Is four days enough to see Prague and Cesky Krumlov?
 

Hello.

I have alloted four days to see both Prague and Cesky Krumlov. I have reserved a hotel in Prague for four days, planning on spending three full days in Prague with a day trip to Cesky Krumlov. Is this realistic? Has anyone made this daytrip? Is it wothwile doing? How much different is the architechture from that one can see in Prague itself? Any tips or information on the two places would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ross

I have driven from Prague to Cesky Krumlov (in fact, we started earlier in the day in Jelenia Gora, Poland - - first driving the 2.5 hrs west to Prague, and then turned south towards CK). I don't think I would want to make it a day trip. What fits in front of, or after these four days for you? I'm sure I'm projecting my style of travel on to you, but it would make more sense to go there <i>en route</i> to somewhere (i.e., logically back, or onward into Austria, most likely).

It's a nice place to spend an overnight; as a day trip it may seem a bit like a contrived amusement park of a town. Not that it is; it's just one of those places - -Rothenburg ob der Tauber and San Gimignano come similarly to mind - - where a bit of geographic and man-made isolation allowed a time warp to occur. That doesn't mean that it's fake in any way.

&quot;Is four days enough&quot; is always an impossible question. Two is enough. Twenty is NOT enough. How many days are enough for any place?

The architecture of Prague andCK are different primarily because Prague is a living city where eight centuries of transition are juxtaposed, planned and unplanned. There are no Frank Gehry buildings in CK, nor many other signs that help you grasp what the place was like in 1965 or 1865. That doesn't mean that one is better than the other. Just different.

My single-time four-night encounter with the Czech Republic, one year ago, was not much different from what you are thinking to do (four nights/three days Prague, then one night/day Poland, then one night/day Cesky Krumlov before going onward to Graz). It was a satisfactory way to make a handshake acquaintance with the country.

I think what constitutes &quot;enough&quot; has more to do with you, than with the place(s) you seek to visit.

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex,

Thanks very much for your informative response. I will be spending four days in Prague before flying to out to Paris. I was considering doing a day-trip to Cesky Krumlov to be able to see something different. Might you be able to suggest a day-trip to a town or city in Poland not too far from Prague seeing that you have already visited both countries? I appreciate your input.

Thanks again.

Ross.

Haven't been there but maybe Kutna Hora (in the Czech Republic, not in Poland)? Half the commute time of CK, I think.

I have mixed feelings about recommending that you re-trace our steps to www.pension-nostalgia.ch (note: the address is &quot;.ch&quot; because the owner is Swiss - - and even though there is German on the website, be aware that the housekeeper speaks NO language other than Polish) - - this is where we stayed overnight, and then briefly (less than half a day) visited Jelenia Gora.

It was darn close to &quot;saying we've been there&quot;. It did confirm for me that I would like to go back to Poland and see more - - say a full two week trip, exploring southern Poland alone.

But it's fully five hours (round trip) to do thi fro Prague. Barely &quot;worth&quot; a 24-36 hour excursion, and not what I would recomend for a day trip.

I don't think that you will run out of ways to fill the four days you have for the CR, all in the city of Prague.

I've been all the places you are discussing. We had either 4 or 5 nights in Prague (I can't remember). We had 2 nights booked in Cesky Krumlov and enjoyed it so much that we wanted to stay for another, but our hotel was fully booked. We spent a day in Kutna Hora and found it to be interesting. We have also visited southern Poland. With distances and travel time i would suggest you either stay put in Prague (you'll find plenty to do) or try Kutna Hora because I think it is only an hour away. Something that has not been mentioned if you truly want to leave Prague is Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad in German) which is about 3 hours west of Prague. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

We spent five days in Prague last year and absolutely loved it. It was our intention to go to Cesky Krumlov, but we were so involved in things to see and do in Prague we never got there. The best advice seems to be that day trips there don't work out well and at least an overnight is necessary to fully appreciate it. Here's an excellent web site for CK, which should give you a good idea of the architecture:

http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/atlas/i_cmm.htm

Actually, I take a day trip to Cesky Krumlov every year, during the time that I am in Prague. It is feasible, but you might even end up wishing you had more time in Cesky Krumlov, because it is charming. There are great views of this jewel-like town from the castle there. Also, some great shopping &amp; reasonable restaurants. Another totally different town would be Terezin. That is almost always done as a day trip. Don't know if you are in the mood for that, though. 3 days in Prague is a whirlwind tour, but it can be done. Castle, Mala Strana, Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Wenceslas Square, etc... I would play it by ear when you get there, and decide if you want to leave Prague to see something different, or stay &amp; explore it further. Either way, you will be in a beautiful place! Enjoy.

I have taken a day trip to Cesky Krumlov and enjoyed it very much. Kutna Hora is much closer, though, so that will save you time and since you are there only three days, that might be a good idea. I took a bus day tour company to/from CK and would recommend that for expediency if you do a day trip. I actually like some of those bus tours, sitting in the bus and seeing the countryside is enjoyable to me.

You can't go to Poland on a day trip from Prague, it's much too far.