The Czech Republic for the Russian tourist was and remains not only an attractive country in terms of tourism and the gastronomic capital of Europe, but also the capital of high-quality alcohol. Each Russian considers it his duty to remove from this country the maximum amount of all kinds of alcohol in order to pamper relatives and friends at home. Therefore, it will be useful for all of us to know how much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic.
What type of alcohol do tourists take out
Beer is traditionally brought from the Czech Republic. It is clear as day and does not give in to any doubt. It is here, and even in Bavaria, that they brew the most delicious beer in the world. And with absolute certainty it is difficult to say which beer is better: Czech or German. But, in addition to beer, the Czech Republic is famous for more strong drinks. And the strongest of them is absinthe.
In Prague, there is even a museum of this legendary drink, where you can taste expensive types of absinthe and watch a bewitching fire show with it in the title role.
In the Czech Republic, absinthe is considered to be a national drink. Here, from ancient times, they were treated with a bitter tincture of wormwood. That is why in many souvenir bottles with absinthe you can find a sprig of wormwood. There is as much sense in it as in immersing a worm in a bottle with Mexican tequila, but tourists traditionally “peck” at it. It is worth noting that real absinthe cannot have a strength below 70 degrees. This is the tradition of making this drink, because the wormwood essential oil, the main component of absinthe, disappears without a trace when distilled, as soon as the alcohol content drops below the indicated 70%.
In addition to absinthe, other tinctures from herbs and fruits are widespread and loved in the Czech Republic. The notorious Karlovy Vary Becherovka is a herbal liquor with a strength of about 38 degrees.
It is drunk easier and more pleasant than absinthe, and is popular with tourists as a universal Czech souvenir. Tourists also noted plum brandy - Czech plum brandy is slightly stronger and contains at least 45% alcohol.
How much beer can I take out
However, the favorite of Czech tourist exports is beer. We will take it out at the end of the vacation and dwell in more detail.
Often, customs regulations can lead an inexperienced tourist into real confusion. Many tourist portals inform that Czech customs allow no more than a liter of strong alcohol and two liters of low alcohol drinks to be exported, which include beer. Since such a formulation introduced a lot of confusion into the already difficult customs rules, it was decided to reduce them to a banal three liters of any alcohol per person. Thus, a tourist planning to treat himself to Czech beer at home should remember that he can take no more than three liters of it out of the country unhindered and free of charge.
Czech beer in the Czech Republic and in Russia
In this age of globalization, many may wonder: why even export beer from the Czech Republic, if the same brands can easily be found on the shelves of Russian specialized stores? It is really not difficult to find them, and not only in specialized stores, but also in the assortment of the more or less well-known supermarket chain. But here two key questions arise: price and quality. The price itself will be more expensive. Well, it doesn’t matter so as not to occupy excess space in a suitcase, not to pay for overload and additional liters of exported alcohol, you can give up this dubious benefit. But here the question of quality arises with an edge. Even if the claimed Czech beer was actually brought from the Czech Republic and not franchised at a Russian factory, it will still be completely different beer that you had the pleasure of tasting in the Czech Republic. Indeed, for export here are completely different varieties of the drink.
What you should know about the rules for exporting alcohol
How much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic, we have already found out: no more than three liters per person for free and another 2 liters on top for a surcharge of 10 euros per liter. Experienced tourists would advise beginners to delve into some of the nuances of transporting alcohol across the border:
- Alcohol must be properly packaged according to the factory model, not spoiled. That is, taking home wine or tincture in a plastic or glass container will be problematic.
- Only adults have the right to export alcohol-containing products. It is not necessary to take children into account when calculating the allowable number of exported bottles of beer.
- It is best to distribute alcohol evenly over the suitcases, rather than stuffing the entire supply in one bag.
- When calculating how much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic, the customs takes into account both baggage and hand luggage in total. As well as alcohol acquired earlier and in duty free.
When traveling by plane
Although it was said above that alcohol purchased in Duty Free is considered as general, in fact it is problematic, because airplane passengers get to duty-free shops immediately before boarding and after passing through customs. Accordingly, an amendment can be made regarding how much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic in baggage and cabin baggage. However, we should not forget that no one canceled the customs rules for the import of alcohol. Therefore, if you stuffed a suitcase with bottles to the eyeballs, and even added a heavy bag from Duty Free to your hand luggage, problems at Russian customs cannot be avoided. Most likely, not without a fine.
In general, the calculations of how much alcohol can be transported from the Czech Republic to Russia by plane remain unchanged. Despite the fact that most airlines do not have any restrictions on the transportation of low alcohol drinks, you should focus on all the same maximum 5 liters of alcohol per person, 3 of which you will take out absolutely free.
What is the best way to pack alcohol
No matter how much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic, we want to bring all of it safe and sound. Therefore, returning to the transportation of alcohol in baggage, we mention another recommendation of tourists on packing in suitcases.
Most reliable, especially when it comes to the expensive form of alcohol in glass, securely wrap each bottle with packaging film. It will be useful to pack alcohol with your own clothes and make sure that the valuable cargo is as close as possible to the center of the bag and away from solid objects, such as the sole of the shoe.
When traveling by car
As for traveling by car, the situation with the removal of alcohol is much more interesting. The fact is that all tourists who have already made road trips to the Czech Republic, to the question: “How much alcohol can I take out of the Czech Republic by car?” as one declares - as much as you like! But here the catch is different: how much it can be brought into the country where the tourist enters. Most often, these countries are Poland and Belarus. Customs rules on the import of alcohol-containing products in the EU countries rarely contradict the unified export rules. That is, we again come back to more than once declared five liters per person. It may seem tempting to many to load the full trunk of their car with Czech alcohol. However, the fact that you can take out alcohol from the Czech Republic by car as much as you like is a myth. It’s better to stay there longer and enjoy it in his own country.
Anyway, every tourist is guaranteed to get a lot of impressions from traveling to the Czech Republic, because, in addition to beer and absinthe, there is something to try and see. And how much alcohol can be taken out of the Czech Republic to Russia at the end of an unforgettable trip - this is a secondary question.