Some friends and I are thinking of going to Prague this Sept., and we wanted to build a 2 week trip around it. What cities would you suggest we visit that are easy to get to via train or car? I've been to Turkey, Italy and France a couple of times already, so would rather go somewhere new. How are Vienna, Munich, Budapest? Anywhere else in Eastern Europe?

Budapest and Vienna fit in well with Prague, and together with their respective countries would make a good use of two weeks -- taking some time outisde the main cities in each country. Munich would be a different experience and my view is that while the more time in a country the better, you could get a "feel" for each of the three in two weeks. Adding Germany would not allow for that.

There are several "threads" about itineraries covering these on the board.

When we visited Prague a few years ago, we teamed it up with visits to Budapest and Krakow. I found Krakow to be just beautiful! We traveled by train, too, and also stopped overnight in the Czech city of Olomouc... another place we enjoyed.

We visited Prague last year and included Krakow and Warsaw. We started in Warsaw and took the train to Krakow and the train to Prague. We flew out of Prague. This was a good combination and we loved the people in Poland. Budapest would work well with Prague also, but we had been there and were looking for new places to experience when we selected Krakow and Warsaw. You will love Prague!

Thanks to all of you who responded! I'm brand new in this forum and all the members seem so helpful and ready to share!

Seems like my idea of travelling fits yours. I love seeing new places and being able to spend time in fewer places than a whirlwind tour around the entire Europe . I'm very excited about Prague and all your other suggestions, so I really do hope my friends don't back out! Is a car trip to difficult? We'll be four, so it seems to be more economical and practical to get a car. So far it looks like Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw/Krakow, and of course Prague are in the running. Will try to pare it down more.

I would suggest taking out Warsaw and leaving in Krakow. I've been to Warsaw and there's not a whole lot to see. Everything has been rebuilt and the only nice part is the "old city" but that's been rebuilt too. I would personally concentrate in Budapest, Prague, and Krakow. And Vienna if it's convenient.

I agree with Marian5. Everyone raves about Krakow....beautiful and cheap. The same for Prague. Prague was one of my favorite cities. I loved the Czech Republic in general.

Vienna is certainly lovely, but it is expensive compared to the other two...so maybe you might want to do it first, otherwise there's a bit of sticker shock attached to it. I have not been to budapest, but met many who did Budapest AFTER Prague and were disappointed. Still it sounds like a great destination.

If you like the C.R., Cesky Krumlov really is a lovely little town. Olomouc has quite a different vibe to it: A university town, it seems hip, lived in, and less touristed than Cesky Krumlov.

There are direct trains from Prague to Olomouc. The trains to Cesky Krumlov change in Ceske Budejovice. The bus from Prague to C.K. is actually shorter, cheaper, and drops you off closer to the center of old town. If you plan to do a lot of train travel within the C.R., buy a karta zet (not sure on the spelling, but that's how it's pronounced). It's 200-250 crown (roughly 7-10 USD). It saves 40% on ticket prices I believe. Bring a passport photo if you would like to purchase one.

There's so much to see in the C.R! Kutna Hora, etc etc etc. You could easily fill up two weeks there. It's such a reasonably priced destination that it is really hard to leave. Don't forget to try the Budvar.

We were in Prague and the Czech Republic last year and found the small towns in the countryside every bit as interesting and charming as Prague itself, only different, of course. We spent 4 days in Cesky Krumlov and 2 or 3 in Karlovy Vary and made day trips out of each of those bases to other small towns. Do a search using my screen name to find my trip report for more detail. We loved Prague. Vienna and Budapest would also be nice to visit in conjunction with Prague but for sure save some time to explore the Czech countryside. It will reward you handsomely.