Cesky Krumlov to Olomouc to Krakow
Feb 19th, 2016, 02:26 PM
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Cesky Krumlov to Olomouc to Krakow
Hello, I've been researching this and can't seem to come up with best approach. After staying in Prague, am planning on 2 nights in Cesky Krumlov- arriving by bus- won't be self-driving on the trip. Then, hearing what a nice place Olomouc is, and also to break up the long way to Krakow, liked the idea of stopping for a night there.
Questions- instead of returning to Prague, is there a way that makes sense to go from Cesky Krumlov to Olomouc? And then the next day head to Krakow- via train I take it?
If anyone has any info on this, or related thoughts, I'd appreciate it.
Questions- instead of returning to Prague, is there a way that makes sense to go from Cesky Krumlov to Olomouc? And then the next day head to Krakow- via train I take it?
If anyone has any info on this, or related thoughts, I'd appreciate it.
Feb 19th, 2016, 02:52 PM
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I stayed in Olomouc a couple days en route to Krakow, also, as I didn't want that long train journey in one day -- but I was coming from Prague. Of course you can go by train from Olomouc to Krakow, that's why I did it, it's a fairly direct route. You just have to transfer at Katowice or Prerov but that's not that much trouble. Tere are several choices with only one transfer that end up taking about 5 hours total from Olomouc to Krakow. There is even one train now on some days that is direct but it's at night--1:55 am to 7:05 am!
There is no easy way to get from CK to Olomouc by train as you have to go to Ceske Budejovice and there is no train from there to OLomouc, you have to go back to Prague. There is no direct line running between those cities. You could cobble something together by going from Ceske Budejovice to Brno (which itself takes about 6 hrs), and then there is a train from Brno to Olomouc that only takes about 1.5-2 hrs.
Here is some info on methods of getting to Olomouc.
IN fact, returning to Prague and going to Olomouc from there may actually be the quickest way to get there by train. CK is just not very convenient for connecting to a lot of other things, Olomouc is way over east in Moravia and Cesky Krumlov is way over SW of the country. But there is no easy way to get from there to Krakow, either.
There is no easy way to get from CK to Olomouc by train as you have to go to Ceske Budejovice and there is no train from there to OLomouc, you have to go back to Prague. There is no direct line running between those cities. You could cobble something together by going from Ceske Budejovice to Brno (which itself takes about 6 hrs), and then there is a train from Brno to Olomouc that only takes about 1.5-2 hrs.
Here is some info on methods of getting to Olomouc.
IN fact, returning to Prague and going to Olomouc from there may actually be the quickest way to get there by train. CK is just not very convenient for connecting to a lot of other things, Olomouc is way over east in Moravia and Cesky Krumlov is way over SW of the country. But there is no easy way to get from there to Krakow, either.
Feb 19th, 2016, 02:53 PM
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sorry, forgot the link http://www.outsideprague.com/olomouc...o_olomouc.html
Driving may be quickest, but there isn't even any great autoroute between them.
Driving may be quickest, but there isn't even any great autoroute between them.
Feb 19th, 2016, 04:01 PM
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The most logical way is to drive.
It took us less than four hours from CK to Olomouc and about three hours from Olomouc to Krakow...and that was 8 years ago. Outside of backing into a pole (not a Polish person thankfully) in Olomouc, the driving was a piece of cake.
It took us less than four hours from CK to Olomouc and about three hours from Olomouc to Krakow...and that was 8 years ago. Outside of backing into a pole (not a Polish person thankfully) in Olomouc, the driving was a piece of cake.
Feb 19th, 2016, 05:25 PM
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that's a great link, Christina- thanks. Tom- I've come across your postings before and have found them helpful.
The bottom line appears to be one that I was hoping it would not be- to take the bus back to Prague, and then train on- so the whole idea of not spending 6 or 8 hrs in a day on transit isn't working.
We've trained many times in Italy but didn't realize the times here would be so much longer. I guess I didn't notice that when I decided we would visit both Prague and Krakow, and also CK!
(For instance Rome to Milan is about 3 hrs, and when you look at a map Prague to Krakow doesn't look much different in distance.)
Any ideas (besides driving) throw them out, thanks.
The bottom line appears to be one that I was hoping it would not be- to take the bus back to Prague, and then train on- so the whole idea of not spending 6 or 8 hrs in a day on transit isn't working.
We've trained many times in Italy but didn't realize the times here would be so much longer. I guess I didn't notice that when I decided we would visit both Prague and Krakow, and also CK!
(For instance Rome to Milan is about 3 hrs, and when you look at a map Prague to Krakow doesn't look much different in distance.)
Any ideas (besides driving) throw them out, thanks.
Feb 19th, 2016, 06:35 PM
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When would you be in Olomouc? I too had heard it was a really nice place, but I guess my expectations were too high, because I was very disappointed in it. I was there two nights - also breaking up a trip between Krakow and Czech Republic - and it was like a ghost town. It probably didn't help that one of the city's main squares was completely blocked by a chain-linked fence as it was being renovated (2012), but the other square had absolutely no one either night I was there. A few restaurants were open but it was not obvious until you walked up to the doors.
I had heard Olomouc got few tourists, but that was an understatement. At the end of September, there were too few tourists for the city's Tourist Information center even to offer their scheduled walking tour! I scheduled two nights there only because one wouldn't have been enough (arriving late afternoon from Krakow; taking early bus to Brno to pick up a rental car two mornings later). I probably should have left the first afternoon when I realized how dead the place was and spent a night in Brno, even though I'd heard it wasn't so exciting, either - but I'd already paid for the Olomouc hotel.
This isn't to say that Olomouc is a rotten place, only that it is just a nice town with a few nice squares but otherwise fairly forgettable. If you are passing through anyway, there are certainly worse places to stop, but I wouldn't plan a trip with hopes of stopping at some sort of an undiscovered gem. That said, I got the feeling that Olomouc might be more fun in the summer - the same could be said about the towns I saw in Southern Bohemia (e.g. Cesky Krumlov), which were also pretty dead in late September. I'll bet in July-August they are much busier and probably feel more fun.
You can get from Prague to Krakow by train / bus connection in about six hours now, I think. Unfortunately, the connection isn't in Olomouc. But you could still stop there for a few hours if you wish, leave your bags at the station (not sure there are lockers though) just to check out the town, and get into Krakow a little later. I really can't recommend spending a night in Olomouc, though.
I had heard Olomouc got few tourists, but that was an understatement. At the end of September, there were too few tourists for the city's Tourist Information center even to offer their scheduled walking tour! I scheduled two nights there only because one wouldn't have been enough (arriving late afternoon from Krakow; taking early bus to Brno to pick up a rental car two mornings later). I probably should have left the first afternoon when I realized how dead the place was and spent a night in Brno, even though I'd heard it wasn't so exciting, either - but I'd already paid for the Olomouc hotel.
This isn't to say that Olomouc is a rotten place, only that it is just a nice town with a few nice squares but otherwise fairly forgettable. If you are passing through anyway, there are certainly worse places to stop, but I wouldn't plan a trip with hopes of stopping at some sort of an undiscovered gem. That said, I got the feeling that Olomouc might be more fun in the summer - the same could be said about the towns I saw in Southern Bohemia (e.g. Cesky Krumlov), which were also pretty dead in late September. I'll bet in July-August they are much busier and probably feel more fun.
You can get from Prague to Krakow by train / bus connection in about six hours now, I think. Unfortunately, the connection isn't in Olomouc. But you could still stop there for a few hours if you wish, leave your bags at the station (not sure there are lockers though) just to check out the town, and get into Krakow a little later. I really can't recommend spending a night in Olomouc, though.
Feb 19th, 2016, 08:35 PM
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Andrew, our trip is in early- mid May. The trains I see Prague to Krakow are 7-8 hrs with 1 or 2 transfers, vs 6 hrs.
Not set on Olomouc, rather just trying to break up a long day(s) on a train.
My current itinerary, though, is going from CK to Krakow (assuming we are in Prague first) and that long journey is problematic.
Not set on Olomouc, rather just trying to break up a long day(s) on a train.
My current itinerary, though, is going from CK to Krakow (assuming we are in Prague first) and that long journey is problematic.
Feb 19th, 2016, 09:06 PM
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Well, if you are forced to go back to Prague from Cesky Krumlov anyway to head on to Krakow, you do at least have options to go from Prague to Krakow in less than six hours:
http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/?lng=E
E.g. I see one option that is 5:39 from Prague to Krakow - train to Ostrava, bus to Krakow from there (only an 11 min transfer to the bus at Ostrava, not sure if the bus is right across the street or what).
You could also take an early train from Prague to Olomouc (just over two hours, seem to be a lot of them) and take a direct bus from Olomouc to Krakow at 14:40 - a 4.5 hour bus ride but avoids complications of another change and still under seven hours total travel time. That would give you potentially about five hours in Olomouc. I'm not a big fan of long bus rides myself and prefer trains, but this option makes some practical sense.
http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/?lng=E
E.g. I see one option that is 5:39 from Prague to Krakow - train to Ostrava, bus to Krakow from there (only an 11 min transfer to the bus at Ostrava, not sure if the bus is right across the street or what).
You could also take an early train from Prague to Olomouc (just over two hours, seem to be a lot of them) and take a direct bus from Olomouc to Krakow at 14:40 - a 4.5 hour bus ride but avoids complications of another change and still under seven hours total travel time. That would give you potentially about five hours in Olomouc. I'm not a big fan of long bus rides myself and prefer trains, but this option makes some practical sense.
Feb 20th, 2016, 02:25 PM
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I really liked Olomouc, don't agree with the above assessment at all that it's dead or a terrible place. I was there in summer, though, and there wasn't any construction in the center square. Olomouc is the center of the Moravian Philharmonic, for one thing, and has a couple interesting museums. It also has several interesting Baroque fountains and churches and palaces.
I enjoyed the art museum and especially the regional museum, but I always like to go to those local regional museums that show you an area's heritage.
It sounds like Andrew didn't do any research about the place to know what to visit on his own, don't know. I don't think outdoor squares are ever that lively in winter. Olomouc is a university town, those are not usually dead. No, there aren't a lot of American tourists there, there are Czech tourists, however.
They also have an excellent tourism website http://tourism.olomouc.eu/welcome/en
I would not want a 8 hour trip including train then bus, etc., just to avoid Olomouc. I don't agree with that opinion at all.
I enjoyed the art museum and especially the regional museum, but I always like to go to those local regional museums that show you an area's heritage.
It sounds like Andrew didn't do any research about the place to know what to visit on his own, don't know. I don't think outdoor squares are ever that lively in winter. Olomouc is a university town, those are not usually dead. No, there aren't a lot of American tourists there, there are Czech tourists, however.
They also have an excellent tourism website http://tourism.olomouc.eu/welcome/en
I would not want a 8 hour trip including train then bus, etc., just to avoid Olomouc. I don't agree with that opinion at all.
Feb 20th, 2016, 02:31 PM
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You could stay there one overnight at least, you could get there in the morning and then sightsee in the afternoon, that would break up your trip. One good thing is hotels in those type of smaller cities outside the capitals are always cheap.
This is the hotel I stayed at, I loved it and it's just about a block from the main city square, so you can walk to all sightseeing. A short taxi from the train station. http://www.hotel-trinity.cz/en/
This is the hotel I stayed at, I loved it and it's just about a block from the main city square, so you can walk to all sightseeing. A short taxi from the train station. http://www.hotel-trinity.cz/en/
Feb 20th, 2016, 02:36 PM
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Clearly, you didn't really bother to read my posts carefully, Christina, given that you characterized several things I said incorrectly. No one said anything about avoiding taking alternate routes to avoid Olomouc - where on earth did you get that? And if you check a calendar, September is not in the winter.
Pretty much every train will pass through Olomouc on the way to Krakow. It's a question of whether one wants to make more than one connection. That's why I suggested the day stop for a few hours in Olomouch with the direct bus from Olomouc in the afternoon to Krakow, to avoid two changes. But if you want the shortest route from Prague to Krakow without getting off the train at Olomouc, you can do the train to Ostrava, bus from there to Krakow in just under six hours.
I had hoped there wouldn't be many American tourists in Olomouc (I did meet some American Mormon missionaries, though.). I guess what I was hoping for was a lively town full of locals (e.g. like Ljubljana, Slovenia) not a ghost town.
Pretty much every train will pass through Olomouc on the way to Krakow. It's a question of whether one wants to make more than one connection. That's why I suggested the day stop for a few hours in Olomouch with the direct bus from Olomouc in the afternoon to Krakow, to avoid two changes. But if you want the shortest route from Prague to Krakow without getting off the train at Olomouc, you can do the train to Ostrava, bus from there to Krakow in just under six hours.
I had hoped there wouldn't be many American tourists in Olomouc (I did meet some American Mormon missionaries, though.). I guess what I was hoping for was a lively town full of locals (e.g. like Ljubljana, Slovenia) not a ghost town.
