areas and go to all Terminal 2 departure halls, other CDG websites say that Terminal 2 shuttle buses have a limited schedule for international connecting passengers leaving only from specific departure gate areas and going to only some departure halls. Now one must go through passport control at CDG at least once plus security before using the shuttle bus when arriving from any non Schengen country. At rush hour the number of shuttle buses is often insufficient for the number of passengers waiting; in many cases it is faster to walk to your next gate unless it is in a different building. On a recent trip I no longer saw the former signs in the arrival hall directing one to the shuttle buses and saw no airport staff for help as the huge crowd pushed towards the few open windows at passport control. Print the shuttle bus departure gate details before your trip and carry them with you; often at CDG a remarkable amount of clairvoyance is demanded from passengers as they approach difficult to interpret signage and must quickly decide in what direction to walk. Every time my flight arrives late at CDG and I must run the entire length of Terminal 2 to reach my next flight before its boarding door closes, I am reminded of the words from Dante's Divine Comedy, "abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Use CDG for transit only if you are a glutton for punishment or have at least several hours between flights.
Until 2008, Munich and Dusseldorf airports had some of the shortest/easiest transit options in Europe, especially when conecting between code share flights. Unfortunately now they also send non Schengen passengers on a long and out of the way trek through passport control, the baggage claim area, etc. into the nonsecure part of the airport to locate a distant check-in counter merely to get a boarding pass for the next flight. Fortunately Dusseldorf and some others recognize this new hassle is costing them income by causing many transit flyers to avoid their airports; they are building faster transit corridors to/from some international flights. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, which historically has been one of Europe's favorite transit airports for frequent flyers, now has its own passport control barrier between the Schengen and non Schengen gates. Even though its passport control can be time consuming during rush hour and holidays, at least one is not required to go outside baggage claim to search for a poorly marked, distant check-in counter to receive the next boarding pass. Therefore Schiphol once again is my favorite transit airport in Europe although as the airport expands, the longer distances between newer gates inside the terminal become more of an issue. There are many transit stations throughout this airport for boarding passes, and an "XpresSpa" is available (where you can have two treatments done simultaneously) if your transit experience becomes too stressful! For those with a long wait between flights, in addition to countless shops, restaurants, and wireless Internet, it also has a free art museum (a branch of the famous Rijksmuseum), medical clinic, casino, hotel, and even offers "Schiphol Weddings" with four different options depending upon your available time and budget.
INTRODUCTION TO CZECH BUSES AND TRAINS - For several years the main "Hlavni Nadrazi" train station has been undergoing a major renovation (see a map of Prague's historic center at http://www.pragueexperience.com/maps/map.asp where the boundary between sections "2" and "3" meets the boundary between sections "c" and "d;" click the map to enlarge it then click specific sites for additional details). Completion is currently scheduled for December, 2010. Hopefully the original Art Nouveau architecture will be retained and the Communist era "improvements" will be removed. When the station opened in 1871, it was a splendid showplace to welcome visitors and locals alike; its downlill course was begun by the Communists who built a massive highway on top of a block building in front of the Art Nouveau architecture destroying much of the park in front. Since the 1989 Velvet Revolution that overthrew Communism, the station can be rather seedy especially at night with its drug users, prostitutes, pickpockets, etc. Avoid the taxi drivers here who are known for their ripoff prices; the metro station underneath the train station is easy to use and inexpensive. The park in front of the station is even called "Sherwood Forest" by locals because of the high incidence of theft and the number of homeless people occupying it. Until the renovation has been completed and the high speed train line is built from Prague to Linz, most people take the bus to Cesky Krumlov because the bus trip is shorter, cheaper, and often involves no transfers. The bus station is also much closer to the tourist area of Cesky Krumlov than its train station which is near the top of a steep hill (see Cesky Krumlov map). On weekends and holidays the public buses/trains can be crowded, especially during summer. If you have an unreserved seat, please give your seat to the elderly/disabled if they ask.
On public buses buying your ticket in advance, instead of from the bus driver, gets you a reserved seat. On weekends, holidays, etc., sometimes all of the seats will be taken, but you can ride standing in the aisle until a seat becomes available. However at peak travel periods there will not even be any standing room left so you will need to wait for the next bus. Such private companies like "Student Agency" do not have standing room and only have reserved seats; you will need to buy your ticket in advance unless you take the chance that the bus will have vacant seats left for the stewardess or driver to sell. At bus station FLORENC (metro station has same name) the public bus ticket office is in front of the bus platforms (see interactive link below); at bus station NA KNIZECI the public bus ticket office is underneath the bus station adjacent to the hallway leading to metro station ANDEL. When going to the NA KNIZECI bus station at metro B stop ANDEL, exit the metro station via direction "Zenske Domovy CSAD". "CSAD" is another term for the long distance bus lines. Thankfully, over the years they have improved the signage here. Nevertheless during rush hours, it can be easy to follow the crowds to the opposite metro exit which is far from the bus station. At ANDEL take the escalator up to the underground commercial area. Then walk straight ahead until you see the last stairs on your left going up to street level. Most of the buses to Cesky Krumlov leave from the bus stops closest to the top of this last exit to the left. In the left underground hall are small shops and the long distance bus ticket window which often is closed. Be especially careful of crowds entering/leaving the buses, trams, and metro cars at this transfer area and at any "tourist" areas in Prague; everywhere there are crowds of tourists, there are often pickpockets. It goes without saying that a money belt should be used below your clothes, and you should be especially wary of "the kindness of stangers," that is strangers who "volunteer" to help you with your luggage, etc. Before your trip, read such webpages as http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/tips_menu.htm and http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/298scam.htm. At bus station ROZTYLY (metro station has same name) the public bus ticket counters are next to the building containing a tiny grocery store and the stairs leading down to the ROZTYLY metro station. Often on long distance public buses there is a small extra charge for luggage that goes into the storage area; this area is not secure so do NOT use expensive looking luggage, and sit on the same side of the bus as the storage area so that you can watch the luggage compartment being unloaded during any stops. On these long distance public buses many people use smaller pieces of luggage that can be carried on the bus; however storage space above/under the seats is limited. If the bus is not crowded, the driver will let you put your luggage in the aisle beside your seat or on the vacant seat next to you.
The "local" public buses are not air conditioned, and few "long distance" public buses have air conditioning (Student Agency buses mentioned below are air conditioned). The public buses have no toilets ("Student Agency" buses have toilets); metro station ANDEL (see Prague Subway Map at http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/pra/praha.htm) has an underground pay toilet on the right side just before the last stairs up to the bus station known as NA KNIZECI; metro station ROZTYLY has a toilet at ground level just to the right as you exit the Metro station. Bus station FLORENC has toilets on the opposite side of the bus station to the ticket office building (see interactive link below). Go to http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/ to find the bus or train schedule for your travel; use your exact day of travel since schedules for public buses vary on holidays and weekends; most schedules list the price that varies according to the number of kilometers for that route. In planning your trip allow at least one hour to travel from the Prague airport to the NA KNIZECI bus station (above the ANDEL metro station) during non rush hours; at the airport take bus #100 to the metro station ZLICIN then take the metro to station ANDEL). Unless you have a reserved seat, get to the bus stop early to have a good place in the line that forms waiting for the bus. Sitting in a seat in the back of the bus decreases the chance that someone has reserved your seat ahead of time forcing you to give up your seat at the last minute when only standing room remains. In the summer the back of the bus is also much cooler since there is a large ventilation opening in the roof (near the emergency exit at the back of the bus) on NON air conditioned buses. When going in a north/south direction during the summer, sit on the side of the bus opposite from the sun to avoid the dark fabric of your seat becoming a solar heater!
The renovated main bus station in Ceske Budejovice (on the route between Prague and Cesky Krumlov) is now open. HOWEVER NOVICES TO THE AREA ARE STILL URGED TO USE BUS ROUTES BETWEEN PRAGUE AND CESKY KRUMLOV THAT DO NOT REQUIRE ANY TRANSFERS. You will seldom make a close long distance public bus connection from a town as far away from Ceske Budejovice as Prague since long distance "public" buses are often late; "private" buses such as Student Agency have a much better on time record. During rush hours, bus stops often have more people waiting to ride the bus than can sit on the bus or fit into the standing room space.
On the return trip from Cesky Krumlov to Prague, many take the short bus ride from Cesky Krumlov to Ceske Budejovice since the bus station in Cesky Krumlov is closer to the center of the old town than the train station. Then in Ceske Budejovice taking the train to Prague (the main train station in Ceske Budejovice is just across the street from the main bus station) gives you more room to stretch out than on a bus, has toilets on board, and arrives at the main Prague train station. You will then be just a short walk from the famous Wenceslas Square (which is actually shaped like a long narrow rectangle instead of a square) where many hotels are located. As mentioned above, the taxi drivers at this train station are infamous for ripping off tourists with their high prices; however the walk to Wenceslas Square is short, downhill, and very easy if your luggage has wheels. Hopefully when the renovation of this train station is finished, the taxi situation will be improved here as well. On the other hand, taking the Cesky Krumlov bus to Prague deposits you at one of four Prague long distance bus stations, some of which don´t have clear directions to the closest Metro.
ADDITIONAL TRAIN TRAVEL TIPS - At http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/ print an itinerary of your trip for your EXACT date of travel (weekend/holiday schedules differ from workday schedules) showing the number for your departure platform, name of your transfer/arrival stations, arrival time, etc. At http://xe.com/ucc/ you can find the current exchange rate for your currency. Even small towns may have several train stations with approximately the same name. As one who has "been there; done that," it is easy to get off at the wrong station if you are not careful. Other train passengers will usually try to be helpful but may not understand your question; in many cultures people would rather tell you the wrong answer than admit they don´t know the answer or understand your question. Unlike Western Europe where almost every train station has a zillion signs with the station name, in Central Europe and Eastern Europe many towns have only one faded sign on the main train station building. If you are sitting in the back of the train or looking through the opposite or a fogged window, the train will have left the station before you know the station´s name. Therefore sit close to the front of the train so you can more easily see the station´s name in time to gather your luggage and go to your closest exit. At small stations the train will only stop for a minute or so; be prepared to open the train door to exit as soon as the train stops. On newer trains you press the green button by the door to open it automatically; on older trains, you will need to lower manually the large lever on the door to open the door. On crowded summer weekend and holiday trains when finding ANY unreserved seat in second class is difficult, first class train travel in the Czech Republic is a good option since the prices are so low compared to Western Europe. Sitting in first class, you can easily pay the train conductor the first class supplement when he comes to check your ticket; hand 100 CZK ($5 at this writing) to him with your second class ticket so he will not think you are trying to cheat with the wrong ticket. If your Czech train stops at an intermediate station and everyone seems to be getting off the train, the track ahead may be undergoing repair. All passengers are expected to board the special bus near the train station and ride it to the next train station beyond the repair work. There another train will be waiting for you to continue your journey. Although a loud speaker or conductor will tell you to leave the train to board the waiting bus, the announcement will almost always be only in the Czech language.
Be cautious about close train connections in Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas five minutes between trains would be plenty of time in such countries as Holland (where close connections are on the same platform and trains wait for each other), in the Czech Republic neither is usually the case. Also with the railroad infrastructure renovation between Prague and Linz, delays can be expected. If you understand a little Czech and/or the train conductor knows some English, he can at least tell you what track your next train will be leaving from and which end of the train that you are now riding will be closer to your connecting train at your transfer station. About ten or fifteen minutes before your scheduled stop, take your belongings and go to the proper end of the train. If you wait too long, other passengers will block your passage as they fill both ends of each train car waiting to exit the train when it stops. If your train does not arrive in Ceske Budejovice during "rush hour" (when the buses run more frequently) and you have missed your train connection, consider taking the short taxi ride from Ceske Budejovice to Cesky Krumlov rather than wait several hours for the next train/bus to Cesky Krumlov.
GOING FROM THE PRAGUE AIRPORT TO CESKY KRUMLOV BY BUS OR TRAIN - In 2006 Prague airport opened Terminal 2 for most flights within Europe. Although the instructions in the next paragraph now refer to Terminal 1, the general concepts also apply to Terminal 2. Specifically, the bus stops for Terminal 2 are under the front roof of the terminal building. Keep walking to the far right as you exit the building until you see the last signs for buses 100, 119, etc. where the buses pick up passengers. When you return to the airport for your flight home, know from which terminal your flight will leave. Some of Prague´s previous general aviation terminals, such as Terminal 3, are now used only for government or private aviation flights. When on a crowded bus, it is easy to get off at the wrong Terminal if you are not careful. As of this writing, Terminal 2 is the last stop for the public buses from the Prague metro stations.
If your flight arrives at Terminal 1, as you exit baggage claim use the ATM machines on the left side as you start to walk outside the building. You will need a FOUR number pin for your VISA or MC to use these machines. Don´t use the money changing booths since their "real" exchange rates and extra "fees" are higher than those at ATMs and banks. You can buy Prague bus/metro tickets at the Public Transport Information Desk in the arrivals hall on the opposite wall to customs and baggage claim just before you go outside, at the bus stops with Czech coins, or even from the bus driver (at a higher price) if you have low value banknotes. Cab drivers waiting outside the arrivals hall are notorious for ripping off tourists; therefore walk past them as you exit the terminal building, cross the street, and beyond the clear wall of plexiglass you will see the public bus stops on your right side. The adult fare is 26 KC as of January, 2008 if the ticket is bought from the ticket machines inside the terminal or by the bus stops (30 KC if the ticket is bought from the bus driver). There is an extra charge for large pieces of luggage. Properly validate your ticket in the machine on the bus as soon as you enter, and save your ticket until you completely exit the last stop for your journey. You can use the same ticket to continue your journey on the metro to the center of town or to one of the long distance bus or train stations as long as your trip is within the time limit for the ticket and in the same general direction. The 26 CZK ticket can be used for a single journey composed of bus, metro, and tram lasting up to 75 minutes from validation (90 minutes on weekends and state holidays). I emphasize "proper" validation since undercover police will charge you a large fine if your ticket has not been inserted into the machine so the time you started your journey is printed at the tip of the arrow on the front of the ticket. There is also a 90 CZK Cedaz minibus shuttle from Prague airport to the Dejvicka metro station and some other stops in Prague; however with this option you also need to buy a 26 CZK ticket to ride the metro from Dejvicka station to the metro station associated with your bus/train to Cesky Krumlov.
Bus #100 goes from the airport to metro B (see http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/pra/praha.htm for a Prague Subway Map) station ZLICIN. Prague has a half dozen long distance bus stations, but the ones for Cesky Krumlov are primarily FLORENC, NA KNIZECI, and ROZTYLY. If you print the Prague subway map at the just mentioned webpage, this paragraph will be easier to understand. The long distance bus stations FLORENC (metro station same name) and NA KNIZECI (metro station ANDEL) are on the metro B line. On the metro map, FLORENC is found where the C Line (shown in Red) crosses the B line (shown in Yellow); metro station ANDEL is five stations to the south west of metro station FLORENC on the B line (shown in Yellow). When going to the NA KNIZECI bus station at metro B stop ANDEL, exit the metro station via direction Zenske Domovy CSAD. "CSAD" is another term for the bus line. (If you have taken the #100 bus from the airport to the this metro line and boarded the metro at ZLICIN, as you exit the subway car at the ANDEL station, turn to your left and take the stairs/escalator up to the underground commercial area. Then walk straight ahead until you see the last stairs up to street level. The buses to Cesky Krumlov usually leave from the bus stops at the top of this last exit to the left but sometimnes at the top of the exit on the left just before the last one). The third Prague long distance bus station for Cesky Krumlov is ROZTYLY (the metro C stop has the same name). To reach this bus station, transfer from line B to line C at metro station FLORENC and travel south. (Line C also goes to the main train station "H. nadrazi" whose metro stop has the same name).
2009 Update - If you are taking the train to Cesky Krumlov after arriving at the Prague Airport, a faster and easier (no transfers) option is to take Bus AE (Airport Express) from the Prague Airport to the train station "Hlavni nadrazi". Travel time for the bus is about 50 minutes (their main web page indicates the trip takes 41 minutes, but their bus schedule page indicates 51 minutes); the bus leaves the airport every thirty minutes between 5:46 am and 9:16 pm. Use one of the airport ATMs (see details above) to get Czech currency since their exchange rates are better than those at the currency change booths. The price for an adult is 50 CZK with no charge for oversized luggage; tickets are sold by the driver at the bus stops for Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. As soon as you arrive at the train station, stop at one of the many small food stalls to get a liter of water and food to consume on the train in case food is not available on your train (with the transfer in Ceske Budejovice, the train trip to Cesky Krumlov requires between four and five hours); the water from the faucet above the sink in the train toilets is NEITHER safe to drink NOR to use to brush one's teeth. Although the train terminal is undergoing a massive renovation and the location of shops changes from time to time, historically there has been a convenient, food stall on the right side of the ground floor entrance hall just past the ticket office at the front door. Over the years some of the food stalls, especially those closest to the train tracks, have been infamous for high prices and low quality; hopefully the current renovation will include larger and better stores similar to those in other major train stations in Europe. If you have extra time before your train departs, visit a nearby supermarket as mentioned in the next paragraph for better prices and healthier alternatives. In downtown Prague essentially all of the larger supermarkets are underground and easy to miss if you are not aware of their street level logo or location (ie., in the basement of several large department stores and near some metro stations).
For people who want a serene picnic lunch between their long flight and the bus/train trip to Cesky Krumlov, bus #119 goes from the Prague airport to DEJVICKA (the metro station at the beginning of line A) which goes to stations in the historic center of Prague. One could of course reach the above mentioned metro B/C lines from this metro A line, but the large transfer station MUSTEK is complicated for novices to the area unless you stay on metro line A and use the southern metro exit in the direction towards MUZEUM and Wenceslas Square. (Although Prague is a safe city as large cities go, it does have pickpockets both solo and working together in groups. Be especially vigilant around crowds on stairs in metro stations and crowds at opening/closing doors to metro trains/trams/buses in "tourist areas." Remember that you are probably jet lagged after a long flight so remind yourself to watch your belongings and wear a money belt under your clothes). At metro station DEJVICKA board the train then exit it at station MUSTEK; walk in the same direction that the metro train is going and ride the escalator up to the underground commercial area. You will notice that this formerly large open hall has been replaced by enclosed shops in a strange pattern. As you enter the commercial space, if you go around the enclosed shops to the far left, you will reach a large underground supermarket. (Just to the right of the supermarket is an escalator/steps and pay toilets. This escalator/steps goes up to Wenceslas Square in the direction of MUZEUM). After you have bought your picnic lunch (be sure to buy an extra liter of water/juice plus food to carry with you on the bus/train to Cesky Krumlov), return to the entrance to the metro escalators just to get your bearings. Then make a hard right turn, and climb the first stairs to your right. At the top of the stairs hug the left side of the building as you walk along the sidewalk for about 33 paces (about 100 feet) until you see an interior arcade to your left. Walk straight through the arcade until you reach the entrance to a beautiful park with rose bushes, park benches, statues, etc. bordered by apartment buildings and a church to the north. Can you believe this quiet park is in downtown Prague between busy, noisy streets! Many Prague office workers eat their lunches here while sitting on the benches and admiring the beauty around them. On the "historic center" map link at the top of the page this park is shown in the upper left corner of quadrant "C3" just below the word "MUSTEK" and adjacent to the church marked "Our Lady of the Snows." There are entrances on the west of the park going to Jungmannova Street where a good place to find a large assortment of maps and travel books is the KIWI store at #23 on the other side of the street. Just to the north of KIWI back across the street is an Internet cafe, etc. A short walk north on Jungmannova Street is one of the northern entrances to the MUSTEK metro station. You will need to buy another 18 CZK or 26 CZK ticket, depending on the number of metro stops, to ride the metro to the bus station or train station for the trip to Cesky Krumlov, unless you walk to the nearby Hlavni Nadrazi train station to board a train there. Metro/tram tickets are sold near the top of metro entrance escalators in coin machines and sometimes at ticket windows near the machines. (Some post offices, sidewalk kiosks, and hotels also sell the metro/tram/bus tickets but may not have all types of tickets). Even after visiting Prague for more than a decade, I still make wrong turns inside this large MUSTEK station when changing between the metro lines, especially when some of the direction signs are missing.
GETTING FROM THE BUS STATION IN CESKY KRUMLOV TO ITS MAIN SQUARE AND HISTORIC CENTER - The buses from Prague let off passengers at the entrance to the main Cesky Krumlov bus station. (Whereas the main bus station in Ceske Budejovice is on the roof of a new multistory shopping mall shown at http://dopravne-obchodni-centrum.mercurycentrum.cz/autobusove-nadrazi-obchodni-centrum.php?mapa-centra/ , the main bus station in Cesky Krumlov is an open field with many buses parked along one side and numbered stations on the other side from which the buses start their journeys). As you leave the bus you arrived on in Cesky Krumlov, walk in the same westerly direction that the bus entered the bus station (you will see the Castle Tower in the distance above the trees straight ahead). As you reach the trees at the western end of the bus station parking lot, near the left corner you will see a foot path that goes up a small hill. (Near the top of this hill is a park bench with a photo-op of the old town below). Keep walking on the foot path until you reach the first street then bear to your right walking downhill on the sidewalk to the main highway. There is a stoplight here with a button to halt traffic. Cross at the "zebra" (there is a grocery store to your left), and walk straight ahead towards the bridge to the old town (you will be on Horni Street). Just before you cross this bridge there are some photo-ops on the right side behind the corner building. Between the bridge and Main Square there is a small park to your right for good pictures of the river below and the Castle across the river. After you pass the park and before you reach the Main Square, look to your right along the first narrow passageway that is primarily for pedestrians; you will see a photo-op used in many postcards with the Castle Tower in the distance between many buildings (Castle View Apartments at the corner of Satlavska Street is on the left side of this passageway and has ivy on its front). In winter when there is ice/snow on the ground, an easier approach to Castle View Apartments is to walk to the Main Square, turn right, then turn right again at the "Infocentrum" to walk on Satlavska Street which is also a pedestrian passageway. Although the walk from the main bus station to Castle View Apartments only takes about fifteen or so minutes, depending upon how many photos you take along the way, consider taking a taxi if you have heavy luggage, the weather is rainy, etc. There is often a taxi waiting near the entrance to the main bus station, or the clerk inside the small store by the entrance can call one for you. If you don't want to use a taxi and want to avoid walking up the small hill at the west of the main bus station, another option is to walk to the north of the bus station then through the gas station (see Cesky Krumlov map above) to the main highway that goes south to the stoplight and "zebra" mentioned above.
"STUDENT AGENCY" BUSES - Whereas in years past one had to put the EXACT date of travel into the www.idos.cz website since the "public" buses changed their schedules so frequently, "Student Agency" now has a fixed, fast (2 hours and 55 minutes), four trips a day schedule leaving at 7:00 am, 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 7:00 pm between Prague's NA KNIZECI bus station and the Cesky Krumlov main bus station. One does NOT need to be a "student" to use this private service. (DECEMBER 2009 UPDATE - According to the latest revision of the "Student Agency" website, on January 4, 2010 they will increase the number of buses on this route to eight per day! Advance reservations are still needed to ensure there will be space for you on the buses. Follow the links at http://www.studentagency.cz/express/vnitro/?&en for details and to make reservations for your travel. Note that as of yet one can reserve a seat no more than several weeks in advance; hopefully with the increased number of buses on this route, it will be easier to get a reservation for holiday weekends, etc. The website lists the movies shown on each bus as well as the vacant seats, etc. They have finally translated most of their pages into English so there is no longer the problem of our Czech/English translations being out of date almost as soon as they were written. As of this writing their website still has no option for buying a roundtrip ticket or several tickets at once). These air conditioned buses have toilets, movies with English subtitles with free use of head sets, a stewardess to serve free hot beverages (there is a charge for cold drinks), free (Czech language) newspapers/magazines, and "ports" for computers/CDs. Currently they charge 140 CZK to 160 CZK for a one way trip with student discounts if under 26 and additional discounts for children. The "Student Agency" bus schedule can also be found at http://www.idos.cz/ by noting which buses take 2 hours and 55 minutes between the NA KNIZECI bus station in Prague and Cesky Krumlov then clicking the link by the bus symbol; the link will confirm if it is a "Student Agency" bus. Be aware that some other bus companies that do NOT have toilets on board and other similar perks are now also advertising a 2 hour and 55 minute schedule between the two cities.
After making several trips on the "Student Agency" buses, I am happy to report that their buses often arrive at their long distance destinations early! In Prague the bus leaves from bus stop #1 at the NA KNIZECI bus station (above the ANDEL metro stop), and in Cesky Krumkov the bus leaves the main bus station from bus stop #4. When in Prague, reservations can be obtained at the "Student Agency" booth (open from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm) outside of baggage claim in the Terminal 1 arrivals hall in the Prague airport; as of this writing, Terminal 2 (where most flights from inside Europe arrive/depart) does NOT have a "Student Agency" booth. Once I asked the bus stewardess where one could buy an advanced reservation. She directed me to the bus ticket window below the NA KNIZECI station; however when I went there, it was closed. About an hour later there was a waiting line of people twenty feet long! When in Cesky Krumlov the Information Center at the Main Square will sell you a reserved seat. The bus driver or stewardess will sell you a ticket if there are any vacant seats on that bus; for travel during holidays, summer weekends, etc. it is most important to buy your ticket several days to a week in advance since many locals use the bus for the intermediate stops.
Since the toilet on this bus is next to the exit stairs below the seat level, persons over six feet tall, former weight lifters, and current couch potatoes will find the toilet cramped (pun?). Since the center of gravity of the bus is so high compared to "public" buses, persons with a tendency to motion sickness should take an over the counter medicine for it before using the bus if they plan to use the toilet. They should also sit as close to the front of the bus as possible to decrease the number of movie screens within the field of vision. On my first trip on the bus I sat in the front and watched the movie but did not try the toilet; I had no motion sickness. On my second trip I sat in the middle of the bus; after using the toilet on a winding road and bumping my head/shoulders during several sharp turns, I developed motion sickness when I returned to my seat. I am sure all of the movie screens on the bus showing English subtitles and the warm temperature inside the bus (it was below freezing outside) did not help. Fortunately the five seats at the back of the bus were empty, and I was able to lie down for thirty minutes until the next station stop. When the bus again became full, I had to return to my original seat. Persons with physical disabilities may have difficulty entering/leaving the bus since the steps are so steep and the passenger level is so high off the ground; they can forget about using the toilet since even an Olympic gymnast could have difficulty getting to and from the narrow, steep stairway and the adjacent small toilet while traveling on a winding road at high speed. Be advised that the storage space above the seats is VERY small, even smaller than the small storage space on the standard, long distance, "public" Czech buses. Therefore any luggage of significant size will need to go into the bus storage area. I wish the bus designer had been less concerned about a fancy, high tech look and more concerned about "people needs"; for example, the "public" buses as a rule have more padding in the seats, etc. If the bus designer had added a few more inches to the dimensions of the toilet space, even at the expense of making the main luggage storage area a few inches smaller, his design would have been greatly improved. If you plan to use the seat back tray during your trip or are bringing children, bring a few disposable wipettes; during the 75 to 90 minutes between trips, some of the stewardesses were not so fastidious as others in cleaning food/drink debris stuck to the tray tops.
On web travel forums, some Student Agency drivers have been called rude, making many unscheduled stops, etc. providing a negative travel experience compared to other bus companies. In this country, until 1989 dominated by Communist attitudes and tanks, one unfortunately still finds workers who consider customers to be a bothersome interruption to their day and not the reason they even have a job! From my personal experience on dozens of long distance "public" buses I have noticed a wide range in the behavior of bus drivers. Some bus drivers will help you with your luggage, answer your questions, and go out of their way to help you make a close connection by blocking the path of your next bus so you can board it before it leaves (I guess other riders might interpret this behavior as making another unscheduled stop). Other public bus drivers won't help with luggage, won't answer questions, and will not let you ride standing room (even though there is plenty of space for you between other standing passengers) when the next bus does not leave for many hours later. (The latter happened to friends of mine; to add insult to injury, the later "public" bus developed severe mechanical problems enroute delaying their trip again for several hours as another bus had to be sent from Prague to transport the passengers. The moral of this story is to get to your bus stop early if you don't have a reserved seat). Student Agency buses being newer have fewer breakdowns on the road than "public" buses though most Czech bus drivers are very talented at making minor bus repairs on their own. (November 2009 update - Recently some web forums have reported that the low Student Agency fares are attracting drunks behaving in an obnoxious fashion towards other passengers on the long distance routes such as Budapest to Prague, etc. As of yet I have neither heard of nor experienced such behavior on the shorter routes such as between Prague and Cesky Krumlov.) Nevertheless, the "Student Agency" buses are overall a TREMENDOUS improvement over the standard "public" long distance buses. Previously, even the direct (no transfers) public buses between Prague and Cesky Krumlov that were scheduled to take from three to three and a half hours (varied with the number of stops) took up to four hours in busy traffic! Since on weekends and holidays one needed to stand in line at the bus stop almost thirty minutes ahead of time to be sure to get a seat on the bus, it was not uncommon to have between four and five hours without a bathroom break! Thankfully the days of "grin and bear it" while suffering with a full bladder on a long distance bus have been replaced with "grin and BARE it." Also note that some of the movies shown on the bus are "R" rated, something to be aware of if you are bringing children.
CHAFFEUR SERVICES - For the two hour and forty five minute trip between Prague airport and Cesky Krumlov, Mike's Chauffeur Service ( www.mike-chauffeur.cz/ ) offers a twice a day service leaving at noon and 6:00 pm. For one or two passengers including a child under 15 years, the cost is 3,000 CZK at this writing. For three or four passengers, the cost is 3,500 CZK; for five to seven passengers, the cost is 3,800 CZK. He can be reached at mike.chauffeur@cmail.cz. When there are several people in your group who can lower the cost per person, chauffeur companies provide a good air conditioned alternative with flexibility concerning other options such as a stopover at the stunning Hluboka Castle between Cesky Krumlov and Prague.
From time to time his website lists scheduled long distance trips such as from Prague to Vienna, etc.; by using the segment between Prague and Cesky Krumlov, you could have "door to door service" at significant savings. Every Wednesday and Sunday in May, June, July, August, and September they also offer a minibus between Prague and Salzburg (via Cesky Krumlov) for 1,500 CZK per person provided there are at least 5 passengers; the price between Prague and Cesky Krumlov of course would be proportionally less. Email him at info@mike-chauffeur.cz or mike.chauffeur@cmail.cz to learn if others have booked this trip on your travel date so you can decrease this price based on the particular segment you wish to travel. If you have never seen Salzburg and the mountain lake towns (ie., Hallstatt, Traunkirchen, etc.), your trip to this region would be a perfect time to see their spectacular scenery.
SHUTTLE VANS - Recently such Cesky Krumlov companies as "Lobobus" (phone +420 380 713 153) at website http://www.shuttlelobo.cz/shuttle/index.php?artid=10&lang=en, "Sebastian Tours" (phone +420 608 357 581) at website www.sebastianck-tours.com/shuttle.html , and "Travel Agency Expedicion" at website http://www.expedicion.cz/ have started "on demand" service between Cesky Krumlov and such cities as Prague, Salzburg, and Vienna. Since the prices change so often and vary from company to company, it is best to contact all three for a quote. Last year the price varied between 900 CZK and 1,100 CZK per person at the first two companies; for more perks during your journey, "Travel Agency Expedicion" includes them in a much higher price for the trip. (Their above website has details). Several days before your departure, reconfirm that the trip will take place; shuttle companies often cancel their long distance trips if not enough passengers sign up to cover their costs and the scheduled passengers are not willing to pay a surcharge. On the other hand the companies' websites and the Infocentrum in the Main Square in Cesky Krumlov sometimes have last minute "specials" at considerably lower prices.
TAXI OPTIONS - Although taking a taxi between Prague and Cesky Krumlov is MUCH more expensive, it is another option. Taxi drivers in Prague (especially at the airport, main train station, and other "tourist" areas) are infamous for ripping off tourists even for short trips in town; always agree on a price in writing before getting into a cab or let your hotel call the taxi for you since they know the honest companies. To use one of the more reputable companies such as AAA taxi (phone 222 333 222), in the past one had to find a pay phone at the airport, understand how to use the phone, have the correct change or prepaid phone card, call them hoping you understood each other, and meet them at a special location outside the airport terminal building even in the rain. (When you use an AAA taxi, be sure that its color is "yellow" and it has the proper logo on its doors; some other companies, that overcharge tourists, also call themselves "AAA taxi" but use red or silver colored cars with a different logo on the doors). Now that Terminal 2 has opened, the "real" AAA taxi has a booth INSIDE Terminal 2 just to the right as you exit baggage claim; their cabs are just outside the terminal door underneath the large roof extension. In Terminal 1 "AAA Taxi" now has an information booth on the opposite wall as you exit the baggage claim and customs area. However always agree on a price in writing before you get into the cab and load your luggage. At this writing they charge about 5,000 CZK (OUCH!) on the meter to go from the Prague airport to Cesky Krumlov (compared to the public transportation cost of 26 CZK per person to go from the airport to the ANDEL metro station then about 160 to 180 CZK, depending on the exact bus route and your luggage, to take the bus to Cesky Krumlov). As of this writing, such companies as Krumlov Taxi (phone 380 712 712) have a cheaper flat rate of 3,890 CZK between the Prague airport and Cesky Krumlov.
RENTAL CARS - Historically it was cheaper to reserve a rental car in one´s home country before arriving in Europe; now there are special deals locally from time to time. Check both options in advance for your dates of travel. In most countries it helps to have an "International Driving Permit" available at such places as AAA Motor Clubs to translate your license into an "International" one. Automatic transmission is rare on cars in Europe; if this feature is important to you, make sure the car rental agency agrees to your wishes. Some rental agencies in Germany and Austria prohibit your taking their cars into countries such as the Czech Republic where the danger of theft and risk of an accident are high; in any case, don´t leave valuables visible in your car even when it is locked. Know in advance the "drop off" fees to leave the car in a different location. Special "country and date specific" decals are needed on the car to use certain superhighways without running the risk of an instant fine from police. Also note what special equipment (first aid kit, warning triangle, etc.) is required in your car for the specific countries you will visit. Before your trip review such websites as "http://www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa/car_travel_europe.html#czech_republic" that have a wealth of information about driving rules for SPECIFIC countries, European road signs, etc. Pay particular attention to the "rules of the road" that may be different from your home country; in an accident, police usually assume the foreign driver is at fault since the local customs would not be familiar to him/her. Before your trip also read the article on the left side of the Castle View Apartments Home Page titled "Renting a Car."
To those who are thinking about driving in Prague, I have five words of advice - DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT. Downtown Prague is a medieval city with narrow, meandering streets built to confuse invading armies. Today the invading hordes are not armed with swords and knives but cameras and SUVs. It is usually faster to walk in the downtown areas than to ride, and parking places can be tough/expensive to find near the popular sites. Also, the police are infamous for slapping instant $100+ fines on unsuspecting tourist drivers for trivial offenses; often I have seen them "stake out" busy intersections (with a zillion seemingly contradictory directional signs) ready to write tickets and collect their big fines. Although customer service is gradually improving in the Czech Republic, do not try to "push the envelope" with the traffic police in this former Communist dominated country; ie., a "stop" sign means a full stop, not a "rolling" stop. It is best to park your car at your lodging in the Prague suburbs (where there is less danger of your car being vandalized) and to take the metro into town each day for sightseeing.
Concerning the drive from Prague to Cesky Krumlov, the route via E49 is faster than E55 (the longer route taxis take when they are "on the meter") unless you are leaving from the eastern part of Prague. There is a lot of road construction between the two cities, and at times the traffic is heavy. For those planning to drive directly from the Prague airport to Cesky Krumlov, consider getting a good map in advance of the highways around Prague and asking local drivers to mark the route for you; it is faster to drive west towards Plzen for a few miles before turning south to Cesky Krumlov since it avoids very long lines of trucks at highway exits along the southern rim of Prague. However many local roads are narrow and have large trees with deep ditches close to the pavement. (Fortunately it is the custom to move to the right edge of the road when another vehicle is trying to pass; unfortunately a lot of drivers pass in no passing zones). Prior to air conditioning, such trees kept the roads cooler in the hot summer sun; now they can be a traffic hazard especially at night or in fog. There is a zero tolerance for ANY alcohol in one´s sytem while driving here. Note that Czech drivers are not known for their driving skills. I have seen driver education cars pull out in front of me in the left hand lane then slow down! Every time I make the journey I see at least one accident site. Note the "Arriving by Car" link on the left side of the home page of this Castle View Apartments website for directions when in Cesky Krumlov.
GOING FROM DOWNTOWN PRAGUE TO CESKY KRUMLOV BY BUS OR TRAIN - During the summer season there is only one morning direct train from the main Prague train station (Hlavni nadrazi) to Cesky Krumlov (train and bus schedules at http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/ with an English option). Even though the Cesky Krumlov train station is far up a steep hill from the old town and the train costs more than the bus, having no transfers, more room to spread out than on a bus, toilets on board, etc. would make this direct train my first choice at this time of day. Later in the day my first choice would be a bus with no transfers such as "Student Agency". If I wanted more adventure, my second choice would be to take the train from Prague to Ceske Budejovice; then I would take the bus from Ceske Budejovice´s bus station (on the top floor of the new shopping mall across the street and a half block south of the train station) to Cesky Krumlov. The bus station at Cesky Krumlov is much nearer the old town than its train station. This technique works best during "rush hour" when the buses between Ceske Budejovice and Cesky Krumlov run frequently; in this case it is easy to wait for the next bus if you miss the first connection or the earlier bus is too crowded.
See above section for instructions to Prague´s long distance bus stations after you have chosen your departure time and bus station. If your bus leaves from the FLORENC station, consider a "dry run" the day before your trip to find the metro exit closest to the bus station (this is a transfer metro station and can be confusing at rush hour), to locate your bus departure platform, and to buy a reserved seat for your trip. At web site http://www.florenc.cz/index.php?page=map.florenc-uan&lang=cz there is an interactive map that shows the bus platforms, the location of toilets, the ticket offices, etc. They have recently added public computers, and the building to the south now has free WiFi, a "Student Agency" ticket office, etc. When you click the icons with the blue background at the south of the bus station for an enlarged view of this building, note that for some unknown reason the enlarged view has reversed the positioning of the floorplan/surroundings. Be aware that the closest metro station entrance is actually at the southwest of the bus station; if you have viewed the interactive "historic center" map link at the top of the page, note that the closest FLORENC metro exit is the exit towards the south. The morning buses to Cesky Krumlov usually leave from platform 25, but it is always best to confirm for the day of your departure.