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couple of questions re. my upcoming visit to the Czech republic. (Sadly, I have booked this for the week *after* the Prague beer fest. Doh!)
Oldgott beer -- Is this available on draft in the main beer hall at U Medvicku, or the adjacent Budvar bar? I am not talking about the extra-strong X33 version.
Flora bus station -- After landing in Prague at 2PM, I need to get across town sharpish and catch a bus to Brno.Can I just walk on and pay the driver? Or must I buy a ticket in advance.
Advice is welcomed from people who have used Flora bus station. Is it confusing for non-Czech people? What are the best bus companies to use?
Thanks
Mike
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At U Medvidku, I think you need to go upstairs to the actual microbrewery bar (follow the beer hall right to the back then up the stairs) to try Oldgott on draught - but I might be wrong.
I remember using the bus station once or twice and not finding it problematic. It’s just a bus station, after all. I think you buy tickets before you board. However I’d get the train if I were you - it’s quicker.
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I’ve always had the Old Gott on tap at the upstairs brewery tasting room. You can stare at the wooden barrels and it is relatively quiet there too. Didn’t bother to try downstairs, although the atmosphere there appears to be much more lively.
As for bus stations, I’ve often gotten on and paid the bus driver, but I’ve also bought tickets in advance. I guess you can get there a little early and ask around! NOw that I think of it, I don’t think a bus driver has ever required me to board with a ticket in that country. I always see people get on and pay the driver.
Have fun!
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There are two places to get Oldgott at U Medvídků. As Stonch mentioned, the first is upstairs in the brewery, which is open all day. The second location is downstairs at U Medvídků in what they call (at least on their website) the Budvar Bar or Budweiser Bar, which is only open after 16:00. The one place you can’t get Oldgott there is in the main restaurant (aka the Beerhouse / Pivnice).
The Beerhouse or Pivnice is to the right of the main entrance: it’s vast and expansive.
The Budvar Bar is to the left of the main entrance: it’s small and cozy.
As for buses, you generally buy tickets from the driver. (My wife adds "If it’s a crowded bus, you’re better off buying them from the office with a místenka," meaning a reservation.)
I also usually prefer the train, but it’s only faster sometimes. Occasionally, buses are much faster, as on the Student Agency lines to Plzeň. And buses are almost always cheaper than trains.
Be careful, though: I don’t know of a bus station at Flora. Do you mean Florenc?
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Sorry, I meant Florenc bus station (handy for Pivivarsky Klub!).
I have always bought bus tickets from the driver before. But I thought that for inter-city lines such as Prague-Brno, advance tickets may be needed.
Anyway, buses seem to go from Florenc every 15 mins. to Brno. I’ll just jump on one.
For Prague-Brno, I don’t think there is much difference in the time taken bus vs. train.
Enjoy the 1st Prague beer fest!
Mike.
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Oh good: Florenc bus station is also a departure point for Student Agency buses to Brno. (Dorky name, but they’re by far the best bus lines here: fairly new buses with a stewardess, free coffee or tea, free newspapers, free movies and CD players, and a WC on board). www.studentagency.cz is the website but you’ll need some Czech to book a ticket there; you’ll do fine when you buy tickets on-site. The daily schedules are listed under "Jízdní řád" -- it looks like they leave from Florenc starting at 7 a.m. and departing every two hours after that.
The basic rate to Brno from Florenc is 160 CZK; it’s 130 CZK for the buses to Brno that leave from Roztyly (a metro station on the south end of the C line).
By way of comparison, you couldn’t buy a train ticket to Brno for anything close to that price. The time (2 hours 10 minutes) is also 16 minutes faster than the Pendolino, the highest-speed train from Prague to Brno, which would cost about four or five times as much. Of course, James Bond takes the Pendolino, not the bus, but...
Enjoy it!
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You will only get on tap both Oldgott and X33 at the brewery upstairs. Which is well worth visiting.
Evan is right about the bus vs. train, now, you are quite likely to be stuck in traffic for quite sometime on the motorway to Brno, so I don’t know if going to have a couple of pints at Pivovarsky Klub is a good option, since loos on buses aren’t the most comfortable.
MAX
http://pivni-filosof.blogspot.com/
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Hang on, Max -- the OP specifically said he’s not talking about X-33:
Just to clarify one more time: Yes, they do have Oldgott on draft at U Medvídků’s Budvar Bar (I had a few pints of it there just a couple of weeks ago).
It’s listed right on their website:
http://www.umedvidku.cz/
Click on "Budvar bar" on the left, then scroll down inside the window and click on "Napojový lístek."
To return to the OP, draft Oldgott has never been available in the main beer hall (pivnice) at U Medvídků (though it would be great if this changes someday). It’s worth remembering that the Budvar Bar is only open after 4 p.m. (16:00), so if it’s in the middle of the day, the upstairs brewery is your only choice.
Cheers.
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I’ve been to the Budvar bar before. So I may pop in for a pint of Oldgott at some stage.
Thanks
Mike
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