girlonthego

Hi everyone! My DD is traveling to Switzerland this spring to do a two week study abroad with her college. They are all to meet there. Teacher suggested they fly over a week ahead and travel a little before check in.

She would like to go to Prague. I found she can fly to Prague on United and direct home from Zurich. She will most likely fly out of Washington DC area for better fares and to travel with some girls.
The hard part is Prague to Zurich.Does anyone know of some cheaper airlines that service these two? Also, what is a good safe area/hotel in Prague. This is an unfamiliar city for me.
And last but not least, some suggestes cities for pre trip or mid trip for a few days that would be easy to get to from Riva San Vitale Switzerland. (The school is down by the lakes region of Switzerland). She has traveled through Zurich last summer with us and took the trains down to Lugano. So, this is at least somewhat familiar. We traveled down to italy last summer.

I am trying to help her research some ideas that are reasonably priced and safe for two or three young ladies to travel. They are all about 21, but are probably not all that worldly. My dd has traveled a little but always with us.
So, thanks for any info or recommendations !

BigRuss

< Also, what is a good safe area/hotel in Prague. >

Mala Strana near the river. Could find a decent triple at Bishop's House or Pension Dientzenhofer or if they can swing about 52 USD/night, Charles River Apartments (pricing is per flat so piling more in would lower costs). Don't stay near the train station.

<Does anyone know of some cheaper airlines that service these two?> Google discount european airlines. There used to be a bunch of start-ups in the mid-'00s (Wizz Air was one) and some have survived.

BigRuss

Oh, if you or the moderators re-tag this for Czech Republic and/or Switzerland, it may help drum up some feedback.

bvlenci

I use www.skyscanner.net to find flights. I just checked, and they do have direct flights between Prague and Zurich, but they're a little expensive. They have cheap flights with a layover in Cologne or Dusseldorf. Maybe she could stop for a few nights in one of those cities.

Skyscanner also lets you specify a country, rather than a city, as your starting point or destination. If you specify "Switzerland" instead of "Zurich", you may see other cities have reasonably priced direct flights to places she'd like to visit, and from which she could easily get to her destination.

Riva San Vitale is in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, near the Italian border. It's not very near Zurich at all. Would she maybe be better off flying into Milan, which looks a lot closer?

For a weekend visit during her course, she might be able to get to Como or one of the other towns on lake Como easily. Maybe she'd prefer to visit one of the other regions of Switzerland, such as Bern or Lucerne. I'm not familiar with transportation in this area; perhaps someone else can help with that.

PalenQ

There is also a direct overnight train between Prague and Zurich - CNL 458, leaving 18:10 arriving Zurich 9:17 am - many folks her age ride trains like that - very safe if you get a private compartment - if she knows others going to Prague they could book a double or triple or quad, etc and have a nice time - bring any food or drink on board, etc.

Get discounted fares at www.bahn.de/en - the German Railways that runs these trains. For general info on overnight trains and what to expect check out www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.sea61.com. Could be an adventure for a lifetime and IME of riding zillions of overnight trains very safe - I've seen many many gals her age on overnight trains. Save on the cost of a hotel and city center to city center.

CNL = CityNightLiner

girlonthego

Thank you all! This is her first trip sans parents. I am trying to guide her to make wise choices about transportation first, then hotels.I would rather give her some more money to stay in a little nicer place for safety reasons.

The skyskanner did come back with a 129 one way flight between prague and zurich which is the cheapest I have seen it. Anyone travel on germanwings before? Thanks for the website!!!

I always thought the train time to Riva san vitale was the about the same from zurich or milan. Just checking now, milan is a lot less time. I will check this out with her.

They key thing is to travel with one or two girls who have the same game plan. About 15 are going from the east coast.

Really appreciate all your wisdom here. I have traveled three times to europe in the last 6 years and everyone here has helped me so much in the past. I knew I could count on some good tips here! Thanks again!

girlonthego

PS she is studying Italian in college so traveling through Milan may be better on time and language!

Bamaman

Czech Airlines flies direct Prague-Zurich, however it's very expensive one way @ $623. I see on ITA Matrix where you can fly for about $123, and it takes 7 hrs after sitting around in Dusseldorf Airport. Or there's a flight for about $163 that takes just over 4 hrs. These are approximate prices, as we don't have the dates of travel.

Another option would be to take the bus to Munich in time to enjoy a couple of nights on the town, and then take the train to Zurich and their final destination. I'll never forget a long weekend in Munich while going to college in Innsbruck.

PalenQ

I'll echo Bamaman - break the week up between Prague and Munich - 7 days is a long long time in Prague for many - especially if someone is solo IME - and Munich is only about 4 hours or so from Zurich by frequent trains. Check out youth hostels in either city - they are safe and many folks her age are using them - great place to meet folks - hotels are so isolating.

My first trip to Europe when I was 20 I stayed my first two nights in Paris in a hotel and was bored - totally isolating - then I moved for several days to a youth hostel and had a lot more fun and met other folk.

Use Let's Go Europe to select hostels - great rundown - at any large library or www.letsgo.com (I think) - written by American students - been around a long long time.

girlonthego

She will be traveling with a girl or a few girls. They were told not to go off alone, but to team up and pick places. Much safer and I agree and more fun!

I am sending her all these websites for her to bring to class to help her make her plans!Thanks fodorites!

longhorn55

I agree with PalenQ that your daughter and her friends should stay in hostels--that's where everyone else their age will be staying and it's a great way to meet people. They won't meet anyone staying in a hotel.

My daughter, who traveled a lot by herself through Europe when she was 21, tells me that HostelWorld.com is the best site for finding and booking hostels. There are user reviews of the hostels (which my daughter found to be quite accurate) and your daughter will see that there's a wide variety of rooms--everything from large dorms to private ensuite rooms.

www.HostelWorld.com

nytraveler

So

She is 21 years old

She is going on a trip to meet a group from her school

She has been to eueope before - including this same area

And you still have to organize her flights and her hotels and whatever eles you may be working on

Now I understand why so many of the young people that come to us for interviews seem to expect to have everything done for them - instead of being the confident self-starters that we need to do these intern jobs.

Is you daughter really this helpless? Or is this just your fear that is pushing you to arrange everything for her?

girlonthego

Please don't reply NYtraveler if you have nothing nice or even remotely helpful to say.
She is not helpless. She asked me where to look for discount airlines and info on prague. I am asking the experts here. Now since you are apparently the expert on child rearing, I suggest you go back to the Lounge to advise.

nytraveler

I'm sorry - but I think what I have to say is way more helpful than suggesting a specific hotel for your daughter's trip.

If she's 21 presumably this is her senior year in college and she will very shortly need to start looking for a job.

Are you planning on organizing that for her as well?

At what point will she be old enough to start doing things for herself?

I know you think you are helping her but you are really making her life much more difficult long-term.

I'm sorry but I am seeing more and more young adults who can't do anything unless they are spoon fed instead of standing on their own feet and coping with life. (I know it's not all of them since my DDs were raised to be self-sufficient and are organizing their own lives.)

bvlenci

It's true that my daughters were traveling alone around Europe (the older daughter) and China (the younger) at earlier ages than this. A lot of the stuff they did I'm glad I didn't know about until it was all over, like staying in the rough hostels where Chinese travelers stayed, or hiking on high and dangerous trails in Sicily. These trips were about 15 years ago, and I think kids grew up quicker then.

I also don't think kids are necessarily safer traveling together, either.

Here in Italy, my husband has had young people turn up to job interviews with their parents, and once with Grandmom and Granddad. Grandmom later dropped by our house to give me some eggs fresh from her hens. I suppose she thought that would convince my husband to hire her grandson!

longhorn55

Folks, this is a thread about European travel for college students. If you want to give parenting advice, as Girlonthego says, go to the Forum.

PalenQ

Folks, this is a thread about European travel for college students. If you want to give parenting advice, as Girlonthego says, go to the Forum.>

hey hey - yes keep the preaching out of it and answer travel questions - time and time again this happens, often with the same ole folks giving parental advice. Answer travel questions without editorializing about something not asked.

girlonthego

thanks longhorn and PalenQ. I just want to guide her and her friends to the right websites for planning their trip. I come here for my own trips.

So, if anyone has any more good advice on travel, I would appreciate all recommendations on everything from hostels and safety and inner country traveling whether on trains or planes. I really appreciate the insight here.

Leely2

girl, I visited Prague for the first time this past August. I was with a friend for most of the time but then had a long weekend by myself at the end of our trip. Didn't stay in hostels( past that stage if my life!).

We rented an apartment in Josefov on Hastalska Square--wonderful location, central but not party central. I moved across the river to Hoel Sax, which is up by the castle, for my solo weekend. Also recommend that area.

bvlenci

I certainly wouldn't rule out hostels because of age. They took the "Y" out of their acronym long ago.

I used to stay in hostels before I married my present husband, and I was no longer a youth the last time I stayed in one. I was also never the only guest my age. Hostels are great when you're traveling alone. You meet people, they organize tours, they offer all sorts of interesting events. I used to stay in the IH hostel in Manhattan; the last time I was there, one of the guests in my dorm room was a woman in from Connecticut who was doing some heavy duty shopping and put the money she saved on hotels towards purchases at Henri Bendel. I lived near New York, and used to stay in the hostel when I went to concerts or art exhibits.