DVD/Video Rental in Prague

A look at the major DVD & Video rental shops in Prague

Expats.cz Staff

Written by Expats.cz Staff Published on 29.01.2007 11:03:19 (updated on 29.01.2007) Reading time: 3 minutes

Written by Laura Baranik
for Expats.cz

Renting English-language videos in Prague used to be prohibitively expensive, with some expat-aimed video stores charging up to 190 CZK per rental. With the advent of the DVD, it was no longer necessary to have the original version of a Hollywood movie to view it in English – and the prices at expat rental spots were forced to plummet to compete with local shops. There are still plenty of stores with original-version DVDs (and some with VHS tapes for those who love to rewind), but the Czech pujčovny are now a perfectly viable option too. Here´s a list of the best in both categories.

Klub DVD
Francouzská 18, Prague 2
Tel: 222 514 200
Hours: Mon – Sun 10:00 – 21:30

Karlovo Náměstí 10, Prague 2 (Atrium Pasáž, 2nd floor)
Tel: 731 009 682
Hours: Mon – Sun 10:00 – 21:30
www.klubdvd.cz

Czech DVD rental service with extensive selection of Zone 2 DVDs. Website has detailed catalogue listings in both Czech and English and is searchable by title and director; also indicates whether the film you´re looking for is currently available in either rental location.

Membership fee: 1000 CZK deposit (must bring valid I.D. such as passport when registering)
Rental price: 40-50 CZK per day; can return films rented on Friday or Saturday on Monday for only 10 CZK extra

MovieStar
Bubenečská 8, Prague 6
Tel: 224 315 027
Hours: Mon – Sun 10:00 – 22:00

Cíglerova 7, Prague 9
Tel: 281 866 908
Hours: Mon – Sun 10:00 – 22:00
www.moviestar.cz

Various DVDs and videos, mostly in Czech versions. Searchable, user-friendly website; can pre-reserve films online. Service in both Czech and English.

FEATURED EMPLOYERS

Membership fee: 500 CZK deposit
Rental price: 35 CZK for 2 days; new releases 45 CZK for 1 day. Children´s movies 30 CZK for 2 days

Planet DVD
Havlíčkova 4, Prague 1
Tel: 222 328 985
Spálená 29, Prague 1
Tel: 224 930 888
Rumunská 20, Prague 2
Tel: 224 250 397-8
Dukelských hrdinů 12, Praha 7
Tel: 220 879 393

Hours (all locations): Mon – Sun 8:00 – 23:00
www.planetdvd.cz

Probably Prague´s most high-tech DVD-rental system; its special touch-screen kiosks allow you to search for, preview and select your movies without interacting with anybody else. Of course, when you actually go to get the DVD, a real human has to hand it to you across the counter. They claim to have all of the DVDs on the Czech market in their library. You can check online in advance which are in stock where, as well as mark favorites and reserve them for rental. If you like, they´ll even send you an SMS to let you know when the film you want is available.

Membership fee: 500 CZK deposit + 50 CZK card-printing fee (valid I.D. and proof of address needed to join)
Rental fee: around 50 CZK (they will charge you 20 CZK extra if you return the video to a different branch)

Radost FX
Bělehradská 120, Prague 2
Tel: 224 252 741
Hours: Mon – Fri 10:00 – 21:00
Sat 11:00 – 19:00
Sun 13:00 – 19:00
www.radost-cdvideo.cz

Definitely the place for otherwise hard-to-find movies in Prague, with lots of foreign films, indie flicks, and underground classics. Both DVD and video; some Czech and some original versions. Also a popular CD store.

Membership fee: 100 CZK for one year
Rental fee: DVDs: 50 CZK per day; from Mon-Thurs second DVD for 10 CZK. DVDs rented on Friday or Saturday can be returned on Monday at no extra cost.
VHS: 40 CZK per day; three tapes per day for 80 CZK (excluding Friday). Tapes rented on Friday or Saturday can be returned on Monday at no extra cost.

Video Gourmet
Jakubská 12, Prague 1
Tel: 222323364
Hours: Mon -Thurs 12:00 – 21:00
 Fri – Sun 11:00 – 11:00

Expat-oriented rental store attached to the Red, Hot & Blues restaurant. The “gourmet” in its name presumably comes from its wide selection of American junk food, such as Oreos, Duncan Hines baking products, Crisco, root beer and bacon meat (they also have some food packaged to go from the restaurant next door). Stocks a fair amount of VHS (in both PAL and NTSC) and lots of DVDs in Zones 1 and 2. All are English-language originals. Good selection of U.S. TV shows on DVD, including Lost, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.

Membership Fee: 1000 CZK deposit
Rental Price: 50 CZK per day

Video to Go
Vítězné Náměstí 10, Prague 6
Tel: 224 318 981
Hours: Mon – Fri 13:00 – 22:00
 Sat – Sun 10:00 – 22:00
www.videotogo.cz

Founded in 1992, Video to Go was the first English-language video rental store to open in Prague – and, in the early days, one of the few stores with air-conditioning in the summer. They´re now phasing out their large VHS library (videos can now be either rented or bought for 50 CZK) and focusing on their ever-expanding DVD collection, which numbers at 2200 and counting. DVDs in Zone 1 and Zone 2.

Membership fee: 500 CZK
Rental price: 50 CZK per day; 100 CZK for new releases. Selection of DVDs for 30 CZK, specials Mon – Thurs
Additional drop-off boxes: Tesco on Národní Třída, Bohemia Bagel on Masná and Újezd, and the Radio Free Europe building

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