The Czech Republic - Eastern Europe - page 211

highways frustrating. But a car will make it easier to find a budget hotel or a comfort-
able spot to camp.
GETTING AROUND
BY CAR
A liter of gasoline costs about 30K c ($1.25/£1), expensive by North American stan-
dards but cheaper than in western Europe. Gas stations are plentiful, and most are
equipped with small convenience stores.
Except for main highways, which are a seemingly endless parade of construction
sites, roads tend to be narrow and in need of repair. Especially at night, you should
drive only on major roads. If you must use smaller roads, be careful. For details on car
rentals, see p. 218.
If you experience car trouble, major highways have emergency telephones from
which you can call for assistance. There's also the ÚAMK, a 24-hour motor assistance
club that provides service for a fee. They drive bright-yellow pickup trucks and can be
summoned on main highways by using the SOS emergency phones located at the side
of the road every kilometer or so. If you are not near one of these phones or are on a
road that doesn't have them, you can contact ÚAMK at & 1230. This is a toll-free call.
BY TRAIN
Trains run by C eské dráhy (Czech Railways) provide a good and less expensive alter-
native to driving. The fare is determined by how far you travel: 50km (31 miles) cost
64K c ($2.65/£1) in second class or 96K c ($4/£2) in first class. First class is not usu-
ally available, or needed, on shorter trips.
It's important to find out which Prague station your train departs from, since not all
trains leave from the main station, though all major stations are on metro lines. Check
when you buy your tickets. Trains heading to destinations in the north usually depart
from Nádra z í Hole s ovice, Vrbenského ulice, Praha 7 ( & 224-615-865 ), above the
Nádra z í Hole s ovice metro stop at the end of the Red metro line (line C). Local trains
to the southeast are commonly found at Smíchovské Nádra z í, Nádra z ní ulice, Praha
5 ( & 224-617-686 ), on the yellow metro line heading west from the center. Most
trains to west and south Bohemia and Moravia leave from Hlavní Nádra z í (Main Sta-
tion), Wilsonova 80, Praha 1 ( & 224-614-071 ), at the metro stop of the same name
on the red metro (line C) in the center. Train stations in Prague are now better at pro-
viding information, especially in English. There are also timetables for public use that
allow you to plan your trips.
BY BUS
The Czech Republic operates a pretty decent bus system, and because trains often fol-
low circuitous routes, buses can be a better, though slightly more expensive, option.
State-run C SAD buses are still relatively inexpensive and surprisingly abundant, and

Czech Rail Online
Czech Rail has a useful though somewhat complicated website in English, Ger-
man, and Czech at www.cdrail.cz . To check the timetable, go to www.jizdnirady.
cz or www.idos.cz .

Tips