Travel Agencies

There are 134 agents registered in Prague, and most have some help for English speakers. It is wise to bear in mind that agencies provide a service which their clients pay for, and it is rarely cheaper to book a package through an agent than to buy flights and accommodation separately, either through an agent or direct from airlines and hotels. If you do decide to book separately through an agent, remember that in most cases agencies only provide insurance, helplines and support abroad for clients who have booked packages, not those who have booked separately, so remember to get your own insurance (pojištění) – available through most agencies. Agency websites often provide cheaper options than are promoted in brochures, so be sure to check online before booking in-house. Last minute offers can be good, but sometimes there are hidden costs and the price advertised on the main page is usually for one cheap week among twenty offered. Even if you speak no Czech, do not discount using Czech language travel websites. They tend to be well laid out and with the help of an online translation service not difficult to use. Although some agents are helpful, poor customer service is the norm. Allow plenty of time for visiting agencies, queues are long and customers are regularly expected to wait while agents answer phones or catch up on paperwork.

Blue Style a. s. (www.blue-style.cz), a Czech travel agency established in 1997, is one of the biggest independent subjects on Czech market specializing in flight trips to seaside resorts. Their offer spans from popular tourist destinations such as Egypt, Greece, Tunisia or Turkey to more exotic destinations and also offer sightseeing trips and cruises. Families with the small children can choose from the selection of the hotels with Croco Club. Holiday can be booked online or by visiting one of 10 offices located in Prague and other 50 throughout all Czechia. You can also choose to contact them via direct message on Facebook. You’ll have a better chance with English in the more central offices of Prague.

Čedok
The oldest and biggest Czech travel agency spans the market, with luxury yacht cruises at one end and bus tickets at the other. There is an English website for tourists travelling to the Czech Republic (www.cedok.com) but the website for tourists travelling from the Czech Republic is only in Czech. Catalogues are also in Czech, and can be picked up from the offices or ordered online. Unlike most other agencies, Čedok promotes low-price accomodation in-house, and their catalogue “Tuzemské pobyty“ contains cheap Czech breaks. Branch offices have a currency exchange desk and a last minute bureau (available online at http://www.cedok.cz/Last-minute/). Service is variable, and be warned that even the central offices often do not all employ English-speaking agents – for instance the Václavské náměstí office does, but Rytírská does not.

ESO Travel
Eso (www.esotravel.cz) is a mid-sized business best known as the sponsor of Česká Miss. Their package holidays are high-end, with all accommodation based in four or five star hotels. Sightseeing tours, cruises and resort holidays are offered, and apart from Mediterranean summer breaks most vacations are outside of Europe. The USA and China are Eso´s most popular destinations. There are three offices in Prague. The main office is oddly positioned inside a bureu de change on Václavské, and manned by one helpful but harried agent. Allow some waiting-time and expect your conversation to be interrupted whenever the phone rings.

Fischer
One of the bigger agencies, with 12 offices to choose from in Prague (www.fischer.cz). Fischer specializes in high-end resort holidays to coastal areas. Supervised children´s clubs (‘Funtazie´ Clubs) in the resorts offer Czech language childcare for under-16s. Although brochures and the website are only in Czech and Slovak, the central offices have English-speaking staff. You can also use the website to book flights and accommodation; the website links up to more than 20,000 hotels worldwide and there are cheaper options online than in the brochures. Some reasonable last-minute deals can also be found. Because of a clever marketing gimmick whereby children booked into the Funtazie club this August are given a playstation as a ‘gift´, family summer holidays are almost sold out, so book fast.

GTS International
Offering flights, bus tickets, travel insurance, language courses, car rental, summer and skiing package breaks and visa help. GTS covers cheaper options and is popular with students. There is also an easy-to-use English language website (http://en.gtstravel.cz/) which allows price-comparison on flights. The central office on Ve Smečkách has the world-weary pokiness of a school staffroom and at 800 CZK the commission charged on flights booked in-house is double what you pay on the website, so consider booking from home.

Jayway Travel
Founded by an American expat living in Prague, the company provides tailor-made package holidays to Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, and Montenegro, as well as to the Czech Republic. Representatives are available for advice and help either in person or by phone – clients are lent a local mobile for their stay. When it comes to prices the company is slightly cagey, no guide rates are available online and when we asked for information none was forthcoming – though it is possible that the company´s client-based approach could make estimating costs difficult. To get a quote on your holiday, you can fill in an online request form. The website is in English and the agents are English speakers.

Stay In Castle
The name says it all; live like a lord for the weekend. Stay In Castle (www.stay-in-castle.com) provides a choice of more than 60 palaces, fortresses and chateaux. Most are privately owned hotels, some city-based but most located in the country. Outdoor activities from cycling to golf to riding are offered. Prices range between 1700 CZK and 13,508 CZK per night. The agency will also take bookings for weddings, work conferences or seminars. Dana Michková, who runs the business, is prompt and helpful, and even responds to emails, which makes her a rarity among Prague agents. She is also a trained massage therapist, so if the stress of booking your holiday proves too much help is near at hand.