Day trip from Vienna to Prague and back
 

My husband and I will be in Vienna in June. One of the days we hope to go to take a side trip to Prague and back to Vienna. I see a tour available on Wednesdays and Fridays, but those days won't work. We could go on Saturday or Monday. Any ideas for the best way to make this trip, have a tour in Prague, and get back to Vienna the same day? I was planning to book a trip to Melk on a separate day.

It would be a long day as the train takes 4.5 hours each way so 9 hours of the day would be traveling back and forth leaving very little time to see Prague.

Yea maybe if you take a really early train and get there in the morning and take an overnight train back? It will be a long day indeed.

I honestly think you should devote at least two days to Prague or at least one very FULL day at the very least.

Easier to do a day trip to Bratislava or even Budapest, both are closer to Vienna (Bratislava is closer to Vienna than Philly is to New York).

Great idea otroyansky. Part of a day is NOT enough for Prague. It's all we have, though. Skip Prague altogether never to return to the region or slip in a few hours touring with much traveling to get there?

> Skip Prague altogether never to return to the region or slip in a few hours touring with much traveling to get there?

A good question, but one that only you can answer. It really depends on what you want to see and experience.

I know it seems obvious, but when deciding, don't forget what you'll forgo in/around Vienna in an effort to make this high-cost/low-reward day trip. (When facing this kind of question, many people become so focused on the HOW that they forget to question WHETHER to do so.) So be sure to ask yourselves whether you are leaving enough time to enjoy Vienna.

Several years ago I did a day trip from London to Edinburgh. Left early in the morning and came back that night. And many people do day trips from London to Paris. It's not everybody's cup of tea to do such things, but if you are so inclined and <i>really</i> want to see Prague, then I think you should go for it. I certainly have never regretted the times I have done long day trips. And to paraphrase an old saying, "It's the things we didn't do that we most often regret..."

There is a free Prague tour that you might be able to catch:
http://www.newpraguetours.com/

Some more info on day tours:
http://www.pragueexperience.com/sigh...ightseeing.asp
http://www.urbanadventures.com/destination/Prague_tours

Or you can simply wander around Prague on your own. Go to Old Town Square, cross the Charles Bridge, maybe go to the Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle--whatever interests you most.

<< Skip Prague altogether never to return to the region >>

Whenever people make this type of comment I always wonder how they can see into the future and know that they will never return.

Regarding the night train idea - you can leave at midnight and arrive in Vienna at 6:30. That would give you 11 hours on trains in a 24 hour period. After traveling and sightseeing all day, and perhaps not sleeping well on the train, you'll probably fall into bed and sleep for hours, losing time to experience Vienna.

How many days do you have in Vienna?

We have 5 days in Vienna, 4 if we go to Prague. Thanks for the big questions to consider. Lots to ponder--loss of sleep on a night train, places to see, what we will miss in Vienna, and tours to contact.

You're using one of your five days to visit Melk (well worth the trip). There is more than enough in Vienna to keep you busy for the other four days. If you get bored, eat pastry!

Prague is worth more than a few hours. You'll have enough time to see one thing, get confused by all the Czech signs, and wonder why you spent so much time getting to Prague for so little time there.

Walkabout, thank you for your tips for the tours. I will probably use Prague Experience for a 3.5 hour tour. I made a reservation at Kornina's to enjoy a meal before the tour. Adrienne, alas, my husband must eat gluten free. I'll sneak a few pastries when he isn't noticing and jealous. So disappointing for him. I have planned 7 road trips in the USA in which we visited 48 states and most major cities. It takes efficient planning. We will pack things in in Vienna and still have evenings for a nice meal or concert. Already booked a mass to hear the choir boys and a show at the Spanish Riding School. I really want to see the lovely old sites of a city that wasn't destroyed in the war. We will see a medieval village or two on this trip as well as Amsterdam and Basel, but Prague will be the one city that is most intact. The cost for the one-day excursion is quite reasonable. Happy travels.

Forget about going to Prague as a day trip from Vienna.

I took the train from Vienna to Prague last year, it was 5 hours.

Go to Bratislava , it is a very nice place.

"Skip Prague altogether, never to return to the region."

If you're never returning to that part of the world, you'll be skipping much more than just Prague.

Jean - love your comment. Nails it.

We live in Vienna and take day trips on the weekends as time permits. In the fall we left our house at 06:30 for Budapest. By the time we arrived, parked, and oriented ourselves around the castle complex it was near 10:00. We toured only the castle complex, pausing briefly to grab sandwiches to eat in the park, and finished by 15:00, without seeing any museums; it's just too easy to become distracted by interesting sights, and before you know it the day is over. Leaving the city we stopped by "Communist Disneyland," the park of statues from the Communist era, and returned to Vienna around 20:00. A long day, and we regret not having planned to spend the night.

We've also taken day trips to Bratislava (by train) and Melk (by car), and spent four days in Prague between Christmas and New Year's. I wouldn't consider making Prague a day trip from Vienna.

Thank you for your comments, fourfortravel. It will be whirlwind day, but I hope it's worth it. We hired a tour guide for when we are in Prague. While we don't normally take taxis, I plan use taxis in Prague to get to places fast. Any suggestions for taxi use?

Actually, Prague has had a reputation for taxi scams.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1099.html

WE have five days in Prague was thinking of doing a day trip to Vienna. THe day trip advertised is by bus and is 13 hours. I didnt realise that nine hours of that would be travelling, might have to rethink.

The drive time is 7 hours round trip but that does not account for any traffic leaving Prague or arriving in Vienna. Plus you have the extra time to herd 50 people around which means waiting a lot of time to organize everyone and get into sights.

Vienna, like Prague, is worth much more than a few hours. If you want to get out of Prague there are much closer day trips that you can take.

Taxi scams? Yikes! Any other thoughts on taking a taxi in Prague?

There are taxi scams all over the world. They're not unique to Prague.

If you hired a guide why not let the guide tell you the best way to get from one place to another or deal with taxis. You'll probably spend your time in the historic center and the castle and walking is the best way.

Is you guide meeting you at the bus/train station? Or do you need to meet with him/her at a designated spot. I've used a car service in Prague (when it was cheaper than a taxi) and was very satisfied. You could hire a car and driver for the hours you're in Prague.

http://mike-chauffeur.cz/

We are meeting the tour at/near Wenceslas Square. the care service is an intriquing option. Would the car service make sense since we are spending 4 of the 7 hours on a tour? Could we ask the driver to meet us at the train station, take us to the tour, and pick us up after the tour?

<< Could we ask the driver to meet us at the train station, take us to the tour, and pick us up after the tour? >>

Mike, or one of his staff, would be very happy to do this. He's a very helpful and professional person and he speaks perfect English.

Send him an email and tell him what you need and he'll give you a price. Please be specific with him as to time and location, train from Vienna, etc. He will be waiting with your name on a sign.

Tell him you'll need to stop at an ATM (cash machine) for Czech money unless you see one inside the station.

You are GREAT, adrienne! I will do this.

There's an ATM right as we got off the train in Prague, coming from Vienna. Just look for the line of people.

I would second the idea of going to Bratislava... I just moved from there after 18 months (we now live in Budapest). We spent a long weekend in Prague where there were probably a thousand people in the square. The next weekend I drank my coffee in the Old Town square in Bratislava and counted 10 people. The old town is very charming.
I am not a Prague fan... So you can take this with a grain of salt... But I would take Budapest over Prague any day...especially from Vienna. It is closer and (to me) much more beautiful. We spend lots of time carting family and friends around this region and most everyone prefers Budapest (that said, Prague surely has a fan base)