# Toilets are not free....



## eleewhm

woah... i was in Dresden for a week and discovered that the Toilets in town are expensive... went to a Toilet at Prague Strass and it was 0.50Euro to enter to use it... also at one of the train stations , the entry was 1Euro....


are these normal or was i being taken for a ride???


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## twostep

I cannot tell you if toilets are expensive or not but the use of public restrooms has always been associated with a small charge. They have to be kept up, stocked with supplies not to mention cleaned.


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## gerrit

I lived in Germany for a year, and Dresden was one of the places I visited while I was in Berlin. Let's just say that most German toilets were, if not clean, at least bearable and worth the little expense of 0.50 €. I also lived on the Czech side of the border where toilets tend to be free but where even luxury restaurants often don't find it necessary to put a lock on the door, so you may find a total stranger to open the door and catch you during a very private moment. Also, the number of filthy toilets I've seen there ... I'd very happily pay 1 euro for each toilet visit as long as the toilet is clean, has sufficient paper and soap to wash the hands afterwards. If this sounds just normal and basic, then I suggest you to travel in Czech Republic, Spain and Turkey for a while  Makes you really appreciate and value the simple soap box next to a sink (if there is actually soap left in it, of course).


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## eleewhm

ok...noted.. cause back home here where i come from its all free.. and most toilets do not smell as long as each indivduals do their duties...  aiming correctly..


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## Gerti2009

eleewhm said:


> woah... i was in Dresden for a week and discovered that the Toilets in town are expensive... went to a Toilet at Prague Strass and it was 0.50Euro to enter to use it... also at one of the train stations , the entry was 1Euro....
> 
> 
> are these normal or was i being taken for a ride???




0,50 Euro is the average price. it's ok.


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## miss_rose

eleewhm said:


> woah... i was in Dresden for a week and discovered that the Toilets in town are expensive... went to a Toilet at Prague Strass and it was 0.50Euro to enter to use it... also at one of the train stations , the entry was 1Euro....
> 
> 
> are these normal or was i being taken for a ride???


:juggle:


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## gerrit

eleewhm said:


> ok...noted.. cause back home here where i come from its all free.. and most toilets do not smell as long as each indivduals do their duties...  aiming correctly..


*image of men or women standing in front of a toilet too drunk to aim* uke:

This is exactly why I am happy to pay to use a public toilet. I prefer a toilet to be clean, not smell badly, have enough toilet paper available, and have a clean sink. If this means paying a euro, fine by me. This is still way better than the toilets where you need to clean the seat first, where hardly any toilet paper is available, where the previous user didn't flush his dirt away, or where no locks on the doors exist (or combinations of the above)

1€ or 0.50€ sound like decent prices to me. Of course nothing beats the grassfields: open air, free of charge, and the grass needs watering anyway


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## Stuttgartgirl

I was also surprised by paying to use the toilets and the ones at the Resthauses are now .70 Euros. You get a coupon for .50 Euros that you can use to buy something inside but it is a surprise if you're not expecting it.


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## Iron Horse

From my visits there, and future visits, that is the best money I'll ever spend if nature calls.


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## Cloudberry

I think it's typical in a lot of European countries to have to pay to use the toilet. 

I was in Estonia the other week and the price was about .30 or .50 and it was filthy! The smell was disgusting, there was toilet paper and pee on the floor. No soap or paper towels. And this was in a main shopping centre in the city centre. I was not impressed at all. They even had a guard outside the toilet to make sure no one was cheating and entering without paying (ie. when someone comes out you run in). 

Last week I was in Paris and paid .50 to use a toilet in Galleries Lafayette in Montparnasse and it too was not the cleanest toilet I've visited. I'm prepared to pay for using clean, well maintained toilet facilities but I think it's a blatant rip off when the facilities aren't being properly maintained despite the income they collect.


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## gerrit

Cloudberry said:


> The smell was disgusting, there was toilet paper and pee on the floor. No soap or paper towels.


Oh the memories...  This scenario is so familiar to me when thinking of any country I've lived in and visited ... The grossest was without a doubt in Czech Republic and Dublin, but in fact I find it hard to think of any other place but Oslo where I didn't encounter any filthy toilets... The toilets in Norway were so incredibly clean I almost felt guilty to empty the blatter in them ...

I guess it shows the egocentric side of many Europeans. A lot of people want the toilet clean when using it, but don't bother to keep it clean. The worst I saw was a cafe where the urine was all over the floor with bits and pieces of toilet paper spread around as well. On top of that the cabines had no lock. I just used the ladies room then. One girl complained about a man using the ladies toilets but when I opened the door of the men's room and showed her the floor she immediately showed understanding for my reluctance to even enter that room.

Conclusion: either Europeans are egocentric, or they have a very bad aim


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## Cloudberry

gerrit said:


> Oh the memories...  This scenario is so familiar to me when thinking of any country I've lived in and visited ... The grossest was without a doubt in Czech Republic and Dublin, but in fact I find it hard to think of any other place but Oslo where I didn't encounter any filthy toilets... The toilets in Norway were so incredibly clean I almost felt guilty to empty the blatter in them ...
> 
> I guess it shows the egocentric side of many Europeans. A lot of people want the toilet clean when using it, but don't bother to keep it clean. The worst I saw was a cafe where the urine was all over the floor with bits and pieces of toilet paper spread around as well. On top of that the cabines had no lock. I just used the ladies room then. One girl complained about a man using the ladies toilets but when I opened the door of the men's room and showed her the floor she immediately showed understanding for my reluctance to even enter that room.
> 
> Conclusion: either Europeans are egocentric, or they have a very bad aim


LOL It must've been bad then if you decided to use the ladies! :lol:


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## gerrit

Urine all over the floor, pieces of used toilet paper flooding on the floor, drunk guys not aiming well and risking to hit your trousers , ... The worst public toilet I ever saw in my life. I'd otherwise not have used the ladies one, but this was just way over the top. Oddly enough the ladies room was perfectly clean. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be male.

PS: another bizarre toilet experience was when me and a few friends looked for a place to drink and ended up in a gay bar. Thing was: none of us knew in advance this was a gay venue, it wasn't indicated whatsoever. Somehow my friends already realised what place they ended up in quite soon, while I was not aware despite the clues everywhere: ABBA and Erasure being played, all boys sitting next to other boys and all girls being accompanies by other girls, ... However, it took me half an hour before I realised it because the two guys one table next to us kissed each other. Then I realised I had just used the toilet in a gay bar while wearing my eyeliner as usual - luckily none of the guests thought it was some sort of sign ...


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## Michele_B

Hey,

usually it is not a must to pay toilets in Germany (talking of Rasthäuser, Restaurants, everywhere you find an elder woman sitting in the entrance of the toilet...) but you do so if you are satisfied with the cleanness of the facilities. You have to know that most of the "Toilettenfrauen" are not paid by the owner of the Rasthaus, etc..., their salary is the tip you give to them. In some cases they even have to buy cleansing agents on their own to provide you a clean place...


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