Croatia, Slovenia, Salzburg and Prague 3 week Trip Report
Oct 22nd, 2014, 07:05 AM
#23
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June 12: We pre-booked CK shuttle to take us to Cesky Krumlov. The driver picked us up on time outside the hotel. The drive was pretty uneventful other than spotting some nice countryside from time to time. The cost for 2 persons was about 1900 koruna which I thought was reasonable.
We arrived at our hotel in Cesky Krumlov around 11 am. We checked into our hotel, freshened up and went out to explore the town.
We first stopped at Krcma v. Satlavske for lunch right around the corner from the hotel. We were lucky that it was early and we got the last table outside. The inside was completely full or reserved since many people wanted to sit next to the fire pit. We ordered the pork knee and beers. The size was humongous! The meat was super tender and tasty. This was a very popular place. Tons of people started lining up shortly before 12. Reservation probably will be a good idea.
After lunch, we made our way up to the castle. We enjoyed the visit very much, in fact, more than the Prague castle. The view was great from the top. We also purchased the English tour tickets for the Baroque Theatre. It was interesting to see how the special effect mechanisms work.
After spending a few hours in the castle and its ground, we went back down to the old town and just walked around town and the river for a couple hours. We then went to Restaurant Na Louzi which was recommended by the hotel owner for inexpensive Czech food. It was such a delightful experience. The inside of the restaurant was small and it felt more like a bar. We were not very hungry and just shared an appetizer and an entree with beers. The highlight of the meal was the music. The musicians were playing Czech folk music and drinking songs. They taught us the chorus to a couple songs and all the diners were joining in. There were some very enthusiastic German business travelers and they really made the atmosphere lively. We had such a good time and this was one of the most memorable moments of this trip. We still can sing the chorus after a year and half!
We arrived at our hotel in Cesky Krumlov around 11 am. We checked into our hotel, freshened up and went out to explore the town.
We first stopped at Krcma v. Satlavske for lunch right around the corner from the hotel. We were lucky that it was early and we got the last table outside. The inside was completely full or reserved since many people wanted to sit next to the fire pit. We ordered the pork knee and beers. The size was humongous! The meat was super tender and tasty. This was a very popular place. Tons of people started lining up shortly before 12. Reservation probably will be a good idea.
After lunch, we made our way up to the castle. We enjoyed the visit very much, in fact, more than the Prague castle. The view was great from the top. We also purchased the English tour tickets for the Baroque Theatre. It was interesting to see how the special effect mechanisms work.
After spending a few hours in the castle and its ground, we went back down to the old town and just walked around town and the river for a couple hours. We then went to Restaurant Na Louzi which was recommended by the hotel owner for inexpensive Czech food. It was such a delightful experience. The inside of the restaurant was small and it felt more like a bar. We were not very hungry and just shared an appetizer and an entree with beers. The highlight of the meal was the music. The musicians were playing Czech folk music and drinking songs. They taught us the chorus to a couple songs and all the diners were joining in. There were some very enthusiastic German business travelers and they really made the atmosphere lively. We had such a good time and this was one of the most memorable moments of this trip. We still can sing the chorus after a year and half!
Oct 22nd, 2014, 10:22 AM
#24
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June 13-15: CK shuttle again picked us up around 8 am and took us to our hotel in Prague. Cost for two persons was 1800 koruna. The ride took about 3 hours.
Our hotel (Hotel Questenberk) is close to the Strahov Monastery. We liked it a lot. It was formerly the residence of an abbot and there is a cross outside. We had a welcome drink on the terrace restaurant when we arrived and the view was really lovely. It was about 20 minutes downhills passing through the Lesser Town to Charles Bridge. The tram was just right around the corner but we only took it once. We mostly just walked down and up the hill.
We did pretty much all the big ticket items on most first time visitor's list: Prague Castle, Old Town, Charles Bridge, Strahov Monastery, Wenceslas Square, Jewish Quarters, etc. We also visited a few less mentioned places - Petrin Hill (lovely park), the Hunger Wall (memorable sculpture), Schwarzenberksky Palace National Gallery, Vysehrad, and the special exhibit of Ivan Lendl's Mucha poster collection at the Municipal House (on exhibit in 2013).
Prague is a beautiful city. However, the old town, Charles Bridge, and to certain extent, the Prague Castle during the daytime, were just too crowded for us. It was hard to appreciate the beauty when we were in the midst of the crowd. Walking from Charles Bridge to the old town square on Karlova street was really noisy and unpleasant, both day and night. The stores seemed to mainly sell cheap souvenirs and there were several neon signs for Thai massages. There were a couple limousines driving close to the old town square with drunk people shouting on top of their lungs. We tried to be on Charles Bridge around 11 pm one night but it was still busy (granted it was a Saturday). There was no atmosphere. A couple was trying to pose for a proposal photo on the bridge and it did not feel romantic at all.
On the other hand, the back streets of the old town were quiet and beautiful and we enjoyed strolling through them. I got teary-eyed from the children's drawings from the concentration camp in the Jewish museum. Petrin Hill was peaceful and it was lovely seeing local families hanging out in the late afternoon. Walking through Prague Castle and the Castle Quarter was magical at night. The street lights were on and there were very few people on the cobbled streets. View of the city from an overlook just below the monastery was magical. We enjoyed the Mucha exhibit very much and the Vysehrad was a good place to visit. The old castle/fort ground was lovely to walk around and the beautiful cemetery housed the resting places of Dvorak, Smetana, Mucha, etc.
We did not realize that middle of June would be so busy in Prague. We didn't fall in love with Prague in this trip, but would not mind going back some time in the future during a less busy time if we are in the area. Our favorite area of Prague is the Castle Quarter.
June 16: After breakfast, we left for the airport and completed our trip.
Our hotel (Hotel Questenberk) is close to the Strahov Monastery. We liked it a lot. It was formerly the residence of an abbot and there is a cross outside. We had a welcome drink on the terrace restaurant when we arrived and the view was really lovely. It was about 20 minutes downhills passing through the Lesser Town to Charles Bridge. The tram was just right around the corner but we only took it once. We mostly just walked down and up the hill.
We did pretty much all the big ticket items on most first time visitor's list: Prague Castle, Old Town, Charles Bridge, Strahov Monastery, Wenceslas Square, Jewish Quarters, etc. We also visited a few less mentioned places - Petrin Hill (lovely park), the Hunger Wall (memorable sculpture), Schwarzenberksky Palace National Gallery, Vysehrad, and the special exhibit of Ivan Lendl's Mucha poster collection at the Municipal House (on exhibit in 2013).
Prague is a beautiful city. However, the old town, Charles Bridge, and to certain extent, the Prague Castle during the daytime, were just too crowded for us. It was hard to appreciate the beauty when we were in the midst of the crowd. Walking from Charles Bridge to the old town square on Karlova street was really noisy and unpleasant, both day and night. The stores seemed to mainly sell cheap souvenirs and there were several neon signs for Thai massages. There were a couple limousines driving close to the old town square with drunk people shouting on top of their lungs. We tried to be on Charles Bridge around 11 pm one night but it was still busy (granted it was a Saturday). There was no atmosphere. A couple was trying to pose for a proposal photo on the bridge and it did not feel romantic at all.
On the other hand, the back streets of the old town were quiet and beautiful and we enjoyed strolling through them. I got teary-eyed from the children's drawings from the concentration camp in the Jewish museum. Petrin Hill was peaceful and it was lovely seeing local families hanging out in the late afternoon. Walking through Prague Castle and the Castle Quarter was magical at night. The street lights were on and there were very few people on the cobbled streets. View of the city from an overlook just below the monastery was magical. We enjoyed the Mucha exhibit very much and the Vysehrad was a good place to visit. The old castle/fort ground was lovely to walk around and the beautiful cemetery housed the resting places of Dvorak, Smetana, Mucha, etc.
We did not realize that middle of June would be so busy in Prague. We didn't fall in love with Prague in this trip, but would not mind going back some time in the future during a less busy time if we are in the area. Our favorite area of Prague is the Castle Quarter.
June 16: After breakfast, we left for the airport and completed our trip.
Oct 22nd, 2014, 10:54 AM
#25
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thank you for including all the details. Looks like you did a lot each day. We were in Salzburg this past summer and really liked the city. Getreidegasse is certainly busy but we found a 100 plus year old spirit sttore called Sporer and enjoyed the tastings they offered (one of our fav memories of the trip). thanks again I plan on following much of the earlier part of your itinerary for our trip to Croatia (need to figure out how to fit in Plitvice in our limited number of days)
Oct 22nd, 2014, 02:23 PM
#26
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Thanks for reading all the way through. We do pack a lot in each day. We are pretty fast walkers and want to see as much as we can. Also, long daylight in June helps. We know we barely scratched the surface of the places we visited, but this gave us an overview.
Sporer sounds really neat. I read about it but we did not make it there this time. We will definitely keep that place in mind.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I am not an expert in Croatia but am happy to share any knowledge/information I have.
Sporer sounds really neat. I read about it but we did not make it there this time. We will definitely keep that place in mind.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I am not an expert in Croatia but am happy to share any knowledge/information I have.
Oct 24th, 2014, 11:29 AM
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Digbydog
We stayed in Aprtments Cvek 2 in Rovinj (about 15-20 minutes walk from the old town) and House Klasika in Lake Bled (less than 10 minutes walk to the lake). They are both fine and reasonably priced.
We stayed in Aprtments Cvek 2 in Rovinj (about 15-20 minutes walk from the old town) and House Klasika in Lake Bled (less than 10 minutes walk to the lake). They are both fine and reasonably priced.
Oct 25th, 2014, 03:34 AM
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Thanks for writing up your report, we have plans for Croatia and Slovenia in 2015 so this is so helpful. Could you also let us know where you stayed in Dubrovnik and Hvar and if you liked them as well? Thank you!
Oct 25th, 2014, 04:20 AM
#30
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Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Brought back good memories of trips to that part of the world. Like you, I did not fall in love with Prague but would go back again as I barely scratched the surface in my four days there. But I was enchanted with Salzburg and would go back in a second.
Oct 27th, 2014, 07:53 AM
#31
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CollK
Thank you for reading the report. We stayed at apartment 3 at Apartment Raic (http://apartments-raic.com/) in Dubrovnik.
For Hvar, we stayed at apartment Diva at Apartments Rogosic (http://www.hvar-rogosic.com/apartmentdiva.html).
Both apartments were simple and suited our needs. The owners were friendly. We thought apartment Diva was a pretty good value. It is spacious and has great view. It is about 10-15 minutes uphill walk from Hvar town on a pedestrian path. We were fine with the walks and thought the views along the walk scenic.
Thank you for reading the report. We stayed at apartment 3 at Apartment Raic (http://apartments-raic.com/) in Dubrovnik.
For Hvar, we stayed at apartment Diva at Apartments Rogosic (http://www.hvar-rogosic.com/apartmentdiva.html).
Both apartments were simple and suited our needs. The owners were friendly. We thought apartment Diva was a pretty good value. It is spacious and has great view. It is about 10-15 minutes uphill walk from Hvar town on a pedestrian path. We were fine with the walks and thought the views along the walk scenic.
Oct 27th, 2014, 07:58 AM
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Thank you for your comment. We liked Salzburg, just did not fall in love with it this time. We definitely would not mind going back there again if we are in that part of the world.
Thank you for your comment. We liked Salzburg, just did not fall in love with it this time. We definitely would not mind going back there again if we are in that part of the world.
