Prague, Karlštejn, Škoda plant

Duration: 4-7 days (~9 hours one way from the border)
Approximate distance: 1600 km
Nights abroad: 3-6 nights
Countries covered by the route: Poland or Slovakia, Czech Republic

Route

driving through Polish highways – driving through Slovakia – Czech highways – Parking in Prague – Prague Center – Karlstein and castles – - Kutna Hora – Škoda Factory

Route through Poland on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/G8k4R2k3c1QCF73u9

Route through Slovakia on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/6hq33dH2fF2VKP957

Language

A large percentage of the population understands and speaks English. There were no language problems.

Currency

In Poland, the currency is Polish Zloty (currency code PLN), in Slovakia, Euro, in the Czech Republic — Czech Crown (currency code CZK). It's easiest to have a bank card with you. There are no issues with card payments.
You can exchange a small amount of money into crowns. At the end of the route, if you have cash left, you can refuel to avoid losing on the exchange rate.

Border Crossing

For border crossing, points near the Polish highway A4 or any of the border crossing points with Slovakia are suitable.

Border crossing points with Poland:

• Krakovets-Korchova (Lviv region)
• Shehyni-Medyka (Lviv region)
• Hrushiv-Budomezh (Lviv region)

Border crossing points with Slovakia:

• Malyi Bereznyi - Ublia (Zakarpattia region)
• Uzhgorod - Vyshne Nemecke (Zakarpattia region)

You can view the border crossing points on the map and their congestion on the website of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine:
https://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/map

Toll Roads in Poland

In Poland, certain sections of roads are toll roads. Usually, there are payment points at the entrance and exit of such sections. On the way to Prague, you will need to pass one toll section of the A4 highway — Krakow - Katowice.
The cost of passing this section for a passenger car is 10+10 PLN (payment at entry and exit), which is approximately 5.6 euros in total.

For more details about road tolls, mandatory equipment in the car, and other nuances regarding travel through the country, read the article about Poland

Toll Roads in Slovakia

In Slovakia, there is a charge for using the roads. Not all roads are toll roads, but for the fastest route from Ukraine to the Czech Republic, it's best to travel on toll roads. Payment is made by purchasing a vignette.
The cost of a vignette for 10 days for a passenger car is 10 euros. You can buy an electronic vignette on the website: https://eznamka.sk/selfcare/purchase/

For more details about road tolls, mandatory equipment in the car, and other nuances regarding travel through the country, read the article about Slovakia

Toll Roads in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, there is a charge for using the roads. Not all roads are toll roads, but for the fastest route from Poland or Slovakia to Prague, it's best to travel on toll roads. Payment is made by purchasing a vignette.
The cost of a vignette for 10 days for a passenger car is 310 CZK (€ 12.5). You can buy the vignette at almost all gas stations. If you enter a toll section, you can reach the first gas station for free.
If you enter from Poland, you can buy the vignette here: https://goo.gl/maps/fkHmRq4vqe68Tnu3A

For more details about road tolls, mandatory equipment in the car, and other nuances regarding travel through the country, read the article about the Czech Republic

Fuel Prices in Poland

Fuel Prices in Slovakia

Fuel Prices in the Czech Republic

Parking in Prague

Prague is divided into parking zones. The blue zone is only for residents, the purple zone is a mixed zone that can be used by both residents and guests after paying for parking, the orange zone is for short-term parking (usually a maximum of 2 hours), and the green zone includes long-term P+R (Park and Ride) and K+P (parking for dropping people off at the metro or train).

You can leave your car for free outside the paid parking areas. A verified place is in the Chodov area, 10 minutes from the Chodov metro station, which takes you directly to the city center. If there's no space here, there are other parking lots nearby. Location on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/cdjGPPaByMDJbj9u8

Details about parking in Prague can be found in the article about the Czech Republic

On the map, you can view specific streets and which parking zone they belong to through this link.
https://en.mapy.cz/zakladni

Map of Parking Zones in Prague (in English)

Prague Center

During the day or evening, cross the Charles Bridge and take a walk along the river. You may come across beautiful views of the city and swans.

The "Rotating Head of Franz Kafka" — a sculpture of the German-speaking writer Franz Kafka.

Prague has an interesting place where you won't find many tourists — the narrowest street. Only one person can pass through this street, so traffic lights have been installed at the entrance from each side. You need to walk up, press the button, and wait until the green light comes on. It's great to walk there in the evening.

Vytopna Railway Restaurant

Another very interesting and unusual place in Prague is the Vytopna Railway Restaurant. There are two of them in Prague, and the photos below are from the one located at Wenceslas Square 56, Prague 1. The concept of this establishment is that all drinks are brought to your table by a train. It's as real as it gets, with automatic switching tracks, a locomotive pulling wagons. The train arrives at your table, you take the glasses with drinks, and it reverses, switches the track on the mainline, and the train sets off forward, bypassing all the tables to the bar for a reload. If you take too long to pick up orders from the wagons, the locomotive whistles and flashes its lights. It's very exciting. You sit, and trains pass by you, delivering orders to neighboring tables. Getting into this place is not easy; it's best to reserve a table in advance. If you don't do that, you may stand in line for 20 minutes to an hour. During the visit to this restaurant, we waited in line for 20 minutes.

New Year in Prague

I was lucky to celebrate New Year's in Prague twice. It's one of those cities that I can recommend for New Year's celebrations. Very beautiful Christmas tree, a festive market, and mulled wine. At midnight, many people go to the embankment to launch fireworks and rockets. The entire river is covered with smoke from pyrotechnics. In the park on the hill above the river, it becomes dangerous at this time because intoxicated people start launching fireworks recklessly, and emergency services are busy.

On the next day at 6 PM (January 1st), there is a city fireworks display. It is launched from the hill above the river. The whole city comes out with children to watch this event. Since 2017, the fireworks are synchronized with music, which is broadcast on the radio. Sound speakers are installed on the embankment, broadcasting the music.

Karlstein Castle

If you came to Prague by car, it's worth exploring the outskirts of Prague, not just walking around the city. One of them is Karlstein Castle (Hrad Karlštejn). Castle on Google Maps. There is a paid parking lot near the castle. If you have more time and don't want to park in a paid area, you can park for free near the train station (location on Google Maps).

Krivoklat Castle

Krivoklat Castle is another beautiful castle not far from Prague. You can visit it on the same day as Karlstein. Opposite the castle, there is a hill with a path leading to it, where you can take great photos. Castle on the map

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora

Gothic church from the late 14th century, includes the upper chapel and the underground ossuary. A very unusual place, interior elements are made of bones, bone heaps, etc. But it's not creepy. Ossuary on the map

Skoda Factory and Museum

The main Skoda factory is located in Mladá Boleslav. Tours of the factory need to be booked a few days in advance. During the Christmas period, the factory is closed, and after New Year's, it takes a day to resume operations, so you can visit the museum after January 3-4. For the visit, you'll be provided with a helmet, special overalls, grouped with others, and taken to the factory area by minibus. Photography inside the factory is not allowed. The tour starts from the metal stamping workshops, then the welding workshops, where everything is done by robots, and people only set up and control their work. Access to the assembly workshop is not always guaranteed. If the production of a new model is planned soon, you won't be allowed into the assembly workshop. The factory is huge, and you'll be shuttled between workshops by minibus. Employees also move between workshops by car. Incredibly interesting!
Tour office and museum entrance on the map
Information about factory tours (in English)

There are no photos from the factory due to the photography ban. The museum is also interesting, where you can see cars from all eras. The last photo includes the entire lineup of the manufacturer's logos.

If you are already in a car in Prague, plan your trip to see not only the city. If you want to visit an authentic Czech town, locals recommend Cesky Krumlov (Český Krumlov). It's not very close, about 170 km, so it may not be optimal to plan a visit during your trip to Prague.