Trip to Paris and Prague
 

Hello Fodorites,

We - DH and 2 Teenage sons - will be in Paris for three days and 4 in Prague early August. We have been to Paris before and have seen Louvre, Eiffel Tower etc. In Paris we plan to see some neighborhoods (St. Germaine, Montmarte, Marais) rather than do too many museums. We also hope to eat in some good bistros - cafe constant for one - although I know many places will be closed in August.

Prague is a first trip for us and I have read some great reports here which will help greatly. So the question for this group...given the time we have in the two cities, should we do a trip to Giverny from Paris, and Cezky Krumlov from Prague? We love to see as much as we can and love art and architecture. Are the two sights worth the time they will take away from the two cities?

Also would appreciate restaurant recommendations for Paris, given that so many are
closed in August. Thanks as always.

No advice on Paris, but would encourage a day trip to Cesky Krumlov. If you were interested in an overnight, you could do some rafting, which would be fun for the teenagers.

Hi r,

>should we do a trip to Giverny from Paris<

I'd check the website before planning on going. It depends on what the gardens look like that time of year.

Have you been to Chartres? Malmaison? Auxerre?

((I))

I would not do day trips with short times in either city. You don't say if your 4 days in Prague include transfer time from Paris; if so then you don't have 4 full days there.

Your kids might like the Friday night or Sunday afternoon skate in Paris. Also the catacombs. Try some walking tours. Paris Walks has several walks covering the areas you want to explore. More interesting than aimlessly walking around.

http://www.paris-walks.com/cariboost...20WALKS_20.pdf

In Prague they might like the mirror maze on Petrin Hill.

Go to Thieresenstadt and have the kids learn something.

Cesky is a bit of a haul - Karlstejn is closer and teenage boys probably like castles.

I would do a day trip with four days in Prague, if you have four full days. In fact, I usually do. I did a day trip to Cesky Krumlov and sure, I thought it was worth it. More worth it than spending a night there which really eats up about two days. I liked seeing the countryside from the bus, also, that was relaxing and enjoyable and there was more than enough time in that small town left to see what little there is.

You could also consider a day trip from Prague to Kutna Hora, it is much closer and really interesting, also.

I haven't heard anything that great about Karlstejn to make it worth it if you don't have a lot of time.

I've been to Karlstejn and was not impressed. There's not much in the castle.

Thanks all for the feedback. Checking what the gardens at Giverny will be like is a great idea. Also the walks. I just finished reading Paris Wife and met the author so doing a Hemingway trail should be a moveable feast;). Also looked into the Fat Tire bike rides which sound like fun.

And we will keep CK Trip on the cards for now and play it by ear. Mercy again.

I meant merci!

We did the Fat Tire bike tour in Paris and loved it. Such a great way to see the city in a short amount of time and from the ground. We did it on a Sunday which was great as there was hardly any traffic.

I would definitely recommend Cesky Krumlov. Not only do you get to see an amazing fairy tale city, but you also get to see a bit of the beautiful Czech countryside. It was too cold to canoe when we were there, but that would be high on my list of things to do were I there again.

We had an amazing tour with Karolina from the tourist center. She was one of the few people we met in the Czech Republic who was willing to talk with us in depth about the days of communism. She also was just a wealth of information about the town and the Czech Republic in general.

Of course the castle is a must do.

We also enjoyed the Seilder museum (http://www.seidel.cz/docs/cz/seidel_home.xml) which is fascinating if you're interested in photography or history.

Another thing we would have done with more time (and that teenage boys would most likely enjoy) is to take the cable car up to the top of Klet mountain and ride scooters down. http://www.ckrumlov.info/docs/en/atr312.xml#nabid47951

Oh - and you all might enjoy the salt caves - http://www.hotelarcadie.cz/en/salt-cave/22/

The Cesky Krumlov website is great (and in English) - http://www.ckrumlov.info/php/turista/?lang=en - for more ideas.

Hez

Thanks Hez. I appreciate your suggestions. We plan to do the Fat Tire
night bike ride on a Sunday as well. And I am sure the boys will love the salt mines...and I, Cesky Krumlov.

I did two great walking tours in Prague with a company called "Discover Walks". The guides were locals (who spoke English very well) who clearly loved their city and enjoyed welcoming tourists. I took the Magical Prague Tour and the Old Town Tour and they were both interesting and fun, so I think your teenage sons may enjoy them as well.

These are "free" walking tours, which means that you tip the guides as much as you wish at the end. I guess this really motivates them to do a good job.

This company also offers tours in Paris (around Le Marais and Montmartre among other areas) so you may want to check them there as well.

http://www.discoverwalks.com/

Having said this, your Fat Tire tour sounds like lots of fun too!

As for a possible day trip from Paris, thinking about your teenage sons I'd recommend Fontainebleu:

http://www.fontainebleau.fr/

Thanks Strawberry Fields. Any restaurant recommendations for either city?

Hi reddy2go2,

DH & I visited Prague and Paris last fall, if you click on my screen name you'll find separate trip reports for each. I listed several restaurants in Prague but we had an apartment in Paris and did not eat out so much. It was our first trip to Prague and we enjoyed it very much; we've made many trips to Paris which we love.

Have a great time--Scootoir

I think I would skip Giverny...not sure what your sons are in to...some Paris suggestions would be the catacombs, les Invalides/Musee de l'Armee (I know this seems "guy" targeted, but I am a shoe shopping girl and I enjoyed it), st Denis is the burial place of French kings. I also enjoyed Fountainebleu (sp?).

If you haven't climbed the towers of Notre Dame, get up early and go....the climb isn't bad but the views of Paris and the gargoyles up close is very cool!

Canal St Martin in the 10th might be a fun place to check out cafes. I do love Cafe Constant, so enjoy!

As for restaurant recommendations:

- In Prague: Phenix Cafe - http://www.phenix-cafe.cz/en/

- In Paris: Au Petit Panisse- http://www.aupetitpanisse.fr/#!/
or Tempero - http://www.tempero.fr/

Scootoir...loved your report on Prague and November moon's beer pilgrimage to that city as well. Look forward to good food and now, St Norbert!

Strawberry_fields...thanks for the restaurant recommendations. We are going to try to get to them.

Denisea...we have been to catacombs in Rome and in Alexandria. Are the Paris ones very different?

Another side trip possibility from Paris is Versailles.

Agree that Karlstejn isn't worth a side trip - along the way, it's an OK stop, but not a special side trip. Cesky Krumlov is a little jewel of a town in comparison. Stay overnight to enjoy it even better after all the day tourists are gone.

Again, Kutna Hora isn't half as interesting as Cesky Krumlov.

You could even rent a car and drive down to CK from Prague. Along the way there are several very interesting smaller castles and palaces. The Czech Republica is covered with smaller castles.

http://www.czechtourism.com/CMSPages...IsCastlePalace

Sounds like a great trip in the making!