Hi,

5 of us (29-30 yrs old) are going to Prague for 6 nights in mid May. We're trying to set a loose itinerary and we're hoping to see some other cities. Trouble is, there's no high speed trains in Prague so commute time is daunting when we see 7-8hrs on a train.

We had been throwing around the idea of Amsterdam for 2-3 days but we're still talking about 10hrs travel time when you figure in getting to the airport, being there early, the flight and then navigating to the city centre. So, we were hoping to find other cities that might not be as popular that are closer and something like 4 hours or less by train or bus.

I know Dresden is only like 2-3hrs and Brno is 3hrs as well. Question is, will it be different enough from Prague to make it worth it? We went to Italy last year (rome, florence, venice) and by the time we got to Florence we were kind of over the museums and mostly just walked around, rented vespas, drank and people watched to kind of take in the culture. We aren't stringent planners and like to be flexible in what we might do each day. Or, hopefully get some ideas from locals. I'd be interested in Budapest, but I need help convincing my friends. I think they want to be "wowed" by something? I think it's more that they don't understand what's there.

Sorry this got so long, but if you have any ideas on places or things to do to fill up 6 days in Prague (we aren't opposed to staying put) I'd appreciate the help. And in the interest of full disclosure, we had the travel bug and really landed on Prague because the package we got was cheap and didn't require a lot of time off work (as opposed to the Italy trip). We just wanted to be in Europe again!

Thanks!

I have a feeling you are going to like Prague. We were there for 4 days last October, and all I could think about was how much we would have loved it if we were in our 20s-30s. It is a very social city.

Simple fact is that you can easily blow 6 days in Prague with no need to go elsewhere. Easy day trips include Karlstejn Castle and the Terezin transit camp if you're inclined to do more than just people watch and want to visit something interesting. The closest major cities are likely Vienna and Bratislava, neither of which are close enough to justify a day trip.

Thanks! I have a feeling I'll love Prague too. I think just the spontaneity of being able to say, 'hey, let's hop on a train today and see something else' is exciting, but I look at it as, It's Europe, how can it NOT be exciting?! I'm sure we'll catch the buzz from the city.

I have Terezin on my list of must sees, I'll look into Karlstejn, thanks!

I would not go to Brno as I didn't find it very interesting. Same for Karlstejn. I haven't been to Plzen but folks say it's interesting.

There's also Kutna Hora.

If you can get to Dresden quickly then that's what I would choose.

when in mid may i might just have something to fill your time.
Czech beer festival.
http://www.ceskypivnifestival.cz/en/
starts on the 17th May and is at the exhibition center in Holesovice, very easy to get to from anywhere in Prague.lots of great beers,live music,good food and pretty ladies (and boys) to serve it to you.I go there every year and will be there on the 25th May.
You could also make a day trip to Plzen where golden Beer was first invented (thats where we get the term Pilsner lager and Pils beer from) It is a very different city from Prague, you can do a brewery tour ,have a meal in the huge resturant there ,visit the breweing museum and try a few pubs ,I have been there 5 times and can give you full details.
I have not been to Brno but will be going there for a couple of days whilst i am in the czech republic,heard it is very nice,more a student type city than a toursit type place.
Kutna Hora is nice for a day trip only an hour from Prague by train. there is the Skoda car museum in Malada Boleslav about 90 minutes away by train but I was not too impressed by the town.

Dresden isn't anything like Prague, they are different countries and completely different in other ways.

I liked Ceske Budejovice okay, and of course, that is kind of on the way to Cesky Krumlov, if you want to do that. I don't know if I'd make a special plan to visit it for 2-3 days, however. I also liked Olomouc a lot which is in the CR and not that many hours by train (about 2 hrs by train, no transfers). I think Olomouc may be the best choice (compared to Brno or Ceske Budejovice), but if your goal is to go to a place different, it is, of course, Czech. So Dresden would be better with that goal in mind.

I'd highly recommend a night or two in Cesky Krumlov!

Brno was recommended by a friend that lived there for a short stint but I haven't talked to him about specific recommendations.

Definitely will look into Plzen for a brewery tour but unfortunately we head home on the 17th so we just miss the beer festival.

From what I'm reading and hearing Cesky Krumlov might need to be added to our itinerary! I like that it and Dresden are close enough that if we feel like it we can hop a train in the morning and be back for dinner.

Thanks for all the advice!

If you do go to C. Krumlov, please do get tickets to the tour of the Baroque Theater... it was wonderful!

Only a limited number of people are allowed on each tour and very few tours are offered per day. I think about 10-20 people per tour. When I was there, the English tour was at 10am.

I advise an advance ticket purchase for this tour which is a separate ticket from the Castle tours.

Been to Plzen 2 yrs ago for the beer (very good and cheap too!). No other reason to visit this city.

Brno is not a bad place to live but it can't claim to have the wow factor of Prague, Krumlov or Kutna Hora. The bone church is well worth seeing.
I am slowly putting together a photo collection of as many Czech places as possible. Here's the collection so far:
http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/category/...public-photos/ You can see photos of many of the places people have mentioned and make up your mind.

Or Karlovy Vary, which is very different architecturally from Prague or Cesky Krumlov. There are hot springs in KV; you can go to the spa; walk around with cups & try the different mineral springs. We stayed at Hotel Romance Pushkin if you want to stay overnight. It is a 2 hour drive from Prague.

Here's a couple of ideas. Kutna Hora/Sedlec or Český Krumlov. Photos of both trips along with report.

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...6_Entry_1.html

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...8_Entry_1.html

I second Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov - Kutna Hora is a good day trip, I did Cesky Krumlov as an overnight with a bunch of friends and had a great time. Vienna is also manageable as an overnight I suppose, from memory around a 4 hour trip. But as others have said, there's plenty to do in Prague. I spent 3 months there, so I've seen pretty much everything there is to see! Wander through Josefov, the old Jewish quarter and see the synagogues and old cemetary - the Spanish Synagogue is particularly gorgeous. Go across Charles bridge to see the baroque St. Nicholas' church in Mala Strana and the castle, go to the Opera, go to Vysehrad for views over the city and to check out the amazingly elaborate graves of famous and non-famous Czechs alike, chill out in Wenceslas or Old Town Squares, see the Kafka Museum or the Museum of Communism, wander through Petrin Park to see the mini-Eiffel Tower, etc. etc. I think one of my favourite memories is climbing up the terraced gardens below Prague castle, really beautiful. A couple of pictures from my blog here http://gwannelsandiego.blogspot.com/...-and-days.html and if you look through the posts from the month before and after, there's lots on the other things I did in Prague and around the Czech Republic and Vienna.

Prague sounds like the perfect place for you. I second the ideas of Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora and Terezin. I wouldn't recommend Vienna as that is too far for just a 6 day trip here. Dresden is totally doable (I will be going there in about 1 month). That will fill up your 6 days easily.

Lot of good suggestions. So just a little information on Prague. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague and www.inyourpocket.com/checz_republic/prague