fastwalker

We are two older couples travelling to Prague in late March 2015 and we will have five full days there. Is this too long to be there? Would anyone recommend any day trips outside of Prague? We are travelling to Amsterdam after Prague and have the same amount of time there. We have not been to either of these cities. Our flights are booked.

Thank you.

Debbie

JamesEaston

Make sure you bring warm clothes unless you get very lucky as both these cities are usually still in the grip of winter in March .

Regarding your question about time spent and day trips. Unless you are a person who likes to spend a whole day lingering around a single museum (or even half day), you only realistically need one or two days to see all the major sites in Prague as they are all connected. From the Castle/Male Strana to Old Town Square to Vaclavske Namesti and the National Museum, you could do the whole (very brisk) walk in an hour. Obviously as a tourist you would do it in a day, or two. Stretch it to three to do it VERY leisurely and linger in museums.

Day trips from Prague:

Cesky Krumlov, a UNESCO world heritage site. Very small and more than two hours from Prague, but very beautiful. Best route is Student Agency bus.

Plzen, if you very interested in beer. Again student agency bus.

If you play golf there is a beautiful, challenging course at Karlstejn as well as 1000+ year old castle there to see. Rental car required for golf, train for castle.

Karlovy Vary is sometimes recommended as a day trip/spa destination. The spas are not the western idea of a spa, they are hot water springs which supposedly have medicinal benefits. Also it's become a Russian enclave over the past 15 years and has many mafia types. AYOR.

Other possibilities are Kutna Hora, an old mining town and some nearby castles. The problem is the time of year. If you were there in spring or summer you could spend a day in a typical small village, but in the dark cold of March that wouldn't be any fun.

Amsterdam, similar to Prague, the highlights can all be seen in day or two, unless you like to linger long in museums. Or you could stretch it to three by taking long leisurely walks along the canals, doing boat trips and what not.

Not really an expert on day trips from Amsterdam but one suggestion I would absolutely recommend is a day trip to Bruges in Belgium. I've been to every corner of Europe and think Bruges is the most beautiful, a must see. A day trip to Brussels would also not be a bad idea I'd think.

Other than that the website viator.com shows some things available. I wouldn't book with them, but it gives you an idea.

Have a great time !!!

fastwalker

James,

Thanks for your reply. I guess 5 full days in any large city is a long time but we will just have to see it at our leisure and take it all in because we will probably never be back there. Also, I've read that Prague is always very crowded and I expect it won't be as crowded during that time of year.
I just checked historical 2014 temperatures in late March which were anywhere between 14 - 19 degrees celsius so we'll hope for that weather.

I have seen Brugge when I was on a cruise a few years ago and I agree it is a beautiful place.

Debbie

JBord

I mainly agree with JamesEaston. I've been to both cities in the last few months. I would suggest 3 days for Amsterdam and agree Bruges will make a wonderful side trip...I don't care for Brussels as much though. I also recommend the half day bus tour of Edam and the windmills.

For Prague, I think you could do two days, but 3 is a more leisurely pace. If you like to have a long lunch with a couple glasses of some of the best beer in the world, and don't want to rush between sites, three days is plenty of time. If you do it in two days, spend one full day on each side of the river.

exilencfc

I think 3 days is enough to do Prague in. We were there for two which wasn't quite enough - the Jewish Museum is excellent and is half a day on its own. You could do a daytrip from Prague to Dresden, the train journey along the bank of the Elbe is beautiful. If you can get a direct train it takes just over two hours.

There are a lot of nice cities in Holland and it's a an easy country to get around by rail. IIRC Groningen and Nijmegen are very nice (I spent about a fortnight travelling round Holland a few years ago and it's all started to blend into one).

helosc

I have been to Prague 5 or 6 times and I am never bored there.

I find that Prague has many interesting areas for walking outside the tourist area.
And they have many tram lines - I like going for tram rides just to look at different areas (and it is a nice way to warm up in winter).

They have a funikular which takes you up a hill with a very nice view :
http://www.dpp.cz/en/the-petrin-funicular/

There are easter markeds about the time you'll be there :
http://www.pragueexperience.com/events/easter.asp

Prague always has many concerts, ballets, opera -
See the pragueexperience site for information about what is on when :
http://www.pragueexperience.com/theatre/theatre.asp

I was very impressed with the zoo :
http://www.zoopraha.cz/en/

And of course you can spend time on eating and drinking

I can recommend a good restaurant if you like meat, Cestr :
http://cestr.ambi.cz/en/#menu
I find the 3 courses menu very good value.

Another good restaurant is Nostress :
http://www.nostress.cz/restauraceen.html
It's across the road from the Spanish Synagoge.
They have 2 or 3 course lunch deals; very good quality food.

And if you haven't tried the South American type all you can eat meat skewers, it is quite fun. The restaurant is called Brasileiro.
There is a salad buffet (more than salads, fx also sushi) and they come around to your table and offer you different kinds of meat on big skewers
http://brasileiro-slovanskydum.ambi.cz/en/#menu

The winter 13/14 was a very warm one in Europe so don't expect it to be quite as warm this winter.

CMK10

I agree, I spent two days and it wasn't enough. If you have any interest in military history, these are some sights worth seeing:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ss._Cyr...dius_Cathedral A big part of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anthropoid

- http://www.vhu.cz/english-summary/

The first one is pretty cheap and the second one is free.

Also, for an amazing view, climb Petrin Tower: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet%C5%..._Lookout_Tower

And of course the standard stuff to see is fun too. Best of all, Prague is a great city to just be in. Ride an old tram and watch the sights pass you by, enjoy some good meals, people watch etc. I'd love to go back again myself.

adventureadam

Average high in Prague in late March is 54F/12C Average low is above freezing. I'd say you'd have to be very unlucky to experience the "grip of winter."

If your goal is only to walk the path between the four major tourist sites with thousands of other tourists, completely agree with the above. But what a shame. Prague has fantastic big parks (and if the weather is nice, the beer gardens might even open). Letna, Petrin, Riegrovy, Viktov, Stromovka. The fortress, cemetery, grounds, and buildings at Vysehrad are worth most of a day by themselves. Get back into the nice old neighborhoods -- Vinohrady, Nusle, Vrsovice, among others -- and see the small local parks, pubs, restaurants, and other oddities.

fastwalker

Thank you all for your comments I very much enjoy to just be in a foreign city and your suggestions beyond the main tourist attractions are very helpful.

Debbie

cricketer

Piggybacking on this thread - I have a day and a bit in Prague (arrive Friday 6pm, leave Sunday 7am) in January. Will be joined by my elderly but fit (i.e. able to walk around all day) parents there. It's a side trip on my way back from a week working in Europe.

Any tips on where to stay (Marriott and Starwood gold, but most important is a good location, solid breakfast, and internet access) would be welcome, and also advice on anything that's particularly worthwhile in the middle of January. Some great tips already in this thread - thanks for those.

thanks in advance!

helosc

The Marriott is a very good location. I haven't stayed there but have stayed several times in the Hilton right opposite.

This shuttle bus from the airport stops right opposite the Marriott.
http://www.cedaz.cz/public-shuttle-b...gue-centre.php