my wife and i are planning a trip from prague to budapest in summer 2010. we are wringing our hands over the advantages and disadvantages of a river cruise vs. using the train. we’re in our early 60s and very active. we both love walking and can easily spend all day walking. preliminary research shows that it can be considerably cheaper to buy a eurailpass and then book hotels through hotels.com. but this may be an apples and oranges situation. the river cruise is all-inclusive. there are few additional expenses. but, it seems that we could save up to $ 5,000 by going independent. that would buy a lot of meals, tours and transfers. both have their advantages. but, for the moment, does anyone have an opinion on the relative cost of rail vs. cruise?

alternatively, is there such a thing as a completely independent river cruise anywhere in europe or anywhere else in the world?

My mother in law just completed a 15 day river cruise, Budapest to Amsterdam. She enjoyed it, and I should also advise that she is aged 82. Cruises, whether ocean or river, do suit an older demographic.

The thing to note is that the cruise is an end in itself, a slow moving bus down the river, stopping for shore excursions. It does mean that one is somewhat regimented, fine for her, but maybe frustrating for early 60's people.

I'm the same age as you, and I'd do trains and hotels. Consider this.
You arrive somwhere by train.
Plan to stay a night.
Love the place, and you stay three nights.
You can't do that on a cruise or tour.

I have not been to either city, but have traveled a lot in Europe, usually by train. Are there lots of places in between Prague and Budapest that you really want to see, that would make the river cruise more efficient for you? If not, and your main goal is to visit Prague and Budapest, and you want plenty of time to explore, then taking the train would be best. If you are only going to Prague and Budapest, do you even need a rail pass? It might be cheaper to just do a point to point train ticket. From each city, I believe day excursions would prove to be cheaper than using a rail pass. It has always worked out that way for me.

If your savings really is $5,000, that is enough money for a second great trip someplace. That would easily buy my DH & me ten days in Italy or Spain, so, without hesitation, I would opt for going independent with the firm plan of using all the money I saved for another trip.

Well the advantages of a river cruise are no packing and unpacking, all inclusive price, the ability to watch the scenery go by at a slow pace.

However, no chance to search out or find by serendipity little local restaurants, short stops in many places so not much chance to explore on your own, and more cost.

If you have done the research and found the substantial savings of $5000 for a do-it-yourself, there is no question in my mind that I would chhose to go DIY. (Most of my trips have been DIY so I tend to that option myself.)

Last fall my sister, niece and I arrived at the airport in Prague where we had made arrangements to be met by a car service and taken to our b&b. We also had car service to go to the train station to go on to Vienna. We stayed in Vienna for a few days and then took the train to Budapest.

It is easy. We have always taken the metros to our b&b or hotel but with 3 people it is much easier just to go by taxi or car service.

If you want to get around by yourself and stay where you want and eat where you want, then travel independently. If you want everything done for you, then take the river cruise. I would think the train would be more fun now and in a few years take the river cruise.

Grand Circle Tours has very good river cruises. My cousin has been on 3 of their tours and thought each one was great.

If you do go by train rather than by cruise, do check the price of simply buying a train ticket - as Sassafrass noted, a pass would not necessarily serve you well.

Both Prague and Budapest are lovely, and seeing them from the river is very pleasant. You don't need to take a cruise to do that - you can take short boat rides through each city.

Enjoy!

My husband and I are 60 and just returned from a 3 week driving trip of Germany and Austria.

The one thing I really dislike about traveling is the packing and unpacking at each stop, whether it's for one night or 3 nights. It seems that no matter what I need, it is always in the suitcase and I have to dig around to find it. Plus there is the hauling in and out of the car, maybe up stairs, etc.

River cruises eliminate the need for packing and unpacking. It also gives you a different perspective of the area because you are traveling on the river and not on a highway or train track.

I think much depends on whether you really like the idea of cruising in and of itself. If it is just a means to get from point A to point B, then save money and go by train.

River cruises don't give you much time at each stop--some stops are laughably short. You have to eat what the boat provides (not that it's necessarily poorly prepared food, but you don't get as many opportunities to try the locally prepared foods--unless you want to skip the boat meals you've already paid for). Cruises are expensive and easy. If you don't care about either how much time you have at the stops or the meal issue, then they are fine.

I just finished a trip wherein I drove from Berlin to Vienna. I stayed two nights at Dürnstein, where cruise ships deposited a large group of people each day. The idea of being one of that group deposited en masse at a different destination each day or so does not appeal to me.

Among the enjoyable moments for me are the times in the morning an evening when I have the town almost to myself.

I too enjoy doing a lot of walking. The time may come (sooner than I want it to), when I have to give up walking so much, but so far-so good. I agree with those who suggest getting point-to-point train tickets. They may be less expensive than a railpass.

As to the packing, I've become fairly good at packing efficiently so that I don't have to paw through my suitcase trying to find whatever. I do put things like underwear, etc., in little bags so they're easy to find.

I also like to stay two or three days at a given destination and then take day trips. That minimizes time wasted packing and unpacking, checking in and checking out, etc.

Train or flight (there are inexpensive airlines in C. Europe that may have good fares -- not like when we went in '03 and Malev wanted to charge $440pp one way).

If you take a cruise, won't you have to change over at some point and go overland or does the Vltava flow to the ___ which flows to the Danube? You do know that Prague and Budapest aren't on the same river, right?