Getting to Prague by Car
Motorways (limited in number) are marked 'D' and international routes by 'E'. An annual toll of CZK 800 must be paid to use Czech roads; toll stickers must be displayed, and can be bought at border crossings, post offices and petrol stations Traffic drives on the right. Minor roads are designated by a number of two or more digits. Speed limits are 50kph (37 mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (56 mph) on main roads and 130kph (68 mph) on motorways. Front seat belts are compulsory and, if in place, rear seat belts as well. On-the-spot fines are high for all motoring offences. There is zero tolerance for drink and drugs. EU licence holders must have an International Driving Permit (IDP) as well as the pink format EU licence; for all other countries an IDP is required. A car registration document and country sticker are also necessary. Third party liability insurance is compulsory. For drivers based in the Czech Republic for longer than six months, the car must be registered with the Czech authorities; duty and taxes will cost about half the value of the car, and minimum third-party coverage with a Czech insurer is also required.
24-hour emergency phone lines are found every 2km on motorways and international routes. Both the Ustredni Automotoklub (ÚAMK, Central Automobile Club) and the Autoklub Ceske Republicky (ABA, Czech Automobile Club) have reciprocal agreements with many automobile associations and provide 24-hour breakdown service.
Emergency breakdown services:
Ustredni Automotoklub (UAMK) 154, 123 or (02) 6110 4111
Autoklub Ceske Republicky (ABA) 124
Routes to the city: The main routes to Prague are the D1/D2 to Brno (the D2/D1 route via Bratislava should be avoided as foreigners may experience long delays at the Slovak border). From Belgium, the best route is the E40 to Cologne, then the E31 to Heidelberg and the E50, crossing the German/Czech border at Waidhaus/Rozvodov. From Vienna, the E59 leads to the D1 motorway E55 from Dresden and Berlin. Take E67 from Wrocaw and Warsaw, or the E50 from Paris.
Driving times to Prague: from Vienna - 4 hours 15 minutes; from Warsaw - 10 hours 15 minutes; from Bruges - 12 hours 30 minutes.
Coach services: International buses depart either from the Florenc coach station, conveniently located on both Metro lines B and C, or from the coach park at Zelivskeho (on Metro A). Kingscourt Express, Havelska 8, Prague 1 (tel: (02) 2423 4583), is the main bus service to Western Europe and the UK.
For many destinations within the Czech Republic coaches are far quicker than trains, which tend to stop at every station. Regional services are provided by the state-run company ?SAD. Buses depart from a number of stations, the most convenient place for information and to purchase bus tickets is at Cedok (see Air).
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