Frankfurt to Prague-Rent a car or travel by train??
May 29th, 2009, 08:25 AM
#1
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Frankfurt to Prague-Rent a car or travel by train??
Don't know what to do-rent a car at Frankfurt airport and drive to Prague or take a
train. I assume driving would be much quicker, but for tired travelers maybe a bit
unsafe. Are there any restrictions or problems crossing the border into Czech Rep
by car? Are the roads safe and well marked? What are the downfalls of traveling
by train??
Please help! Any suggestions appreciated!!
train. I assume driving would be much quicker, but for tired travelers maybe a bit
unsafe. Are there any restrictions or problems crossing the border into Czech Rep
by car? Are the roads safe and well marked? What are the downfalls of traveling
by train??
Please help! Any suggestions appreciated!!
May 29th, 2009, 08:52 AM
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Well you have to ask your car rental company about taking the car to the Czech Republic, where car theft may be more possible, etc. the only restriction would be that of what your rental company imposes.
And there are overnight trains going between Frankfurt and Prague too. Once in Prague you do have to worry about car theft or theft from cars as well.
Take a car to see the countryside IMO but if just going to Prague and back then a car may be a liability once there and may not be possible with some rental agencies or without a steep surcharge.
Scour www.bahn.de for online discount fares which must often be booked far in advance to secure - but could be as low as 39 euros or so each way i believe. If going the full fare that you would buy at the stations each way then the Germany-Czech railpass would perhaps be cheaper than a return full-fare ticket. And when landing and taking the train keep in mind the discounted tickets, i believe, are train specific and non-changeable or refundable - so flexibility is good for that situation. With passes you can use any train anytime - just hop on. For lots of rail travel and German passes i always recommend these fine sources: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html
and also with a pass compare the Germany only pass to the German-Czech Pass as train travel from the Czech border to Prague is very cheap - normal fares in Germany are expensive which is why if going that route one of the German passes may be your best bet. But all the pricing info is at www.bahn.de so you can make a good calculation and see if the cheap advanced tickets are available.
as they say in German have a Gute Fahrt - nice ride either by train or car.
And there are overnight trains going between Frankfurt and Prague too. Once in Prague you do have to worry about car theft or theft from cars as well.
Take a car to see the countryside IMO but if just going to Prague and back then a car may be a liability once there and may not be possible with some rental agencies or without a steep surcharge.
Scour www.bahn.de for online discount fares which must often be booked far in advance to secure - but could be as low as 39 euros or so each way i believe. If going the full fare that you would buy at the stations each way then the Germany-Czech railpass would perhaps be cheaper than a return full-fare ticket. And when landing and taking the train keep in mind the discounted tickets, i believe, are train specific and non-changeable or refundable - so flexibility is good for that situation. With passes you can use any train anytime - just hop on. For lots of rail travel and German passes i always recommend these fine sources: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html
and also with a pass compare the Germany only pass to the German-Czech Pass as train travel from the Czech border to Prague is very cheap - normal fares in Germany are expensive which is why if going that route one of the German passes may be your best bet. But all the pricing info is at www.bahn.de so you can make a good calculation and see if the cheap advanced tickets are available.
as they say in German have a Gute Fahrt - nice ride either by train or car.
May 29th, 2009, 08:54 AM
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First, I wouldn't attempt this if you're arriving at FRA in early morning after a long overnight flight. Too long a drive IMO.
Second, many companies won't rent you cars in Germany that will be taken to the CR. And those that do often charge a huge drop-off fee (if that's what you're thinking of doing) the last time I checked, which was 2 yrs ago.
Regardless, you'll have to buy a sticker at border that permits you to drive on CZ roads. (Can't remember how much). Generally the roads are safe and well-marked.
I'd take the train.
Second, many companies won't rent you cars in Germany that will be taken to the CR. And those that do often charge a huge drop-off fee (if that's what you're thinking of doing) the last time I checked, which was 2 yrs ago.
Regardless, you'll have to buy a sticker at border that permits you to drive on CZ roads. (Can't remember how much). Generally the roads are safe and well-marked.
I'd take the train.
May 31st, 2009, 06:10 PM
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Thank you both for your informative responses. We do arrive in Frankfurt at 9am and if taking a train, will only do so
one way from Frankfurt to Prague. Perhaps a better idea would be to have a car delivered to hotel last day in Prague, then use it to venture to Cesky Krumlov, etc, Salzburg, then
drive back to Frankfurt airport. What do you think?
one way from Frankfurt to Prague. Perhaps a better idea would be to have a car delivered to hotel last day in Prague, then use it to venture to Cesky Krumlov, etc, Salzburg, then
drive back to Frankfurt airport. What do you think?
May 31st, 2009, 08:14 PM
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We looked into renting a car to drive from Munich to Prague last summer and the rental fee was going to cost more than buying a car! I would take the train. We met some travelers who had rented a car in Prague and were miserable - couldn't figure out where to park, how to read the signs, etc. . . Driving on the highways is easy, but navigating within the city can be extremely difficult. I would stick to public transportation. I used the above-mentioned www.bahn.de website to figure out all of our train connections. If you are using a Eurail pass, make sure it includes the Czech Republic - ours didn't (which I knew, but had forgotten) and we had an awkward moment on the train . . .
Happy travels!
A
Happy travels!
A
Jun 1st, 2009, 05:07 AM
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Dandy - think your idea of renting in Prague then driving to Cesky Krumlov, Salzburg is much better idea. But you're still going to have to check and see how difficult it is to rent in CZ and leave at FRA. The problem as it was explained to us is that the CZ is not yet a full member in the EU, so a lot of restrictions about cross-border issues still apply. You might find it easier and cheaper to wait until you get to Austria to rent. Assuming no other problems with renting in Prague, I also agree that I wouldn't rent it until you're ready to leave Prague; you just don't need a car in the city.
Jun 1st, 2009, 07:09 AM
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I have never driven in the Czech Republic, but based on your itinerary, consider the following:
Take the train from Frankfurt to Prague. Rent a car at a downtown Prague location on your last day, i.e., as you're leaving Prague, and drive anywhere you want to go in CZ and Austria, but drop the car off in the western part of CZ and take the train back to FRA. This way you avoid massive drop-off fees.
Take the train from Frankfurt to Prague. Rent a car at a downtown Prague location on your last day, i.e., as you're leaving Prague, and drive anywhere you want to go in CZ and Austria, but drop the car off in the western part of CZ and take the train back to FRA. This way you avoid massive drop-off fees.
Jun 1st, 2009, 01:48 PM
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If you are using a Eurail pass, make sure it includes the Czech Republic - ours didn't (which I knew, but had forgotten) and we had an awkward moment on the train . . .>
just curious if you would care to elaborate on the awkward moment - what happened, etc.
Global Eurailpasses now include the Czech Republic along with dozens of other countries but with the Eurail Select Pass you do have to add the Czech Republic on as a separate 'selected' country.
just curious if you would care to elaborate on the awkward moment - what happened, etc.
Global Eurailpasses now include the Czech Republic along with dozens of other countries but with the Eurail Select Pass you do have to add the Czech Republic on as a separate 'selected' country.
Jun 1st, 2009, 05:44 PM
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P,
We were on the train from Munich to Prague, and the conductor came around to ask for our tickets. I showed her our Eurail passes and she just frowned at me. I wasn't sure what was wrong, and neither of us spoke the other's language. Luckily, there was a gentleman in our compartment who saw us trying to communicate with our hands and he offered to translate. He told us that our passes were no good for that train and we needed to show her our train tickets. Of course, we didn't have tickets, but we were able to buy them from the conductor. I was really worried that we were going to be fined (and maybe we were - we just paid what she said!) We didn't have any Korunas on us (we had planned on getting them at the train station ATM) so we had to pay in Euros which she accepted. We had our 9 year old with us who was about to burst into tears thinking we were getting arrested - I don't know if the lady felt sorry for us and let us off easy. . .
That train ride turned out to be quite the adventure. The main train station that we were supposed to arrive in had to close for some sort of repair, so they re-routed us to another train station. Of course, we didn't understand any of the announcements that were made telling the passengers of this switch. The kind gentleman who helped us earlier told us we would be arriving at a different station. I had arranged for a car to pick us up at the original station, and I couldn't contact the driver by my cell phone for some reason. So, we arrived somewhere in Prague and had no ride and absolutely no idea where we were or how to get to our hotel. Because we were outside of the touristy areas, we could not find one person who spoke English. We got money from the ATM, but we weren't sure what the exchange rate was (tip: know the exchange rate before you enter a country!!). The only public transportation available was a bus route, but we had no idea where it went or where our hotel was located from the train station. We finally just sat on the curb for a couple of hours until a taxi drove by. We jumped up and flagged him down and he pulled over to help us. We showed him our hotel address and he delivered us safe and sound. And, we had enough money to pay him - whew!!
We were on the train from Munich to Prague, and the conductor came around to ask for our tickets. I showed her our Eurail passes and she just frowned at me. I wasn't sure what was wrong, and neither of us spoke the other's language. Luckily, there was a gentleman in our compartment who saw us trying to communicate with our hands and he offered to translate. He told us that our passes were no good for that train and we needed to show her our train tickets. Of course, we didn't have tickets, but we were able to buy them from the conductor. I was really worried that we were going to be fined (and maybe we were - we just paid what she said!) We didn't have any Korunas on us (we had planned on getting them at the train station ATM) so we had to pay in Euros which she accepted. We had our 9 year old with us who was about to burst into tears thinking we were getting arrested - I don't know if the lady felt sorry for us and let us off easy. . .
That train ride turned out to be quite the adventure. The main train station that we were supposed to arrive in had to close for some sort of repair, so they re-routed us to another train station. Of course, we didn't understand any of the announcements that were made telling the passengers of this switch. The kind gentleman who helped us earlier told us we would be arriving at a different station. I had arranged for a car to pick us up at the original station, and I couldn't contact the driver by my cell phone for some reason. So, we arrived somewhere in Prague and had no ride and absolutely no idea where we were or how to get to our hotel. Because we were outside of the touristy areas, we could not find one person who spoke English. We got money from the ATM, but we weren't sure what the exchange rate was (tip: know the exchange rate before you enter a country!!). The only public transportation available was a bus route, but we had no idea where it went or where our hotel was located from the train station. We finally just sat on the curb for a couple of hours until a taxi drove by. We jumped up and flagged him down and he pulled over to help us. We showed him our hotel address and he delivered us safe and sound. And, we had enough money to pay him - whew!!
Jun 2nd, 2009, 12:28 PM
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Attnymom - thanks for that story. And though at the time you were probably on pins and needles it's these type of travails in travel that will be remembered for the rest of your lives.
I think conductors usually give the benefit of the doubt to travelers who honestly make a mistake.
Again thanks for those details.
I think conductors usually give the benefit of the doubt to travelers who honestly make a mistake.
Again thanks for those details.
Jun 2nd, 2009, 12:40 PM
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Figure this..even if you DO DRIVE INTO Prague why would you spend several days there with a car PARKED somewhere which you will NOT be using? Renting a car just to park it doesn't make sense to me.
Jun 3rd, 2009, 09:48 AM
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And for several days of a car parked in Prague, from reports you may be lucky to have the car itself after that long a period - let along anything inside it - there are reasons many car companies do not allow rentals to legally enter the Czech Republic
Nov 26th, 2009, 04:51 AM
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I've just organised a trip to Prague and the cheapest airfares we could get was to Frankfurt. I've looked into the train and hiring a car to get to Prague. For the 4 of us it's better to hire a car as it's quicker it's straight from the airport and cheaper than the train. The car rental company seemed to have no problem with us driving in the Czech republic they only seemed to care about where we were returning the car to. The train times did not work for us and with 2 children and luggage changing trains getting from the airport to the train station etc, the car option seemed easier. Unfortuately we have to pay for a car while visiting Prague that we will not be using but we'll stop at places on the way. I've also found an apartment in central Prague with free secure parking, which some do have. We have done alot of travel in Europe and find the main highways very easy to drive on and if you have a GPS it's easy to navigate as well.
