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-   -   Itinerary Paris&Slovakia (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/itinerary-paris-and-slovakia-601123/)

Demented Mar 21st, 2006 08:43 AM

Itinerary Paris&Slovakia
 
I'm so excited! We've been working on our itinerary for weeks now and I think we've got it down.

This is going to look pretty busy for those of you who like to take it slow, but it's the best we can do for now. It complicates things that we can't get direct flights to where we really want to go, but on the upside, we get a few days in Paris.


5/18 fly to Boston

5/19 Family member's Graduation

5/20 Fly to Paris from Boston

Sun 5/21 Arrive in Paris early am- recovery day, do what we can do. Bus tour maybe?

Mon 5/22 Morning at the Louvre,visit the Eiffel Tower or Bus Tour in the afternoon Go to bed early!

Tue 5/23 Versaille day trip and Moulin Rouge show at 9pm

Wed 5/24 Sleep in til 9 or 10! Musee D'Orsay and Notre Dame
Depart for Kosice in the evening.

Thur 5/25 Kosice. Spend day with Mother in law. Relax, sleep in, wander around Kosice.

Fri 5/26 Day trip to Levoca and Spis (pretty castles and cathedrals or so my husband says) w/ Father in law

Sat5/27 Drive out to see grandma's house during the day, High School reunion at night

Sun 5/28 Up at 9 or 10. Car trip! To Sedlec/Kutna Hora in Czech Republic, stay overnight

Mon 5/29 Church of Bones (ghoulish church decorated with more than 40000 human skeletons) in the morning, drive to Novy Mesto (where Elizabeth Bathory murdered local women for their blood in the middle ages--the only known incidence of vampirism in Europe) in the afternoon. Stay overnight at Bojnice (has pretty castle, Slovakia has more castles than any other country in Europe, or so my husband says.)

Tue 5/30 back to Kosice, Spend more time with family

Wed 5/31 Bratislava to Paris (spend afternoon in Bratislava while waiting for evening flight to Paris)

Thur 6/1 Paris, maybe go to Giverny???

Fri 6/2 Paris to Boston

Sat 6/3 Boston to home

6/4 and 6/5 Recover at home

If I counted right, we're on a plane 6 days of the 17, and a couple days we'll be on two-three planes in one day. Nuts! It was the best we could do, we spent weeks and hours trying to figure out our plan of travel--getting to Slovakia isn't easy. Vienna and Prague are the better entry points, but are much more expensive than Paris.

C'est la vie, no?

D

ira Mar 21st, 2006 09:05 AM

Hi D,

With such a short time in Paris, I suggest skipping Versailles and the show at the Moulin Rouge.

This will give you a day and night to just walk around Paris and enjoy the ambience without having to "do" anything.

Have a nice visit.

((I))

Kristinelaine Mar 21st, 2006 09:14 AM

Isn't a car trip from Kosice to Kutna Hora terribly long? That's a long ways to go to see a ghoulish church, altho the town of Kutna Hora is also very nice. Why not stay in Slovakia that day and have things a little more relaxed?

bardo1 Mar 21st, 2006 09:47 AM

It looks fine, although I agree with all the suggestions above.

Are you sure you a flight from BOS-CDG and returning home VIE-BOS (or even BUD-BOS) is that much more than a straight RT? The return from will have a stopover but I would still seriously look a this open-jaw option(s).

Michael Mar 21st, 2006 10:03 AM

There are cheap flights on SkyEurope between Paris and Budapest. Will you have your own transportation in Slovakia? If so, rent the car in Budapest, and return it there. I had good luck with Thrifty. Using the super highway, I suspect that it is no more than half a day's drive from Budapest to Kosice. As for sightseeing, I strongly recommend going to the villages along the Polish border to see the Ruthenian churches in the little villages; they are marked on the Michelin map of Slovakia which you should be able to pick up at a FNAC in paris.

Demented Mar 21st, 2006 10:07 AM

I don't know about open jaw tickets, but this was the best ticket at the best price--we spent hours on the internet and with travel agents, hours! We almost didn't go at all b/c the logistics were such a pain and prices kept going up. Paris is very inexpensive in terms of air fare, at least compared to other cities. And, imo, it's not going thru Paris that's an issue, so much as a lack of flight options in getting to Kosice. Slovakia is still not booming as a tourist center and although it's getting better, the infrastructure for quick, convenient travel isn't there yet.

Yes, Kutna Hora is a bit of a road trip, but to go to Novy Mesto is a little over half way, so what the heck? We might as well do the whole thing since we're so interested in it. It'll be a good way to see the countryside.

D

Demented Mar 21st, 2006 10:10 AM

My father in law will loan us his car so, we'll be all set there. But I will keep Budapest in mind for a future visit and thanks for the tip about the churches.

We've decided, that since Slovakia doesn't really have any direct flights, we're going to try and pick a different entry city each visit, spend a few days sightseeing there before moving on to Slovakia.

And thank God for Skyeurope, without them, we wouldn't able to do any of this!

D

tomboy Mar 21st, 2006 02:43 PM

Slovakia has many castles, but relatively few are in good condition. Thw largest, in Spis, is impressive if your imagination can rebuild it. Bojnice is one of the better ones.

There are numerous (~30?) wooden churches just east of Bardejov SK; the tourist office could give you a map.

The east/west expressway thru Slovakia passes the Tatra Mountains; you might find that more interesting than the boneyard. heh heh

amp322 Mar 22nd, 2006 06:29 PM

I'm also concerned about that car trip to Kutna Hora... Seems VERY far for a day trip. I've been there, and it's neat. There is a hotel next to the "bone" church lol! It got great reviews on someone's thread here last week. Maybe I can dig up the name..

Anyway, have you figured out the driving distances/time estimates? Kosice is at the FAR end of Slovakia, so we are not talking a short trip to the CZ Rep here..

Sounds like a great trip,overall, though. Hope you have a blast!!!

tomboy Mar 23rd, 2006 07:55 AM

Without looking at Michelin, I would guess Kosice to Kutna Hora might be a 5 hour trip one way. My guess is that demented hasn't been married long, and hubby wants to impress her with the Bojnice castle (sort of the Slavic equivalent of Neuschwanstein), and that the boneyard is just an added fillip. Nothing wrong with that.
When we were travelling in the SlovRep, I kept wondering what kept it from being as popular a destination as the more popular ones. I suppose some is due to an unfamiliar language, but there must be other basic reasons. I found that one could easily see in Slovakia the vestiges of economic stagnation caused by communism, which of course impacted Czech Rep as well. The former seems to be emerging more quickly than the latter. Kosice might be an exception, as its steel mill was purchased by an international company a few years ago, so it may be blooming more than other towns.

Demented Mar 23rd, 2006 10:55 AM

We've been married for 11 years this week and this will be my first visit 'back home'. My DH used to work at the steel mill in Kosice and actually his High School buddies come to the US all the time now that US Steel bought them out.

Kutna Hora is an estimated 8 hour drive from Kosice BUT you have to remember we're going to be about 1/2 way there anyways. We may not make it, I haven't heard good things about the roads in Slovakia, but it's on the list. Besides, the drive is part of the fun.

We did 6 hours to Chicago each way over 2 days to see the Pompeii exhibit, I don't see how two more hours is so horrible.

D

tomboy Mar 23rd, 2006 12:41 PM

There's a nice East/West expressway that ends at about the Tatras. If you don't take that, though, the roads (which are OK construction but 2 lanes wide) can be very slow due to trucks and 50 horsepower Skodas. Have a good time...we did.

mashakay Mar 24th, 2006 08:41 PM

I possibly may be moving to Kosice, Slovakia. How is the quality of life?Prices? Possibly to save $,buy apt.?how much are rents for 1 bedroom euro remont apt? Thanks!

tower Mar 24th, 2006 09:21 PM

Demented:

I hope you'll have chance to spend a few hours in the heart of the Tatras...favorite stop is Stary Smokovec(ch)..wonderful hiking trails and good skiing. It is perhaps the biggest draw in Slovakia.
Enjoy your trip.
Stu T.


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