Hi there.
Looking at flying into Prague (arrive (6/19) and spending 4 nights (too much?) at K+K Hotel Central (any feedback?). We%26#39;d like to get out of Prague and see castles (train or hire a driver?). Then taking train to Dresden for 2 nights (spend a day visiting castle or another city?). Then taking train to Berlin for one night and flying home next morning. 7 nights total. We will be two 40 year olds and one 10 year old boy. We really need help.
In the past we%26#39;ve done Paris/Normandy which was great but we wish we had taken a train out to Normandy and rented a car upon arrival rather than drive from Paris. Also we did Haarlem and Amsterdam - which was a fun trip. Soooo - we really need help. My boss is covering the airfare - we fly out of Newark. Husband wants to see Prague BUT we need help (did I mention we need help??).
Itinerary suggestions ..............
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I don%26#39;t think you need much help - your itinerary sounds very straightforward!
Which castles did you want to see? Here%26#39;s a little list for you to look at and then come back for advice on how to get there/whether it is feasible. Unless your budget is unlimited, stick to the trains.
Hope this helps at least a little :)
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http://www.zamky-hrady.cz/
better post the link
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thanks! I get all flipped out - want to make the right choices .... thanks again!
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so - if we%26#39;d like to travel outside prague and visit town/castle/hike - where do you suggest we go? Is there anywhere that is an easy train ride? We%26#39;d rather do that than hire a driver.
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If this is you first trip to these cities, I would certainly spend at lesast twice as much time in Berlin as Dresden. The %26quot;Pergamon Museum%26quot; (Hours Tues-Sun 10am-6pm but Thurs until 10pm) on Berlin%26#39;s %26quot;Museum Island%26quot; is one of my handful of %26quot;must sees%26quot; in Germany that I return to again and again. Note that it is closed on Mondays. When I first saw the %26quot;Pergamon Altar and Market Gate of Miletus%26quot;, I was stopped in my tracks. At aviewoncities.com/berlin/pergamonmuseum.htm is a summary and some photos. One can just imagine the effect of the tall and colorful %26quot;Ishtar Gate%26quot; several thousand years ago when the masses lived in drab, dusty, cramped squalor. Make a visit to %26quot;Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie%26quot; (Hours Daily 9am-10pm) for a hint of what it was like in Berlin when people would risk their lives to escape the %26quot;Berlin Wall.%26quot; Be sure to walk from the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) to Potsdamer Platz. Try to find photos of the way Potsdamer Platz looked when the Berlin Wall was in place (less than two decades ago) so you can compare it with the modern skyscrappers there now.
If you have never seen a Baroque palace, Berlin has its %26quot;Schloss Charlottenburg%26quot; (Palace Tues-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm; museum Tues-Fri 10am-6pm; gardens (free admission) daily 6:30am-8pm); however many think that if you have seen one of these palaces in Europe, you have seen them all. If you like art, there is the famous Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) with Hours Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (Thurs until 10pm). However if you saw the %26quot;Louvre%26quot; while in Paris, I would spend your limited time somewhere else in Berlin unless there is a particular painting you wish to see here.
In Dresden my %26quot;must see%26quot; is the inside of the %26quot;Frauenkirche.%26quot; See photos and details at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Frauenkirche . At dresden.de/dmg/…frauenkirche_church.php are additional photos and links to the main sights, etc. Consider taking the early morning train from Prague to Dresden, perhaps leaving Prague at 8:40 am and arriving in Dresden Hbf (closer to the Old Town than the other Dresden train station) at 10:46 am.
Schedules at jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/ . After checking into a hotel between the train station and the Old Town, one could easily see the Old Town in an afternoon and evening. (In mid June the sun %26quot;stays up%26quot; quite late). The next morning after breakfast one could take the train to Berlin and be there in two and a half hours. At www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml are the schedules with an English language option where you can investigate such discount programs as the %26quot;Happy-Weekend-Ticket, etc.%26quot; for considerable savings on German trains. The train prices in the Czech Republic are so inexpensive compared to Western Europe that it is best to buy them at a train station when in Prague.
In Prague my %26quot;must see%26quot; is the %26quot;chapel of the Holy Cross%26quot; in Karlstejn Castle since you are visiting this area between June and October. These are the dates that Tour #2 is available. Take a %26quot;virtual tour%26quot; at their website at www.hradkarlstejn.cz/virtual-tour/. by clicking the thumbnail of the next to the last photo at the bottom of the virtual tour selection. These tours, starting at 9:00 am and lasting about two hours, include the %26quot;Chapel of the Holy Cross,%26quot; the most beautiful room from medieval Europe with its gold and semiprecious stones on the walls. Reservations for this tour are needed in advance (see above website for details). English speakers often do not have their emails answered or their phone calls returned by such websites, especially if you do not indicate that you will take tour #2 in any language if English is sold out. When you arrive in Prague, your hotel receptionist can also call them to reserve your tour although sometimes you need to go to another Prague address to pay the reservation fee in cash if they are not willing to accept your credit card. I know this procedure seems like a hassle, but this tour is worth it! If Tour #2 is sold out in English during your visit, take this Tour in any language available. You will soon forget the words of the tour guides anyway, but the images of these rooms will last a lifetime. I think that a taxi could take you to the top of the hill to the gates of the Castle to save you some time. Afterwards the taxi or chauffeur service could take you to Prague Castle; there if you follow the directions mentioned in above paragraphs, you would have an easy downhill walk seeing the main sites of historic Prague on your way to Wenceslas Square. For much less money one can take a direct train from Prague to Karlstejn. If you use the train, take a detailed train schedule of that route with you, and sit in the front of the train so you will recognize when you reach Karlstejn and be ready to exit. Some of the stops that trains make in small towns are only for a minute and only have one station sign to tell you the station name. The Karlstejn train station is across the river from the Castle. After leaving the Karlstejn train station, turn to your right then cross the bridge over the river; then make another right turn and walk up the hill to the Castle. Be aware that the guided bus tours from Prague to Karlstejn take the MUCH less impressive Tour #1, and one still has to walk up the hill to the Castle unless one rents a horse drawn carriage at the town parking lot. This last paragraph was taken from …castleview.cz/day-trip-to-prague.html which has a suggested itinerary for seeing historic Prague in a day.
In summary, to answer your first question - yes, four nights is too much time during your short trip unless part of this time is spent in the Czech countryside. I would certainly move one of those nights from Dresden to Berlin with the reasons mentioned above.
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Also the %26quot;Five-Petalled Rose Celebrations%26quot; is in Cesky Krumlov from June 19th until th 21st, 2009. It is %26quot;a three-day Renaissance festival that takes the town back to the times of knights, noble ladies, magicians and beggars.%26quot; The town is more magical at night when lights illuminate the Castle and narrow streets; however lodging books quickly for this yearly event.
If you are interested, …castleview.cz/from-prague-airport.html gives detailed options about getting from Prague to Cesky Krumlov. The %26quot;Student Agency%26quot; Buses are the most cost effective means of travel on this route; however during such times these buses fill up quickly so if interested, make a reservation about four weeks in advance (as soon as the bus seats are listed on their website). This once a year festival also has fireworks and townspeople dressing up for the event. If you bring your own medieval costumes to wear, there is no admission charge to the town those days. See some festival and town photos at …castleview.cz/town-photos.html .
Another day trip from Prague would be to %26quot;take the waters%26quot; at one of the historic spa towns such as Karlovy Vary with its picturesque colonnades, mineral springs, etc. See www.karlovyvary.cz/index.asp… and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlovy_Vary for more details. The Moser glass factory there is an interesting side trip (while in Prague visit their downtown retail shop and drool). While in the town, be sure to take a quick look inside the lobbies of some of the world famous hotels such as the %26quot;Grandhotel Pupp%26quot;. They have a unique website at http://www.pupp.cz/ .
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