My husband and I would like to visit Germany and the Czech Republic in November. We're planning on going to Berlin, Leipzig, Prague, Pilzen, Cesky Budjovice, Berchtesgaden, and Munich. Our daughter will be five months old. Since we can't sit outside to eat and drink that time of year, I'm really concerned that she'll be exposed to smoke in restaurants and bars (we take her everywhere!!). Will smoke be a problem wherever we go???
Thanks,
Heather
All of Bavaria is smoke-free indoors now. So is Hessen, and I'd take a fair gamble that Berlin is too (Bavaria is usually the last to follow suit in things of this nature). If there's any smoking indoors it'll be in a room with a closed door - ie: smoking section. Otherwise smokers are relegated to smoking outdoors, often aided now with heat lamps and fleece blankets supplied by the restaurant, bar, or cafe.
I have no idea about the Czech Republic.
Good for you - traveling with an infant!
Supposedly, all German landen have banned smoking in restaurants and taverns, although I understand compliance is still an issue (I haven't traveled to Germany since the ban took effect in January).
The Czech republic has not yet banned smoking, although they are considering it. In Prague, I noticed that restaurants frequented mainly by tourists tended to be less smoky, while the beer halls populated mainly by locals were more-so.
Some Germany states wrote a clear smoking ban law and they still stand, this includes Bavaria.
Berlin was in a state that wrote exceptions for restaurants/bars large enough to segregate smokers and non-smokers. The German court system overturned these laws as they discriminated against smaller establishments.
There was an article this summer in Spiegel Online (in English) about this but I can not find it and there has not been an update to my knowledge.
Regards, Gary
I found a link to July 2008 Spiegel Online article:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,569052,00.html
There are links to earlier articles. I am not sure if this was the last in the series or not.
Regards, Gary
All the tiny neighborhood pubs were going bust. It is kind of a fact of life that drinking and cigs go together pretty often. When all the smokers had to go outside, the neighbors all complained. So, the little bars pressed the issue in the courts and they got a decision in their favor. Anyway, you can be pretty assured that the restaurants you will be visiting will either be smoke free or have a completely separate room for the smokers. This is only for Germany though, as I don't really know about Czech smoking laws.
We spent 5 days in Cesky Krumlov (very near Budjovice) and yes, many people smoke. Somehow it didn't really seem too bothersome. The bars definitely will be more smokey as so many of the young people smoke. I'm sure you will notice the smoke more than in the US but hopefully people will take notice of your baby. People are friendly in C.R. and most people under age 30 speak English.
