Border Crossing:Germany/Czech Republic
 

I am spending some time in Amberg, Germany this summer. I would like to take a bus trip (with others in our travel group) to Prague. We have been told it can be very difficult crossing the border. Also, we've been told washroom facilities at the border, in the event of a long wait, are not good. Can anyone comment on the above? Thanks!

Jennifer---- My husband & I did a similar trip in May 1997. We drove from Munich to the German border and stayed overnight. We thought about a bus tour and even went to a German travel agency. After considering the time we had and the cost, we decided to take the rental car. We had made arrangements at the car rental agency to take the car into Eastern Europe just in case (they give you a special document to show at the border that authorizes you to take the car across). We drove from Munich to a border town called Furthibald (or Furth i Wald). We took our time because our plan was to cross the border VERY EARLY the next morning. The reason is the number of commercial cargo trucks and tour buses crossing over; they hurried <BR>private cars. The whole crossing took us like three minutes (we were not even ask to get out of the car; this may not be the norm, but it's exactly how it happen). Tour buses take more like two hours, because everybody needs to get out of the bus and the documents are more scrutinized. In the town of Furthibald we stayed at the Hotel Hobenbogen on the main street. It was a very good hotel with an excellent restaurant. Once in Prague, we parked the car at the parking lot at the Hilton (reasonable daily rates) and used the subway (very cheap!). We stayed at the Hotel Opera, across the street from the Hilton and considerably cheaper. <BR> <BR>By all means, DO NOT MISS Prague!!! It is a wonderful city with so much to offer. Please e-mail me if you need more details.

We went by train from Berlin through the Czech Republic to Vienna and then back to Prague in Aug. '97. On the train the crossing is inconsequential -- they check passports but the train keeps moving. In fact it's a nice throwback to the old days when you had to stop at every border; it makes you feel like you're really in Europe. Plus train travel is efficient and a good bargain. <BR>Joe

I also did this trip by train and it was prefectly easy. Consider this option! And yes, Prague is devine!

All the above postings are spot-on accurate. You will be welcomed to The Czech Republic with open arms. They will wave you through in a moment, just taking a quick look at your US passport. The bad old days of the former goverment are long into the past. I have found that skipping that extra cup of breakfast coffee works wonders when it comes to avoiding urgent trips to the bathroom while traveling. Half a cup does it nicely!

Thanks so much for all the information!, but..I'm with a group, and we have to take a bus. Will we have to wait a couple of hours at the border? (It's a day trip. We have nothing to do that day, and we thought we would like to at least see Prague. Jennifer. <BR> <BR>

Jennifer, I'm not sure why the fact that you are in a group forces you to take a bus into Prague (?). The fact that you are thinking of this as a day-trip makes it even more confusing. My best advice is either take a train or take your own transportation, and allow more than a day trip to do this. Otherwise, I think a one day bus trip from Germany to Prague may not be worth the potential agravation....

Jennifer, <BR>How many people are in your group? I took a night train from Munich to Prague last summer and the cost was minimal. Prague is a lot for one day. To maximize your time, it might be less hassle and $ for all participants to jump on a night train (if possible,especially if it's only for a day trip) and take the night train back to Germany again to rejoin the group? Just a thought. Prague is definitely worth the hassle in my opinion.

Jennifer, The best advice is to take a train. I checked on the Deutsche Bahn site and there is a train leaving Amberg at 0828, arrives Prague 1308 (1:08P), changing at Schwandorf. If you check schedules, remember, Prague is Praha.

Thanks very much, Richard, for checking this out for me. The train certainly sounds like the best way to go! <BR>I appreciate all the advice given to me. <BR>

I'd just like to point out that the 'problem' with the border crossing is not entering the Czech Republic, but crossing the border of Germany & the EU. <BR>Illegal immigrants are a big problem here. It's not the Czechs, who can cross freely, but Albanians, Kosovans and other ex-Yugoslav peoples who are trying to get into the EU. <BR>You can't really blame these people but the border police do have a big headache. I guess that it's a bit like the US/Mexican border. <BR> <BR>I travelled by train on the Prague/Dresden route and the train was delayed an extra 1/2 hour at the border presumably for police reasons. The blank pages in my passport have never been so closely studied as that day. I guess that they were really looking at me to see if I looked worried!

Dear Jennifer, <BR> I just spent awhile in Germany and one Saturday, some friends and I decided to take an afternoon trip to the Czech Rep. And even though their passports were all German and mine was American, we had no problems entering or exiting. Just don't look nervous and make sure the car you are in has the proper ID. I don't think you'll have any problems. <BR> And as for the washroom facilities, i don't know. We were on a Saturday in the middle of summer and the wait was only about 5-10 minutes. Helpful? I hope so. Good luck! Lyn

I have taken a bus trip (one day) from Germany to Prague, as you are planning on doing. The wait at the border, entering and leaving Germany, was about 1 hour each time. Our (German) bus driver merely collected all of our passports and did the paperwork for us. Not a single person on the bus had to go inside the checkpoint. I am not sure if it madE a difference or not, but all the people on our bus were Americans. <BR> <BR>A side note about your trip to Czech Republic. You will not be able to get currency until you enter the country and you are not allowed to take any out. So judicious use of cash machines will make it so that you don't have too much money to reconvert at the end of your day.

Just to contradict everybody - I have had big problems on the Austrian/Czech border entering Czech. To cut a (very) long story short we were made to wait about 6 hours (outside in the pouring rain) while the border guard (with no evidence - obviously just having a bad day) called out the full drug squad, dogs, guns, the works to pull our campervan to pieces. We had no problems with entering the EU again (into Germany). <BR>

My information is only about cars/train. I've crossed from Germany to the Czech Republic and back many times by car, and once by train. By car, the wait has usually been short, but once I waited an hour (in the car, of course). Rental cars require paper checks, by the way (rental agreement). There are separate lines for trucks. The Austrian/Czech border has been no problem either, and the last time I crossed was just a few weeks ago (by rental car). <BR> <BR>Also, the fastest you can really drive from Munich to Prague is just over 4 hours, so it's a lot (too much!) for a day trip. Busses probably take a bit longer. The train was 6 hours.

For Sam.

One clarification: it's no longer prohibited to take Czech currency out of the country, and it is possible (although not necessary if you have an ATM card on the Plus or Cirrus systems) to get Czech currency in the US or at larger European banks.