While on our river cruise in August/Sept, we will have the option to book a trip to Salzburg thru the cruise company from Linz. We were considering taking a trip ourselves to Chesky K from Linz but wonder which would be more worthwhile - Salzburg or Chesky K.

Our other option is to travel to Chesky K from Prague, using up a day of our time in Prague. I understand we should allow about 10 hours for the trip if going from Prague.

Would appreciate member's thoughts on our two options. Thanks

how long are you in Prague for?

5 full days - one of which we intend to visit the Kutna Hora.

Krumau is a Disneyland type of town, with no real inhabitants and a broken history. Today the town is almost exclusively inhabited by tourists.

CK does kind of remind me of Disneyland, I enjoyed seeing the castle a lot, but given you are doing one day trip already (loved Kutna Hora) while in Prague, I wouldn't do another one. But I don't know your attention span, you may not find enough to do in Prague for 4 days and want to, your choice. I did CK as a day trip from Prague and it was fine, I'm glad I didn't spend more time there. I did a bus tour thing so it was kind of relaxing on the bus to see the countryside going/returning and was no trouble. I think we got back into Prague around 7 pm but it was summer, so that was fine, it probably was a 10 hour total trip.

Personally, I think I'd choose Salzburg over CK if I only had one, but that's partly because I really liek classical music and was interested in the Mozart connection, that was important to me (to see his residence and other things). Even if you have zero interest in that, I think there is ore to see and do in Salzburg than CK.

Many thanks for the tips. I must admit I was surprised by the Disneyland comments. We can wander a city for days without any trouble, so we now need to think this through. I tend to think Strazburg is a must. regards Denise

When you see it, you will understand. CK is very, very small and they've renovated some buildings around a main square by painting them sort of candy colors. They look very pretty. Take a look at these pictures, such as the pink and mint green buildings: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/617/gallery/

Here's our day in Český Krumlov (with photos). We liked CK a lot. It is a 2 hour and 20 minute rive from Prague. If you go for a day trip, I recommend the pace we where we ate lunch along the river.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_...y_Krumlov.html

both for sure......they are very different.. CK is a small town--best to go for an overnight.. S is a city with lots to do... both are unique..

Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing and for all the replies. Denise

In my opinion a visit to Cesky Krumlov is a must. We spent 3 full days in Prague and felt we had plenty of time to see and do everything on our list, including a guided tour of the city and lots of time to explore the city on foot. We used public transportation and took the early bus to CK. It was so pleasant to get away from the crowds in Prague. We took the shuttle (arranged through Pension Lobo) the following day to Linz. I think you can also catch the shuttle in Linz and travel to CK.

I haven't been to CK but I will give a big "thumbs up" for Salzburg. We have gone back to Salzburg time after time.

I have been to Salzburg and Cesky Krumlov, and I really liked both.

However, if you are in Prague 5 full days (even taking 1 day for Kutna Hora), I would definitely take a day to go to Cesky Krumlov. I, too, think you can get a good feel for Prague in 3 days; it is fairly compact. I did not get a Disneyland feeling at all at Cesky Krumlov. True, some of the buildings are painted in colors (not just white, grey, etc.), but that can be said about many places, e.g. Rothenburg, Germany, Burano, Italy and even Prague.

We have finally looked at our options and have decided to do CK and Kutna Hora both, from Prague. This will leave us with 2 full days and 2 half days in Prague itself. Many thanks everyone for the interesting and informative replies. It's years since I used Fodor's but will be back again that's certain.

Sounds like a good plan. We went to Cesky Krumlov last saturday and enjoyed it quite a bit. Disney-esque never crossed my mind! Now, it did in Tallin (in a good way) and St. Emilion (in a bad way). Still, if you had to choose one, I would have said Salzburg, hands down.

Enjoy!

I also have been to both, definitely Salzburg is the choice if you have limited time. But since you will be staying in Prague for 5 days, am sure you can do CK as a daytrip. It is small and compact, and pretty much touristy but the view of the town is nice from the castle. Salzburg has more to offer culturally. You can also do the Sound of Music tour, if you are inclined and don't fail to try out the apple strudel from one of the many coffee shops. Salzburg is a short hop to Munich, think 2 hours by train.

SALZBURG!

We have been to both cities. I liked CK but have no burning desire to return. I have been to Salzburg about 5 times and STILL want to go back. It is one of our favorite cities to visit after having lived in Germany in the Army and making about 30 trips back to Europe over the last 40 years.

SALZBURG!