lissa

Hello all ~ I am looking for advice regarding the best way to get train tickets for my trip from Prague to Vienna &amp; Budapest. I looked at the Eurail website, which has an Eastern Europe pass for $225/1st class and $158/2nd class. Is this a good deal? Is booking on-line the best way to go? Can anyone tell me if there is a significant difference between 1st and 2nd class? AND... I hate to be so American, but how can I be sure my seats will be in a nonsmoking car? Is there anything I should know about the train stations in each of these cities (safety, confusing layout, etc.)? THANKS to all for any advice you can offer!!! <BR>~ Melissa

Bootman4U

I usually use rail passes for convenience nonetheless but for this itinerary I think you definitely need to check out point to point tickets. The EuropeEast rail pass does NOT cover the Czeh republic I don't think. In terms of the train stations in Prague..you'll probably arrive/depart from either Hlavni Nadrazi (the word Hlavni means &quot;main&quot; and the word Nadrazi means station) or Holesovice (Wholee-so--visha) so make sure you know which ones you're going to/leaving from. You can get cabs from either (make sure you ask in advance how much the cab is likely to cost as cabs in Prague can be ridiculously fraudulent...some hotels will pick you up/drop you off for a fee..you can e-mail them in advance) Budapest has three stations Keleti and deli and Nyugati..again make sure you know which one(s) the train leaves from/gets to. Again cabs available but the Budapestcab meters can be unusually unreliable. Vienna has three stations..North West and South.<BR>Check out the timetables on the GermanRail website...easy to use I'll send you the URL in a subsequent message...the timetables tell you which stations the trains go to and leave from.<BR>1st vs. 2nd...more room in the compartments in 1st..some don't feel the difference is worth it..majority of folks travel in 2nd so 1st is often less crowded and in some coaches the windows open in 2nd but not in 1st. And that old saw about &quot;meeting the locals&quot; in 2nd class...well the &quot;locals&quot; travel in first, too...they just are willing to spend more money and i find them equally &quot;interesting.&quot;<BR>You can usually arrange to get a seat in a non-smoking car if you reserve in advance. What you'll never get is a car free of cell phone conversations..everyone in Europe seems to have one, all ages..the only passengers that don;t seem to be using them on some days are the occasional pets that travel.<BR>Don't be daunted by any of this..your tickets will usually say which stations are involved. Enjoy!

Bootman4U

Check this out:<BR>http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en<BR>that should take you to the English language page..if not click on the English tab, enter your arrival and departure cities..sometimes you'll get a drop down with all the stations in a city listed as well but the one that appears initially in the box is the one to choose first. Enter the dates of travel..they'll have the current date(over THERE) already entered..change it as necessary..day first, then month, then year Drop to the bottom and click on 'search connections&quot;...let me know if you have trouble..you won't!!!!!

Felissa

Hi Lissa, I was looking at your trip and it is something close to what I am doing. Then I saw your name and tripped out because my family calls me Lissa, so I thought for a second you might be my sister asking for advice for me. I guess people with similar names have similar interests. Felissa

coco

Hi lissa,<BR> If those are your only 3 trains it will be cheaper to buy point-to-point whether 1st or 2nd class. The passes are not good for travel in the Magyar Republic anyway. You can check the exact schedules at the following link:<BR><BR>http://mercurio.iet.unipi.it/misc/timetabl.html<BR><BR>The day train from Budapest to Prague (and/or reverse trip) runs between Nyuga Pu in Budapest (not to be missed--like something out of the movies circa 1940. There were actually old engines with steam[?] puffing out from under the wheels!) and Praha Holesovice. There is a modern fast subway that takes you right into the heart of Prague.<BR><BR>I don't think you can actually purchase these tickets on line from the links above. They can be purchased from Eurail but their prices include a mark-up. I think you'd be safe enough buying them all in your first city from any travel agent. They do not mark up the price. You can almost always find a Carson Wagonlit/Local partner, certainly in Vienna and Budapest.<BR><BR>You will need a reservation in addition to a ticket (nominal extra cost) and just request non-smoking. Happy travels!

coco

Sorry, I meant to say the passes are not good for travel in the Czech Republic.

coco

Me again!<BR><BR>Just thought I should also mention that when I was in Budapest, numerous people told me I would need a visa to go to Prague, enough so that I contacted the consulate! Americans do not need a visa...However, while in Prague I discovered that Canadians DO need a visa to visit the Czech Republic (some diplomatic brouhaha). I think they must be gotten BEFORE you go. This is all just FYI, and Just In Case!

Bootman4U

Don't COUNT on using the entire or even some parts of the Prague subway..last August it flooded..when i was in Prague this past November parts of it were STILL flooded and the estimated down time was in months..do not know if the parts that connect Hlavni were flooded or not...you could take trams but for a first-timer I don't recommend it and in Prague you have to pay an additional fare for luggage on the trams.

coco

Bootman is correct that you might want to check status of the metro. In January both the A and C lines had resumed their entire lines and the B was running but closed in the city center for maybe 6-7 stations. That was expected to resume full service &quot;soon.&quot; Still fairly easy to get just about anywhere--that's a wonderful system!