Help with Prague, Munich, Lucerne itinerary

Posted by irina1008 on 01/31/23 06:37 PM

It would be the first European trip for our teenagers (16 & 18).
Our tickets are booked as:
June 6 arriving in Prague, June 15 departing Zurich.

Our tentative itinerary:
June 6-9 Prague and the surrounding towns

June 9 drive to Munich with a local guide/driver. The price for the car is appr $475 (there are 4 of us)
June 9-10, Munich??? not sure we want to see the Neuschwanstein Castle.. I heard it is overrated and crowded

June 10-Munich to Lucerne via Zurich train
June 10-14 Keep Lucerne as a home base due to the proximity of Interlaken, Bern, Basel etc
June 14am-15 Zurich

Would anyone recommend any other city instead of Munich or skip it and add one night to Prague?
We have been to Vienna, Zurich, Budapest, and Prague before, so I don't want to go to Vienna again.
Thank you!

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA

01/31/23 09:30 PM

17417 posts

I think you would want to break up the journey from Prague to Luzern with a stop somewhere, and Munich is a good choice, especially in terms of distance. Salzburg would work just as well if you want an alternative.

Did you consider taking the train between Prague and Munich? It would be much less expensive.

If you choose a route with 2 changes on the way, you can get a Sparpreis Europa ticket for all 4 of you for €81-84, depending on the time you choose to travel. The total journey is just under 6 hours.

If you prefer a direct train it would be more, but still less than the car and private driver. There is a “Prag Spezial”pries of €90 total for the first two tickets. The other two would be more, €153 for the pair, but the total of €243 is still much lower than the car. ( Or maybe someone can figure out how to get the Prag Spezial” fare on the other two tickets as well). That journey is 5.5 hours

Posted by irina1008 OP

01/31/23 10:24 PM

2 posts

Maybe just skip Munich and fly to Zurich and spend 2 days there before going to lucerne?

Posted by AussieNomad

Australia

01/31/23 10:37 PM

1072 posts

Maybe just skip Munich and fly to Zurich and spend 2 days there before going to lucerne?

Or add a day to Prague and a day to Lucerne.

We really enjoyed Karlstejn Castle which we did as a day trip from Prague. Not as picture book as Neuschwanstein, but a very nice Gothic castle.

Posted by Den

Vancouver, WA

01/31/23 11:20 PM

522 posts

My husband and I made the trip from Prague to Zurich/Lucerne, with an overnight in Munich, several years ago. It was an easy journey using bus (Prague-Munich) and train (Munich-Zurich/Lucerne). What are the interests of your teens--and of the adults? I ask because it might help Forum members in making recommendations for a Munich stopover.

Given your time frame, I would recommend staying just in Munich and not taking the side trip to Neuschwanstein. You'll have plenty of "sit and enjoy the scenery" time on your transit days without adding the drive to Neuschwanstein:).

Posted by stan

The Heartland USA

02/01/23 12:36 AM

8963 posts

Skip Zurich (and Bern) altogether and spend those extra nights in the Berner Oberland (not Interlaken) and Luzern or just Luzern. You can get to the Zurich airport rail station in 1.25 hours direct from Luzern.

Posted by deborahhoffman123

02/03/23 07:58 PM

101 posts

My husband and I have been to Munich several times. It's an amazing city and there are loads of things to do and see. While the town square with the famous glockenspeil is great, there is much more in that area, though it is always crowded with tourists. Neuschwanstein Castle is a bit of a drive from Munich. Not sure your teens would appreciate it.