Please sign in to post.

Czech Republic in late March/early April

Our family (myself and husband and two teenage sons) will be visiting Europe in late March/early April (over the Easter break) for 11 days. Initial plans are to spend 4-5 days in Prague, followed by 2-3 days in a smaller town (along the lines of Trebon or Cesky Krumlov....someplace where we can all relax and the kids can explore freely without fear of getting lost), and then ending up in Vienna for 4 days. There's no shortage of things to do and see year-round in Prague and Vienna, but what about the smaller towns like Trebon or Cesky Krumlov? Is it worth staying a few days there? Are there other small-town options we've overlooked in the Czech Republic or Vienna (most likely!)? Or, should we just extend our time in Prague and Vienna?

I expect the weather to be somewhat cool....maybe 40s or 50s? Also, we intend to only use public transportation (buses, trains, bikes).

Would love your thoughts!

Posted by
20191 posts

Cesky Krumlov has become pretty thick with tourists. Its best late in the afternoon after the tourist busses leave and early in the morning before the arrive. Its really quite beautiful but I think its an overnight trip at best. Beyond that my experience in the Czech Republic is too limited to be much help.

Posted by
104 posts

Hi Nancy,
It's so funny, we are planning a very similar itinerary, during the same time frame... Just downloaded Rick Steves' Czech Republic and need to do some research... Our boys are 14 and 12, but we'd like to visit the WWII Memorial in Nurnberg and/or Dresden, as part of the itinerary... We have been in Innsbruck and Hall in Austria, and it's a favorite of ours, the Austrian hospitality is outstanding, my expectation is that perhaps the Czech Republic may be similar, specially smaller towns nearby Prague (less tourists would mean a more "authentic" experience).
We have NOT yet visited Vienna (except on a connection and a missed flight, had to stay overnight)... but Vienna is one of those places that you need to stay for a few days... Hmmm... decisions, decisions, decisions... Our plan is to rent a car ...

Alex

Posted by
4637 posts

It's always good to do some small towns. The life, prices and all is quite different than in a big city. I would recommend the book Prague & the Czech Republic by Rick Steves. Cesky Krumlov is a gem but very touristy. You can try Trebon. We stayed in hotel Bohemia right on the shore of the lake Svet (World). We rented bikes from the hotel and did the journey around the World - it was not as demanding as you would think. Only about 7 to 8 miles. Between the hotel and the shore is a hotel restaurant - serves mainly fish from the lake World. Walking distance to the main square is about 10 minutes. Or you can try hill town Mikulov in wine country. Hiking in Palava hills around. With a little fantasy you can imagine you are in Tuscany. Or Loket with nearby Karlovy Vary. Or if you happen to be there on Easter Monday go to the center of Slovacko region - Uherske Hradiste. Folk tradition are still alive there and you can see what they do on Easter Monday (by the way it is a holiday in Europe). Or Brno which is not exactly small town but still 3 times smaller than Prague and you can see there more than in a little town and do some day trips like Moravian Karst Punkva caves and abyss Macocha, or castle Pernstejn, or Austerlitz battlefield (in Czech Slavkov) and many more. Visitor Center can give you ideas. With the exception of Brno and Uherske Hradiste all other towns are in R.S. book. Therefore probability that you meet another Ricknicks there would be greater. Karlovy Vary and Loket made it into the book just last year. Read about K.V. and Loket here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/czech/things-to-do-if-spending-some-time-in-karlovy-vary-region
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/looking-for-forest-castle-quaint-town-river-or-lake-combos