I want to go to Kromeriz (is it worth it?) but being that it's kind of far from Prague, wondering if it's better to do as a day trip from either Brno or Olomouc?

I'm in Prague Sept 26-Oct 1.... then I have 3 days before I go to Vienna ( could go on Oct 4 or 5). It seems like it makes the most sense to go to Brno, since it's easy to get to Vienna from there... Kromeriz Palace is only open weekends in October though, so I don't know if it's risky to plan it for Oct 3 (what if there is bad weather?). I could go to Brno Oct 1 or 2....

OR it it better to maybe go to Kromeriz the last week of September - say, stay in Prague for a couple of days Sept 26-27, then off to Brno and Olomouc with side trips to Kromeriz /and possibly Litomysl (sept 28-30). Then back to Prague for 3 days.

Between Olomouc and Brno, what would be your pick as the more interesting place /better for sidetrips?

Any other suggestions?

Reply

I would say it's definitely better as a day trip from Olomouc (closest, less than an hour) or Brno than Prague, that's for sure. You know it's 3-4 hours one way from Prague, don't you? So I don't think that good as a day trip.

I haven't been to Kromeriz or Brno so can't discuss their merits vs. Olomouc, where I did stay and really liked. Brno is the second biggest city in the CR, however, so that's part of the comparison. Guess it depends what you are looking for. I quite enjoyed Ceske Budejovice, actually. I did do that as a day trip from Prague, it's not as far by train as Brno (although still 2.5 hrs).

Now I did just do Tabor as a day trip from Prague, it's only 1.5 hours by train. Have you thought of that? It has an excellent museum dedicated to Jan Hus (who was from around there), which is why I went. I nice town, also. http://www.taborcz.eu/EN/

I wouldn't want to move hotels twice (Prague-Brno/Olomouc then back to Prague) myself. So if you are definitely going to Vienna (I"m not clear on that), I definitely would not do that. If you must leave from Prague, that's a tough choice. It's nice to stay in a smaller place for a change (not Brno, but Olomouc is), so it's up to you on the moving around.

If you do go to Tabor, as a tip, the train I was on stopped at Benisov for some reason not noted on the ticket and we all had to get off and transfer to a bus to get to Tabor. Same on return. I don't know why, this was early July. I don't know a lot of Czech nor did the train ticket taker know much English, but we muddled through this as she told me when checking tickets. I just wasn't sure where to get off or if I had understood but figured I'd watch if everybody got off the train. Once I did, the bus was labelled TABOR on the front so it was rather obvious. Maybe there was some odd track work or something. It didn't add much to the time, just something to beware of.

Definitely going to Vienna. Don't really want to do the back and forth to Prague either to be honest...

But then if I go to Kromeriz, it will have to be on October 3, since it's a Saturday, and the palace is only open weekends.it would be more convenient to go from Brno if I continue on to Vienna from Brno

Or should I just do it at the start of the trip (September 27)
after spending the first night in Prague

If you are definitely going to Vienna, I would not do either Brno or Olomouc or Kromeriz as a day trip from Prague. Tabor you could as it's not that far. I don't think you can even get to Kromeriz from Prague without going through Olomouc on the train.

I don't understand why you'd go all the way to Kromeriz upon arrival in the CR (I presume in Prague) just to see a chateau, then go back to Prague, then go back down to Vienna. YOu must be really fascinated in that chateau?

Have you been to Cesky Krumlov? They have an excellent chateau with a lot of history and its own every day but Monday, even in October. YOu can do that as a day trip from Prague (I did) and it's not as easily on the way to Vienna, anyway.

There are lots of fairly cheap tour groups that make it easy to go to Cesky Krumlov for the day, so you don't have to worry about transporation, you can see the countryside and my group stopped in another interesting church on the outskirts I never would have seen otherwise. Or you can do it yourself by bus (train is more complicated). It is true that was a long trip, but at least it wouldn't be backtracking as it isn't right on your way to Vienna. And it is easy when others do the driving (those train trips can sometimes require a couple transfers that you are looking at). I've used this group for another tur and they were excellent, for example, their cost for 10 hrs CK (9 am to 7 pm return) is only 1600 CK which is about US$66 and that includes entrance fees.
http://www.pstours.cz/tour/t13-cesky-krumlov/

This is actually the one I used, same price. They had an excellent guide, actually, but the PStours bus was more comfortable http://martintour.cz/prague-tours-cz...ague-4-en.html

So I guess you just have to decide what is most important and all these logistics issues. YOu seem very interested in that castle in Kromeriz, so maybe there is a special reason for that. And maybe you'd seen these others things I mentioned.

Sorry for the confusion.No,I don't want to do Kromeriz as a day trip from Prague, but from Olomouc or Brno. So I was thinking of spending a day in either Brno or Olomouc. Not quite sure how to fit either into my itinerary.

I'm admittedly a little fascinated based on the video of unesco sites in the Czech republic I've seen..the gardens and the castle both looked pretty stunning.



I have considered going to Cesky Krumlov for sure...It seems very very tourisy, just wondering if I would like that

Not sure about Tabor I'll have a look.

Kroměříž is a beautiful city; if anything disappoints it is that one is unable to take photos inside the Archbishop's Palace. The palace is open in October daily except for Mondays, if that might help with planning.

Thanks. I thought Kromeriz was only open weekends in October?

Is their website outdated?

http://www.zamek-kromeriz.cz/chateau...opening-hours/

ivant2, under the FAQ it states that the palace is open daily in October except Mondays. Perhaps email them for clarification?

Just tried to email them, my emails are getting bounced.

I was a bit disappointed with Olomouc (visited September 2012) - though one reason was that I had super high expectations for it. I had heard, without much real research, that it was sort of a non-touristy Prague. But it was like a ghost town the two evenings I was there; I did find a decent restaurant open, but you'd never know any of the restaurants on the main squares were open, because there were no people out. One of the two main squares was also completely dug up for renovations; I'm sure that is all complete by now. I showed up at the TI at the town hall at noon for the scheduled walking tour but it was canceled because there were no other tourists waiting for it.

You might enjoy Olomouc, but I'd set realistic expectations.

Cesky Krumlov was a bit disappointing, too, actually. It was certainly busier than Olomouc but not much. I picked it as a base to explore Southern Bohemia for a few days, thinking it might be a lively town in the evenings, but it wasn't. I remember one night when, looking for a place to eat dinner, eating at a place that was completely empty except for me (at about 8PM). Cesky Krumlov is a tourist town, but by the end of September there weren't many tourists staying there. I wish I'd stayed in some other local town at least one of my nights there.

One thing I figured out: Southern Bohemia is kind of a summer vacation destination. By end of September vacation season is over (whereas Prague is still mobbed with tourists). Other places in Europe might be great in September, but I wouldn't recommend Southern Bohemia, which would probably be great in summer. I imagine Olomouc is more fun in summer, too.

I didn't get to Brno except to change buses there on the way to pick up a rental car.

I'm thinking maybe I should go to Brno on Oct 1 and do day trips to Lednice/Valtice Oct 2 and Kromeriz the Saturday (Oct 3). Not sure if Lednice/Valtice is too big to see for one day?I could then continue to Vienna Oct 4.

According to the websites both palaces are only open on weekends in October. For weekday tours of Valtice, advance request is necessary.

I think I will visit both on the weekend of the 3rd-4th. Have no idea how to go about visiting Lednice-Valtice though - it seems big, and a bike is probably needed... is it easy to get lost?

The two palaces are about 10km apart. There is a bus that goes between the two, so I think if you planned the day well (e.g. train from Brno, then a bus between, and coordinated travel with the tour times) you might make it to both in one day. If you haven't discovered this already, there is a useful transportation site for southern Moravia. http://idsjmk.cz/EN/default.aspx

Zamek Lednice is the larger of the two, and with more garden space to visit. The village around the palace is also larger and offers more dining choices. Zamek Valtice is not nearly as well-kept on the exterior, though it does have a vinothek with wine tastings.

Are the outdoor sights not spread out between the 2? I thought to see the outdoor sites one would have to walk or bike between the 2?

The Lednice-Valtice complex spans the approximate 10km distance; I recall seeing most of the sights (minaret, gardens) when we visited the palace at Lednice. We had the luxury of seeing each on separate visits, and thus plenty of time for the tour, to wander and take photos, and enjoy lunch in the village without feeling rushed. Many, many people cycle between the two, yes.