KellyGreta

DH and I are considering a trip to Central Europe - specifically to Krakow, Budapest and Cesky Krumlov (which we saw briefly years ago before we both got violently ill due to tainted food). We usually travel independently, but are concerned about possible difficulties making train, plane, bus, etc. in-country travel reservations. Yet, we hesitate to book a tour for the entire trip. Does anyone have suggestions for an independent + in-country tour/guides?

adrienne

I'm researching my upcoming trip to the Czech Rep and Poland and here are the web sites for Poland which offer tours of Krakow and the area. These are sites I found on this forum.

http://www.cooltourcompany.com/
http://krakowtrip.com/
http://www.crazyguides.com/
http://www.krakow-info.com/tours.htm

I don't anticipate any problems making connections by train/bus. Quite a few years ago I visited Budapest, Vienna, and Prague and made train reservations when I arrived in Europe. It should be much easier now with improved TI services.

There's also a Poland Superthread that offers many web sites.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...uperthread.cfm

Barblab

My husband and I, mid 50's, did a similar trip two years ago and planned it all from the internet We made train reservations along the way when we were there no problem. The only tours we took were city walking tours as well as a guided tour at Auschwitz. This area is no harder to do independently than anywhere else we have ever gone. Have fun!

suec1

My husband and I did our first river cruise with GCT that started in Budapest, went along the Danube, then overland with a stop in Csky Krumlow and on to Prague. Usually we do independent travels but more in the Spain, France, Italy part of Europe. We enjoyed the trip very much and the river cruise made it easier than overland travel in many respects. The down side for you might be the stop in CK was only for a few hours. We did feel that there was less English spoken in this part of Europe, esp. in the "small places" but I would think independent travel would still be doable. Be sure to go to the baths in Budapest!

Palenque

Well if going by train, which IMO is the best way here for the average tourist going mainly to large cities where cars are a hassle and even a liability then research the Eastern European railpass - good in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovaka, Poland and, importantly Austria. While train fares in old East Bloc countries are still lower than western Europe-in Austria they are not so if including Austria in your trip then that pass may be more viable than if not- and a good way into or outof Cesky Krumlov is via Linz, Austria - so if you want to include Salzburg, Hallstatt, etc then that pass would be more a value.
But even in Poland and Czech Republic for ease of travel - not having to wait in line to buy train tickets especially with a language barrier then the pass allows you to hop on most trains anytime without going to the ticket window. And you could also reserve specific trains at time of buying the pass to eliminate all hassles and just board the train and have a reserved seat. You can also go to the national rail web sites of those countries and try booking online if point to point tickets are cheaper than the pass. For loads on rail travel (and buses) in Eastern Europe i always spotlight these info-laden sites- www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - the latter site you can download their free (and superb IMO) European Planning & Rail Guide that has a section on each country with rail maps and itineraries, etc.

KellyGreta

Thank you all for these helpful suggestions - we'll continue to investigate!