[phillamb168]

We've more or less decided to get a Skoda as our next car, and I'm trying to work something out with the dealership so we can go to Prague and pick up the car at the factory. We'd break it in by driving it home afterwards, with stops in Pilsen, Prague, etc.

Do you guys have any suggestions on places to stay/eat/drink etc that would be family-friendly? We'll have a 1-year-old and a 2,5-year-old by that time.

[morticaixavier]

No ideas on the trip, but I drove a skoda when I was in france a few years back and it was really nice. it's what sold me on TDI as it happens. You going for diesel?

[theoman]

Hm, I don't remember seeing any kids in any of the bars in Prague. I was on a whirlwind tour, so maybe I just didn't notice. Perhaps this will help:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Guide-Prague-Czech-Republic/dp/1852492333

It might also be worth trying to get ahold of our friend Petr, who guided me on the whirlwind tour. Hit me up offline.

[phillamb168]

Mort, no reason NOT to get a diesel really. It's 20 cents cheaper per liter (nearly a dollar a gallon cheaper) and an engine with twice the power of my current unleaded car gets -better- mileage than a prius. I think us Americans are a bit off on diesels because of what they were like between, oh, 1945 and 1999. There are diesels out there have 160 horsepower and get 67 mpg highway.

Darin, sounds good. Petr was the guy that went with us for the Toer de Gueze right?

(Are you doing that again this year?)

[dannyy]

if you want taste some great czech beers, I can reccomend beers from this breweries

- matuska broumy
- kocour varnsdorf
- trebonicky rukodelny pivovar
- http://www.klasterni-pivovar.cz/index.php?process=34&languageID=2

you can get this beers at:
http://www.notabene-restaurant.cz/
http://restauracekulovyblesk.cz/
http://www.zlycasy.eu/

" trebonicky rukodelny pivovar" is placed at CAMP http://www.drusus.com/

[phillamb168]

Hey Dannyy, Thanks! Do you have recommendations for good places to get breakfast? And also where to get good Svíčková na smetaně, Ovocné knedlíky, and Vepřo-knedlo-zelo?

I'm thinking if I eat like that, we'll need to go in winter :-p

[hopfenundmalz]

This should work. It did for Bamberg and Berlin many years back.
http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/pragintr.htm

[morticaixavier]

Mort, no reason NOT to get a diesel really. It's 20 cents cheaper per liter (nearly a dollar a gallon cheaper) and an engine with twice the power of my current unleaded car gets -better- mileage than a prius. I think us Americans are a bit off on diesels because of what they were like between, oh, 1945 and 1999. There are diesels out there have 160 horsepower and get 67 mpg highway.

Darin, sounds good. Petr was the guy that went with us for the Toer de Gueze right?

(Are you doing that again this year?)

Yeah I hear that. Diesel here is maybe 20 cents more per gallon but at 50 mpg not to worried.

[hopfenundmalz]

Here in the USA diesels don't have the payback for a car like they do in Europe.  The difference is the tax on diesel fuel is about a dollar a gallon less in Europe.  Combine that with the higher mileage, and your payback makes it very attractive vs the higher purchase cost.

My quick farmer math calculations in my head had gas at about $8.40/gallon about 8 days ago.  The big difference between that and here is the tax. So much tax that they can take a dollar of the price per gallon of diesel to make it attractive for the buyers to purchase more diesels so that less oil is imported.

[morticaixavier]

Here in the USA diesels don't have the payback for a car like they do in Europe.  The difference is the tax on diesel fuel is about a dollar a gallon less in Europe.  Combine that with the higher mileage, and your payback makes it very attractive vs the higher purchase cost.

My quick farmer math calculations in my head had gas at about $8.40/gallon about 8 days ago.  The big difference between that and here is the tax. So much tax that they can take a dollar of the price per gallon of diesel to make it attractive for the buyers to purchase more diesels so that less oil is imported.

based purely on gas milage it would take, literally, a trip to the moon to pay back the 5k difference in engine price on diesel v. gas assuming the same price per gallon (250,000 miles) however, the diesel only needs an oil change every 10,000 miles (3:10 ratio), needs a 'tune up' only every 60,000 miles and will run easily for 200k if not 400k. I think that, unless your a 'new car every 3 years' kind of guy, even here diesel can pay for itself. but yeah, i like the european attiditude towards diesels.

[phillamb168]

$8.20/gal is what I'm paying.

Part of the reason for the tax (other than going towards road building and who knows what else) is that, if there's a big fluctuation in oil prices, the taxes can be lowered a bit in certain sectors to reduce the load on transporting goods. Helps to maintain more competitive import (and export?) pricing. At least I think that's what it is.

[morticaixavier]

$8.20/gal is what I'm paying.

Part of the reason for the tax (other than going towards road building and who knows what else) is that, if there's a big fluctuation in oil prices, the taxes can be lowered a bit in certain sectors to reduce the load on transporting goods. Helps to maintain more competitive import (and export?) pricing. At least I think that's what it is.

Hey man, stop hyjacking the thread, the OP wants to know about drinking in prague 

I know that to a large extent europe isn't that different than north america but I gotta say phil, I am a little jealous.

[hopfenundmalz]

Here in the USA diesels don't have the payback for a car like they do in Europe.  The difference is the tax on diesel fuel is about a dollar a gallon less in Europe.  Combine that with the higher mileage, and your payback makes it very attractive vs the higher purchase cost.

My quick farmer math calculations in my head had gas at about $8.40/gallon about 8 days ago.  The big difference between that and here is the tax. So much tax that they can take a dollar of the price per gallon of diesel to make it attractive for the buyers to purchase more diesels so that less oil is imported.

based purely on gas milage it would take, literally, a trip to the moon to pay back the 5k difference in engine price on diesel v. gas assuming the same price per gallon (250,000 miles) however, the diesel only needs an oil change every 10,000 miles (3:10 ratio), needs a 'tune up' only every 60,000 miles and will run easily for 200k if not 400k. I think that, unless your a 'new car every 3 years' kind of guy, even here diesel can pay for itself. but yeah, i like the european attiditude towards diesels.

Many don't recommend 3k oil changes for gasoline engines anymore.  More in the 5-7.5k range,  or when the ECM says time to change.

"Tune ups" are not needed as much for modern gasoline engines as in the past. Your plugs may go 100k miles.

Diesels have the potential to go a long time. As one of my friends says, if womething goes wrong you pay more.  To meet modern (or is it the future) emissions you will need to put Urea in a small tank every so often (10 to 20k miles). Yes your diesel will run a little on "horse p*ss".

I really like the modern diesels by the way. Used to drive them often, and used to evaluate European diesels at my work.

[morticaixavier]

Many don't recommend 3k oil changes for gasoline engines anymore.  More in the 5-7.5k range,  or when the ECM says time to change.

"Tune ups" are not needed as much for modern gasoline engines as in the past. Your plugs may go 100k miles.

Diesels have the potential to go a long time. As one of my friends says, if womething goes wrong you pay more.  To meet modern (or is it the future) emissions you will need to put Urea in a small tank every so often (10 to 20k miles). Yes your diesel will run a little on "horse p*ss".

I really like the modern diesels by the way. Used to drive them often, and used to evaluate European diesels at my work.

Yeah I love my diesel, it's actually been over 6 years now since I owned a gas car. My 'clean diesel' uses a post cylinder burn process to meet emmisions with out the need for urea. It basically saves up the extra nitrogen and then pumps it into the exhaust manifold with a little un-burned fuel and poof, no more nitrogen. Apparently can cause issues with bio-diesel in high proportions though.

[kingwj]

Maybe an email to Evan Rail or Max Bahnson (pivni filisof) would be helpful.  They know the Czech beer scene well.   Both have social media presence.