How's the drive from Frankfurt to Prague. For fun, I'm thinking of doing it next month vs. flying. Google says 531 km, which it estimates at 5 hours. Can it REALLY take that long. I certainly don't plan on driving only 100 km/h. There are no more border checks, I assume? How are the highways in CZ? Seems about 150 km of driving on that side of the border. I like to drive, but this is just an overnight trip, so...

Depends on when you're going, daytime/nighttime, weekend/weekday. Plus I don't know what's the speed limit and the traffic on Czech highways.

Avoid daytime and weekdays, on a saturday, starting 8pm it is definitely possible to get to the czech border under 2 1/2 h, some crazy guys might do it under 1 1/2 h. But I presume you're not riding "Gumball" style.

Trucks aren't allowed on the Autobahn during the weekends, plus you don't have any buisiness travel ("Berufsverkehr") that makes it more relaxed to go on a Saturday or Sunday, if you need to go on a weekday only drive during the nights (after 8pm), otherwise you're going through hell, especially on the A3 and A6 (A8 would be even worse). I'll promise you that.

There are border checks. The Czech Repuliblic is not part of Schengen.

As for the rest - as the previous poster hinted, unless you're driving in the middle of the night don't expect to get anywhere fast! You're unlikely to be able do more than an average of about 100-120 kph. Also, expect to spend a long time stuck in traffic if you are trying to drive into Prague. I doubt you'd be able to do it in under five hours each way.

No, 5 hours is definitly to much. Normaly it is about 4 to 4,5 hours. Think of the much traffic not at the highway. And in CZ is only allowed driving 90 km/h outside the city.

531 km in four hours means an average of 132 kph. Are you really sure that's possible, bearing in mind...:

- the time taken to get out of Frankfurt and into Prague
- the time taken to queue at the border (even in light traffic you have to spend some time crawling along at walking pace)
- making allowance for traffic jams at roadworks, and slower-moving traffic around junctions

???

I can't see it somehow.

Arriving early from US in FRA and then getting right on the autobahn heading east should get you through the Frankfurt area quickly but then you'll hit the traffic in other cities along the way and the boarder crossing mentioned in the other posts.
But why drive? It won't be much fun on the autobahn dodging the trucks and speedracers and you won't be able to enjoy the landscape plus Prague is a very walkable city.

Unfortunately the other surface option - train - takes much longer, the quickest connection is just over 7 hours and the only direct train (overnight) takes over 9 hours.

Driving to Prague is fine if you have plenty of time and if you use minor roads some of the way (we drove from Frankfurt to Karlovy Vary some years ago, taking all day to get there, and it was great). Driving along the Autobahn to get from A to B just isn't much fun, and it's just not something I would choose to do unless there was a very good reason for it. (I feel the same about UK motorways and French autoroutes and the Dutch and Belgian equivalents BTW!)

Thanks, all. Doesn't sound too fun. For clarity, I would be driving to Prague Saturday at 15:30 and returning from Prague Sunday around 06:00.

Should be rated as "no big problem" times, as I mentioned, there are no trucks allowed on the Autobahn during the weekends.

True, but the OP' plan leave Frankfurt Saturday afternoon and leave Prague at 0600 on Sunday morning. What would be the point? Get to hotel at 2030, have a quick bite to eat, have an early night, get up at the crack of dawn, drive back.

Definitely not my idea of fun! In fact I probably wouldn't even do the trip by air.

Well, I think 5 hours is about right.
Driving from Frankfurt to Amberg (A3 and A6) is fine (i.e. no speedlimit most of the time), but then you have two pieces where the Autobahn hasn't been completed yet to the Czech border (At least as of last summer, when I drove it last time). I haven't had any waiting times at the border, but you will have to stop to pay for the interstate pass (~10EUR for three days, I believe).

Also, in the Czech republic you have a speed limit (130, I believe) which is especially enforced if you are a foreigner (i.e. don't have a Czech license plate)

Additionally, don't be surprised if on the way back you are stopped after the border by German Customs ("Zoll"). Since a lot of people from the german side of the border drive to the czech side for shopping, there are quite frequent checks, especially on weekends.

David

Added: I agree with Aviatrix that I don't see much point driving this. If you want to take a car for a ride, you might just want to go to Nuernberg or Amberg - closer and you still get most of the "high-speed" Autobahn that you'd get if going to Prague...

I second that, what I wanted to express is that it is possible, or at least easier than on a weakday.

Thanks for everyone's input. I land at FRA at 15:30 from MAD and leave the next day at 13:45 for BOM. I don't really want to spend the evening in FRA, so I'm considering other options. FRA-PRG is an easy 1 hours flight and only $200 on LH, but I was just considering the drive for fun.

Visit Mainz

Oh yeah, that's hot.