Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Budapest
 

Re-crafting August trip. Mother/adult son traveling one week before flying home via Paris to US. We have never been to Eastern Europe but have travelled a bit in Italy and France. We were thinking 3 nights in Prague, 1 night in Cesky Krumlov and 2 nights in Budapest before flying to Paris. Is this a realistic itinerary?

One more question, your opinion as to order- Prague, CK, Bud to Paris or Bud, CK, Prague to Paris?

If have three nights in Prague and only two in Budapest, I'd probably want to start in Prague (assuming you are jetlagged) - that gives you an extra day to get over it. But it also depends on the flights you can get in either scenario.

Are you flying US -> Prague-or-Budapest and then Paris -> US open jaw? Or are you starting out somewhere else before Prague-or-Budapest? What are your one-way flight options for Prague to Paris vs. Budapest to Paris?

Personally, I see no real distinction anymore between traveling in Italy and France vs. traveling in Hungary and Czech Republic, other than maybe a few more language barrier issues, which don't really bother me anymore, anyway. It's easy to get around in Czech Republic and Hungary, and people in the tourist business in both countries are very likely to speak some English.

IMO, that would be an extremely rushed trip. I tend to think that Prague and Budpest each easily merit 4 or 5 nights for a first visit, but of course it depends on what YOU want to see and experience….

For the order, I’d see which transportation options match your needs best.

The other question is: how do you plan to get between Budapest and Cesky Krumlov? Renting a car in Czech Republic and returning in Budapest (or vice-versa) is likely to be expensive.

You could take a train from Budapest and say Brno, Czech Republic, rent a car there, stop in Cesky Krumlov, and return the car in Prague (or reverse order).

Or maybe train from Budapest to Vienna, then a shuttle from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov.

Easy to get between Prague and Cesky Krumlov by bus or train.

Just breaking it into its parts, assuming you're connecting through Paris from the U.S.:

Night 1. Arrival into Prague, likely midday or later. This leaves less than a half-day for sightseeing.

Night 2 and Night 3. Prague.

Day/Night 4. With an early bus/train you'll have a half-day of sightseeing in CK.

Day/Night 5. Transportation to Budapest will take the better part of the day, whether it's via a bus or driver, leaving you will little more than one day in Budapest.

Day/Night 6. Budapest.

For me, your itinerary has too much moving around, but it does depend on what you want to see and do. I would also be tempted to skip CK and go directly to Budapest; if this is your itinerary, ~2 days are given up to travel and logistics, almost a third of your time in Europe.

I hope this is helpful.

Your itinerary is a very good way to go to numerous places and see almost nothing. Fourfortravel's comment sums it up - you have two days in Prague and one in Budapest and three days traveling in a total of six days.

Rethink.

I am travelling US to either Prague or Budapest. I have not booked the flight yet as trying to firm up plans. Flying home, I have flight from Paris to US. I can not extend the duration of the trip.

I was planning on arriving noon in Prague as you guessed and realize the first day will be catching up from jet lag and moving slower.

Spend the next two and 1/2 days in Prague before catching the noon student agency bus to Cesky Krumlov arriving around 2 (as I heard that was better time when day trippers had departed). Spend the night in CK and head to Budapest the next day arriving late. I misspoke above as it would be 3 nights in Budapest. I have not figured out the transportation from CK to Budapest.

I already have cut out Halstatt for the reasons stated above...too much travel. Looking at the travel times, pricing etc. it seems the same whether we start in Bud or Prague. Unfortunately, two of the days would be Sunday and Monday in Budapest (assuming that is the end of the trip).

Still too much?

Too much? Depends who you ask. Not too much for me. We all have different travel styles. Don't let anyone dictate to you what your travel style should be. If you've been to Italy and France, you should have an idea of you travel style - whether you prefer to slow it down or move faster and see more.

It is still a pretty quick trip, but it's very doable, given that I have basically done it. My first trip to the area, I did four nights in Prague, two in Vienna, and three in Budapest. I didn't need four nights in Prague - I had a flexible schedule but stayed an extra day because I loved Prague. Three nights in Budapest - which was very interesting but not a place I fell in love with - was enough for me. I visited Cesky Krumlov on another trip.

You might consider doing Cesky Krumlov as a day trip from Prague instead of as a night stopover between Prague and Budapest - and add the night elsewhere. That means you will find more tourists in Cesky Krumlov for sure, and you won't have a night there, but it would greatly simplify the travel connections. The train between Prague and Budapest is a long ride but easy, and there are a good number of trains.

See how you can work out the connection between Cesky Krumlov and Budapest. If you can make that work, then do the night there.

One reason to arrive a little earlier than you had planned in Cesky Krumlov, though, is to get a tour of the castle and maybe the theater - there are only certain tours per day at set times. Arrive too late and you may not get a tour that you want. Check out the tour times if that interests you so you don't miss out. Other than the castle, what else had you planned there? It's a charming little town but doesn't take much time to see. Besides the castle, some go whitewater rafting in the summer - not something I did.

Thank you Andrew for your response! "Travel style" hits the nail on the head. We are in the "move faster and see more" camp on this particular trip. However, we also don't want to spend the entire time on a bus/train so we are trying to find a balance. Since, unfortunately, our travel time is always limited, we try and make the most of it!

CK sounds like it offers another unique experience outside big cities which is what made it sound so appealing. In our past travels, we have had some of most memorable experiences in smaller villages/towns, etc. We are able to get to CK a bit earlier and will take your suggestion regarding the castle/theater tours.

Is there another smaller town that makes sense to add which is convenient?

I like the Prague to Cesky to Budapest better than the reverse but departure flight times back to Paris might dictate doing it the other way around. I have not heard that it matters which order beyond that.

I found Budapest more challenging to navigate as a tourist than Prague, just because it is so much bigger and more spread out than Prague. I think Prague is a better place to start when you are jet-lagged than Budapest, for whatever that's worth.

There are some nice small towns in Southern Bohemia (including Cesky Krumlov). The problem is, they are even harder to reach without a car than Cesky Krumlov is, generally. If you had more time, you could spend a few days between Cesky Krumlov and say Brno and see other little towns like Jindrichuv Hradec. With three more days, you could rent a car in Prague and drive through southern Bohemia and Moravia to Brno, then train to Budapest from there.

Kutna Hora is an easy day trip from Prague by train. I didn't think the town itself was all that amazing; the big attraction there is the bone church in nearby Sedlec. Personally, I would spend the time you have in Prague and Budapest and not visit anything else besides Cesky Krumlov - unless you <i>really</i> want a whirlwind trip, just a few nights each in Prague and Budapest with a few days by car say in Southern Bohemia. That might be too fast even for me, but it could be done if you hope to see absolutely as much as possible in the time that you have.

On the other hand, have you considered not going to Budapest at all? You could do just Czech Republic: Prague and some small towns. Rent a car for a few days as I described above. Prague is great, but it's mobbed with tourists. Haven't been to Budapest since 2005 - imagine it is more touristy now but can't be as bad as Prague. I imagine the small towns in August will have their share of tourists too, especially Cesky Krumlov.

I think your plan is doable. Sure, we all want more time but need to work within our individual confines. I spent 5 nights in Prague, 1 in CK, 4 in Vienna, and 4 in Budapest and it wasn't long enough for me.

I loved CK! Make sure to order tickets for the baroque theater tour at the castle... they only let a small group in on a very few tours per day. It is one of the few baroque theaters left in the world.

From CK, you could take the Lobo Shuttle to Vienna and then a train to Budapest. Other shuttles are available also, I believe, but I took Lobo.

For the time you have, you might conier dropping Budapest entirely. If you are certain that you are giving Prague all the time you willing to give it on this trip, consider going to Dresden rather than Budapest. Just an idea…

For trains inside the Czech Republic check on very cheap day travel cards for local trains. Book your longer international train rides at the official sites for the countries involved well ahead of time to snag discounted tickets - you can always buy fully flexible tickets once there but at a premium - for lots on trains Czech: www.seat61.com - super great info on discounted tickets in all countries; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - their online European & Planning Guide gives rail itineraries and a wealth of info.

Prague, cesky krumlov and Budapest are wonderful destinations, although you will be very rushed with just one week. Cesky krumlov was one of the most charming towns that we visited. Be sure though that the castle will be open on the day you plan your trip. We missed out on seeing the interior as it was closed (poor planning on our part). Also, the trains leaving from cesky krumlov were limited when we were there. Pre-plan your transportation carefully. You may be able to hire a private driver, but I believe it is a 5 hr ride to Budapest. An alternative would be Salzburg which I have not been to, regrettably, but I hear it is lovely. The drive to Salzburg is only about 3 hrs. This would save you travel time both to Salzburg and then on to Paris. Just an idea.