theatrelover

My husband and I are planning a trip for September. We will spend some time in Prague and also thought of spending one night in Tabor, two in Cesky Krumlov and also want to visit Telc, Trebic, Slavonice and Trebon. We want to end the trip in Budapest. We thought we would drive from Cesky Krumlov and then visit Telc, Trebic, etc. and continue the drive to Budapest. A friend suggested that we do a circular drive in the Czech Republic and go back to Prague and take the train to Budapest. Any thoughts on one or the other alternative?

joannyc

I don't like to backtrack. How much is the rental can drop fee in Budapest vs. the time spent going back to Prague and the time and cost of training to Budspest? It maybe worth dropping the car in Budapest!

Andrew

Drive from Prague to Telc with all of those other stops in between. Drop the car in Brno and take the train to Budapest from there - save the trouble of driving all the way back to Prague. This will save you the expense of a one-way drop charge in another country.

I picked up a car in Brno a few years ago and made a few of those same stops and dropped the car in Prague - you could do it in reverse. You may have to drop your car at the Brno airport, which is where I picked mine up. I took the bus from Brno's bus/train station out to the airport, very easy, only about a 20 minute ride. You could do the opposite and then catch your train on to Budapest from there. I didn't spend any time in Brno, and you wouldn't have to either if you time it right.

Kwoo

I can't answer your question about how to get to Budapest, but just want to say that you will love the Czech Republic. We have visited Prague twice (our daughter studied there for a semester). On our second trip, we also stayed in Cesky Krumlov for 2 nights and in Telc for one night. We loved both cities, but I have to say that we enjoyed Telc more than we thought we would. The center is so pretty with pastel houses, and the castle is one of our favorites. There are two very pretty ponds just outside of the city center. You have made some great choices.

theatrelover

Thank you all for your quick replies. Joann and Andrew, I will definitely look into the suggestions you make. Kwoo, thank you so much for your response. We are really looking forward to this trip.

Andrew

Just an FYI: I also did my trip in September, and although a few of those towns are really nice, Southern Bohemia really felt like a summer destination to me. A lot of the towns felt pretty dead at night. Even Cesky Krumlov was pretty dull in the evenings - I had picked it as a base for a few days thinking it might be a nice place to return to in the evenings, but it was almost a ghost town at night. Restaurants were open, though sometimes it was hard to tell unless you peered in their windows.

theatrelover

Thanks. I remember reading that in your trip report.

fourfortravel

When calculating your transportation, keep in mind that you will need highway vignettes for Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, depending on how you go from Prague to Budapest. Each is approximately €10-€12.

We have visited all of the towns on your proposed itinerary and enjoyed each of them. Time permitting you might add Ceske Budjovice for a lunch stop (and perhaps shopping for crystal). The restaurant associated with the Grand Zvon Hotel in the main square serves innovative and locally-sourced dished, and we considered our dinners there some of the best Czech food we have eaten.

theatrelover

Thank you all! You have been a huge help and I really appreciate it.