shopping

[wish us luck]

Hello,
My husband and I have been to Poland before and found some amazing deals shopping in Krakow. We are going to Prague for the first time with another couple that has never been out of the U.S. and told them of the deals. Are there any markets or Bazaars in or near Prague so we can bring something back for everyone without breaking the bank? We will only be there one day in the third week of November, any suggestions on sights in order of awe inspiring? Know of anyone that would be interested in being a tour guide for the day. I speak moderate German, no Czech. Thank you in advance for your time.

[BigRay]

Hi,

Depending on when you come, you may be here for the start of the Christmas markets. Basically, all the larger squares in town will have booths selling all kinds of Christmas knickknacks and gifts. The markets begin around the end of November. But Prague has lots of shopping and bazaars, ranging from the very cheap to the super expensive, so I am sure you will have fun walking through town and stopping when something catches your eye.

As for sights, with only one day, that really only leaves you time to go through Old Town Square, Prague Castle, and Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti). If the Christmas markets are up and running, you will find them at these places (except for the castle) and can kill two birds with one stone. All these sights are in the center of the city and are accustommed to dealing with tourists who do not speak Czech, so you will find it relatively easy to get by with English.

As for a guide, if I am available the day you are here I would gladly take you around town. Let me know the date and I will see if I am available. Weekends are best for me. Otherwise, you can find many city tours (walking, by classic car, horse and carriage, etc.) from vendors on Old Town Square or Wenceslas Square.

Enjoy your trip!
Ray

[kerri]

Hello again,

That was really quick, I wish I could get everyone at work to respond that quickly!!!Thanks!!! If you are available on the day that we are there, that would be great, we would be way less likely to make a mess of things. (I got pneumonia on our honeymoon in Eastern Europe if that tells you anything.) We are probably going to be there November the 16th, so we will understand if you are busy but if you want us to bring you anything you may be homesick for (krispy kream, BBQ sauce) let me know and I will see if we can hook you up.
We will probably miss the Christmas markets buts we would love to find the cool little inexpensive nick knacks to bring back. I don't know about Prague but in Poland we found some amazing workmanship that we actually felt bad about paying what they asked knowing that they deserved much more.
About the time that we will be there. I know that we are doing the city an injustice to be there such a short time and are trying to figure something out. Do you by chance know how long it takes to get to Prague from Munich by car? We looked at taking a train but it looks like it is a five hour trip and we would not arrive until noon. Seems like a waste of daylight to me.
I think I only have one more question. ( No promises) I keep seeing and hearing about the under the clothes money belts. Do we really need one? I know that everyone says that the world hates Americans and we are targets, but every time we have been over seas we have only had two problems. For the most part it seems like if people at least know that you are trying, they are very patient with any cultural faux pas that we might have inadvertently trampled all over.


Thank you for your time and offer, I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Kerri

[me]

i'm not Ray, but i see a night train from Munich to Prage <23.08 - 8.15>. if y'all can sleep on a train, that might be a good option.

- d

[kerri]

Hi David,
I had already looked at a night train as an option but was told by a travel agent that there is not one unless we want to leave at 3:00a.m. and we still didnt arrive until 11:00 because of weird changes. Do you know of any place that I can confirm this? We usually rent and have only used the train system for one trip, so I am new at this part of it and am not sure where to go from here. I looked at the eurorail.com sight but the times that it shows are different than the ones that I am being given over the phone. Any ideas? Thanks for the advise.

Kerri

[BigRay]

Hi Kerri,

I don't think renting a car to get to Munich would be a good idea unless you will be coming back to Prague to drop the car off. It would be prohibitively expensive to arrange a rental and drop it off in another country. It may be cheaper and possibly quicker to take a bus, and you might find a more convenient time for you.

As for shopping, you will definitely find local items in Prague that will seem very cheap. But if you are only here for one day and spending all your time in the center, your opportunities to find them will be limited.

As for the money belt, many people swear by them. Personally, I don't bother. I used to use one before but found it inconvenient. So far, no problems (knock on wood).

Cheers,
Ray

[LHR02]

Die Bahn lists David's suggestion.....leave Munich Hbn at 2308, arrive Prague 0815...with no connections. Listed price on site is 64 euro's...that is a seat though, no kind of sleeper. You are likely looking at something in the neighborhood of 80-100 euros each to have a 'bed'. But, weigh that out vs car rental/gas/hotel....also, if there are 4 of you you could likely get some sort of discount if all book together.

to check rail schedules go to bahn.de...along the top click on 'international guests' for English. About the best Europe wide timetable and route listing one can find.

To add more to Ray's thoughts on car rentals....have you double/triple checked this? Lived in Germany for many years and know from personal experience then and since that it is darn near impossible to rent a car to go into Eastern Europe...at least from Germany or Italy. You can't/couldn't take a rental across those borders, no matter what price you pay.

much luck,
ging

(and as a single female traveler I would personally never consider travel without a money belt. But that's just my opinion of course)

[me]

as a single *male* traveler, i never travel overseas w/o my trusty security pouch!

also, car expenses must include the cost of city parking and fuel is very high in Europe!

dustoffmom said:

(and as a single female traveler I would personally never consider travel without a money belt. But that's just my opinion of course)

[kerri]

Hello all,
I cant thank ya'll enough for all of your help. Thanks to the various replys that came in we figured it all out and saved $470.00 a couple. (sounds like a bad infomercial doesnt it). So thanks again.

Ray, this part is for you.
We are probably going to be there on November 16. If you have things going on and have no time for showing us around we understand but if you do happen to have a little time to meet up for lunch or dinner, we would love to meet you. If this is something you are intrested in trying, my email is [e-mail]. If you are going to email me, post something on this page letting me know that I should be looking for something from you so that I dont delete it as junk mail.If not, thank you anyway for the help and for being a part of this really helpful website.

If anyone else reads these that helped create this site, THANKS. It was a really good idea and a great gesture.

I think my email is on my profile

Kerri

[LHR02]

;D ;D

So what did you decide? How did you save that $470? Glad that you did and even more so that you found the folks hereabouts helpful....but so curious to know what was finally decided!

ging

[kerri]

We were going to have rent a car anyway while we in Germany because where we are staying in Mitterfels is not within walking distance of the busstop and the lady that I have been in contact with at the resort said that public transportation is sketchy at best. We had already looked at purchasing the Select Saver Pass for $317.00 each for 5 days in 3 countires. On top of that we were going to have to pay $120.00 a couple for the over night train to Paris and back and then $87.00 a train to Prague and back. The train to Prague that we had been looking at prior to everyones help here was horrible. It left Regensberg to Prague at 8:00 am and didnt arrive in Prague until noon. Then our return trip left at 5:30 pm to arrive at 11:30 in Regensberg. I was told by professionals that there was not a sleeper to or from Prague.

So, after the contacts that I was given on the web site I went to Bahn.de and found different schedules. It was still going to be over $1000.00 per couple for the pass, sleeper to Paris, and Prague, but at least I knew that we could sleep on the way to Prague and be more rested for the ride and have more time in the city. As it turns out, I called the 800 # on the screen just to confirm my findings. When I called in they asked if I already reserved my car rental and I told them I had not so they were going to see if they could find anything less than the $500.00 unlimited miles (no trips to Eastern Europe) that I found. She was able to find a car for $426.00 unlimited miles and allows trips to Czech, Poland, ext. She advised that with the areas that we wanted to visit that instead of the Select Pass to get the Germany 4 day pass and add paris to it. So now we are paying $214.00 a couple for car plus gas I figure around $200.00 a couple for the week. We are paying $245.00 a person for the Germany pass and the return trip in sleepers to and from Paris sleeping with the four of us in one car.
The lady at the resort told me that it is a hour drive to Prague and a straight autobahn shot from the resort. So we are saving a LOT of time in transit as well. Since we are only going to be there for 8 days, every second counts.
Do have another question....... Does anyone know of a safer place to park in Prague. I keep hearing about cars being broken into in downtown. When I travel alone here (female), I always pull up to a state patrol office and let them know I'll be parked out front napping. I was thinking if there was something like that, we could park in front of and leave the car it may be a bit better off. Any ideas???

[kerri]

By the way.... that $87.00 above was each way per person so it was $348.00 a couple round trip the way we were doing it before for the Prague leg of the trip alone.

[ging]

Just goes to show....travel agents and tour operators usually know their stuff. But oftentimes spending an hour or two on your own researching aspects of your own trip can reap great rewards!

And $470 a couple? Wow! Think of the shopping you can do with almost a thousand dollars! Have a terrific trip!

ging

[BigRay]

Hi Kerry,

Congrats on figuring out a solid plan. I don't know yet if I will be here on Nov. 16 because the next day is a public holiday here and and I don't work on Fridays, which means I have an extra long weekend to play with. But if I am here, I'd love to meet up and show you around for the day you are here.

As for parking in Prague, if I were you I would park in an attended parking lot just to be safe. It doesn't call all that much compared to the States, and it will give you peace of mind. There are attended lots scattered throughout town, but a central one is at the Marriott Hotel. From there, you are within walking distance of enough to keep you busy for a day (including shopping areas!)

I will post here and send you email as my plans get more solid.

Cheers!
Ray

[kerri]

Hello again Ray,

Not that I am counting or anything but it is only 21 days untill we take off for vacation. Have you found out anything about your schedule for November yet? I did come up with another odd question. We are driving from Regensberg to Prauge without knowing any Czech. My German isnt pretty but I can hold my own. Are any of the street signs in German too, or are they all in only Czech? Do you know any web sites or have any suggestions for how we can get a print out of the street signs and what they mean?

I hope all is well with you and apprieciate your help.

Thanks!!
Kerri