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Part 1: Introduction
2.6: Krakow -> Štramberk -> Rožnov pod Radhoštem -> Olomouc
3.6: Olomouc -> Kromeríž -> Olomouc
4.6: Olomouc -> Litomysl -> Bouzov -> Olomouc
5.6: Olomouc -> Lednice -> Valtice -> Mikulov -> Dolni Dunajovice
6.6: Dolni Dunajovice -> Znojmo -> Vranov nad Dyjí castle -> Telc
7.6: Telc -> Jindrichuv Hradec -> Ceský Krumlov
8.6: Ceský Krumlov -> Holašovice -> Hluboká nad Vltavou -> Ceské Budejovice -> Ceský Krumlov
9.6: Ceský Krumlov -> Munich
Overview
and
overall impression
This trip was quite a surprise, because I didn't imagine that in the
south of the Czech republic there are so many beautiful places, both
natural and man-made. The architecture was particularly impressive,
with many small towns having impressive historical centres. And the
Lednice and Hluboka castles are absolutely impressive. I was also
surprised by the beauty of the southern Czech landscape, with
countless lakes intermixed with forests. The infrastructure was very
good and many cities we visited were clean with immaculate buildings,
almost like being in a suburb of Munich. And by the way, there are lots
of attractive women in the Czech republic.
Costs
Costs are more or less on the same level as in any other European
country. I was thinking that perhaps because supposedly the salaries in
the Czech republic are lower than in West Europe, things would be
cheaper, but no, we found almost the same prices. Things are not
expensive, but the Czech republic definitely is not a place where to
travel on a budget.
Food
We ate in a mix of different places, such as fast food outlets, many
Asian restaurants, pizzerias, local restaurants etc.
Accommodation
We
stayed in a number of different places, paying between 52 and 91
Euro/night for a room or apartment suitable for a family with two kids.
The pensions were good value, because for less than 70 Euro we had an
apartment with two bedrooms. In Český Krumlov it makes sense to stay
inside the old city, because eveything is in walking distance and
staying out of the city would mean that you have to drive in and out of
the town.
Money
/ Exchange rate (June 2012)
1 Euro = 25 Czech Koruny
1 Euro = 1.25 USD
For current
exchange rates
check
the Universal
Currency
Converter.
ATMs are everywhere, so that you can easily get cash with a
Cirrus/Maestro ATM card.
Mobile
phones and prepaid cards
We
bought a couple of SIM cards of O2, a Czech operator of 3G services, in
a supermarket for 150 Koruny. We used these for our smartphones, to
make calls and access the Internet. Everything was fine, coverage,
voice and Internet connection quality etc. The only thing to be aware
of is that direct international calls are very expensive (a call to
Malaysia is more than 100 Koruny/minute). If you use the *55* prefix
before dialing, international calls with O2 are significantly cheaper.
Internet
access
We
relied on Internet access in the hotel (local WLAN hotspot) and when
not available, used the mobile phones are modems (3G tethering). I
can't remember having seen Internet cafes in the places we visited.
Weather
A mix of sunny days and rainy days. Very variable weather, with sun and
rain on the same day. Temperatures were around 20°C.
Health /
Vaccinations
None required for the Czech republic.
VISA
/ Entry
requirements
No
border controls between the Czech republic, Poland and Germany. The
Czech republic is part of the Schengen zone, i.e. a Schengen visa
suffices.
Security
The Czech republic is a very safe place.
Recommended
things
- The castles in Lednice and Hluboká, which are
absolutely stunning
- The southern Czech lake district, with
countless lakes in a beautiful setup.
- The open air museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
- The market square in Telc, especially on a
sunny day
Things
to avoid
- Nothing really, it's just that a few places we
visited (Mikulov and
Znojmo), while nice, are not at the level of the other places we
visited.
Getting
around
We travelled by car, using a car navigation
system to get from
one place to the next. This was made it very easy to get from one place
to the next. Only in a few cases the Navigon software on the smartphone
would choose weird dirt track roads, like once when after 10pm we found
ourselves on a dark, muddy and steep road in the forest on the way to
Cesky Krumlov while it was raining (wondering what we were doing
there). Otherwise the Navigon navigation system worked flawlessly and
was a great help.
Copyright
2012
Alfred
Molon
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