Re: Brno Docsprint - How to get there

[Andre Klapper <ak-47 gmx net>]

Hi,

On Thu, 2013-01-17 at 09:38 +0530, Sindhu S wrote:

> I understand there are 3 railway service operators. Two of which are
> private operated and the other one being Czech railways. Please do
> correct me if I am wrong! My questions are:
> 
> 
> 1. What is the average fare in any of these trains to Brno?

My guess is around 300 Czech Crowns (CZK) which is about 12 EUR. It gets
slightly cheaper if you travel in a group (group="skupina"), but I guess
I will come with you anyway to the train station even if I won't make it
to Brno (not sure yet) so there won't be any problems.

> 2. Which operator is preferred by you? 

I haven't tried all of them yet, so I cannot compare. When I travel I
normally take a train where the time fits best for me, no matter which
brand. :)
The state-owned Czech Railways (Cesky drahy) trains might be slightly
older than the private ones, but all in all it's still acceptable or
even good quality and safe.

> 3. Which operator is the safest (disregard ticket fares)

I'm not aware of any operators being unsafe. 
In general, travelling in Czech Republic is very safe, just take care of
your wallet and bags as there are sometimes thieves.

> 4. Do ticket issuers/counter salespersons converse in English in
> Prague railway station?

At the central station there are "international" counters on the right
in the ticket shop where people speak English.

> 5. Will I find ATMs (with international debit card allowing) in the
> vicinity of the train station?

There definitely are some. But you might already need some local money
at the airport if you want to take the bus to the city.
I'd take an ATM instead of a cash change desk, and I recommend to not
enter something like "Give me 2000 crowns" if you don't want to end up
with one huge 2000 crowns bill (80EUR) that the bus driver will refuse
to accept because he doesn't have enough change. Better enter something
weird like "2100" or so (depends on how much money you will need for the
week).

> From Brno railway station, how does one take a tram? Where I come from
> I have never seen/experienced a tram. 

Here's a picture of one in Brno:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%C5%A0alina_jedouc%C3%AD_od_%C4%8Cesk%C3%A9_vyrez.jpg

You go to a ticket machine at the tram stop, press the button for the
ticket that you want, throw in some coins, get the ticket, wait for the
tram to come and stop, you enter it, put your ticket into a yellow box
which will put a stamp on it (validation), and then you get off at the
stop that you want to get off. :)

> 1. How does one catch a tram to go to Avanti Hotel?

Last time we took a direct bus (number 67) from Central station (Hlavni
Nadrazi) to stop "Sportovní". It takes nine minutes.

The Avanti hotel is at "Střední 549/61, Brno, Czech Republic" if you
want to enter it at maps.google.com - the bus stop is east of the hotel,
right across the street.

If you have a good internet connection, you could also try Google
Streetview to get an idea how it looks there by taking a look at the
pictures.

You can also query local transportation connections at
http://www.idsjmk.cz/EN/default.aspx .

> 2. Do trams stop at a stop? (like a tram stop?)

Yes, they only stop at given stops.

> 3. What is the expected/ average fare for the tram from Brno station
> to Avanti Hotel?

The website says 20 CZK, which is about 0.80 EUR.

> 4. What are the tram frequencies and timmings?

The timetables are on http://www.idsjmk.cz/EN/linky.aspx so you can take
a look for number "67". Note that bus 67 only runs on work days, not on
Saturday and Sunday, but that won't matter as the conference is close to
the hotel on these two days (ten minutes of walking).

Note that two blocks west from the hotel there are also trams running.
That tram stop is called "Hrnčířská" (don't try to pronounce that).

> 5. Do tram operators (drivers and ticket collectors) converse in
> English?

Maybe they know a few words, but I would not expect them to know any
other languages than Czech.


If you have any other questions or if something is unclear, please don't
hesitate to ask. :)

Cheers,
andre

-- 
Andre Klapper  |  ak-47 gmx net
http://blogs.gnome.org/aklapper/