Located directly opposite of each other on the beautiful blue Danube, Schöna in Germany and Hrensko in Czechia are two peas from the same pod divided by a geographic barrier and a political border. Though just metres apart from each other, the body of water makes a natural barrier between the two villages.
A small international ferry takes passengers from the German train station in Schöna to the Czech town of Hrensko. Though the schedule officials states a departure every 15 minutes, the pilot is happy to depart if he’s satisfied that the ferry is full or if there’s no point waiting for more passengers as the train only comes in once an hour.
Just a regional train ride away from Dresden and Pirna downstream, Schöna is the gateway to low taxes afforded by Hrensko on the Czech side. Cigarettes, alcohol, groceries, and small kitchen items are just a few of the goods that the locals hawk to German buyers at more than competitive prices. Thanks to Schengen and the Eurozone, the Euro is accepted there and good brought to Germany from Czechia are not taxable.
Beautiful town with great deals on everything!
