The Czech Republic - Eastern Europe - page 210

TRAIN PASSES Note: The Czech Republic is not covered by the Eurailpass,
though the European East Pass and the Austrian Czech Railpass are accepted. The
Republic does have two country-specific pass options.
CZECH FLEXIPASS This pass entitles you to any 3 days of unlimited train travel
in a 15-day period. It costs $74 for first class and $52 for second class.
PRAGUE EXCURSION PASS This pass provides one round-trip excursion on the
Czech National Railways from any Czech border to Prague (note that you don't have
to return to the same border town on the way out from Prague). It is valid for 7 days,
and stops in other places in the Czech Republic are allowed on the way to and from
Prague but your entire journey must be completed within 1 calendar day. The pass
costs $60 for first class or $45 for second class. Travelers 12 to 25 years old can get a
Prague Excursion Youth Pass, which costs only $50 for first class and $40 for sec-
ond class.
All of the passes above must be purchased in North America before you leave on
your trip. You can buy them on the phone or online from Rail Europe ( & 877/257-
2887 in the U.S., or 800/361-RAIL in Canada; www.raileurope.com).
If you're visiting more countries in Eastern Europe, you might want to get the
European East Pass, which combines travel in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, and Slovakia. It costs $225 (first class) or $158 (second class), and you can use
it for 5 days of unlimited train travel in a 1-month period.
Many rail passes are available in the United Kingdom for travel in Britain and
Europe. However, one of the most widely used of these passes, the InterRail card, isn't
valid for travel in the Czech Republic.
BY BUS
Throughout Europe, bus transportation is usually less expensive than rail travel and
covers a more extensive area. European buses generally outshine their U.S. counter-
parts. In the Czech Republic, buses cost significantly less than trains and often offer
more direct routes. Europabus, c/o DER Tours/German Rail, 11933 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90025 ( & 800/782-2424 or 310/479-4140), provides information
on regular coach service. Busabout London Traveller's Centre, 258 Vauxhall Bridge
Rd., London, SW 1V 1BS ( & 0207-950-1661; www.busabout.com), is a British oper-
ator specializing in economical bus tours of Europe. Bookings can be made online.
If you're coming from London, Eurolines ( & 08705-143-219; www.eurolines.co.
uk) runs regular bus service from London to Prague at about £102 round-trip.
Coaches are equipped with toilets and reclining seats, and trips take about 30 hours.
By law, drivers are required to stop at regular intervals for rest and refreshment.
Kingscourt Express, Havelská 8, Praha 1 ( & 224-234-583; www.kce.cz), operates
the most popular scheduled bus service between London and Prague, which stops in
Prague just across from the Florenc station. The nearly 21-hour trip runs six times
weekly, and the round-trip costs 3,100K c ($129/£62).
BY CAR
You definitely shouldn't rent a car to explore Prague. But if you want to see the country-
side, driving can be a fun way to travel. Czechs, who learned to drive in low-powered
S kodas, still run up your tailpipe before passing, even though many now drive beefier
BMWs and Opels. The combination of high-speed muscle cars, rickety Eastern
bloc specials, and smoky cargo trucks crawling along can make driving on two-lane