What not to miss in Prague,Budapest, C.Krumlov and Bratislava?
 

Hello....

Just seeing if anyone had suggestions of things not to miss seeing or doing in any of these towns.

Thanks!

I have a page of URLS for both Prague and Budapest, as well as a list for sightseeing in Prague I compiled for our trip. If you would like any or all of these, please email me.

I have a pretty long file on Prague; if you'd like to have that as well, email me at [email protected]

You don't say how much time you will have in each place--that helps with making suggestions (priorities)

As others say, we need to know your tastes. Mine are for beautiful old places, so if I pick one place per city I choose
In Prague, the Bethlehem Chapel, and the memories of the struggle to worship God in a tongue people understand. It took some time to reach Vatican II.
In Budapest, the tomb of the last Turkish governor of Hungary, carefully kept over centuries by the people who got rid of him
In Cesky Krumlov the castle, but more generally just strolling and sitting
In Bratislava the Archbishop s residency, laid out with fine furniture and paintings, altogether more civilised than the castle which is what they made ready for President Bush

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Also, this weeks Wash Post travel feature discusses both Budapest and Bratislava at length.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Mar18.html

Thanks to all for the suggestions....
ELaine and Giovanna- I have emailed you both and would love any info you have.

I agree with the general drift of the Post article, but think it should distinguish levels of cost. Dubrovnik and Croatia, the Julian Alps, Lake Bled and the Slovenian caves, Prague and Krakow seem to me to cost as much as many places in west Europe, such as Italy, Portugal and Belgium. But I agree that Bulgaria, Hungary, Riga, Lviv, Levoca, and Poland outside Krakow are cheap, and make a good visit.

I am interested to see that the Post suggests two flights, the first to one of the London airports, then another on a no-frills flight to an airport in a central European country that is at or near a good holiday place. This is true if you can transfer at Gatwick, but I think most transatlantic flights use Heathrow, and know that most no-frills flights from England to central Europe leave from Stansted, four hours transfer from Heathrow. Are there cheap flights from the USA to Gatwick ? If so, it may be helpful to look at the pages for cheap flights by Easyjet from Gatwick to central Europe, select a holiday place, and book. Even so, you must have three hours from touch down to take-off, as the no frills flights are not transferable, and their operators do not care why you missed your connection. I shall myself fly in May from Gatwick to Budapest, in order to take a sleeper to a film festival in Transylvania, but I start my journey here so can be sure to be on time in Gatwick. For you, I still think a transatlantic flight as cheap as can be, to as near Central Europe as can be, is the best buy. A cheap flight from the States to Berlin or Vienna would make a good start. Then you would book a seat or berth on a train three hours or more from touch-down. You can e-mail or phone specialist agents to get estimates and later to book. RailEurope over charge by thirty percent, but the following are competitive, and I suggest that you e-mail each, then phone your choice, in Florida or British office hours.

Euraide in Florida, http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...e/homepage.htm, telephone 1 941-480-1555 fax 1 941-480-1522. E-mail [email protected].

Trainseurope Ltd, of Cambridgeshire and London, http://www.trainseurope.co.uk/ - E-mail [email protected]. Phone 00 44 900 195 0101

German Rail UK: www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk/ Phone : 00 44 870 243 53 63 then 6. Fax : 00 44 208 339 4700. E-mail : [email protected]

Ffestiniog Travel, site http://www.festtravel.co.uk, E-mail [email protected], phone 00 44 176 651 2400

Inside France (Canterbury). Phone 0044 1227 450088. Booking form on site www.rail-canterbury.co.uk/. Or E-mail [email protected]/.

It will help me advise Americans if you will kindly tell me whether there are cheap flights from the States to Berlin or Vienna, with airline and route.

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Mr Haines
I thank you for mentioning the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. I didn't see it on my first visit, but have added it to my itinerary for my upcoming return visit.
If not for you, I would not have realized its importance, and would not have researched it in my guide books.

Mr. Haines,

You asked, perhaps rhetorically, about flights from the US into Gatwick. Some, but not all, of the "major" US carriers use Gatwick instead of Heathrow; Continental and Delta come to mind and there are others.

Unfortunately, Southwest Airlines, our version of your EasyJet does not fly to Europe..how I wish they did.

I'm not positive, but it seems to me that some Virgin flights from the US land at Gatwick.

Agree with Intrepid1, and would also be thrilled if Jet Blue flew to Europe (they do fly to Nassau, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico). They seem to be expanding so maybe someday.

I checked into the option of flying to London and then taking an Easy-jet type flight to Prague or Budapest. The problem if you're on the West Coast (Seattle in my case) is that the aforementioned carriers that fly into Gatwick travel across the continental U.S. and there are stops on the mid-west or east coast. A direct flight to London from Seattle over the Canada/arctic route is much quicker, like 4-5 hours in some cases.

Thanks to giovannatravels and elaine for the great information. It will be a big help!

Hi kjenn

Just wondering how your trip as, as I am doing the same trip in Oct. Any guidance would be most appreciated!!

Marking for reference as we plan our October trip.

Thanks for all the good information.

Byrd

We have relatives in Central Europe, so I have researched this quite a bit.

The best deals seem to involve flying Aer Lingus to Dublin, transferring there to SkyEurope's new Dublin-Bratislava (Vienna) route that begins mid-October.

Aer Lingus flights from JFK arrive rather early in the morning. If you are OK with a few hours' layover, you can also use Aer Lingus to continue on to Prague or Dubrovnik in the afternoon.

AL's nonstop flights from LAX arrive between 11:00 (now) and 10:00 (October), so it's a tighter connection to SkyEurope's 12:30 Bratislava (Viena) departure on Sundays. Returning flights on Fridays arrive early enough to make the 11:00 AM Dublin departure. R/T from LAX in October can be had for around $500, with the SkyEurope legs around $150 or so.

Hi
I guess you've got the information you need, I just wanted to add one thing in Cesky Krumlov. In the tourist area, watch for a Gypsy restaurant. I don't recall the name but the food was excellent and spicey. It was informal and busy. sorry I don't remember the name but it was very good.

I'm impressed by saavy advice given by the likes of Ben Haines, Elaine, Giovanna and others, incl. their URLs.
We visited several Central European countries in June.

To mention directly in response, of course in Prague you will likely enjoy the usual touristy things like walking the Charles Bridge. Certainly you will include a visit to the Castle area and being in the Wenceslaus Square. I think the concerts in churches and halls (leaflets passed out each day) might appeal to you. Also U Fleka beer hall and Meisal Synagogue and Rott crystal shop and Mucha Museum.

As for Budapest, again lots to do, incl. of course Heroe's Square with maybe the zoo and fine arts museum nearby. There is the Castle Hill and Matthias Church on the Buda side not to be missed. Maybe also a meal at Szeged gypsy restaurant and relaxing at Gellert Baths. And on the Pest side for my money a tour of the Parliament with the revered Crown on display and also a Danube Bend boat trip to Szentendre. Meandering through Nagycsarnok (with maybe lunch snack) and then strolling down Vaca Utca for refreshments at Gerbeauds can occupy a nice afternoon.

ozarksbill
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Hi Jetgal:

Our trip was amazing!! We absolutely loved Prague and Cesky Krumlov, they were magical. Bratislava was unexpectedly charming, and Budapest was much more cosmopolitan than we expected. You can click on my name and find my trip report for more details, and feel free to email me if you have any other questions ([email protected])Have fun!!