Her indoors wants to go to Prague next year.

Obviously we could fly, but I'm one of those people where the journey is as much part of the holiday as the destination.

Idle searching online seems to imply driving in the Czech Republic is horrific and that I can reckon on getting stopped by bent coppers every 25 yards....

Is this accurate? Anyone got any experience of driving in the Czech Republic in a UK registered car? Is it really a magnet for thieves and dodgy rozzers?

2015 when towing our caravan, part of our trip involved from Dresden through the Czech Republic to Vienna in Austria. Prague is a beautiful city and well worth the visit, as for driving it was much the same as Austria for instance where a vignette/sticker is required on the main routes and all the usual paperwork and equipment to adhere to. Main roads were good but similar to ours the minor ones needed repair.
Never had any dealings with the police but I believe it has improved immensely in the last 10 years, in fact in normal day to day they were as invisible as they are here and at borders we sailed through, although with latest threats that may have changed.

I've not drivin there but I have been to Prague.. cracking city , love it to bits. But a word of warning.. I know this can happen anywhere but it hasn't happened to us before or since .. the local gypsies are fantastic thieves.. my wife had her purse stolen from a locked handbag in a flash .. looking back I know how and when it was done .. it took less than 10secs of distraction and it was gone.
We reported it to the police in Prague and we were made to feel like the criminals. After about an of about by the cop we got set to leave the police station , the cop said I could go but my wife wasn't allowed to leave, I could argue with him , he had a gun and had locked the front door .. obviously I didn't go , it took an other hour a about before we could go .
Would I go back ? Yes , in a heart beat. Just take extra care in Prague. Do it now ! Your a long time dead !!

Many thanks for the advice.

I've driven through Austria before (also to Vienna), so encouraging to hear that it's more or less the same.

I'd heard about the crime in Prague, and the advice above about the stolen purse will make me even more cautious. What this will mean is that the wife will leave the handbag in the hotel safe and I'll become the pack-horse!!

Everywhere I search implies that a UK registered car attracts bogus traffic stops by the police and potential break-ins, but EY's post suggests otherwise.

Is it simply a case of people only reporting their bad experiences on the net, and that 99% of UK drivers in the Czech Republic are fine?

Flew into Vienna this September for not a lot of money with Austria Air. Picked up hire car after staying overnight at well priced airport hotel and drove off into the Sunset for 10 days.

We could not make up our minds which direction for months but eventually decided on Slovenia but close call on going East. Saves all that driving to and from UK and they wont be stopping a Austrian car every five minutes.

Enjoy  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

We were very careful in Prague as we would be in any city, all cities attract pickpockets but there are many poor in the Czec Republic and it pays to be very careful but we had no problem. After all its only 20 years roughly that it became a free country and living with corruption can take a long time to change.
10 years ago I would agree that some of the uniformed police and officials could well have been on the make, but in conversation with others on the campsites it has vastly improved and as usual it is normally the bad stories that get the publicity.
Go with an open mind and be very careful in the city plus the ripoff prices, maybe I was lucky I don't know but it was a great country, the people we met on campsites including staff were friendly but we were always alert as we are in any country.

BTW, I have now towed Belgium, Germany, Czec Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg and France, and not once have I been stopped by officaldom other than Calais and Folkestone and once between Austria and Germany when there was a high alert this year. So a UK plate in my eyes have never attracted any unpleasantness.

We drove to Prague (tent camping, no caravan) a few years ago and got a campsite just outside the city and took the metro train in every day and used the tram service to get about. Had no trouble at all driving around (other than it's a hell of a long way). Prague is a beautiful city.

Also spent some time in Berlin on the way there which was an experience.

Driven in Czech Republic in a UK registered car a number of times with no issues whatsoever.

Awesome - thanks all!!

Sounds like the horror stories I've read were simply the unlucky few.

I lived in Moscow for 18 months in the mid-nineties, just after the curtain came down, so I've experienced post-Iron Curtain "glasnost"....perhaps that explains my over-cautiousness when it comes to driving to Prague!!

As others have said, sounds like the usual plan of being alert to your surroundings, being sensitive to the locals and generally being careful is the way to go.

Thanks again for the advice.

Maybe a bit late post to the thread, but since I live in Prague I'll try to comment.

The city center is full of tourists, therefore there are pickpockets as well. In my opinion it's the same situation as in other euro capitals. There is still a bit of problems with crooks in the very city center (taxi, exchange). But nothing different to Vienna, Budapest, ...
You can watch some local guides describing the situations and giving hints https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM9...GwpiRtcKAm

Driving - I drive here cars on foreign licence plates(not UK) very often and I don't get pulled over, robbed, nothing like that. The parking in the city center is a bit tricky. I suggest using P+R or similar.

In case you are still about to visit Czech, don't worry, It's safe, nice and you will enjoy it. If you have more questions I'll be happy to help.