Transport from Nuremberg to Prague
 

We are a two couples taking a Viking River cruise. After the cruise we are going to Prague. Other than using Viking, we are trying to determine other ways to travel between the two cities.

1. How difficult is driving a car in the Czech Republic?

2. Opinions on train travel vs. bus travel from Nuremberg to Prague ? Ease of travel, comfort, cost?


Luggage handling on each one? I tend to bring too much luggage. I really want to make it easy on my husband so are there luggage restrictions/suggestions for train and bus travel. We'll be gone for 3 and 1/2 weeks.

3. Best and most reputable website to book train and/ or bus tickets from Nuremberg to Prague?

Thank you for your help.

We hired a Prague based driver ( found in Rick Steves guide book, don't have his name anymore)to take us between the two cities. Why so much luggage? I always take my 21" wheeled bag and carry it on whether for one week or six weeks,traveling in Europe, Asia, S.America.. There are always laundries available. A lot of luggage will hamper you from moving around easily and if you do use trains, it will be a huge disadvantage, actually more like a nightmare.

2. Opinions on train travel vs. bus travel from Nuremberg to Prague ? Ease of travel, comfort, cost?>

buses are quicker than the train on this route - reports are they are comfortable - if just going to Prague take the bus or train - cars in Prague can be a liability - theft from parked cars at times a problem - check out www.seat61.com for more info on the buses - get fares and booking at www.bahn.de/en - the German Railways official site - I believe the German Railways runs the buses. Plenty of room for luggage on buses - put bags underneath in luggage area.

Buses make more sense than trains on this route.

a friend of mine regularly uses the the railway operated bus from Nuremberg(mentioned by PalenQ) to Prague and back, cheap ,efficient and comfortable.
I think Student Agency buses also run on this route,i have used this company within the Czech republic and found them to be a great company to deal with and their buses and service on them to be very good.

a car could be nice if you wanted to stop by say Marienbad, one of Europe's primo spas in the late 1800s or Pilsen for beer tours but if just going to Prague a car is not a great idea because once there you have to pay to have it parked, at least safely.

<< 1. How difficult is driving a car in the Czech Republic? >>

Less difficult than driving at home. Other than traffic in cities (same as at home) the roads are fairly empty. You need to obey speed limits in small towns and there may be police spot checks along some roads but these are no problem and you should be on your way in a few minutes. Drivers are courteous (unlike at home).

You need an International Driving Permit and make sure that the rental car has the required paraphernalia such as reflective vests, vignette, etc.

<< 2. Opinions on train travel vs. bus travel from Nuremberg to Prague ? Ease of travel, comfort, cost? >>

I don't think there is a train from Nuremberg to Prague or if there is you'd have to take a circuitous route. I took the bus which starts from just outside the Nuremberg Hbf. It's a smooth ride as you're on highways between the cities. No traffic until you get to Prague.

Pack a lunch as there is no food offered on the bus but you can get small snacks and beverages. You can buy nice sandwiches, desserts, beverages inside the train station - there are kiosks on the main concourse. The seats in front of you will have drop down "tables" just like on airplanes.

For two couples I would hire a car service. I've used Mike's Chauffeur Service within Prague. He'll pick you up at the cruise port and whisk you away to Prague. Mike was my driver but he does have a staff. He is very professional and speaks English. Others who post on this board have also used Mike and I've not read anything less than positive about him.

If you do decide on a car service please mention the amount of luggage you're trailing such as 4 steamer trunks, etc. so an appropriate vehicle can be sent for you.

http://mike-chauffeur.cz/

We traveled by rented car from Nuremberg to Prague and back. Roads were good and quite free of traffic. Traffic in Prague was city traffic, no worse than any other city. We parked in a protected space at our hotel and got around Prague mostly on foot, as it is a compactly built city. We got pretty lost trying to get out of Prague, but that was due to my son's aversion to using GPS.

You can book a train from Nuremburg to Prague for €19 (about 500 Czech koruna) at www.cd.cz/eshop

There are several good daily services with one easy change at Schwandorf. Better than enduring a bus!

We took the bus and is was good - v omfortable and convenient.

HI
We are doing the reverse itinerary and going from Prague to pick up the Viking boat in Nuremburg..It is a 4 hr bus ride and our agent recommended that we use Viking transportation since it is do hard to do....

also we are supposed to be staying at the Prague Hilton according to our agent.

We are looking for some great restaurants in Prague since we will be there for 4 days...any suggestions..

BTW, Nuremburg is a gorgeous city...

I don't know about VIKING transportation for Prague to the cruise dock, but it's incredibly easy as well as comfortable and inexpensive to travel between Prague and Nuremberg by DB bus - it's a direct trip to the Nuremberg train station.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/pr...e/ic-bus.shtml

From there you could take a taxi for the 14-mi. trip. Without a taxi, the trip involves a train to Erlangen, a bus to a stop near the dock, and then a 10-minute walk to the dock, which indeed is a bit of trouble.

Based on this chart you can expect a taxi ride to the dock to cost about €35:

http://www.numbeo.com/taxi-fare/coun...ountry=Germany

The DB bus is very nice and it's about 3 hours from Prague to Nuernberg.

I think a lot of these details are not important, like comfort. Seats are seats, its not that far, it doesn't matter that much. IN general, train seats have a little more leg room than bus seats anywhere, but there are some deluxe bus services with lots of leg room in some countries.

As for luggage, usually bus is easier as they stow it underneath and you don't have to be taking it up stairs and onto the car yourself like on a train.