Tourists Beware When Travelling to Prague, Czech Republic

Bus Station in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Since we were taking the 5:30pm bus to our next destination, we spent a good amount of the day at Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic.

With luggage in tow,  we walked to the bus station and waited for the bus.

We were dropped off here in the middle of night with no taxi or public transport service. 

This was the same bus stop where we were dropped off the night before leaving us standing in complete darkness without any sight of taxis or public transport.

Being in daylight, we had a good look at the station.

No service was provided to passengers at the bus station in Cesky Krumlov

It was a poor bus station, one which did not provide much protection or shelter from the scorching sun.

There was no booths or stalls selling bus tickets, or food nor was there anyone in sight giving assistance or directions should one require it.

On route via public bus from Cesky Krumlov to Prague

We got on the bus at 5:30pm sitting at the front row assigned seats.  

After arriving to Prague at around 8:30 p.m., we hailed a taxi taking us to our hotel which we knew was not too far away.

Some taxi driverd did not turn on their meters when transporting tourists in Prague

After putting all our luggage into the trunk of the taxi and heading towards our hotel, we realized that  the taxi driver did not turn on his meter.

We have travelled in numerous countries before but this was the first time this happened to us.

The taxi driver charged us 10 euros for a 3 km ride.

It should have been much cheaper than that.

Next time we must remember to agree on a taxi fare before getting into a taxi in a foreign country no matter how short the distance is.

We checked into our hotel near the Old Town Centre. J. went to sleep right away while we went out to explore the nearby streets.

We went to a currency exchange place and exchanged some euros for Koruna.

Tourists are charged 28% commission fee when exchanging for Czech currency in Prague.

I was charged a whooping 28% service fee. Shocking!

Not having any local currency with us, we had to pay for this fee.

We got ripped off again, twice in a row since we landed in this ancient city.

We arrived at the Prague bus terminal & visited for a few days.

Prague is a very popular tourist destination. However, we could not believe how tourists are being taken advantage of  here by the local service and business people.

Our first two encounters in Prague were less than desirable. We need to put our guards up and be cautious when visiting Prague in the next few days!

R.T.

Prague

Czech Republic