1. Visa: The Czech Republic is a Schengen country and needs to apply for a Schengen visa. According to the Schengen Agreement, if a tourist visits more than one Schengen country, he/she will apply for a visa from the country with the most days of visit. For example, if your itinerary is 3 days in Austria and 4 days in Czech Republic, you need to apply for a visa from Czech Embassy. We have been looking for an agent to apply for a visa. The advantage is that we don't have to worry. You can consult at any time if you are unclear. The agent will also pre-examine our visa application materials and correct them in time to avoid the trouble in the process of entering the embassy to apply for a visa. It should be noted that to apply for a Schengen visa, you need to leave your personal fingerprint at the visa center. This agent will inform us in advance and help us queue up in front. This process is not like the visa interview in the United States, and there is no inquiry process. Just press the fingerprint.
2.APP: I think several apps are very useful this time, such as Google Maps, Google Translate, and IMONEY. Google Maps is described in "Driving Navigation" below. The advantage of Google Translate is that various languages can be translated with each other. For example, I can't understand Czech when the other person speaks it. Open Google Translate, select Czech-Chinese, and then select the voice input translation function to let him speak into the mobile phone. The software can be translated into Chinese for you. And the Chinese you speak, the software is also translated into Czech to listen to each other, perfect communication, praise one. And Google Translate can scan English menus and translate them into Chinese for you to see in real time. Although this function is not perfect and the translation content is not accurate enough, it has provided good assistance for our group to order food, and friends no longer have to worry about ordering western food. IMONEY can realize real-time prompt of multi-currency exchange. For example, if you choose RMB, USD, Euro, Czech Krone and Hong Kong Dollar, all currencies will be automatically converted regardless of the amount you enter under Euro or Czech Krone, so when you buy a product of 1350 Czech Krone, you will instantly know how many euros, USD, RMB and Hong Kong Dollars it is, which is so simple and rude.
3. Foreign currency exchange: Although the Czech Republic is a member of the European Union, domestic banks can't exchange Czech krona for Czech krona, so they can take US dollars, euros or use UnionPay debit cards to withdraw cash in the Czech Republic (there are ATM machines that use UnionPay cards, so they don't pay attention to popularization, so Prague is sure to be easy to find, not to mention small towns). The front desk of many hotels can exchange euros, dollars and other currencies into Czech krona, which is not necessarily a good exchange rate, but it is convenient for urgent use, especially when the situation is unclear on the first day. It is said that some foreign exchange points on the street charge more than swindlers. If you go to these places to exchange money, pay attention to whether there is a sign without commission, or just ask "is there a commission?"
4. Credit card spending: There are indeed some local shopping malls in the Czech Republic that can use UnionPay credit cards, but we feel that it is not common. VISA and MASTER credit cards are required.
5. About safety: No problem, don't worry, it's safe. Beware of thieves in Prague's crowded attractions. Put your backpack on your chest. Don't put belongings and mobile phones in trouser pockets and pockets that are easy to pull out. Keep them close to your body.
6.WI-FI: The entire Czech network is very general, with only 3G traffic, slow network speed and poor signal. Because of the need of driving, we rented two WI-FI from China, which was barely enough on the road. WI-FI coverage can be achieved in all hotels, and the speed is average and not bad.
7. Umbrella: It is rainy in the Czech Republic this season. It rains almost every day, but it's okay. There is light rain and showers. Be sure to bring an umbrella, preferably a folding umbrella for everyone, so that it is convenient to move.
8. Season: This season is autumn in Czech Republic. Outside Prague, Shan Ye has all kinds of golden and green hills, which are very beautiful. This is definitely a good season to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Czech Republic.
9. Seasonal temperature: 10- 15 degrees during the day and 5-8 degrees at night. It gets colder and windier every day, just like the early winter in Beijing. Be sure to bring enough clothes. It is better to lose weight when it is hot at noon than to keep warm without clothes.
10. car rental: we rented two cars through domestic car rental service companies and also used the international translation of driver's license provided by car rental. The whole process is convenient, smooth and standardized, and the customer service of car rental can also provide timely help, which is a very satisfactory car rental experience. Note: When renting a car, you must bring four items, namely, the original driver's license of China, the international translation of driver's license of China (provided by renting a car, the original white notebook), the confirmation form of renting a car (printed), and the VISA or MASTER credit card (used for paying the deposit or car damage compensation). Without these, you may not get the car. Don't be careless
1 1. Car rental process: show the above four ID card samples at the counter of the car rental company, sign a car rental contract, get the car keys, insurance, maps and other documents provided by the car rental company, find the parking lot according to the route suggested by the car rental company, take the car and drive away (if the car body is found to have scars that are inconsistent with the car rental documents, please make sure that the staff keeps records at that time to avoid pressing on their heads when returning the car). When returning the car, remember to fill it up in advance (return the car after finding a nearby gas station), drive the car to the parking lot, and let the staff check the car. After confirming that there is no problem, the staff will issue a car return confirmation form and return it to you with a copy of the car rental contract, and it will be OK.
12. Driving in the Czech Republic: The road conditions in the Czech Republic are quite good, with fewer people and fewer cars, and the road conditions are very good. Urban roads are basically two lanes, not wide, but the road surface is very flat, spotless and clean. It's easy to drive fast here because it's too easy. However, it must be noted that pedestrians here have absolute right of way, and drivers must pay attention to pedestrians. Car rental provides Czech driving guide. After reading the precautions, it is not difficult to drive here.
13. Driving navigation: Navigation with Google Maps is accurate and convenient. Travel time can be predicted, and the route you want to take can be selected from multiple roads. If the WI-FI is not good (the Czech network is really bad), you can also download the offline map in advance, which is proved to be very useful according to our experience. There is nothing wrong with the whole navigation.
14. About refueling: The main refueling method in the Czech Republic is 2 o'clock: a. Park the car next to the tanker and refuel according to the oil gun required by the car rental company, then go to the store (usually the grocery store) to report the refueling machine number and pay the fee. But we have also encountered the way of driving to the exit gate and paying the toll collector from the window of the town; B. The refueling steps are similar, except that you insert the credit card and start refueling. After refueling, the fuel fee will be deducted from the card. However, we have never encountered this way in refueling twice, so it is not easy to elaborate on the specific operation. If not, you can ask the staff for help.
15. Language: Most scenic spots, restaurants and shopping places can communicate in English, with Prague being the strongest and Maria Hot Springs the weakest. Remember, if you encounter communication difficulties, you can try Google Translation APP.
16. Tip: Basically, it is enough to leave 1 euro or equivalent Czech krona in the room every day. Restaurant consumption, if it is a fast food restaurant, do not consider tipping. If it is a high-end restaurant, you can give a tip ranging from 5% to 15%. Some restaurant waiters will directly remind you that the meal fee receipt does not include tips.
17. Power plug: European standard plug, as shown below. If there are many electrical appliances, in order to avoid bringing too many conversion plugs, you can consider bringing a wiring board. I brought a 6-seat plug terminal board and a 3USB socket, but I still think the 3USB socket is the most practical when I actually use it.