I'm taking my 17-year old son to Berlin to celebrate his HS graduation in early June, and we want to take the direct train from Berlin to Prague AND BACK in one (very long) day. Before I order train tickets 89 days out:

Anyone know if there is an ATM at Holesovice Station so we can get CZK to ride the Metro into Old Town?? If not, any ideas on what to do? We'll also probably want to eat, though we can use Credit Card.

Any other logistical problems you see with this plan - we'd get in at 1 p.m. and leave at 7 p.m.

Thanks in advance - thanks to all of you, we had an unforgettable trip to Paris and Normandy last June!

JES

Yes - there is at least one ATM. And the only problem I see is that you have practically no time to see/do anything. If it's a one day trip why not take an earlier train out of Berlin in the AM (you can get into Prague around 9am if you want)?

I was just there last week.
There are at least two ATMs in the station. I used the Bancomat one.
Be aware though, that when I asked for 2000 kr (about $100) I got a single 2000 kr note. Finding the metro was a bit confusing too. We walked though a long tunnel (following signs) and when we came up did not see the Metro.
Went to an Information booth, where we were able to buy metro tickets (and fortunately they could break that big bill) and they pointed us in the right direction to the metro (it's right next to the McDonalds).
I agree that 6 hours will barely do it justice.

Thank you both -

We know 6 hours will not be sufficient, but my son will be studying in France in 2009, so we will both be back. He feels a special connection to Berlin and Prague because he was born in Nov. 1989 and considers this more a pilgrimage.

8:45 was the earliest nonstop train out of Berlin - wish we could get there earlier!!

You might consider overnighting in Prague and taking a day from somewhere else. So much to see, so little time.

I appreciate the advice on the bill size coming out of the ATM - we'll plan on making 2 smaller transactions if possible and necessary.

Thanks again all, for the help.

There's another Eurocity train leaving Berlin 6.44 am and arriving Prague Holesovice 11.21 (EC 171 to Budapest).

I am going throw this out there and expose my ignorance: What does being born in Nov 1989 (as was my own son) have to do with Berlin and PRague?

1989 was when the Berlin wall and the rest of the iron curtain fell.

Yes, exactly, J62. The Berlin Wall 9 Nov. and the demonstrations and nonviolent revolution in Prague began 16 Nov.

Update: we tried a different day and were able to reserve the 6:44 am train out of Berlin - two more hours will be nice!

Once again, we sincerely appreciate all the advice.
J.

If you look at bahn.de there are at least 2 earlier non-stop trains from Berlin to Prague.

It is true that Prague ATMs tend to give you very large bills, I'll vouch for that. I don't really like using ATMs at train stations, but I'm probably too paranoid.

You'll need to do it anyway, but there is probably enough Czech currency in Germany that you could get a little beforehand at an exchange bureau so you would't need to worry about the metro fare (or at your bank). It would cost you more, of course, but the rates might not be too bad in Germany.

www.bahn.de shows direct trains (no change required) departing at 5:01am (9:21 arrival) and 6:44am (11:21 arrival).

Neither requires a change of trains, but both have stops along the way. There is no such thing as a non-stop train Berlin to Prague.

Another option to consider is an afternoon/evening in Dresden, then an earlier train to Prague the next day. The 5:01 out of Berlin departs Dresden at 7:08am.