Czech Republic

[andjo]

Hi everybody, taking delivery of our 2018 Sunlight 169L in January and are thinking about touring the Czech Republic in May.

Has anybody done this and can offer some tips?

Many thanks in advance Andre

[mtravel]

I see that no one answers and I try to help you.
What are your interests ? Culture ? Nature ? Other ?
How much time do you plan to dedicate to Country?
Stops at camping or wildcamp?

We miss the country for fifteen years so I have no recent news. See a couple of tips at the end.
We entered from the south and exited near Passau, a beautiful and important German town.
Our itinerary was set as below, obviously you who come from the West will have to change it.
Asterisks indicate our liking.
Vienna (A)
Valtice (Castle)*
Lednice (Castle)**
Brno**
Kromeriz (or Kroměříž)*
Olomouc**
Hradec Kralove**
Kutna Hora**
Prag*** (In the Troiska district there are some small campsites, usually well maintained and clean). I suggest the one with proper name Troiska.
Turnov*
Cesky Raj (Kost-Hruba Skala-Jinolice). Czech part of a transnational park (CZ-D), the German one (south-east of Dresden is called Saxon Switzerland (Sächsische Schweiz)***
Karlovy Vary (Spa)*
Loket (Castle)*
Plzen*
Karlstein (Castle)***
Orlik nad Vltavou (Castle)*
Tabor*
Telc***
Jindrichuv Hradec (Castle)*
Trebon (Trebonsko Park)***
Hluboka nad Vltavou (Castle)**
Ceske Budejovice**
Cesky Krumlov (Town, Castle)***
Passau (D)

Tips that come to mind:

Motorways: they require the payment of a fee (dalniční známka (motorway vignette, DZ).

I understand they can be valid for one year, one month or for ten days.
It is no longer a sticker to be placed on the windshield but an electronic recording. This is for vehicles under 3.5ton.
See for example https://edalnice.cz/en/index.html#/validation

I believe that for those over 3.5ton you need a toll-tag like the Austrian Go-Box.

Alcohol: As in other former Soviet bloc countries, the permissible rate while driving is 0. Zero, not 0.0x

Feel free to ask specific questions. If I'm able to answer I will.

Max

[mtravel]

Sites used (keep in mind that the info is quite dated and need a re-check. I didn't have a satnav at the time so no coordinates).

Brno: Look for the lake in the extreme northwest of the city.
Avoid the east coast where there is only the RADKA, a downhill meadow from which not even the vehicles of the Dakar would come out.
On the west coast is OBORA (6km) and further on is HANA (another 4km). The Obora is good and they speak English.

Hradec Kralove: Coming from the south, turn right at the traffic light at the hospital.
You will find signs for CESKY RYBARSKY SVAZ immediately after. Bus at 300 meters. They speak English.
Tank unloading only if you have it in a central position.

Prague: There are many. To the south the SUNNY (three stars), to the east the SOPOC (4 stars).
To the north, in the Troia district (follow the signs for the Zoo, the district is a little to the east) there are at least 4 or 5.
All very small, little more than a garden of a villa and very few free places. At least in August. Get there on time.
The last one to the west on the same street is the SOPOC TROIA, bigger than the others but we chose the TROISKA which we found very clean.
They have a very small restaurant. Tram to the centre at 500 meters.
In 10 minutes the 14 takes you to Wenceslas Square and the 17 close to the Charles Bridge where you can also take the 22 or 23 to go up to the Castle with the same ticket used to come to the centre.

Cesky Raj (close to Jinolice). EDEN, on the north shore of the lake. Coming from the North it is signposted.
The park is about 3km uphill. There should be buses but we didn't see any. We walked up to there.
They only spoke German.

Karlovy Vary: Coming from Prague on 6-E48 avoid the first camping sign.
It takes you to a microstructure directly on the river, good for tents at best. Once in the city and despite reports from other campsites, we only found the SASANKA in Sadov about 4km north of the city.
Expensive but with good tank unloading and water loading service point.

Karlstejn: On the river and well signposted: CAMPING KARLSTEJN.
When we were there it was almost empty but we were told by the local Tourinfo that we probably wouldn't be able to find a seat as the area is extremely busy.
The climb to the castle is about 800 meters and they speak English.
In case it is really full, at the entrance to the town there is a parking lot for buses that also accepts campers, 24 hours for just over €5.

Tabor: To the north, just past the freeway junction for Brno, leave the state road and on the right you will see the signs, you will get there after about a kilometer of very narrow road: MALY JORDAN.
Friendly welcome but almost non-existent structure, basically just a sloping lawn and not even fenced.
On the other hand very expensive in proportion to what it offers and for the showers you have to go in the direction to get the keys.

Trebon: On the lake and well signposted: AUTOCAMP TREBON.
Perhaps the best structure that has hosted us. If you are lucky you can park a few meters from the water.
No drain but they have a good little restaurant. They only speak German.
The city center is about a kilometer away and the park is everywhere, sturdy mountain bikes very useful.
In the center they almost certainly rent them but we haven't figured out where.

Ceskè Budejovice: Coming from Trebon (North) on the state road, at the small junction at the Ko-Hi-Noor factory, take the right (south) and you will immediately see the signs.
We stopped at DLOUHA'-LOUKA.

[DavyS]

The 3* sites are the cream; where all the tourists go. Prague in particular is infested, whereas the second city - Brno - is much quieter and better in my opinion. So go for the 2*s !

[mtravel]

17 hours ago, DavyS said:

The 3* sites are the cream; where all the tourists go. Prague in particular is infested, whereas the second city - Brno - is much quieter and better in my opinion. So go for the 2*s !

In my opinion going to the Czech Republic and not visiting Prague, Telc or Cesky Krumlow is like going to Scotland and not stopping for a couple of days in Edinburgh and a couple of hours at Rosslyn Chapel.

In high season they can get quite crowdy but as can Edinburgh's Mile.

In August there were only a few of us in Telc, in Cesky Krumlow it is enough to arrive before nine a.m. to find free parking spaces.

Considering that Andre will be there in May I don't see all these problems.

[andjo]

Wow,

Thank you for all these tips.

We will of course be leaving from Belgium through France and Germany and as we are both on pension we take as long as we like.  We have books and apps but personal recommendations are much better so thanks again. I will print these to take with us.

Happy end of year to all André

 

[Brian Kirby]

I think Massimo's "Sunny" camp at Prague has now closed permanently, and the site been redeveloped.  I've looked in Google Earth, and there is no sign of it where it used to be, and there are one or two comments about its closure, which is a great shame. 

Regarding "we are both on pension we take as long as we like", don't forget the Schengen 90 days in 180 days rule, or the restrictions on importing meat and dairy products into Schengen.  You'll need to hit a supermarket once into Belgium, if that is where you'll enter Schengen (unless, of course, you are vegan), to stock up on what you can't take.

[Robinhood]

As I believe Andre is based in Belgium, some of the above is unlikely to apply, Brian 😉

[Brian Kirby]

1 hour ago, Robinhood said:

As I believe Andre is based in Belgium, some of the above is unlikely to apply, Brian 😉

Why so he is!  Hadn't noticed that, thanks Bob.  🙂 Too late now to edit out the second paragraph.   

[mtravel]

1 hour ago, Brian Kirby said:

I think Massimo's "Sunny" camp at Prague has now closed permanently, and the site been redeveloped.  I've looked in Google Earth, and there is no sign of it where it used to be, and there are one or two comments

Brian, thanks for the update on  Sunny campsite.

As I mentioned above, my information are outdated and needs a re-check of their current status.

I have only reported what I remembered for all the campsites we used at the time.

Max

p.s. A correction (sorry): Speaking of Prague neighborhoods I mentioned Troiska.

I was wrong, the campsite has that name but the district is called Troia and it is in the Zoo area.

[witzend]

3 hours ago, andjo said:

Wow,

Thank you for all these tips.

We will of course be leaving from Belgium through France and Germany and as we are both on pension we take as long as we like.  We have books and apps but personal recommendations are much better so thanks again. I will print these to take with us.

Happy end of year to all André

 

Enjoy your trip

[andjo]

Yes indeed we live in Belgium in Ieper so no 90 days or fridge checking for us.

Brian it was a nice thought to mention all that though.

and as we say here

Prettige feestdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar aan iedereen

[mtravel]

24 minutes ago, andjo said:

...as we say here

Prettige feestdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar aan iedereen

Thank you. Right back at you.

For work I lived almost three years in Belgium.

Back when one side of banknotes was written in French and the other in Chinese (understatement, I know it was Flemish, smile).

[Brian Kirby]

1 hour ago, andjo said:

Yes indeed we live in Belgium in Ieper so no 90 days or fridge checking for us.

Brian it was a nice thought to mention all that though.

and as we say here

Prettige feestdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar aan iedereen

Thank you Andre, and a very Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year to you also! 🙂 

[Johanndottir]

Make sure to visit Cesky Krumlov and Karlovy Vary. Both are very beautiful (tourist favorite) places. Also, Czech Republic has the most castles in Europe. I would definitely recommend visiting Karlštejn.

[andjo]

Thank you for these tips.