SEANNATHAN

My wife and I are taking our second Honeymoon at the end of April (for 11 days; not including flight time). We will be flying into Prague, staying there a few days, traveling by train to Vienna, staying there a few days, and then traveling by train to Munich. During our first honeymoon, I made a point of stopping off at wonderful destinations in between train rides in route during our travel days (ex; stopping off in Salzburg on our way from Vienna to Lucerne, stopping off in Milan on our way from Lucerne to Venice, etc.). Does anyone have any good suggestions for us (between Prague and Vienna & between Vienna and Munich)??? I would truly appreciate any advise that you can give me (including suggestions related to any of the 3 cities we will be spending most of our time in). Thank you for your help. -Sean

Snowflake25

We took the bus from Prague to Cesky Krumlov. It is a Unesco World Heritage site and definitely worth the visit. We spent the day strolling the streets and visiting the castle and then the following morning took the shuttle to Linz. The drive to Linz took about 2 hours and was through beautiful countryside. You can catch the train to Vienna from there.

treplow

Snowflake's suggestion about Cesky Krumlov is very good. Additionally, you could take the train from Linz to Vienna via Melk, where you can visit the monastery. Check www.oebb.at.

treplow

One more thought: Between Salzburg and Munich, a stop in Prien woukd give you the opportunity to take a boat from Stock,(4km by bus or walk from the Prien RR station) to to visit King Ludwig's palace Herrenchiemsee on the island with the same namein the Chiemsee.. Starting in Salzburg, the 2 of you can travel on a single Bayernkarte/Bavarian ticket, for EUR28.Limitation: During the week the ticket is good only after 9AM, and only on local (Regio) trains. On weekends it is good after midnight Friday. But it is unlimited for the whole state of Bavaria, incl. Salzburg Austria.

joannyc

Go to Cesky Krumlov from Prague, then to Vienna. Take the train/boat trip from Vienna to Melk. Wonderful day... as long as you don't miss the boat!

SEANNATHAN

Thank you for the terrific suggestions. Is Cesky Krumlov worth the detour (rather than taking a direct train from Prague to Vienna (to spend more time in Vienna, ie; boat trip to Melk for a day)? Any other suggestions? I read that Lake Bled is wonderful, however I'm not sure if it might be too far out of the way for our journey. What are your thoughts? How many days should be devoted to Munich?

joannyc

Yes, I think Cesky Krumlov is definitely worth a detour for at least one night. I'm only sorry that I couldn't have spent more time there.

SEANNATHAN

Thank you Snowflake. Thank you Joann. Does anyone know if there are one-way Danube river cruises from Vienna to Melk. We could travel from Vienna to Melk by boat, get off and tour Melk, then take a train to Munich. Would this idea work?

molker

You can get a boat from Vienna to Krems and /or Dürnstein - then onward to melk. But i would not recommend it - Vienna - MKrems alone takes about 5 1/2 hours. A long and notvey scenic way enroute.

the firm DDSG does this

www.ddsg-blue-danube.at

If you wish to visit Melk
I would suggest the train from Vienna Westbahnhof to Melk.
The station in Melk has lockers to store luggage - do Melk Abbey tour and continue onward to your next stop
Train schedules can be found at www.oebb.at

Even better is to do Melk and a Danube cruise - Melk to Krems as a day trip from Vienna.
The above website has good offers for this day trip inclusive at one price combination ticket.
This offers a much nicer day at a leisurly pace unencumbered by luggage and a chance to see the most beautiful part of the Danube.

joannyc

Yes... Molker is correct, as always. When I suggested the train/boat, I meant to take the train to Melk and the boat back from Melk to Krems connecting to a train back to Vienna.

Going from Vienna to Melk via boat, you'll be going against the current so it would take much longer.

I checked train info from Melk to Munich based on tomorrow's date:
http://www.oebb.at/pv/en/Servicebox/...=19&image.y=28

SEANNATHAN

Thank you Molker. Thank you Joann. The only problem now is that I have too many ideas for our Second Honeymoon! I have 11 days (not including 2 days flight time). I purchased tickets to fly into Prague and fly back from Dublin. My wife has always wanted to visit Ireland. We were going to spend 2-3 days in Prague, take a train directly to Vienna, spend 2 days in Vienna, take a train directly to Munich, spend 1 day in Munich, fly to Dublin, spend 2 days in Dublin, spend 2 days touring the Ring of Kerry (and/or Dingle Peninsula), and then fly home. Sounds hectic. During our original Honeymoon, we flew into Vienna, spent 2 days in Vienna, took a train to Lucerne (Switzerland), spent 2 days in Lucerne, took a train to Venice, spent 3 days in Venice (including Florence daytrip), took a train to Paris, spent 3 days in Paris, and then flew home. It was our first trip to Europe and it really didn't feel too hectic to us at the time. Based on what you just heard, what would you suggest? This second Honeymoon is a surprise for my wife, and I really want to make it special. I would really appreciate any suggestions and/or guidance that you can offer. -Sean

joannyc

Ring of Kerry is about a 5-6 hour drive from Dublin. Then, you'll have to drive back to Dublin to fly home. How much is the penalty to change your return flight to Shannon?

I'd probably skip Munich and fly to Dublin from Vienna.

Prague - 3 nights
C. Krumlov - 1 night
Vienna - 3 nights
Dublin - 2 nights
Ring of Kerry - 2 nights

joannyc

Duh... sorry! Why not fly to Shannon from Vienna? Do the Ring of Kerry and then end up for 2 nights in Dublin. Fly home from Dublin.

SEANNATHAN

Great plan, Joann!!! The only glitch now is the flight to Shannon from Vienna. I checked the airfares (using Kayak), and it costs $1,735 per person on both 5/3, 5/4 & 5/5. I also checked flights from Vienna to Cork, however those flights cost $930 per person for the same dates. There is a cheap flight from Munich to Cork the morning of 5/4, however that would mean taking a train to Munich the night before (which ruins the flow of your travel plan concept). There is an evening flight from Budapest to Dublin on 5/4, however I'm not sure how much of a hassle it would be taking a train to Budapest to catch an 8:25pm flight to Dublin. Any suggestions? (Also, do you think that 2 nights in the Ring of Kerry and 2 nights in Dublin is sufficient enough time to enjoy these areas; given the 5 hour train ride between the 2 locations - we prefer train travel???) -Sean

SEANNATHAN

The way I see it, based on travel time in between destinations, I have one of four choices...

Choice A:
Prague - 3 Days
Cesky Krumlov - 1/2 Day
Vienna - 3 Days
Dublin - 1.5 Days
Ring of Kerry - 1.5 Days

Choice B:
Prague - 3 Days
Vienna - 2 Days
Munich - Evening only (Flight leaves to Cork next morning)
Ring of Kerry - 2.5 Days
Dublin - 1.5 Days

Choice C:
Prague - 3 Days
Vienna - 2.5 Days
Munich - 1/2 Day
Dublin - 1 Day
Ring of Kerry - 2.5 Days

Choice D:
Prague - 3 Days
Vienna - 2.5 Days
Budapest - 1/2 Day
Dublin - 1 Day
Ring of Kerry - 2.5 Days

What do you think? Any suggestions???

joannyc

Sorry... I didn't check flights before offering a suggestion.

How about a train from Vienna to Bratslavia (about 1 hour)then flying from Bratslavia to Dublin on RyanAir for Euro 34.99?

Check w/ your airline about changing your flight home from Dublin to Shannon... see if the penalty is worth it. It may be if it's only $100-$150 or so, instead of backtracking to Dublin.

joannyc

The airfare that I quoted above didn't include taxes and fees... total is Euro 65.72 based on a May 3 flight.

joannyc

You'll need a car to drive the Ring of Kerry unless you're planning to take a tour (I didn't check to see if there are any companies that just tour the Ring).

SEANNATHAN

Thank you so much for your help, Joann. I booked a flight to Cork. I think I have the trip itinerary pretty much figured out at this point. Thanks again.

joannyc

You're welcome. Have a great trip!