marinaengel

We would like some recommendations of hotels in Warsaw, Krakow, PRague and Berlin - must have king bed or twin beds, non-smoking, prices around $100-150 per night, in convenient locations. We walk a lot but would like hotels in central areas. We also plan on using trains from Warsaw to Krakow and Prague to Berlin. Has anyone travelled on these trains and if so, how would you rate them? Thanks for all your comments.

sandy_b

I know a really great place to stay in Krakow, right around the corner from the Old Town square, Hotel Trecius.

There are only six rooms. Our large double had twin beds with two pillows each and a duvet (all white eyelet), red blankets with a snowflake design, night stands and armoire in "real" wood with a mini fridge built in, a round table and 2 chairs, a NICE bathroom with huge sink and a glassed in shower that was nicer and cleaner than either of ours at home. We had towels and soap and hair dryer and a heated floor, which was fantastic since we went in mid-Mar 05 and Poland was having a horrible/cold winter.

We paid $53/night. The reception girls speak several languages and were friendly, always asking if we needed anything, wanted anything. They are only there from about 9:00-3:00 and I think we were the only guests . . . we never saw or heard anyone else.

Here's their info:
Hotel Trecius
ul.sw.Tomasza 18
Pl-31-020 Kraków Poland
Ph: 48-12-421-2521
Fax: 48-12-426-8730
[email protected]
www.http://www.trecius.krakow.pl

We stayed in room 3 and it looked just like the photo on the website.

We might be going to Berlin in Mar so are interested in the responses you receive.


Good luck,
Sandy (in Denton)

skatedancer

we took the train from Krakow to Warsaw, and it was great. It was the intercity express, the one that takes 2 3/4 hours. We paid the extra for first class, but not sure if that's necessary or not, but the cost differential wasn't too much. The ride is very beautiful for much of the way.

We visited Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin this summer, but our hotels were not in your price range, so I'm sorry I cannot help with that. In Krakow, anything in or just outside the old town is central.

Christina

I've taken the train from Prague to Dresden, and it was excellent. Czech trains are pretty good nowadays, especially long runs, but I think that was a German train, anyway. I think I spent a little more than that last time I was in Krakow or Prague, but previously I stayed at the Hotel Pod Roza in Krakow and I think it was $125-150 a night. It was a very nice hotel and just a short ways from the main square. http://www.hotelpodroza.com/

I don't know if they have king beds or not, but a lot of hotels in those countriees have twin beds. In fact, it's hard to get a real double bed in CR and Poland, in my experience. They are all twins, and some hotels only have twins, like the Hotel Francuski, even though it is a 4*.

Hotel prices vary a lot by time of year, so it's important to say when you want that rate. You could probably get a 4* hotel for that in early December, but not in June. Prices can be almost double the difference.

aeiger

Hi We stayed at the Berlin Movenpick 3 yrs. ago Very modern hotel, built from a converted warehouse. We paid about $100 USD per night in september. Its near the Potsdamerplatz. Very convenient to most areas. I thought it was areal bargain for the price it's a 4 star hotel I believe. Movenpicks are a good chain of hotels in Europe. They have both a 800# and a website in the US. enjoy your trip.

annhig

bookmarking for future reference, thanks.

Amy

I, too, really loved Trecius; it's a great location and a lovely historic inn. The ride from Krakow to Warsaw was fine, certainly on par with most other Middle European trains I've taken. My trip report is here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34841274 if you'd like a little more info.

Nigel99

If you want a great hotel in Warsaw in a central location (200 yards from the Central Railway Station) go to the Marriott. It's just within your budget but will satisfy all your needs. Rooms are big, beds are big, service is exceptional. There's a 40th floor bar looking out over the City - fantastic at night. Their breakfast is the largest buffet I have ever seen. Help yourself to anything from herrings in vodka through cold meats, fruit, omelettes, cereals, cooked meats to almost anything else you can think of. Bad if you're on a diet but great for the rest. In 20 visits over the last 8 years they have never failed to make the experience outstanding for us.

Cowboy1968

From Prague to Berlin you will find the regular EuroCity services which run every 2hrs. No ICE-style bullet trains, but regular cars plus locomotive services. Should be comfortable enough for the rather short travel time of 4 1/2 hrs.

I don't know of any non-smoking hotels in Berlin. What you will find in larger hotels are non-smoking floors. If you book your hotel through a consolidator like hrs.com you should get a selection of hotels in your price range, hopefully.

skatedancer

forgot to say that the only problem with the Krakow-Warsaw train is that it is absolutely impossible to tell from your ticket what compartment and seat you are in, so ask at the train counter after you buy it. (the info is there, apparently, but impossible to figure out when you look at it.)

We couldn't really figure out which car to board, and then put all our luggage in an overhead rack, only to have to move it when it turned out we were in the wrong car.

PeterB

I would agree with Nigel99 with Marriott really providing a great value and comfort for the price (they often have promotions and great weekend rates)... Location is extra nice if you be traveling from Warsaw by train since it has a enterence to walking underpass right into the train station next to hotel, so you can leave in very last minute (if you have tickets) and make the train with no problem ...

NOTE: Polish Zloty have been getting stronger (many say too strong) and dollar less in value lately ...

Current exchange is $1=2.5zl which if you compare to last year $1=4zl is a big difference ... where you be getting much less for your dollar ... :-<