Easy day trips?

Discussion in 'Travel Tips & Advice' started by xsurvivor1fanx, Apr 20, 2008.

  1. Hey everyone! I've been lurking around reading most of the posts here for the past month ever since I've been accepted to a 3 week study abroad program in Prague. I'm really excited to go, as I hear it's a wonderful city, but I just had a few specific questions regarding my stay that I couldn't directly answer through everything else I read through.

    The hotel I'm staying at, Hotel Raffaello, is near the center of the city, so I'm told at least. I wasn't really given much information about it and I was just wondering if anyone here has experienced staying there firsthand or knows more about it and could give me any information at all.

    My main questions involves day trips. Since I'm participating in a study abroad, I will be attending lectures every morning at the National Gallery (any info or tips on this would be great too) from 9-1. After 1, I will almost always have the rest of the day to myself to do what I please when I don't have reading to do.

    Obviously I want to spend most of my time in Prague exploring the city, since that's what I'm there for haha, but I would love to be able to take a day trip outside the city one day because I know there are a lot of other places that are interesting around Prague as well. However, my issue is that, considering I have to be up at 9 every morning, and I don't finish class until 1, I'm not sure if there is somewhere I could go, perhaps by train, that would be doable for me, since I would probably like to be back to my hotel at the latest 1 or 2 in the morning.

    I wouldn't be against a train ride, but if anyone could give me ideas of places that are relatively close in travel distance, that would be great. Also, I'm not sure how much a train ride would cost, either. As you can tell, this is just a rough idea I had and I don't really have any places in mind. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Also, even though I've read this forum through and through, any other bits of advice or tips as a student in Prague at this time of year would be a tremendous help. Thanks a lot!

    (Just for reference, I leave for Prague on May 1st and return May 17th)
     
  2. Just another idea I had that I forgot to mention. I do have one day where I will be free after 11AM, leaving more time than usual. I know that the train ride from Prague to Dresden is only about 2.5 hours, and I would love to have the opportunity to visit anywhere in Germany, considering I took four years of German in high school. Would the border crossing be a problem, is this even a recommendable thing to do? Thanks again :D
     
  3. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    If you have free weekend, you might consider renting a car and visit some places, you can find a lot of advices where to go.

    Trains are considerably cheaper here (comparing to the US), one day ticket cost CZK 390 ($25), SuperCity train Prague-Ostrava cost CZK 500 (best train we have :)). Trains usually are faster than buses here, price is about the same.

    If you allready know where do you wanna go, use IDOS to find all possible connection.

    You can see map of railway network here.
     
  4. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    CZ/DE border crossing is as big problem as PA/OH border crossing when going from Pittsburgh to Cleveland :). There is none :).

    See IDOS again. If you could find some more time, Vienna is worth to visit, just 4 hours by SuperCity train, CZK 593 ($35) one way.
     
  5. I'd love to visit Vienna, but I'm figuring even if I left by noon, the four hour trip just wouldn't allow me enough time to do everything I want. Good to know that there wouldn't be any issues crossing the border, though. I may look into Dresden then. :D Oh, and I found the day trip section of the site, don't know how I missed that, but any other ideas are welcome. Thanks for the help!
     
  6. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    If you like beer, you may enjoy a quick visit to Plsen to see the Pilsner-Urquell brewery. Easy trip, plenty of buses, and a nice town - it also has the second largest synagogue in Europe.

    g
     
  7. Alexx

    Alexx Well-Known Member

    And If you like beer, party and music, you may enjoy a quick visit to famous Stodoni Street in Ostrava, most famous place with clubs and pubs in the whole Czech republic. It can be done overnight, there are at least two trains you can use to go back to Prague in time to be in the National Gallery at 9am. :oops: (Return ticket is CZK 588, $35)

    The only problem about border crossing is higher prices of train tickets. Return ticket Prague-Dresden is CZK 1041 ($60), but for only half the distance than Prague-Ostrava. :roll:
     
  8. Yeah, that does stink, but still, at $60, for me at least, it'd definitely be worth it. Thanks for all the help everyone, I will try and keep you guys updated once I leave and if I have any questions I know where to ask, haha.
     
  9. petri

    petri Well-Known Member

    Besides Plzen, there are numerous towns to visit in short distance. E.g. Kutna Hora (the famous bone church), Pardubice, Mlada Boleslav (beatiful old town and for car-freaks Skoda-car museum) etc. All of these examples in approx. one hour or less ride by bus or train. www.cd.cz
    Not to mention all the castles in the surrounding neighborhood. E.g. Konopiste near the town of Benesov. etc etc.
     

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