Advice for Teens in Prague and Eastern Europe

Tip #1: None of the places you've mentioned are in Eastern Europe, and in fact many people in those places get somewhat offended when people refer to them as Eastern Europe. Central Europe....that will go over much better.

Tip #2: Book your tickets for Auschwitz-Birkenau online, months in advance of your visit (to ensure you can go when you want - tickets completely sell out, especially in the summer months).

IME, a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau is orders-of-magnitude beyond what one experiences at Dachau (so, I'd be cautious about approaching it expecting that you know what to expect....I had been to Dachau and found Auschwitz-Birkenau pretty overwhelming).

That's a fair amount of ground to cover; have you looked at how long it will take you just to move between each pair of cities? I hope you don't have the usual-for-Americans twelve nights in Europe. That would give you just about two full, usable sightseeing days in each city.

There are some caves in/near Budapest, but I haven't been to any of them. There's also the Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum.

As David has aptly brought up, my first piece of advice would be to understand that Poland, Czechia, Austria, and Hungary are all politically, culturally and geographically considered Central Europe. It is considered a bit offensive to refer to people from these countries as "Eastern Europeans". It will make your travels and interactions in this part of Europe go much smoother keeping this notion in mind. Here is a useful map outlining the area: Central Europe Map

Here are some unique places in and around Kraków that may be of interest:

1. Wieliczka Salt Mine: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this medieval salt mine is one the oldest still in operation. It's a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and chambers distributed over nine levels. The main attractions are the various monuments, statues, and even an underground church all carved out of salt. During World War II, the mine was used by the occupying Germans as an underground factory for various war-related matériel. However it may get a bit catastrophic at times, especially in the elevator out of the mines.

2. Tatra Mountains: part of the Carpathian Mountain range between between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatras are about 1:45 min south of Kraków via car. The Tatras are part of the UNESCO World Biosphere Programme due to their many rare and endemic animals and plant species, such as the Eurasian brown bear, European Wolf, and Eurasian lynx. Zakopane is the major resort town in the area and makes for a good base to explore the area. In Zakopane there are many fun summer activities like ATV excursions in the mountains or tobogganing down Gubałówka mountain.

3. Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory: the former administrative building of Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, at 4 Lipowa Street, it now houses a museum on the story of Oskar Schindler and of the Kraków Jews that he saved. It includes curated documentary photographs, eyewitness accounts, and multimedia presentations. There is also a permanent exhibition of Kraków under Nazi Occupation from 1939–1945 there too.

Hope this gives you a few ideas in addition to the main sights in Kraków. Personally, with only two weeks, I would choose only one other country in addition to Czechia.

I do appreciate the ideas for sights to see - this is very helpful. I did want to address some of the other comments though:

1) I apologize for offending anyone that I have called this area Eastern Europe. Considering I purchased a Rick Steves book entitled "Eastern Europe" and all of these cities were in it, I wrongfully assumed that a book that is now in its NINTH edition without a change to its title is correct. Please see Rick's recommended Eastern Europe itinerary at https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/eastern-europe-itinerary and his 2019 Eastern European Tour he offers at https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/eastern-europe/eastern-europe-tour. I find it hard to believe he could have such a following if he is offering and publishing incorrect information/tours and if he is, then I suggest you take the matter up with Rick himself. The hotels/restaurants/sights/tours that are featured in his book don't seem to mind being in a book called Eastern Europe. Plus I can't imagine I would actually "offend" a person if I called it the wrong thing. They may correct me on it but I can't imagining it offending them. If I live in North Carolina and someone from another country thought I was from South Carolina, I would just say I am from North Carolina and just move on - not be offended!

2) There seems to be a large number of people on these discussion forums that can't wait to criticize people on how long they spend visiting each area. I never posted an itinerary of my trip (which is actually a month long but not all in these cities) and I did not on purpose because I knew someone would comment how my trip would not be good/long enough for them. I think everyone should be able to vacation the way they want to - it is their time and their money. Some people like DIY trips, some like cruises, and some like tours and it does not mean that anybody's trip is going to better than anyone else's. Good for you if you have the time and money to spend a week/month in each city - I do not. You probably don't have 3 kids in tow and aren't sleeping on overnight trains (which our family loves) either. We are excited to be able to go again whether you would ever want to follow our itinerary or not.

Please keep the excursion ideas coming. We would love the Hospital in the Rock, the ATV excursion, and Schindler's Factory so thanks for those suggestions. We have visited a salt mine before in Bavaria but it did not have the statues made of salt. My family is a bit claustrophobic though (I am not).

@Seahunt - no worries, I am not offended in the slightest (I'm from Spain), I know that it was not purposefully, but I have some friends in some of these countries that have expressed the sentiments described above. The gentleman who writes Rick Steves' Eastern Europe book, Cameron Hewitt, has also expressed misgivings about calling these places "Eastern Europe" for the book.

Here's a great travel talk by Cameron Hewitt about this area, at 5:15 he addresses the geopolitical context of Central Europe - Travel Talks: Czech Republic, Poland & Hungary

Here's another potential side trip near Kraków, this one's more off the beaten path:

Schloss Pleß at Pszczyna: - (Polish: Zamek w Pszczynie) This Baroque style chateau, which used to be owned by the von Pleß family, is about 1:30 hr south-west of Kraków. The interior is very well preserved and many of the original furniture is still there. It is also historically important as this is the place where Kaiser Wilhelm II had his HQ for the Eastern Front during WW1. They still have the table that was used by Wilhelm II, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff to plan their various offensives. In the cellar of the chateau, they have a large collection of arms and armor of the von Pleß family from medieval times to WW1, from various places around the world.

Well lets get this back to teenagers and fun. I can only speak for Prague but hows your budget? You don't need to look far to find hot air ballooning, tank/humvee driving, indoor surfing, tandem sky diving, quad bikes, paintball, vehicle and flight simulators, cooking classes, bungee jumping, bodyzorbing...........

Okay, first the whole Eastern Europe thing. There is no other term that conveys the same meaning in American vernacular. So, if your intent is to communicate a meaning, you did well. I have friends and acquaintances in several Eastern European countries; and they get this just fine.

We plan to visit Prague, Krakow/Auschwitz, Budapest, and Vienna

Krakow is the tough one. It's sort of remote and not well connected. But I assume you have all that figured out. You also didnt say for how long you would have and a budget would help. Some general notes

Prague; for me at least 3 full days is all i can take of the tourist haunts.

Vienna; once again, unless you are a museum hound, its three full days.
Budapest; well, i am biased. Very biased. 4 full days at a minimum and 6 wouldnt be too long
Between Budapest and Krakow is Slovakia and the High Tatras. Think river rafting, mountain trout fishing, hiking, cable cars, etc.
Budapest is a hub for Wizzair which opens up all sorts of opportunities.
Zip line over the second deepest canyon in the world in Montenegro
Trout Fishing in Montenegro (yes, i do this a lot)
Board Sail or Para-sail in the Adriatic Sea in Montenegro
Off shore deep sea fishing in Montenegro.

River rafting in Albania
Drive a Russian tank in Hungary
Spelunking in Budapest
Kayaking the Danube river in Budapest
Climb down to the Devil's Throat in Bulgaria
Or Trout fishing in Bulgaria (again, a lot)
Shoot Russian AK's in Ukraine
Hot air balloons in Hungary or Ukraine.
Party all night on the streets of Odessa

Most destinations that wizzair flies to out of Budapest are non-stop and under $100 out of Budapest.

Thanks for the tips! Our budget is not really defined - I don't work well with those! ;-)

That being said, we have 5 people so super-expensive options might be out. The tank driving sounds incredible - might have to let my husband do that!!!

We traveled with two slightly older young adults (19 and 21) to all of your destinations this past June. Cesky Krumlov was a great break between cities (we stayed 24 hours, and I highly recommend Hotel Beatika). It's a sleepy little town, overrun by Asian tour bus groups in the afternoon, but quite peaceful in the mornings and evenings. There is plenty to do on the river....kayaking, etc. and could be a nice change of pace.

We booked a full day tour with Pavel Batel (Terezin Private Tours, recommended elsewhere on this forum) to Terezin. Pavel is a masterful storyteller and it was definitely a highlight of our trip. Very different from Dachau and Auschwitz, in that it was both a camp and a ghetto/way station to Auschwitz, and an amazingly rich music and arts culture was able to thrive despite the overcrowding and constant fear. I think spending the day at Terezin helped give us a greater sense of the people who ended their journey at Auschwitz. I would highly recommend Terezin, if you are able to take the time to see if with Pavel or someone like him.

I can't help you much with action/adventure ideas, because you will primarily be in cities. Guided walking tours are a nice change of pace from visiting art museums and churches, but not exactly the level of adventure you're looking for!

I agree with your observation that folks on this forum looooove to criticize a poster and his/her itinerary, instead of just answering the question. I rarely post for that reason, generally just read.

But one idea I have for you is food tours. We have not been to those places with our kids, but definitely guided food tours are one of their favorite activities in European cities. We have done both group and private, depending on cost. I think as long as you find a small group - 12 or less - it's not worth the extra $$ to do private.

In our experience, the guides are super knowledgeable about the cities and culture, you get outstanding food, and it's a great way to get oriented to the city. Plus hungry boys enjoy it.

Enjoy and I hope when you return you'll write a trip report.

Another thing we have enjoyed in Europe with our kids is guided hiking. I prefer to use a guide when time is limited - we generally get more out of it. A quick google search found this:

http://www.trekkingaustria.com/day-hiking.htm

(I see you have hiked in Switzerland so this idea may have occurred to you already.)

Oh, and i usually plan my trips around at least one festival or holiday. You haven't lived till you have seen a Soviet style military parade through the streets of Kyiv or the Rose Festival in Bulgaria or a good old fashion Pig Slaughter in Hungary. You can google the name of the country and "festivals" and generally find a few good listings. Pretty high on my list right now are

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/albania/articles/take-one-of-the-best-boat-trips-of-your-life-on-albanias-lake-koman/
http://www.outdooralbania.com/tours/rafting-in-the-marvelous-vjosa-valley/

https://caving.hu/
http://tank.hu/ (done it, fun!)
http://visegrad.bobozas.hu/en
https://dailynewshungary.com/6-special-train-lines-try-hungary/

https://meanderbug.com/listings/longest-zipline-across-tara-canyon-montenegro/ (done it, fun!)
https://fishingbooker.com/destinations/country/me (done it, fun!)
https://budva-paragliding.me/

https://skypark.com.ua/zip-line-over-the-dnieper/
https://stayinkiev.com/shooting-tours (i grew up with guns, so not really my taste, but .... )
https://beinsideukraine.com/activity/hot-air-balloon-fly/

https://www.vt.sk/en/activities/cableway-trips/lomnicky-peak/
http://www.flyfishing-slovakia.com/ (now we are talking!!!)
https://www.oravskemuzeum.sk/
http://slovakia.travel/en/wood-rafting

All within about $100 each way from Budapest

I agree with your observation that folks on this forum looooove to criticize a poster and his/her itinerary, instead of just answering the question. I rarely post for that reason, generally just read.

It's not for a love of criticism but rather an attempt to highlight some of the potential issues. All too often people have a misguided perception of distances, travel times and logistics involved with travelling within Europe. For many Americans their reference point for long distance travel is typically confined to the US which is quite different to travelling within Europe. Many people also misjudge the size of Europe. It's all too easy to look at a map of Europe and think how easy it is to travel from A to B to C and it's only once you've attempted that journey you fully appreciate what it entails.

I've read posts from people who have undertaken such intense itineraries and they invariably vow not to repeat them so it's not that people love to criticise but rather a genuine offer of advice based on experience.

And I know a couple that did 8 cities in 10 days and had the time of their lives. The adventure and challenges of the travel was everything for them. So it's all good. Personally I like a bit of both.

"...keep the excursion ideas coming."

I totally agree with the suggestion made by Carlos on seeing Schloss Pleß if you plan on being in Krakow, since seeing the Schloss (zamek) can be done as a day trip. At the time of WW1 the Schloss and the town in which it was located Pleß (Pszczyna) was in Upper Silesia. The wife of the German nobleman owner was English, Princess Daisy. She wrote her memoirs (published by Oxford University Press), which give an interesting insight of life at the turn of the century. In the war the Schloss was the HQ for the German High Command on the Eastern Front (Oberste Heeresleitung-Ost).

If you go to Prague, going to Plzen can be done as a day trip unless you want to stay longer.

In 1945 the city was known as Pilsen and liberated by US troops, where upon reaching that city their advance was to halt, ie at the Linz-Pilsen line. Not too far from the train station, ca 30 walk is the "American Monument" thanking the US for the liberation of the city. Only after the fall of Communism did Czechs learn of the real liberators in 1945 of Pilsen, contrary to the fairy tale they had been given.

Travel Man, how recently did you visit Auschwitz? Tickets for the camp with English-language tours were sold out for the next seven or eight days when I checked the camp website very recently. I'll bet the commercial tours sell out, too. These folks will not have time to hang around in Krakow, waiting for a day when Auschwitz tickets or tours are available.

On the eastern Euriope vs central Europe difference, I call the countries of Hungary, Poland, and Czechia central Europe given those two choices, for different reasons but more precisely "east-central Europe"

I don't label this region Eastern Europe, ie from the Oder to Polish-Russian border, basically to what was called the "Curzon Line." and Polish-Ukranian boder. For Americans seeing it as "Eastern Europe" is understandable, regardless if I disagree with it, and they will continue to call the place Eastern Europe.

The river "floating" - a more apt term than rafting - in Krumlov can be a fun day out. You do need good weather for it though. The graphite mine is worthwhile too. They give you a lamp, an overcoat, and rubber boots and then drive you into the mine on a little train. It's pretty nifty and unusual.

Terezin is definitely worth a trip, partly because it has more to offer than its period of Nazi use. It was built as a fortress in 1780-1790, and I think that teenage boys might enjoy the 18th-century military aspect of it.

The Moravian Karst just outside of Brno is really spectacular too. Make sure that you include that on your agenda.

I would also include a trip to Vranov nad Dyji. I think that it is the most spectacular castle in the entire Czech Republic. You can also see some of the old Iron Curtain at Cizov, not far from Vranov, and it's also possible to visit some of the WWII era defense bunkers that were built by the Czechoslovaks in an effort to keep out the Nazis.

There's plenty to keep teenage boys amused in the Czech Republic.

So this Eastern versus Central Europe. I am originally from former Czechoslovakia, after they split (long time ago - 1993) I have to say from the Czech Republic and certainly I am not offended if someone says that Czech Republic is in Eastern Europe. It is not meant geographically or culturally but historically. All European communist countries were called Eastern Europe. Look at the map. Prague was in Eastern Europe and it's quite more to the west than Vienna which was Western Europe. Term Central Europe came back to use after collapse of communism.
What will teens notice in Prague first? Very cheap and very good beer which your oldest son will be able to drink legally. Carding is much less strict than in the US so I would not be surprised if your 16 year old would be able to order beer for himself, too. I would not criticize anybody's itinerary but sometimes less is more. I think yours with Prague, Krakow/Auschwitz, Budapest, Vienna is so so doable in two weeks. While James' suggestions are very attractive you would need at least one month better two for them. Cesky Krumlov is very pretty but so many pretty destinations and so little time. Your son will have more time when he will study in Prague so at least he can go around and use some James' suggestions.

We took the canoe trip in Cesky Krumlov a couple of years ago. We had a great time. The livery is right in town. There were a few options, and we thought we’d make the most of it and take the longest, and I guess most expensive trip. The young lady we spoke with urged us to reconsider, telling us that the last stretch was essentially industrial and not scenic. We happily took her recommendation. In early May, we experienced very shallow water and smooth sailing. Towards the end, we paddled into a riverside campground where we got grilled sausages and a beer and chatted with the campers before heading on to return the canoes and the drive back to town. Everything worked perfectly and we had a lot of fun that day.

We left CK for Salzburg and used the ckshuttle.cz to get to the Linz station where we caught our train. They have many routes to several destinations and provided an excellent service with an immaculate van and courteous driver.

In about 40 years of travel, I can recall taking only one or two escorted tours, but we opted for one to visit Auschwitz and it was worth every penny. A van picked us up at the hotel, we joined the group and toured both Auschwitz and Birkenau and were dropped back at our hotel. I don’t know the name of the tour company, sorry. Our hotel made the phone call and all the arrangements...we chose the day, time and walked out the door to meet the van. That was the Hotel Weilopole in Krakow which I would recommend without hesitation.

FWIW I would also recommend the House at the BIg Boot in Prague....great location, warm and helpful hosts, a wonderful stay.
Have fun with your kids and safe travels.