Lucille

Planning to travel from Trieste to Lago di Como for a short visit in middle of May 2002 by train. Are there directo connections? How long is the train trip? Then planning to go by train to Prague. Would we have to go back through Trieste and maybe Vienna or are there more direct connections to Prague? Any help appreciated.

Rex

Lucille, you need a Thomas Cook's European (Rail) Timetable, or some other similar reference which will give you acccess to a good Europe rail map.<BR><BR>Trieste to Como is more of a train journey than I would personally like to take. It will take you almost seven hours, and require two changes - - Mestre (Venice) and Milan - - unless you rent a car for your exploring around Lake Como.<BR><BR>And taking a train from Como back to Prague - - well, quite honestly I can't even imagine it. The route will not go back through Trieste for sure. Mestre again, yes - - that's if you insist on going via Vienna that's almost 11 hours (just to get from Milan to Vienna), and then another 5 and 1/2 hrs to cover the 254 miles to Prague.<BR><BR>The route via Munich *LOOKS* a bit shorter (7 and 1/2 hrs from Milan to Munich), but the problem is that it takes NINE hours (less than 40 miles per hour) to travel the 326 miles from Munich to Prague.<BR><BR>There really are no other approaches to Prague by train. What is the full context of your entire trip? Maybe there are some other possibilities that will come to mind - - perhaps involving low-cost intra-Europe air travel.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Rex

I got distracted, and failed to include the following before I hit "post my reply".<BR><BR>The times and distances quoted above are from www.raileurope.com - - and there is a map (of somewhat limited usefulness) at http://www.raileurope.com/us/common/rail_map/index.htm - - at least it shows all the main trunk lines.<BR><BR>I do NOT recommend buying rail tickets from www.raileurope.com - - they will cost you 20-50% more than they cost IN Europe - - nevertheless, for a Eurailpass (which is a good deal for a SMALL number of people), they are the main game in town. Yes, I realize that they can be bought from a few other sources - - just not once you get TO Europe.<BR><BR>And for those who are sure they want to buy a Eurail (or other similar) pass in 2002 - - just a reminder, there is a price increase scheduled for Jan 1, 2002 - - and as long as you plan to initiate travel BEFORE Jun 30, 2002, you can beat the price increase by buying in the next 3 days.<BR>

Rex

Topping - -in case Lucille is a newcomer and comes back here and has difficulty finding her posting.<BR>

Lucille

Rex.<BR><BR>Thanks for your reply. I actually do not need to go through Vienna, would prefer the most direct connection between Lago di Como to Prague. Either train or if that is not possible, plane. Can you give me more advice?

Ingo

I checked several connections from Como to Prague. I recommend one of those: <BR><BR> Arr. Dep. Train<BR> Como S. Giovanni 15:07 IC 382 <BR> Z&uuml;rich HB 18:53 19:10 ICE 180 <BR> Stuttgart Hbf 21:55 23:08 D 1953 <BR> Praha hl. n. 8:09 <BR><BR>or take this, the CNL is a comfortable Night Train:<BR> Arr. Dep.<BR> Como S. Giovanni 16:07 IC 343<BR> Basel SBB 20:49 21:02 CNL50478<BR> Leipzig Hbf 6:14 6:38 ICE 1551<BR> Dresden Hbf 7:47 8:00 IC 169 <BR> Praha-Holesovice 10:48 <BR><BR>I thought the CNL would go from Zurich to Dresden, but the official Swiss Federal Railway website offered this schedule!<BR><BR>Bye Ingo

Rex

I'll reiterate my question: &lt;&lt;What is the full context of your entire trip?&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Are these the only (three?) destinations of your trip? How does Trieste figure into the picture? Are you already IN Europe? (seems unlikely with your Utah-based e-mail address).<BR><BR>How are you getting TO Europe? and from where leaving to come back home? Your trans-atlantic carrier might offer a relevant fare for one or more INTRA-Europe segments, or better still, on one of its partners. CSA flies the route Milan (MXP) non-stop to Prague.<BR>

Rex

Lucille,<BR><BR>I'm putting your reply here - - better to extend this thread than to start a new one.<BR><BR>====================================== <BR><BR>Lago di Como<BR> <BR>Author: lucille ([email protected])<BR>Date: 01/04/2002, 04:16 am<BR><BR>Message: Rex, thanks for your help. I will be going Las Vegas/London/Ljubljana. Then train to Trieste and Lago di Como. Then either train or fly (somehow) to Prague. Fly to Paris then Las Vegas. <BR><BR>======================================<BR> <BR>And I'm going to need to devote some time to thinking about how you might best accomplish this. It sounds like you have certain carriers already in mind, perhaps even specific flights. If you haven't already purchased, I suspect that you can get the best (lowest) OVERALL price for ALL transportation by thinking of the TOTAL amount of air travel you want to do.<BR><BR>Any specific reason you mention London? Is this a stopover? Or just a connection? Otherwise, this is five segments, as I see it:<BR><BR>Las Vegas-Ljubljana<BR>Trieste-Milan (or maybe Lugano)<BR>Milan-Prague<BR>Prague-Paris<BR>Paris-Las Vegas<BR><BR>Might be tomorrow before I respond further.<BR><BR>

top

topping, for Lucille<BR>

Rex

I've tried thinking this through a little bit more, and I simply need more information from you, Lucille. Such as:<BR><BR>1. Are you referring to Trieste and Ljubljana as essentially interchangeable? Both are very small airports, but you can get from London (Stansted) to Trieste (Ronchi dei Legionari) VERY, very cheaply on www.ryanair.com - - a lot less than you will pay, on www.adria.si (Adria Airways, the Slovenian national carrier) to fly into Ljubljana. Ronchi dei Legionari is actually 35 km west of Trieste, and thus, about 100 km from Ljubljana.<BR><BR>2. Are you visiting family in some or all of these places? - - that is, will you have a local "network" to help you get around. This is relevant if it means that having a car saves you little no convenience factor, time or money.<BR><BR>3. Is Paris merely a connection, or an actual stay? (same question earlier for London).<BR>

Lucille

Rex, You have done so much research already that I am feeling guilty. I have now decided to go from Las Vegas to Frankfurt and fly from there to Ljubljana. I have now bought this ticket. Could not get from London to Ljubljana in time frame needed. Yes, I am visiting family there. Plan to spend one or two days in Trieste. Then to Lago di Como. Prague is a planned two or thre day stay and Paris four or five days. Then back to Las Vegas. I have plane tickets to Ljubljana and from Paris to Las Vegas, but the rest of the trips is still up in the air. I don't mind taking long train rides as I like looking at the countryside. However I do have to impose on anyone, so please do not feel obligated to do any more work on my trip. Thanks, Lucille

Rex

There is no need for you to feel guilty, Lucille. You didn't impose on me, nor put a gun to my head to help you.<BR><BR>I view this forum like a big blackboard in the "math help room" at my kids' high school. Anybody who wants to, can come write a question on the board, with or without explaining how much math he/she understands. And there is no obligation to explain why the help is wanted or needed.<BR><BR>Some of "us" (regulars) just "hang around", because we love "the math". It gives us a chance to keep our skills (in travel problem-solving) sharp, and admire others with similar skills and knowledge.<BR><BR>It sounds like you have an appropriate handle on both trans-atlantic segments (or can't undo what's done, even if there was a better deal). My own investigating came up with the Frankfurt connection too; given that you should not need a car in Slovenia, with family there, this sounds better than (what would have been) my next best suggestion to you (fly into Trieste, rent car, and keep it to get to Como).<BR><BR>So now, there is a lot more information, and the issue is the TWO connections you want to make: Como to Prague, and then Prague to Paris.<BR><BR>Maybe that's a simple open jaw: $585.30 on CSA, both legs non-stop, using dates like May 18/20, just to give you an arbitrary example.<BR><BR>You might get it a little cheaper than that by flying via London (both directions). Others will undoubtedly sing the praises of taking the train for one or both segments (but not me). Fares quoted on RailEurope (which are always over-priced from the true cost of tickets purchased IN europe) are $138/203 (2nd/1st), plus couchette, if desired for MIL-PRG, and $164/236, plus couchette for PRG-PAR.<BR><BR>Personally, I would fly, and take the CSA non-stops.<BR>

Lucille

Rex, Thank you again. I have now checked the CSA flights and they have one a day from Milan to Prague and quite a few daily flights from Prague to Paris. I can't seem to get the prices of the flights as you have able to, but then I am not very good with the computer. If time is running short, we will fly, but if we have a lot of time on our hands we may take the train for one portion. We really do enjoy the scenery. Lucille

jahoulih

If you're willing to take the train overnight, then I think the train makes sense for either or both portions. For Como to Prague, either of Ingo's suggestions. For Prague to Paris, the quickest route would be this:<BR><BR>Prague 15:00-18:03 Dresden<BR>Dresden 18:11-22:39 Frankfurt<BR>Frankfurt 22:46-7:00 Paris<BR><BR>If those connections seem a little close (and they do to me), then take the 16:11 from Dresden, arriving at 20:36 in Frankfurt; dinner in Frankfurt. Earlier in the day, maybe take an early (7:00-10:03) train from Prague to Dresden and do a little sightseeing in Dresden.<BR><BR>The rides from Como to Zurich and from Prague to Dresden are very scenic indeed.

Jeanette

Rex, it sounds like you are "well travelled." My husband and I are going to Italy for the first time for 13 days. It will be a whirlwind trip, but we don't know when we'll return. We will be in Rome 3 nights, Florence 3 nights, Venice 3 nights, and then we would like to spend a night at Lake Como before heading for Switzerland. We have to depart from Zurich. Have you driven from Lake Como to Lucano? We will have a car after Florence. We do not have reservations after Venice and are certainly open to suggestions! Thanks for any input. Jeanette

Rex

Thanks for the compliment(s), Jeannette. My answer would depend on what time of year. If you are not going soon (i.e., not going in winter), I think it would be great to add one more night on Lake Como. I very much enjoyed three nights in Menaggio in September 2000. I cannot specifically advise on other times of the year, but it sure seems like it is probably paradise-like (climate) 7-9 months of the year.<BR><BR>I have previously posted details here on this forum, on the Grand Hotel Victoria (where we stayed) and one, possibly even better with a similar name (where we did not stay - - right next to the Bellagio ferry). Search Menaggio.<BR><BR>Yes, I have driven from Menaggio to Lugano (I trust you didn't mean LoCaRno) - - it's a windy, twisty (fun! at least to me) little road, and traffic can snarl it up (based on my experience of one - - headed the other direction). It's still well under an hour. Are you going to try to head from Lake Como to Zurich to catch a (morning?) Zurich west-bound flight? Sounds pretty ambitious to me. Could mean you need to allow 3-4 hrs driving. You might try confirming the drive times/distance on the web site www.viamichelin.com<BR><BR>I would steal (with regrets) one night from Florence or Venice and add it to Lake Como - - that way, if you need to leave Italy at 5 in the morning, your stay there won't have been too rushed to be worthwhile.<BR><BR>One final comment - - have you checked about a drop charge to leave your Italian car in Switzerland. Could be an unwanted surprise. Likewise, there's that darned Swiss vignette. You'll need to buy it (good for one year) to use for your 2-3 hour drive). There is an airport at Lugano, you know - - have you checked out a connector flight?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Jeanette

Wow, so much to think about. We go in 6 weeks! We actually arrive in Rome and depart from Zurich. My husband wanted to see a little of Switzerland. We are open to suggestions for Switzerland also. If we stay at Lake Como one night, we then have 2 full days before we depart Zurich on the 3rd day. I was worried about the roads in Switzerland. Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "Swiss vignette?" We're renting a car when we depart from Florence, and the price includes the drop off. Not too bad. New thought. Would you possibly take a day from Florence to stay or visit Sienna? I've wondered about staying in Sienna on our way to Florence and then having 2 nights in Florence. I really appreciate your input. I'll investigate the hotel you spoke of at Lake Como. Thanks. Jeanette

Rex

A vignette is a sticker you have to have in your windshield to be legal to drive on "freeways" (autobahnen, autoroutes) in Switzerland. You cannot avoid buying one really, in switzerland (you kinda can avoid it in Austria - - at your own risk of a ticket). 40 CHF for the annual sticker, I think - - less aggravating for you, since you are staying a few days than when I had to buy one to travesre 15 minutes to reach the Geneva airport car rental return!<BR><BR>As for Siena - - I have never actually made it to Siena. It's a toss-up, based on what I know about both great places - - an extra day IN Florence vs. a day in Siena. the bus seems to be the best way to day trip there - - takes you right into Siena - - the train does not. and you essentially can not drive in.<BR>

Jeanette

Okay, another dumb question. Where do we purchase the vignette when we enter Switzerland? Any other routes you would recommend between Lake Como and Switzerland? Any other cities we should stay in instead of Lucano? Also, have you stayed in Zurich? Thanks so much.

Rex

It looks like this last question to me has lain dormant for a while.<BR><BR>you buy a vignette right at the Swiss border station. they still have those, unlike the borders between all the other EU countries. I would say you really don't have a choice, but maybe not if you are crossing on a non-autoroute.<BR><BR>I have not ever stayed in Zurich - - Lucerne, and its little tiny cousin (one of many) across the lake - - Weggis. At the Hotel Albana - - yummy.<BR><BR>and less than half the price of Lucerne's Hotel Schweizerhof. Impressive, but awfully, awfully expensive.<BR><BR>