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Dolní Dobrouč - any insights on lodging, private tours, meal with locals, etc.

My great-grandfather, Joseph Pirkl, moved from Dolní Dobrouč to southern Minn. My parents are both 82 and I'm helping them plan a trip to visit Dolní Dobrouč, my mom's lifelong dream.

They'll fly into Prague and spend a couple days there seeing highlights. They have pretty good stamina for 82, are well traveled, plus my brother will be joining them. They are not foodies, can only appreciate a limited number of museums, cathedrals, historic sites, etc., favoring instead to get to the side streets, quiet countryside, smaller villages, mingle with locals when possible, or just sit on a park bench and take in the sights, sounds, smells.

If they train to Dolní Dobrouč, and don't get a rental car, is it possible to get a private driver in this area? They're also interested in Litomysl, a bigger town and might be closest hotel options? While they're in this general area, any other must-see spots they should include?

Any links, experience, direction advice on this pocket of Czech Republic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi from Wisconsin,
Well you are going to the middle of, shall we say, no where? It is beautiful in this area from Brno north to the Polish border.
It is VERY easy to get to Brno or Olomouc by train from Prague. You can check rail connections at cd.cz. The train station in Prague that you will be using is Praha Hlavni nadrazi (Praha Hl.n., Praha = Prague). Both Brno and Olomouc have only one station. And for a train to Litomysl it can be done for about $11 per person and takes as little as 2 hours and 20 minutes or over 4 hours..

I am certain you can rent a car in Brno for reasonable price per day. Brno has every thing you might need. Brno to Litomysl is not that far. Under 2 hours driving) Olomouc also has most everything. Car rental there is expensive. Litomysl has hotels and restaurants.

Because you will be in mainly rural Czechia, driving is easy. The back roads are paved and empty and lovely. As easy as driving anywhere in the US that is new to you. A good map and you are set to go.

I know very little Czech, but Horni is like upper or on a hill, and dolni is bottom, or lower.

Because this little place isn't a tourist destination, English will be less common than larger more metropolitan places.

Litomysl is a nice city to visit, as are Olomouc, and Brno. Both Brno and Olonouc are accustom to tourists but not over run with them.

wayne iNWI

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information. Very helpful and much appreciated!

Posted by
4637 posts

Unfotunately the information above is not completely correct. Both Brno and Olomouc have more than one railroad station. It is even more complicated in Brno where the Main Train Station is closed for most trains and depending where you are coming from you will arrive either to Brno Kralovo Pole or Brno Zidenice or Brno Dolni nadrazi.

Posted by
4495 posts

A couple of notes:

I’m planning a similar trip (see my post) on the other side of the CR. I’ve suspended the idea of renting a car in my planning due to the high cost (Prague airport or Pilsen, like $85/day for a small manual car) and am now planning on training to Domazlice and hoping to just grab a driver on the spot. Or another option for me is walking 1-2 miles from local train stops that seem to run every hour or so.

Have you got the house numbers? You can find these in online church registers.

Czech surnames have a quirk: husbands have one surname then their wives take a feminine form:
Most common is add -ova to the husband’s surname.
But there are variations, like the final -a is changed to a final -y. Just in case you see the variations on cemetery gravestones.

Note that the train goes to Ústí nad Orlicí, the closest large town to your destination, about 7 miles. Litomysl Is farther away.

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi,
$85/day seems way out of line. My last rental in from Prague airport 11 mo ago now was more like $15/ day.
Have you used autoeurope, or Europcar? The first is a consolidator the second is a good solid rental in Europe.

wayne iNWI

Posted by
4495 posts

Rechecking $85:

I can get a manual Golf for $53 no insurance ($68 no deductible) on AutoEurope

Europcar nothing under $90 (insurance not clear)

Budget: Wow, deals have turned up, thanks!