midwifetraveler

I am planning a trip with my 80 yr old mother who walks with a cane for late june 2014. W are considering a river cruise vs arranging our own private tours of each city. I want to maximize our sightseeing time. We are interested in jewish heritage, music, art and food.We would also love a spa day. I prefer less time on a boat but my mother will need to go more slowly and rest periodically. Any suggestions for itinerary, transportation to each city, and tour guides with particular interest in the jewish quarters., drivers and hotel recommendations. and most comfortable way to get from city to city. We have a comfortable budget and are willing to splurge on certain comforts. Are there any 3 day cruises? I know this is a lot but i feel overwhemed with all the options. Would do a day trip to cesky krumlov (stay overnight) break it up. in what order should we travel?? thanks.

crckwc1

If it were me with my 80 yo mother who walks with a cane, I would take a 12 - 14 day river cruise. (Or take two cruises) We usually travel independently but have taken a couple of river cruises that were very enjoyable. We were touring most days with competent guides covering all, or most, of the important sights. Your mother would have less walking to do in this type of touring and would have the option on any day to just stay on board and enjoy its facilities. It is tiring and time consuming to be changing hotels every few days, getting on and off transportation, searching for nice restaurants, and touring on your own. As I said, if it were me ---

midwifetraveler

thanks for your response, which river cruises do you advise? my mother is spry but a slow walker

Christina

I basically agree with the above, but I think a lot of those cruises are 12 days and include Germany and not Prague (Danube)--and are very expensive. It depends how much time you have, as to whether a day trip to Cesky Krumlov is feasible, but if you have enough money, sure why not. I remember some private driver company someone mentioned on here once, I'll see if I can find it. It was as good deal fo driving from CK to somewhere but I forget where, maybe Vienna. Otherwise, that might be a lot of trouble with public transportation for one day. I think that might be a lot to do within only 2 weeks (3 major cities plus CK), but you could. It wouldn't fit in with a river tour very well.

I don't think you can do a river cruise from Prague to any other city in another country, the river Prague is on, the Vltava, goes south and stops in the CR (I think). I think any river cruise that includes Prague basically stops somewhere else (Germany or Linza) and transfers you by bus to Prague. There are some local river cruises in Prague but those are just day excursions.

The river Vltava does go through Cesky Krumlov, though, and Ceske Budejovice, so maybe you could find a cruise from Prague down to CK, but the transportation difficulties from there to Vienna would be challenging. A private driver might be good if you could find one, as I said, I think maybe someone on Fodors found one for that itinerary. I've never seen a cruise tour on that route, actually.

I'd do Prague-Vienna-Budpest or vice versa, doesn't matter, but that's the way they align.

Wittman tours is the specialist for Jewish Qtr tours in Prague. There are probably others, that's just a wellknown one. http://www.wittmann-tours.com/

nytraveler

I think group tours off a boat are a very bad idea for your mother. It seems obvious that her stamina is limited - and if you are with a group the only choice is to keep up or to stay behind. This could end up with her stranded someplace and not be able to get back to the bus or boat - or be left behind in a cafe if what the group is doing is too strenuous.

I would think it a lot easier to stay in a central hotel and then take taxis to where you want when. When your mom is tired you can either find a nearby cafe and relax or head back to the hotel for a rest - on her schedule - not worrying about the timetable of the group. If you want a guide you can organize to get one at the town hall for whatever sights you want to see. Probably more expensive but I think the other option could be very difficult for your mom.

Travel between cities by train - again, easiest for your mom - since there are no long security lines to stand on or long airline corridors to deal with.

bilboburgler

The Prague river becomes the Elbe in Germany. The canal systems of Germany mean that every river and canal can be made to join up but not all are used by river cruise ships. Generally these ships are used by the old and frail (so 65+) and they can have steep stairways, all this is managed by the organisation so don't worry they will manage that.

http://travel.saga.co.uk/holidays/river-cruises.aspx look pretty good for this

Budapest has a fine set of spas, but I would get your mother into the posh one rather than the public ones just to be sure on safty. http://www.gellertbath.com/ . Its not officially in the hotel Gellert but the hotel has easy access.

Christina

This is a private driver company that several have used on Fodors with success, maybe it can fit your plants somehow http://mike-chauffeur.cz/

They do long-distance drivers, not just in Prague.

Also, this post was the one I was remembering and might have some useful info http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ky-krumlov.cfm

crckwc1

We took cruises on Uniworld but that was years ago so I'm not experienced with the ones out there today. Viking River Cruises has a lot of advertising on TV but I know nothing personally about them. I agree with other posters who point out that your mother may not be able to keep up with a walking tour. I was thinking of tours where you get off the bus, go into a museum or other place (without having to stand in line for tickets) and tour that facility, get back on the bus and go to another. I wasn't thinking in terms of a 2 or 3 hour walking tour of a city which would probably not be best for your mother. In addition, I personally wouldn't want to plan an independent tour with an elderly parent because of the luggage handling, getting on and off public transportation, etc. If you can, you might like to hire a private driver/guide and plan your own trip at your preferred pace. Let us know what you decide; then post a trip report.

crckwc1

Take a look at bettyk's trip report on her recent river cruise. It might give you some ideas.

midwifetraveler

thanks everyone. My mom is quite spry for 80 but she cant walk for long periods of time, so i think the best advice is to hire mike the driver and private tour guide for each city and go at our own pace. thanks so much.

Iwan2go

Hi midwife, I'm in the middle of my trip report on Prague and Cesky Krumlov, and would highly recommend our guide in Prague, Jana ([email protected]). She gave us a wonderful tour on two mornings, at our own pace, and was recommended in the Rick Steves guidebook (she actually has done his tours in Prague and Vienna, and I believe she has a special interest in Jewish tours - ask her). It was really nice to have our own guide, as we had no problems hearing her or keeping up with others.

We also used Mike as our chauffeur. They pick you up in your city (could be Vienna, Salzburg, Cesky Krumlov, Munich, etc) and drop you off at your new hotel. They can stop for several hours in Cesky Krumlov and wait for you, if you would prefer to do that. We had a great experience with them as well. http://mike-chauffeur.cz/central-europe-trips.html

Just click on my name and it will pull up my posts.

Have a great time! My mother-in-law is 92, and when we walked a half mile in New Orleans, she was in the lead. I want to be like her!

Woyzeck

There are shuttle services which would offer door to door service between Prague, Cesky Krumlov, and Vienna. I used CK Shuttle beween C. Krumlov and Vienna and arranged for a stop along the Danube for lunch. If Mike the Driver doesn't work out, check out CK Shuttle, which also offers private car or van hire.

The Jewish Museum in Vienna is quite fascinating - in two locations in the Altstadt with exhibitions. The walk between the two museums takes you through historic sites in the old Jewish Quarter to Judenplatz, where there is now a small Holocaust Memorial.

Enjoy your trip!

socaltraveler

We used Mike to take us from Prague to meet our Uniworld river cruise in Passau via Cesky Krumlov; I would recommend his service. Also, I will mention that Uniworld provided a 'slow walker' option for all of our day trips off the ship; one bus dedicated to anyone who felt they needed a gentler tour. While we did not need that option I heard good things about it from those who did. The 7 night cruise we took on the Danube went from Passau to Budapest, with a stop in Vienna for 2 nights. We toured Prague on our own, used Mike for the transfer and then spent time in Budapest post cruise on our own too. You might want to check into this as a possibility for your travels with your mother.

LBloom

We went to Budapest, Vienna and Prague last summer. We used Mike to take us from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov. I would not recommend CK for your mother. I am a disabled traveler and CK has some very steep climbs. I can walk short distances but we were there on a very hot day in July and it was very difficult for me. Had I known that, I would have avoided CK. We started at the castle and the walk from the castle to the town was very, very steep and I needed help from my kids. I would highly recommend Mike, but think twice about CK or make alternate plans for your mother.

In Budapest, we hired Alajos Pulai, http://budapestairporttaxi.com/Welcome.html as a driver and this was a good deal. His wife gives excellent massages and came to our apartment. Alajos drove us for a day trip to Lake Balaton and was very professional and very reasonable. He also picked/dropped us off at the airport and train station. He speaks English very well and knows a lot about the area.

We did hop on/hop off tours in Budapest and Vienna, which worked out very well. We also visited the baths at Hotel Gellert and the Szechenyi spa.

BigRuss

Thinking that a cruise won't net you as much time in each city as mom will need and the Danube cruises that include Prague usually start somewhere in Germany. Much better off with a private guide.

If you want a cruise aspect - take the hydrofoil from Vienna to Budapest.

Prague's main sites are in two primary locations - Old Town (and its Josefov subsection for the Jewish Quarter) and Hradcany. If you don't have a guide, taxi to the Castle because it's at the top of a steep climb. Old Town is reasonably flat, so is New Town and Mala Strana. Kampa Island is also flat but we accessed it from the stairs that connect it to the Charles Bridge. There are other ways, just don't know them.

Pest is also fairly flat, Old Town Buda is not and neither is Gellert Hill. Dohany Utca and the Jewish Quarter are in Pest. Plenty of tours available at the Dohany Utca synagogue - just pick a flyer.

centraleurope

In Budapest, do not miss the holocaust museum... It is also in pest near corvin Ter.. That neighborhood in general is really emerging as a nice place to stop for a drink or a meal... Lots of outdoor quiet spots... Just around the corner from the museum is a cool ruin pub (perhaps not what you are looking for, unless mom wants to sample Hungarian microbrews!)... the museum is important for someone seeking Jewish sites.