Our Danube River cruise ends in Regensburg Germany on Sat. Oct. 20th. I need a train from Regensburg to Prague. I am not sure just what web sites I should check. I have taken trains in Europe before but always within one country. I thought I would wait and just buy the tickets in Germany but I really wanted to check the schedules. The cruise line offers add-on tours to Prague by bus but you need to buy the whole package and I only need the transfers. Thanks for any help.

No probelem at all..use this site

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

input your destination as Praha

German Rail has a special fare of €39 pP one way from Regansburg to Prague. It is for one of two dirct trains from Regansburg to Prague or on a connection requiring a change at Schwandorf. The Praq Spezial fare is described at http://www.bahn.de/regional/view/bay..._spezial.shtml (in German, of course). If you click on the pdf icon at the bottom of the page, you can download a brochure (also in German) that shows the schedule for the applicable trains.

Alternatively, since you are traveling on a Saturday, you can use the €33 Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket. That ticket is valid for unlimited travel for a day for up to five people on regional trains throughout German as well as in the Czech Republic as far as Pilsen. From there you can buy a Czech Rail ticket to Prague for 140 Kc (about €5) per person.

The question is, Larry, if you use the second ticket described, that means they have to leave the train in Pilsen, buy the additional ticket, and catch the next train to Prague, correct?

You might have to buy the ticket off the train in Pilsen, but I have heard that Czech conductors can sell you the ticket on board - probably at a "board" price a little higher.

For two people, the Praq Spezial would cost €78. Using the S-W-Ticket would be only €43. You could also use a Bayern-Ticket to the border. Just purchase an "Anschluß" ticket from DB before you leave Regansburg. I believe they cost about €20 pP. So that way would be 2 x €20 plus €27 for the Bayern-Ticket, €67, more than with the S-W-Ticket, but less than the Praq Spezial.

Thank you everyone for your help. I will print out the information and I will check out the web site. I am traveling with a friend so I only have to pay for my ticket so we might just pay the higher price and see if the non-stop will work in our schedule. Our ship will be docked in Regensberg for two days, so I might even try to purchase the ticket at a local travel agent the day before. Do you think that is a good idea? In Italy I purchased a rail ticket at a travel agency at the same price as it would have been at the station. Thanks again.

The Bahn website says that the tickets are available at DB sales places and from regional (Nahverkehr) automats in stations along the route. It doesn't say anything about them being available from private agencies.

If you are near a travel agency, you might as well ask, but I wouldn't go very far looking for one. Just buy the ticket at the station.

if you're traveling on a czech train try and go first class - those old trains aren't ICE trains, lol. It makes a big difference. (Even then, it ain't that swanky)