BarbaraA

Hello everyone,

I will have a rental car while in Prague (driving from Germany). How is the parking? Do you know of any budget hotels, pensions, etc. that provide parking? Thanks.

trvlcrzy

It may have changed, but when we lived in Germany 4 yrs. ago there were rental car restrictions about taking rental cars into the Czech Republic. Be sure to verify with your rental company that you can take your car to Prague.

BarbaraA

Thank you. It's possible now. I used AutoEurope to rent a car. You just have to let them know which Eastern European countries you will be driving in. Sometimes you have to pay a little more.

rhkkmk

the parking is very tight....lots of stolen cars there still so be very careful...

i doubt most budget places will have parking...

the driving is not too bad in prague but signage is weak...

Christina

You shouldn't drive a car in central Prague at all. Period, no exceptions. There is no reason to, anyway, there is plenty of public transportation. So I guess you'll have to find some place to stay not too central with parking, and leave it there. One of the main streets (Revolucni) on the east side of Old Town is completely torn up now, for example, it's a real mess.

The budget Hotel Julian just below Mala Strana has parking. YOu may pay a little for it, not sure, but it's a private lot. A friend of mine with a car driving from Germany had to find a place with parking, and that's where she stayed.

tomboy

Picture Chicago, without the Skyway, I-80, I-90, I-57, I94, and without the Kennedy, Dan Ryan, etcetera.
Now picture the town with no vowels in the road signs.
Now picture yourself getting lost, and trying to ask deaf mutes for directions.
Having once made the mistake to drive in Prague, I strongly counsel others to resist the temptation.

cmenoni

We have the same concern. So can anyone recommend a place on the outskirts of Prague with access to public transport into the city?? Thanks.

alfisol

Maybe the Hotel Diplomat -- it's right across from the Dejvicka metro station and the trams stop right in front. It's a short ride downtown from there.

I believe they have parking. It's a nice hotel, in a very convenient area. I stayed there one night (the other six nights I stayed at a hotel further out, the conference hotel, which I wouldn't recommend unless you want very budget accomodations. But, I can't even remember it's name now.) The conference was actually at the university across from the Diplomat, so I went there for massages.

Maria_H

A few years back we stayed in the Hotel Moran, when we drove to Prague. It has a small, secure car park in the basement. I seem to remember it being easy enough to find when we arrived and was right on the tram route into the centre.

RufusTFirefly

While doing research for our upcoming trip to Prague and Berlin, I did notice several hotels in Prague that have parking. I didn't note them as we aren't driving on this trip, but you should be able to find one fairly centrally located so you wouldn't have to commute into the city each day.

That way you only have to drive in the city on your arrival and departure days.

sherhatfield

In a few weeks, DH & I will be visiting Prague for a few days. We will be in Germany before & after, so we will have our car. I love having a car because of the flexibility it gives us, but I have to say that I am worried about driving into Prague. We are staying at the K+K Hotel Central (near the Powder Tower)and they have parking. We won't use the car during our stay, but my concern is getting to the hotel! Because of our limited time there, I prefer to stay in the city rather than on the outskirts. I just hope my directions & maps are good enough!

My husband is a good city driver, but after our frustration trying to find the rental car return in Rome last fall, I'm definitely worried! I looked into parking the car in one of the public lots outside of town, but it appears as though you can't leave the car overnight. Perhaps I am interpreting incorrectly and you just can't pick up your car after they close for the day. Not sure if I can leave it there for a couple of days and just pay the daily fine, but I don't want to chance it. Maybe someone here knows?

magical

Hi Sherhatfield...did you make the driving trip from Germany to Prague?
We are planning to do the same trip this May. How did the parking in Prague & driving in Czech Republic(cz) work out?

We are trying to rent an automatic with a/c (usually means bigger car in Europe)and we are finding that not all the rental agencies will let you take a bigger(?) car into cz. We are also planning to drive on to Budapest..I wonder what that entails.
Your suggestions on any of this would help. Thanks.

Cowboy1968

Hi magical,

This post is a bit old, and since it only mentions Prague in the headline, chances are that your questions re. Budapest will not get full attention. Maybe you want to re-post and extent the topic of your new thread also to Hungary and the issue of rental cars.

I did not find driving in Budapest too difficult. All the major highways and motorways going to Budapest will take you to the city center. Usually the "last mile" or last kilometer to the hotel can be a problem if it's located in the historic heart of the city and surrounded by one-way streets. Parking can also be a problem, but you can find that out in advance when you check for hotels.

If you get lost, you can stop at any taxi rank, and pay a taxi driver to act as your "pilot car", and just follow him/her to your hotel.

Not sure if bigger is better. All compacts I have rented in the last years had a/c, too. It gets extra hard to navigate city centers with a bigger car - not only re. driving but also re. parking. Public parkings, esp. underground, or hotel garages have lot sizes that are usually less wider than those you may be used to in the US.

munich_madl

Hi Magical,
we are going to drive from Munich to Prague in 3 days time. Despite the warnings I received on this site, we will go ahead come what may cos we have not much choice since we are going somewhere else after this and need the car.

My husband checked with Volvo and we were told that these days, they want the car and not the radio. Furthermore, if we park in a parking garage, they need to tow the car away or lift it up which will be quite obvious in a parking garage unless the guy at the booth is in on it.

A friend of mine whose ex was from Prague said not to park on the streets but in a garage.

We are parking at Wilsonova garage who advertise that they have cameras and security guards. If you can get a hotel with parking then do so.

I will do a post once we get back.

Fran