BASICS - The Rough Guide to Prague - page 40

train-like efficiency, though finding the right departure stand ( stání ) can be slightly daunting.
Some services, however, depart from Prague's suburban bus terminals; buses to Lidice , for
example, depart from metro Dejvická. For most minor routes, simply buy your ticket from
thedriver;forpopularlong-distanceroutes,andfortravelatpeaktimes,it'sbesttobookyour
seat in advance.
Bus timetables ( idos.cz ) are more difficult to figure out than train ones, as there are no
mapstohelpyouout.Inthedetailedtimetablesdisplayedatthemainbusstation,eachservice
islistedseparately,soyoumayhavetoscourseveraltimetablesbeforeyoudiscoverwhenthe
next bus is. A better bet is to look at the departures and arrivals board. Make sure you check
on which day the service runs; many run only on certain days (see Timetable Abbreviations ) .
Minor bus stops are marked with a rusty metal sign saying zastávka . If you want to get off,
ask “ já chci vystoupit? ”; “the next stop” is “ příští zastávka ”.
TIMETABLE ABBREVIATIONS
Czech bus timetables - and to a lesser extent train timetables - include the following cru-
cial information:
jezdí jen v… only running on…
nejezdí v… not running on…
Followed by a date or a symbol:
Cross or “N” Sunday
“S” Saturday
Two crossed hammers Weekdays
By train
The most relaxing way to take a day-trip from Prague is by train ( vlak ), run, for the most
part,byCzechRailways( Českédráhy or ČD ; 840112113, cd.cz ).Trainsmarked“Os”
( osobní ) are local services, which stop at just about every station; those marked “R” ( rychlík
or spěšný )arefaster,stoppingonlyatmajortowns.Fasttrainsarefurtherdivided,indescend-
ing order of speed, into “SC” (SuperCity) - for which you must pay a supplement - “EC”
(EuroCity) or “IC” (InterCity) and “Ex” (Expres).
To buy a ticket , simply state your destination - return fares ( zpáteční ) are slightly less than
double and two or more people travelling together get a discount ( sleva pro skupiny ).
Largetrainstationshaveasimpleairport-stylearrivalsanddeparturesboard,whichincludes
information on delays under the heading zpoždění . Many stations have poster-style displays
of arrivals ( příjezd ) and departures ( odjezd ), the former on white paper, the latter on yellow,
withfasttrainsprintedinred.Allbutthesmalleststationsalsohaveacomprehensivedisplay
of timetables and route information on rollers. First find the route you need to take on the