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Old Oct 30th, 2012, 08:33 PM
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Prague & Where To Next Suggestions Requested

Dear Fodorites,

We are planning our holiday for May 2013 to Prague. We are 2 adults and 2 children of 11 years and 10 years.

We are planning to stay in Prague for 4-5 nights and then move to Dresden 3 nights and then Berlin 4-5 nights and fly out of Hamburg. If we take this route, can we squeeze in a couple of nights in a scenic moutain resort as the kids enjoy the mountains and the cable cars etc. In May would these places be really warm as we prefer cooler climate.

Alternately, we were thinking of Prague 4-5 nights, then Cesky Krumlov for 2 nights, Salzburg for 3 nights and fly out of Munich with 3 nights in Zell Am See .

Which of the above itineraries would you recommend and why.
Our tickets are not booked so we are flexible with the dates.

Have researched this forum on things to do etc. but need guidance on the following :
How do we book cheap train tickets for Prague to Dresden. Will dbahn allow us to buy tickets for a point outside Germany? Is there any cheap regional ticket we can use within Czech Republic (something similar to Lander ticket in Germany). In case we opt for second routing then how do we buy bus tickets from Prague to Cesky Krumlov.

Any suggestions/recommendations are welcome.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11
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Old Oct 30th, 2012, 10:39 PM
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Why fly out of Hamburg, why not Berlin?

I think that Dresden would be good for the children. The Green Vault has miniatures that are spectacular and the armory is also very nice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...30920764/show/
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Old Oct 31st, 2012, 12:30 AM
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Hi there,

it is very easy to go from Prague to Dresden via train. You can book the tickets on www.bahn.com. There journey is only 2 hrs.
Dresden has a lot of historic sights thus there is plenty to see in 3 days, such as Old Masters Gallerz, Opera House or the Green Vault. I suggest you book your tickets online for the Green Vault since it is quite difficult to get them. Here is a link: http://www.skd.museum/en/museums-ins...lbe/index.html

With regards to explore scenic areas, have a look at Saxon Switzerland. It is a beautiful national park with interesting sandstone formations. It is a very popolar spot for hiking and rock climbing. It is close to Dresden and you could either take the famous steam boat or train. Here is another link: http://www.saechsische-schweiz.de/st...ystem?navid=65.

I am sure the kids would love it.
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Old Oct 31st, 2012, 02:41 AM
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There is a very scenic National Park half way between Prague and Dresden called Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland. While the mountains are by far not as tall as in real Switzerland, it has bizarre sandstone formations, glens, canyons with boat trips, vast forests, excellent hiking, impressive castles, picturesque villages, spas. The kids would love that, although there are no cable car rides in the area.

An excellent base is Bad Schandau. Centrally located, good access by public transportation to all the places. See my pages on several towns in the area on Virtualtourist.com to get more info:

Bad Schandau:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/12ca7/
Hinterhermsdorf:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/d034/
Hohnstein:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/cb3b/
Königstein (castle/fortress):
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/b0ff/
Kurort Rathen:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/ab24/

And on the Czech side:
Hrensko/Pravcicka Brana:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/634fb/
Ingo is online now  
Old Nov 1st, 2012, 05:27 AM
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Train ticket Prague - Dresden (official on-line shop of Czech Railways):
https://www.cd.cz/eshop/
Bus ticket Prague - Český Krumlov (Student Agency company):
http://jizdenky.studentagency.cz/
I agree that Saxon-Bohemian Switzeland is really worth visiting. I suppose children would love it. If you go there, do not miss this place:
http://www.pbrana.cz/en/
I would definitively recommend to go to Český Krumlov. It is an amazing medivial town with a beautiful renaissance castle. Also vicinity of the town is very nice.
http://www.charming-krumlov-hotels.c...ov-information
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Old Nov 9th, 2012, 03:01 AM
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Thanks all for the wonderful ideas. Am in the midst of exploring if Bad Schandau is a good base for a couple of days.

Also, looking for advise which are the other towns/cities which we should visit while in Czech Republic. Is Telc, Olomouc worth visiting if we consider flying in/out of Prague.

Await your views.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11
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Old Nov 9th, 2012, 03:41 AM
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Cesky Krumlov, Telc and Olomouc are all worth visiting if you are in/out of Prague
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Old Nov 9th, 2012, 08:36 AM
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I didn't visit Telc but did visit Olomouc and really enjoyed it. Ceske Budejovice has a few sites of interest, also.

As for the train from Prague to Dresden, I did that and just bought my ticket in Prague a few days before. I think at that time it wasn't easy or feasible to buy them online from bahn.de, but in any case that train is pretty cheap anyway, no matter what.

So if you can't buy online, you can buy at the train statioh or (which is what I did), use Cedok which is a big travel agency (used to be state-run). They have English speakers and it is very convenient. They charge a very small fee for doing that but it was really worth it versus dealing with the train station (which I've done also, I prefer Cedok). There is a Cedok near Powder Gate and also near Wenceslas Square.
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Old Nov 9th, 2012, 11:41 AM
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I agree w/Aramis as well..
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Old Nov 10th, 2012, 01:02 AM
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With 4-5 nights in Prague I would do one full day trip to Kutna Hora and one to another town/city. Olomouc is very beautiful, but almost too much for one day IMO. Another idea is Pardubice. Totally different style would be Karlovy Vary, the famous spa town.

Don't miss the lesser known gems in the outskirts of Prague - Chateau Troja, the zoo/Stromovka park, Brevnov ... and nearby castle Karlstejn.
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Old Jan 28th, 2013, 04:15 AM
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Thanks all for the lovely inputs. Ingo, we are looking at staying in Dresden for 3 nights. Any recommendation for pension which is conveniently located within walking distance from the main Hauptbahnhof since you are a local ? Can you please advice and guide us how do we go about seeing the attractions outside Dresden like the bastei and Hrensko/Pravcicka Brana using the public transport?
Also, which are the local supermarkets in Dresden? Is there a weekly farmers market? We love to try the foods especially the pastries in the farmers market.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11
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Old Jan 28th, 2013, 08:22 AM
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Finding a Pension/B&B in walking distance to the main train station is a tough job. A small hotel that gets good reviews is Hotel Kipping www.hotel-kipping.de Probably your best option.

I personally like Pension am Zwinger www.pension-zwinger.de very much, friends of mine stayed there and loved it. In walking distance to train station Dresden-Mitte.

If it's in your budget, try this one: www.hotel-martha-dresden.de It's in the Dresden-Neustadt district, in walking distance to the other major train station (Dresden-Neustadt) where most trains Prague - Dresden - Berlin stop. And in walking distance to the old town, too.

Since the public transportation network is sufficient, I would not totally ignore the B&Bs (and maybe rental apartments) in the lovely 19th century residential areas. Keep in mind that May is peak travel season.

A local supermarket/grocery is "Konsum", some of their groceries run under the name "Frida". Here is a list:

http://www.kaufda.de/Filialen/Dresden/Konsum/v-r249

click on "Karte" to get a map.

Farmers markets:
30 April - 20 May is a big "spring market" with lots of local/regional farmers (and non-food selling folks) on the Altmarkt square in the old town.
Regular farmers markets are e.g.
- Lingnerallee (near Hygiene Museum and Grosser Garten) every Friday, very big market, very good and varied stuff
- Schillerplatz (next to Blue Wonder Bridge) on Tue, Thur 9-17 h, Sat 8-12 h; smaller, but very good

Each city district has its own farmers market, but they are not necessarily worth a longer trip by public transportation.

Pastries - I'd try them at bakeries. Wippler is excellent (Körnerplatz in Dresden-Loschwitz, also close to Pillnitz Palace and gardens).

For getting to the attractions in the National Park (Bastei e.g.) you take suburban railway S1 from one of the train stations in direction Bad Schandau/Schöna. In Pirna you can change to a bus to Bastei. Or get off in Kurort Rathen and hike up to Bastei.

Pravcicka Brana is a real hike from Hrensko. Uphill, a bit strenuous. The boat tour in the canyons are easily to reach from Hrensko, though - just a nice walk, flat. To get to Hrensko take the S1 train to Schöna, then ferry across the river to Hrensko.

Purchase a family day ticket for your excursions from a ticket machine or at the Deutsche Bahn counter. Fare depends on the number of zones/the exact destination.
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Old Jan 30th, 2013, 09:53 PM
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WOW! Ingo you are a tresure trove of information. Thanks a ton. Looks like we will keep Dresden for 4 days and do the city as well as some of the day trips.

Much appreciate your guidance and help.

For Pravcicka Brana since we are not into hiking please confirm my understanding - we need to take S1 to Schona and then take the ferry to Hrensko. Is this ferry the same as the boat tour in the canyons? Or do we need to take the boat tour in the canyons after reaching Hrensko by ferry? Also, where can I find the rate & timings for the boat tour in the canyons and also the ferry timings/fare?

Thanks once again and please suggest an itinerary bearing in mind that we will be with kids who are not into paintings and who enjoy picnic food like the stuff available at Munich Hauptbahnhof and Viktulienmarkt.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11
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Old Jan 31st, 2013, 12:13 AM
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Just bookmarking to read later tonight
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Old Jan 31st, 2013, 12:32 PM
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If you are not into hiking then forget about Pravcicka Brana. The (shortest) hike uphill is from Hrensko about 1:30 h, an elevation difference of about 1,000 ft/300 m. Stick to the canyons, better the lower canyon only, which is an easy, flat hike of about 30 minutes from Hrensko. You can do the boat trip in the canyon as a round trip, same route back. Please see my Hrensko page on Virtualtourist.com for details:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/634fb/
See the "Sports Tips" and "Things To Do" for info.

The ferry from the S1 train stop Schöna is just across the Elbe river to get to Hrensko. The canyons are in a side valley (Kamenice creek).

Suggest an itinerary? Sorry, but I do not know enough about your interests and how much time you'll have (arrival/departure).
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Old Feb 1st, 2013, 10:30 PM
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Thanks Ingo for the info. Our dates are not yet finalized but we are looking at May 2nd week or 3rd week for 4 days i.e. 5 nights in Dresden.

We have not been able to get any hotel within our price of Euro 80-100 for a family room. Would definitely like to see the main attractions. We are not into too much paintings etc. but would like to see the historic green vault and new vault and tour the semperopera and zwinger palace. Can you forward the link to these sites and on which days they are closed and tour timings etc. Please advise attractions I have missed.

Much appreciate your help.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11
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Old Feb 2nd, 2013, 02:37 AM
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I am not surprised you couldn't find a family room in that price range. May is absolutely peak season with many events and congresses. For example, 12-19 May is Dixieland Jazz Festival, the largest in Europe. www.dixieland.de And 11 May - 02 June is (classical) Music Festival www.musikfestspiele.com All these are wonderful events with partially free open-air concerts, but they draw lots of visitors.

Definitely look into apartments if you're a family with 2 kids. You can go to the official Dresden Tourism website and book online there: http://www.dresden.de/dtg/en/uebernachten.php

Choose "holiday flat" and enter your dates/number of persons/age of kids. A quick search came up with about 30 apartments. One that is close to the main railway station is "Ferienwohnung Göbel, Uhlandstrasse". If I am not totally wrong, Fodorite quokka stayed there once and was pleased. The area is not exactly exciting, but safe and in walking distance to the main railway station/city centre. Price is 284 Euro for 4 nights, breakfast not included.

Quite nice is also Apartment am Großen Garten. A bit farther from the main railway station, but close to bus stops and the S1 train station Dresden-Strehlen is in walking distance. Green, nice residential area.

Or try internet booking machines, like www.hrs.de - a quick search on the latter came up with the A&O Hotel - nothing exciting, but clean and standard comfort, close to the main railway station. And inexpensive.

If you're not into paintings then skip the Old Masters Gallery and the Albertinum museum. But definitely see the new (reopening 27 April) Mathematical-Physical Salon in the Zwinger, a stunning collection of historic scientific instruments/watches etc. For the Historic Green Vault book tickets in advance (timed), the other ticket for the New Green Vault includes the armoury collection and Turkish chamber in the Royal Palace and the tower as well - all of that is highly recommended. My suggestion is to split the visits so that you tour the Royal Palace with New Green Vault, tower, the armoury and Turkish chamber on one day and tour the Zwinger exterior (free) and the Mathematical Physical Salon plus the Historic Green Vault the other day. This way it should not be too much for the kids (and adults).

Please see www.skd.museum for the details and the online booking for the Historic Green Vault.

Another thing the kids might enjoy is the ride on a historic paddle steamer. Do a cruise from the old town upstream to Dresden-Blasewitz (not too long and not too expensive). If you have a bit more time, do the 90 minutes trip to Dresden-Pillnitz and see the Baroque palace and gardens there. You can go back by bus or tram to the city centre. But make sure you hop on a steamer, not on a big motor boat. You can buy the tickets either in advance in a booth at the riverfront or right on the steamer (but they might sell out on weekends).

Definitely see the Frauenkirche interior (free), but don't bother walking up to the dome's viewing platform - a rip-off. Make sure to go down to the underchurch, too (on the left inside). For Semper opera house tours go to their website www.semperoper.de and read the details. There are usually long lines, btw. It's of course much more rewarding to actually listen to a concert or see an opera, but if you're not into that you're better off with a tour.

There are several ice-cream parlours all over the old town. My favourite is the upscale (handmade) chocolate shop CAMONDAS, which has one shop at Neumarkt by the Frauenkirche, another one in the block where the Swissotel is at Schlossstraße. They have the best chocolate ice-cream ever, and just 1.50 or 2 Euro per portion. The kids will love it.

I can imagine the kids would love to see a real castle, no? In this case I'd replace the excursion to Bastei viewing point with a visit of the fortress Königstein, just a few miles away from Bastei. The views are similar. Take the S1 train to Königstein. From the market square (200 m away) red double-decker buses run up to the fortress. For information see www.festung-koenigstein.de (English available) and see the Virtualtourist.com website that I gave above.

There are dozens of other attractions in Dresden itself and in the area, but with only 4 days you can just cover the highlights, sorry. The kids would probably enjoy a visit of the Transportation museum, a steam train ride to Schloss Moritzburg or a tour of the Volkswagen car plant. The parents would probably like to do some wine tasting, see another castle or palace, maybe are interested in Germany's leading Military History museum or a Memorial site that commemorates the Nazis' and Communists' victims (Stasi prison, execution place).
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