Driving to Prague from Munich

Hi everyone,

anyone know how long it takes to drive to Prague from Munich? And anyone have any info about parking in Prague. Are they parking garages where you can fairly certain that nothing will happen to the car?

I'm planning on going to Prague and trying to decide if we should drive or take the train. I appreciate any advice-

Jen.

Travelling to Prague from Munich, Travel options
Trains to Prague from Munich, The train is better than the plane!

I always recommend the train over car: more comfortable, more enjoyable, cheaper, safer. Although on this route I don't think 'quicker' is true. But with the Bayern Ticket as far as the border or the Schönes Wochendende Ticket as far as Plzen, it's CHEAP! And a nice journey through the Bayerische Wald.

My sister and brother-in-law are coming to Munich from the States for one week at the end of April. They have gotten it into their heads that they MUST visit Prague. They do not want to spend 6 or 7 hours each way on the train so my bro-in-law sent me the following email:

Do me a favor - please either find me a driver or tell me if i can rent a car cheaply to get to Prague. It's 177 miles and I can't seem to figure out a way to get there in less than 6 hours. any help would be appreciated.

I sent him the "Car Hire - Germany" page from Toytown. Any other suggestions?

Ride share

Step 1. Remind your brother-in-law of the current sorry state value of the US$
Step 2. Tell him about petrol prices in Europe (converting into US$ for maximum effect)
Step 3. Wait for email asking you to book train tickets

Depending on the exact dates, Lufthansa do flights from Munich to Prague for 91 Euros (departing April 26/27/28). Might actually be cheaper than renting a car in the end. (Rental fees, gas, insurance etc.)

The train is, or can be anyway, a lot of fun. I've done it several times and had an enjoyable trip, usually with too many beers, each time. Take the night train going out Friday and the much faster afternoon train coming back Sunday to maximise your weekend and have half a chance of being awake on Monday.

as a reminder, not all car insurance works for prague, I know our insurance on our BMW we are NOT covered at all, and many car hire firms also dont cover for trips or you have to pay extra (a lot extra), my advice is fly or take the train
Edit: or take a taxi, we had a mate who used a taxi driver, cost him €300 return

You'd also need to check that you are allowed to take the rental car in Prague. Many exclude the Czech Republic as car crime is rife.

I'd disagree with the 177 mile figure quoted - that's 283km; the last time I traveled that way (1 week ago!), 283km from Munich only got me to Pilsen! I'd say Prague is more like 350 - 400km depending on the route you take, and from where in Munich and to where in Prague you are travelling.

You can fly Munich Prague, and the price isn't too bad if you get an offer, but a hire car is probably cheaper.

Book with Sixt via their website - they allow cars to be taken their, but make sure you tell then that you intend to go to Czech Republic in it, so they give you the correct brand of car which is allowed to be taken to the "east".

Travel via A9 -> A93 -> A6 -> D5 (don't forget to buy a motorway toll sticker for the car at the service area at the border).

If the traffic is good, you should manage it in well under 4 hours, 3.5h isn't too difficult to manage.

Also, *VERY IMPORTANT*, last time I checked (approx 6 mo ago), you cant drive legally in the Czech Rep with a standard US license. You must have an international license.

You can obtain one from AAA in the states though for about $10. You MUST get it while you are in the states, you can NOT get it here in germany. And he can get it anytime, as I think it's good for up to 6 months after issue.

Good luck!

Just tell him to buy a good book, sit back on the train and relax. He's on holiday; why all the stress to save an hour or two?

The CityNightLine between Munich and Prague (via Dresden) was discontinued due to low patronage as of the last timetable change as far as I know (not surprising in light of the ridiculous looping route). Remaining options are the morning and afternoon ALEX trains (which are actually quite nice and usually run with an old-fashioned restaurant car that you would normally only expect to find in a museum...).


Seriously. You get on the train in Munich at 4:45 p.m. and you arrive at 10:45 p.m., and during the ride you've had the opportunity to enjoy a few bottles of some local oat soda along the way.

For reference: Prague Special. €62 round-trip per person.

If there's a group of you, the journey can be undertaken even more cheaply. The Bayern-Böhmen Ticket costs €32 for up to five people and gets you as far as Plzen, from where a cash fare to Prague costs only a few euros (pay the conductor). Assuming five people travelling to and from Prague, returning on a different day, the cost per person is about €22 return. The petrol for the car alone would cost €80. Just remember to buy your return BB-Ticket in advance in Germany.

We went to Prague at the weekend by car it took us 4 hours. Parking is a pain so make sure hotel has car parking. Our GPS system didn't recognise the streets that we wanted either so watch out if going by car it is very easy to get lost. In hindsight, train would have been easier.

Driving from Munich to Prague is definitely doable. With a family I prefer the car to the train. No schlepping luggage from train station to hotels, can stop whenever we want, etc.-- and don't have to deal with other passengers (I've had a few too many run-ins with people who didn't like sharing a compartment with a child-- heaven forbid that, say, a 3 year old accidently drops a crayon or gets a few bread crumbs on a seat!) I've also taken the train between Prague and Munich. Personally I preferred the trip via car.

I drove from Tirol (Austria) up through Bavaria to Prague last week. The autobahns were excellent on both the German and Czech sides of the border (it seemed like there was less traffic than on other German autobahn drives I've done.) I stopped in Regensburg on the way which was a lovely town to sightsee in. The autobahn was hillier and curvier than many autobahns I've driven on and the weather wasn't great so I didn't go at the highest speed.

As for garages for the car-- you would definitely want to park the car in a secure garage somewhere (and of course, check to make sure you are allowed to take your rental into the country, that your driver's license is acceptable there, etc.) Our hotel had such a garage and we paid something like 15 euros/day. Also don't forget to make sure you have a Czech vignette (easily obtainable at one of the kiosks at the border. And be aware that the Czech Rep has a 0,0 limit-- so if you indulge in the pivo, make sure whoever is driving doesn't!

dont forget your passport!!!

You should bring your passport but there are no formal checks at the border any more.

I was there a few months ago, and they did check all passports

Before December 20th, presumably, since that's when the Czechs dropped border checks.

There is no more border control between Germany and the Czech Republic. The "new" EU countries are now a part of Schengen. That said, you do need to be able to prove your identity/nationality so you should have the passport with you.

Also you may need the passport for situations other than border control-- for example, as a piece of ID to check against a credit card. Also I needed my passport to show in the hotel-- I needed the number for my registration form. My husband is a citizen of an EU country and they asked for his passport as well.

How things change. In the early 90's I got thrown off a train because I didn't have a transit visa just to cross their miserable country.

There were nobody on the border last weekend we drove straight through but we did take our passports and the hotels ask to see them anyway.

I would recommend taking the train. Our car got pinched in Prague, even with one of those steering wheel locks. Unfortunately Prague has a reputation for cars getting stolen. However, if they do drive there, they should check the car regularly. The thieves "mark" the cars and then go back later to get them. We walked past our car and I noticed a cola can propped up against the front wheel in a strange way. It wasn't until later that I realised it was most probably some type of marking, perhaps to see if the car gets moved or not. I guess the thieves look out for foreign license plates too.