Exclusive Destination Management Services
CZECH REPUBLIC
IN A NUTSHELL
The Czech Republic is situated in the middle of Europe.
The neigbouring countries are Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria.
The size of Czech republic is 78,866 km2 / 30,450 sq miles (2% is water)
(about the size of the state of Maine in the USA or about the size of Scottland)
Population: 10,512,000 people – density is 134/km2 – 341/sq mile
Name
Czech Republic is named after a legendary figure, praotec Cech (grandfather Cech) who is believed to have come to the area in the 6th century ad.
Language
Czech is a Slavic Language, similar to Polish, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Ukranian and Russian
Metric conversions
Finding it hard to understand the measuring system in Europe or the USA? You are not alone. We found this great site which will convert almost anything to anything. Thank you metric-conversions, we needed that!
Foreign Languages
English is taught in school as a mandatory second language so most people should be able to communicate with you. This is especially true in the tourism industry.
German is also spoken and lately Russian has experienced a comeback due to the many Russian tourists.
Asian languages are hard to find however we do have guides that speak Chinese (Mandarin), Korean andJapanese.
Since the CR was a part of 2 German speaking empires (the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), German has a historical presence here. For years both Czech and German were together part of the culture. During the Soviet era, the Czechs were forced to learn Russian so many still speak it. English has come in only after democracy came back in 1989.
Money
We are still on the Czech Crown – Koruna Ceska - CZK. Below are approximate rates at the beginning of 2016, however, please check for current rates at www.oanda.com
1 USD = 23,87 CZK
1 EUR = 27 CZK
1 GBP = 34,40 CZK
Unfortunately, it is not known when and if we will be joining the EURO zone.
Transportation
The German Railway Train Schedule
The Czech Train and Bus Schedule
The Prague Bus/Tram/Train Schedule
The sites for purchasing European train tickets in the USA ... Rail Europe
The Czech republic has an extensive network of modern roads and it is driven on the right (same as in all of Central Europe). Car rental is widely available and renting or bringing your own navigational system is advised. The roads are not marked with English names. Make sure you request an automatic transmission when ordering your rental, should you need one. Manual transmission is still a norm on most cars.
50 km/h – about 30 miles/h is the speed limit in the city.
90 km/h – about 56 miles/h is the speed limit on the highway
130 km/h – about 80 miles/h is the speed limit on the freeway
It is necessary to have a “vignette” on your windshield when driving on the freeways/expressways. This is the road tax sticker and one can be purchased in a gasstation. Different amounts are available depending on how long you will be driving in the CR.
Reststops are abundand along the freeways/expressways. Not easily found however on the highways.
Gas/petrol stations are abundand and gasoline prices are at about 26-38 CZK per liter (2016).
Trains and busses cover most of the country and their schedules can be viewed at www.idos.cz. They range from being very comfortable and modern to somewhat seedy, depending on the train. However, they are inexpensive and will get you there comfortably.
For distances, please consult mapy.cz or google maps.