How many days in Prague and Switzerland

[Jwerking]

Two active senior couples planning a visit to Prague as a part of a 40 day fall trip. We are flying into FRA on Aug 30 and picking up a rental car with the major goal of visiting the Alps to enjoy the great outdoors and do some hiking. But also wanted to visit some historical attractions - so tentatively planning some time in Prague.

Want to see castles, palaces, and churches - but not really into art museums. How many days should we allow to visit Prague without feeling rushed?

Any advice on driving the rental car into the city center area - is this doable - as I read the streets are narrow and one way? Or would you suggest staying outside of town and just taking public transportation to center to visit?

Thank you for any advice.

 

[elaine]

Be sure to get the correct toll stickers, esp. for Switzerland.
Unsolicited advice: Since you are flying into FRA, I would also recommend a few days along the Rhine. We did a "poorman's"Rhine cruise, staying on land in Mainz and then taking the tourist day boat up the Rhine, exploring castles. We were shadowed by expensive Rhine cruise tour groups many times. DH aid we could tick a Viking cruise off our list, as we had hit 5/6 stops it makes. You could add this, along with Heidelberg on your way to Switzerland. We also really liked Colmar and Haut Koeningburg castle nearby, all near the Germany/France border and somewhat on the way to Switzerland. For SW, we loved Wengen-eat at Hotel Baeren. They also have decent chalet rooms, no elevator. Excellent access to mountain hiking. We used trains for entire trip.
please post back about Prague. We are considered for July 2018. Elaine

 

[PStreet1]

If you want to visit the former concentration camp outside Prague, that will take a full day.

 

[Jwerking]

Hi Elaine,

Thank you for the suggestions. My daughter is working in Germany for the next few yrs, so we visited this past Oct for the first time and actually did the Rhine valley for about a week and then a day trip from her house to Heidelberg. It was late October, so local cruises on Rhine were limited - so never did one. May be a good suggestion to return as we never hiked along the ridge trail in the area - which would be awesome. And my cousin - who would be traveling with us would love it.

Joyce

 

[Passepartout]

I think 2-3 days in Prague should give you a good feel for the place. Prague Castle is high on a hill and fairly concentrated The old town is below it and is all quite walkable. They have an excellent Metro, but it's been some years since we've been there so I can't advise on where (or if) to leave your car and hop on the subway. The city is crowded and parking is at a premium. Funny, the things you remember about a place. We were at Prague Castle, in the old Hapsburg library and they had about a bazillion vellum scrolls & stuffed animals, and there I came face-to-face with a stuffed Dodo bird. Never saw one before or since.

Jim

 

[Jimster]

I was in Prague last year. The castle will take a day. There is also old town and the Jewish quarter which will probably take a day to do it right. I would say 3 days in Prague. I found an excellent German restaurant under the Charles Bridge. Prague Castle is high on a hill. So, consider taking public transportation for your visit. In fact, I would suggest going the stop BEYOND the Castle and walking downhill. I think your car will be largely a waste of money in the city center as there is very little parking. Also watch your wallet because there are pickpockets- esp in the Charles Bridge area. If you are a literature fan, there is the Kalfka Museum beneath Charles Bridge. If you want to visit Terrezin Concentration camp, that will take a day. Also don't miss the children drawings from the camp in the Jewish quarter. They are on the top level of one of the buildings.

 

[Jimster]

Sorry to post twice but i looked at your original post again. You will be in Germany during the time of the Oktoberfest in Munich. Even though it is called Oktoberfest, it happens largely in September. Munich and Oktoberfest is worth the effort to go there. You could also visit Dachau if you wish. When I went, I went to Munich, Prague and Krakow (Auschwitz). With each having a nearby concentration camp, I decided to visit Auschwitz although I could have visited all 3. As I tell people, I only wanted to be depressed one day since I was on vacation. I would suggest the same for you.

For the record, we went from FRA to Munich with a short train ride and then Munich to Prague by train and then Prague to Krakow by train. Its cheap and easy and beats watching the highway. The only segment we didn't use the train was our flight to Berlin. It is difficult and costly to use cars in the cities there so the train works well. In the cities you will be taking public transportation and you can get anywhere you want without your car.

 

[Jwerking]

Hi Jimster,

Thank you for the info and your suggestions. We are not really beer drinkers - so likely would not appreciate Octoberfest. I was excited to attend the Xmas market in Frankfurt before we flew home this fall and was NOT impressed - so may similarly not enjoy Octoberfest either.

The rental car is mostly for visiting the Alps in Germany and Switzerland with a few days in Prague and Munich area. Was also planning visiting Saxon Switzerland National Park enroute to Prague. It will be a pain to have the car in the cities, but hopefully easier in the long run esp with 4 of us. We took the trains in Italy last fall and I must agree they were fanstastic, fast, and cheap.

With regard to visiting one of the concentration camps - would you suggest Terriizen or Dachau - any thoughts even though you did not visit them personally?

Thanks again - Joyce

 

[Pompey Family]

I was excited to attend the Xmas market in Frankfurt before we flew home this fall and was NOT impressed - so may similarly not enjoy Octoberfest either.

Every German Christmas market I've visited appeared to be mainly about drinking beer and eating sausage with a smattering of stalls selling wooden gifts. In my opinion, once you've been to one you've been to them all.

 

[Jimster]

Of course, it is a matter of preference for Oktoberfest but I liked the event even though I think I only had one beer. The people are dressed in traditional costumes, the air is festive and it is a lot of fun. At the site of the beer gardens there are carnival rides and lots of food. If you are in Munich you should also eat at the Hofbrau house. If you can't get in, go around to the back and then enter. It's sneaky but it gets you in. Munich also has things like the BMW factory tour and Viator has lots of tours from Munich. We went to Hitler's "Eagle's Nest" near Austria on a day trip. Dont forget the glockenspiel in town center. IF you go there, plan your visit around the times the glockenspiel is working.

As for CC's it also depends on how grim you want. I am a German history major and I can tell you Dachau is larger and probably more depressing. While it was the center of many camps with smaller satellite labor camps, I am sure the death toll there was much larger. My neighbor helped to liberate Dachau and the few stories he will tell are extremely depressing. If you go to Territzen, there is a particular sadness that comes from the death of children and I am sure they will tell the story vividly.

As I said we also went to Auschwitz (near Krakow). I was fine but my wife couldn't handle it BTW Krakow is a terrific city to visit! It was worth the trip itself. At the end of WWII Warsaw was totally leveled. They rebuilt Warsaw in a few places to look as it did before the war, but there is nothing OLD there. Meanwhile, Krakow which is the cultural center of Poland any way was not destroyed in WWII and hence it is gorgeous. You can visit the Schindler factory and the castle too.

By all means make sure you go to the city center of Prague. It is very impressive. You can walk to the Jewish Quarter and Jewish Cemetery from there. There are several WWII reminders there worth seeing. There is also the clock in the city center.

 

[Laurie]

Last year we spent 4 nights, 3 full days in Prague - no car. Hoped for 5 nites 4 days, but couldn't get FF miles return flight on that day. 4 full days would have been preferable to 3; we didn't do much art museum either, except quick visit last evening in Old Town Square right near our apartment. But if you'd lose days hiking in Swiss Alps, I'd personally prioritize that, and 3 days in Prague is enough. I'd stay near Old Town Square for easy access to tons of walking and other tours. We had a great apartment and can forward you info on that if you need.

 

[Jwerking]

Of course, it is a matter of preference for Oktoberfest but I liked the event even though I think I only had one beer. The people are dressed in traditional costumes, the air is festive and it is a lot of fun. At the site of the beer gardens there are carnival rides and lots of food.

LOL, it sort of sounds like their Xmas Market. I was not expecting carnival rides, but opportunities to purchase German handmade Xmas items. The booths all had the same type stuff likely made in Asia. But if we are there at that time, we will drop by for sure to check it out but not make a special point to plan our trip around it.

 

[Jwerking]

Hi Laurie,

I was hoping that you would reply and help me with planning - as I am really confused at this point as to whether to rent a car for the entire trip and where to go in the Swiss Alps.

I spent a lot of time yesterday reading TripAdvisor forum about the Murren area since you stated previously that you loved it. Still a bit confused about this area and Swiss hiking in general- as it appears that you take lifts, cog trains, gondolas, etc to access many hikes - is that correct? Can you do nice hikes without paying for use of these lifts? Because I found yesterday that the RT price of Train from Lauterbrunnen To Jungfrau was 170 chf - yikes - and this was an old post. A transportation pass in the area for 4 to 6 days was about 200 to 300 chf - a deal if it includes the subject Train.

As you know, I have 2 timeshare weeks booked for last 2 wks in Sept in Leysin and Diablerets Switzerland. These two timeshares are very close to each other - so was thinking about canceling the 1 BR unit and visiting another area in the Alps for variety. One of the reasons is my cousin and his wife are joining us. Would you visit another area or are all Swiss Alps area and hiking relatively the same??

Will continue below - Joyce.

 

[Jwerking]

Laurie, Here is tentative itinerary:

1. Flight already booked into Frankfurt and arriving on August 26 - with car lease reserved for 42 days thru Oct 7 ( visit daughter for weekend who lives about 100 miles away) for $1700.

2. 2d/3n - Saxon Switzerland National Park in eastern Germany (6hr drive)

3. 3D/4n or 4d/5n - Prague (2 hr drive)

4. 1d/1n - Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic ( 2.5 hr drive)

5. 2d/3n- Munich area ( 1 hr)

6. 1 week - German Alps/Bavaria, Garmisch-Partenkirchen area ( 5 hr to OB)

7. 1 week- Swiss Alps - Diablerets ( considering Bernese Oberland area or elsewhere) ( 2 Hr)

8. 1 week - Swiss Alps - Leysin

9. 1 week - Strasbourg France area, Luxembough City, Trier (Mosel River) or Rhine Valley.

The car lease is almost $1700 - so not too bad for 4 people but of course, gas is expensive.

So what do you think - car or public transportation?

Won't it be more convenient to have a car - esp in the Alps to get to places we want to visit.

Any comments or thoughts would be appreciated.

Joyce

 

[Laurie]

Hi Joyce,

Yes, I would spend 1 week in Bernese Oberland, and 1 week French Alps as you suggested - they're not all the same or equal IMO. You can get a regional Swiss Pass for just Bernese Oberland area, or a general Swiss Pass, which covers many mountain lifts and gives discounts on others, and yes it costs some $ but worth it. You can hike for free in places like Lauterbrunnen Valley, but don't skimp on higher-altitude visits and hiking because of the costs. Cars don't go to many of these places, there are no roads!, so a car doesn't give any convenience, you just have to park it and pay for the car + parking - worth it for a 1-2 day visit, but not for a whole week. Research Swiss Pass options. Your car lease looks like a good deal, but maybe weekly rentals can almost equal that. There are a few trips in Bernese Oberland that have add-ons that are expensive - Jungfraujoch (silly us, we skipped last time partly because of the cost - going back this time!) and Schilthorn - most everything else is covered in the Swiss Pass and/or regional Bernese Oberland Pass - and we used them every day.

In case you don't have Prague digs yet, here is a link to the Prague Apt we rented, ours was the little house in the middle of the courtyard almost on Old Town Square for 2 of us (#4?), the host was wonderful and showed us around when we checked in:
http://www.prague-apartments-tynska7.com/homepage_en.htm

 

[Laurie]

Also re Czech visits: both Prague and Cesky Krumlov - car not necessary and maybe not advisable, and there are numerous cheap shuttles that take you right to your hotel door from many countries - at least w/in Czech Rpublic and from most of Austria. But again for a few days, you can probably park. There were a few warnings about parked-car vandalism in Czech Repub as I recall.

Most destinations we use car car car for convenience - exceptions are Venice, Switzerland, these 2 Czech towns, and a few other major cities.

 

[Jwerking]

Hi Laurie,

Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions - very much appreciated. I agree totally that a car would be useless in the Bernese Oberland area based on my understanding of the area and using all the trains and lifts, etc to access the hiking in the higher elevations. So a waste of $$ to leave the car parked for the entire week - same is true for Prague.

However, I don't know if the public transportation is quite as good in the German Alps or the Leysin/Diablerets area of Switzerland. Aren't you also going to stay in a timeshare in Diablerets? If so, are you planning to use the Swiss Pass in this area as well?

With regard to the Jungfraujoch, yes I agree that it is very expensive. Don't know that it is worth it to go essentially to the top of a mountain. It is scenic but as I recall it is over $100 and a lot of the train trip is in a tunnel.

Will have to give our first trip to the Alps some thought - given our long vacations, spending over $300 for mountain trains and lifts in the OB area for a week may just not be in the cards. Ah well, guess we should stay home if we can't afford it.

Joyce

 

[Laurie]

Joyce, we're going to try all Swiss Pass (+ local pass) at Diablerets - the timeshare apparently gives you a free pass for the 2 or 3 surrounding towns, and the town is on the train line to get further - and also will try Swiss Pass during our next week at Leukerbad, tho that may be less fun because we'll have to take a 30-minute bus to closest train - included in the price but I'm not crazy about riding the bus on windy mt roads.

And we may spend time riding the Glacier Express, one of the scenic trains mostly included in the Pass, except for the reserved seat. Hopefully I'll have back-up plans for a car, in case we're not happy will all-public transportation..