Munich and Prague
 

Hi. I'm planning a two-week trip in mid June, 2012, starting in Munich and ending in Prague. I'm traveling with my wife and 13 yr old. My preferred travel style is an itinerary that is unhurried and flexible, focusing on getting to know a place relatively well. I also like to get off the beaten path and try unique experiences. (e.g. meeting an artist in Venice and dinning together, swimming in the Danube, paragliding in Medellin, Colombia).

1. Is there anything special to see between Munich and Prague? BTW, I love beer!
2. Should we rent a car or travel by train?
3. Is there anything outside (within an hour or so) of Munich that we should plan to see?
4. What about outside of Prague?

Thanks in advance for your attention and advise.

Cheers,
Tony

No direct train between Munich and Prague; better to take the bus.

There's a lot to do and see between Munich and Prague.

First, you may want to go south of Munich to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.

Then there are the Germany towns like Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Bamberg.

Or you could swing into the Czech Republic via Cesky Krumlov and then up to Prague and visit some of the Czech castles. There are some wonderfl Czech castles between CK and Prague.

Two weeks isn't really that much time, especially if you want to do it in a "leisurely" fashion. you could spend several months in this area and not see it all.

Um, I would start with a couple of guidebooks to see what sightseeing options here are. (And how do you choose to go to Munich and Prague without knowing what is there?)

From Munich you can easily see a host of castles"

Nymphenburg
Neuschwanstein
Linderhof

As well as a bunch of cute semi-alpine towns, beautiful churches and the highest mountain in Germany (Zugspitz).

For that trip with 3 people I would rent a car when you leave Munich and drop it when you arrive in Prague. Or, if you want to switch hotels fewer times, stay in Munich and rent the car to do several day trips before heading towards Prague.

You could pay a steep drop off when you don't return a car in the country where you rented it.

Check bahn.com for trains from Munich to Prague. There is one direct train. But it's pretty slow.

There is one direct bus every day except Tuesdays. Unfortunately, the website is in German or Czech only:
http://www.autobusoberbayern.de/cms/...n_pilsen_prag/

o/w Munich -Prague is €33 and when you can't handle the ticket reservation online, you can buy tickets at the bus station in or any travel agency in Munich without a surcharge.

I would definitely check out some guidebooks and travel documentaries - there is a lot to see within an hour of Munich, an absolute ton to see.

I think that trains and buses are the way to go for transport - the system is really easy to use, has good coverage, and is cheaper than renting a car. www.dbahn.de is a good web site.

You may want to drive from Munich to Prague via Salzburg to give you even more sites along the way. I found the medieval town of Cesky Kumlov (midway between Salzburg and Prague) well worth a visit. You can literally drop into an old salt-mine outside Salzburg for an interesting experience. My trip report below has some shots.

Ronald
http://prague-vacation.blogspot.com/

Hi,
You can click on my name to read my trip report to Czech Republic from August 2009. After we left Prague, we rented a car and visited Cesky Krumlov, Telc & Karlovy Vary, all are worth visiting. Just outside of Prague, there is the Bone Church in Kutna Hora & also a huge gothic church in Sedlec or Kutna Hora (my report will tell you more).

I think four nights, with many day trips from Munich as suggested might work. Then www.shuttlebus.cz/munich.html to Chesky Krumlov for a night. [Train from Munich to Prague I think takes about seven hours.] Then bus or train to Prague. www.inyourpocket.com/Prague www.inyourpocket.com/germany/munich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesky_Krumlov for downloads.