Reservation of Czech railway tickets/Does anybody speak Czech here?

[Iq75]

We are planning on flying to Prague and spend a couple of days there. From there we'll take a train to Berlin. It would obviously be good to have reservation for the seats in the train, because we are going to have paid in advance our hotel and flight in and from Berlin.

Unfortunately all the needed information is not in English at the website of Czech railways. However it says in Czech:

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6. Pravidla pro predbežné rezervace
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1. Zahájení a ukoncení predbežných rezervací
Služby ve vlacích lze predbežne rezervovat v rezervacním období vlaku, které zacíná 2 mesíce pred odjezdem a koncí dva dny pred odjezdem vlaku z výchozí stanice.

2. Interval platnosti pro predbežnou rezervaci

- je–li do dne odjezdu vlaku z výchozí stanice více než 8 dní, je treba si zakoupit rezervaci do 8 kalendárních dnu;
- je-li do dne odjezdu vlaku z výchozí stanice 8 a méne; dní, je treba si zakoupit rezervaci do 24:00 hod. následujícího dne
- je-li predbežná rezervace provedena dva dny pred odjezdem vlaku z výchozí stanice, lhuta koncí ve 24:00 hod. tohoto dne
- v den jízdy vlaku a jeden kalendární den pred nástupem jízdy se pržná rezervace neprovádí.

3. Ostatní podmínky

- cestující si muže zajistit výmenu predbežné rezervace (zakoupením) za platný rezervacní doklad u kteréhokoliv terminálu ARES
- predbežne; rezervovaná místa budou automaticky uvolnena v den uvedený na dokladu o predbežné rezervaci ve 24:00 hod..
4. Algoritmus pridelování míst

Jsou požadavky, které musí být vždy dodrženy pri pridelování místa. Není-li možné je dodržet, místo nebude prideleno. Jedná se o:

- u místenek:vozovou trídu,
kurák nebo nekurák,
- u lehátek:
oddíl se 6 nebo 4 místy,
- u lužek:
typ oddílu (touriste, double, single),
charakteristika oddílu (muž, žena), není-li požadován celý oddíl.

Doplnující požadavky na umístení:

- typ oddílu:

strední chodba, bocní chodba, stul, matky s detmi, invalidé,
- místo:
okno, stred, chodba, jednotlive, dole, stred, nahore,

jsou vždy uvažovány jako "pokud možno". Algoritmus pridelí náhradní místa neodpovídající presnému požadavku bez upozornení na zmenu.
Algoritmus pri pridelování míst preferuje umístení "okno" u místenek, "dole" u lehátek a lužek.
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Does it say anywhere what the time limitations of collecting the tickets are? How much time do i have to collect the tickets after i have made the internet reservation? And how much before the train departure i have to collect the tickets?

[Jdanz]

I don't know the answer to your questions, but i know when i lived in prague you could get train tickets a day before with no problems, and my english speaking friends have done so multiple times.

(I have not though so I have little else to offer)

[captZEEbo]

I think you can pick up the tickets the day you go. I took a train from prague to nuremburg, but did not get an internet reservation. Also I don't speak czech.

[SmileyEH]

Just go to the station when you get to prague and buy the tickets. You'll have no problems at all.

[Iq75]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I think that we'll just make the reservations without knowing whether they'll be valid or not; since they appear to be free there's no harm in doing them. And if for some reason they are not valid, we'll just buy the tickets without pre-reservation from there.

Any good tips what to do/see once we arrive there (or in Berlin)?

[Frequitude]

Did you look for the little British flag on their site? Click that to browse in English. Might have to start at the top. Most european travel genre sites have it.

[Iq75]

Yes, i viewed the site in English. Most of the information was in English, and making the reservations are easy, but the help-info about the rules of pre-reservation was maintained in Czech language only.

[Fedfan691]

Go post this in the german forum here, you're much more likely to find someone who speaks czech and can translate it for you.

[Dale Dough]

I'll give it my best shot, but I don't speak Czech at all. I know a little Russian and Ukrainian, and it's similar. A real speaker of either of those languages should be able to help you out. I'm just gonna give you my best guess anyway, because I'm procrastinating something else.

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6. Pravidla pro predbežné rezervace
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Rules for advance reservations

1. Zahájení a ukoncení predbežných rezervací

Start (?) and end of advance reservations

Služby ve vlacích lze predbežne rezervovat v rezervacním období vlaku, které zacíná 2 mesíce pred odjezdem a koncí dva dny pred odjezdem vlaku z výchozí stanice.

Trains can be reserved in advance during the reservation period?, that starts? 2 months before the train leaves and ends two days before the train leaves from the starting(?) station.

2. Interval platnosti pro predbežnou rezervaci

Interval of payment for advance reservations

- je–li do dne odjezdu vlaku z výchozí stanice více než 8 dní, je treba si zakoupit rezervaci do 8 kalendárních dnu;

If there are more than 8 days until the day of departure of the train from the starting station, you have to to buy (pay?) the reservation until 8 calendar days

(I guess this means you have to pay at most 8 days after you book)

- je-li do dne odjezdu vlaku z výchozí stanice 8 a méne; dní, je treba si zakoupit rezervaci do 24:00 hod. následujícího dne

If there are 8 or less days left until the day of departure, you have to (buy? pay for?) the reservation before 24:00 the next day

- je-li predbežná rezervace provedena dva dny pred odjezdem vlaku z výchozí stanice, lhuta koncí ve 24:00 hod. tohoto dne

if blah blah two days before departure blah blah XXX ends 24:00 the same day


- v den jízdy vlaku a jeden kalendární den pred nástupem jízdy se pržná rezervace neprovádí.


the same day (or?) the calenday day before (departure?) (you can't make reservations?)

3. Ostatní podmínky

- cestující si muže zajistit výmenu predbežné rezervace (zakoupením) za platný rezervacní doklad u kteréhokoliv terminálu ARES
- predbežne; rezervovaná místa budou automaticky uvolnena v den uvedený na dokladu o predbežné rezervaci ve 24:00 hod..

blah blah blah other rules. not sure abuot this - you have to pay for the ticket at a terminal (unless theres an option on the site, i didnt look), and your reservation is lost blah blah blah 24:00 that day - not sure what it says

The rest seems to be an explanation of how the system allocates seats, what classes of seats/sleeper cars there are, standard assumptions if you don't give a preference (think they'll give you a window seat / bottom berth if available, not sure), etc etc. Find a real speaker if you must know.

Now the last time I was in Prague was 7 years ago, and the main station looked kinda crappy, so I'd be surprised if they had the option to pay through the Internet. Then again, there prolly barely was Internet back then. But I'm pretty sure I got that stuff abuot 8 days correct - no use making reservations more than 8 days in advance if you wont be able to pick up the ticket in 8 days. Just print out everything and take it with you to the main station as soon as you get there, and you should hopefully be ok.

[Iq75]

Thanks for the translation. I did not know Russian and Ukrainian are so close to Czech language. The translation settles the case; no point in making the reservation since well be there in less than 8 days before the train departs.