Prague and Bohemian & Saxon Switzerland

With all the upheaval with flights, I'd add an extra day at the beginning. On our last two international trips, post COVID, we experienced significant delays/ cancelations. On our first trip the flight was canceled with a 24 hour delay, and on our second trip the flight was so late we arrived at our hotel at 1:00 am, five hours late . I think now one must plan for such delays.
Have a wonderful trip to such remarkable places!

Just changed our flight to depart one day early. I am hoping late October will be less crazy with airlines and we will have enough time to see everything!

I suppose each country has its own definition of Saxon Switzerland. I associate the term with an easy dayboat visit from Dresden, not Prague. But if you are serious hikers or nature-seekers, that might not be enough for you. I certainly found Prague a rich enough destination to fill three nights.

If I wanted a daytrip from Prague, I would prioritize (very long travel time) Cesky Krumlov, but many posters here consider it over-touristed and not worth the time and money. I happen to disagree. I like a nice walk, but I'm not a "hiker."

Two movies, Last Year at Marienbad, and Zelary, hold some future travel interest for me. Rick mentions "The Three T's", near Cesky Krumlov, but that might benefit from a car and an overnight.

Thank you Tim! We especially love natural land formations and nature so we really want to see this area. Our river trip will have plenty of castles to visit and and will have to skip CK for this trip.

We especially love natural land formations and nature so we really want to see this area.

It may be more economical in terms of time to combine the trip to Regensburg with an impression of the Bohemian Forest (Sumava / Böhmerwald) by taking a small detour via the scenic railroad line Plzen - Bayerisch Eisenstein - Plattling. Make a stop in the beautiful medieval and baroque town of Klatovy. And when you change trains in Zelezná Ruda / Bayerisch Eisenstein, don't forget to take a look at the railroad station hall, through which the border between the two countries passes - marked in the ground. This was once the impenetrable border between the West and the Eastern Bloc. In Plattling you meet the main line Vienna - Nuremberg and reach Regensburg within an hour.

Thank you sla019!! We need to be in Regensburg mid-afternoon on the 30th. Can we do your recommended trip from Prague if we leave early enough and still get to Regensburg in time? I will check out trains.

I could happily spend 3 full days in Prague, but I understand the desire to head toward Dresden also. While technically possible, you might feel you don’t have enough time in Saxon Switzerland as a day trip from Prague to satisfy you without an overnight. But doable? Probably.

What if you went on to Dresden as soon as you arrive (or re-route to arrive there) on the 26th, spend a night and see that area the following day, then train back to Prague for 2 days before Regensburg? I personally would feel rushed, so depends on how badly you want to see it and what your priorities are.

I am thinking we will use Prague as a base. I have changed our reservation to give us 4 days total in Prague (half-day at the front and back). Hopefully one of the days we can take a day-trip/tour from Prague to Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland. I see a number of tours available that are between 10-12 hours and include entrance to the parks. We would be back in Prague in time for a dinner or snack. I am sure I could find a week's worth of things to do in Prague, but I don't want to miss some of the natural beauty outside of Prague. Comments from the experts?

We need to be in Regensburg mid-afternoon on the 30th

If I understand correctly, you want to reach a cruise ship in Regensburg on the same day. In this case my suggestion above would be too risky. Moreover, because of the Ukraine crisis, even the direct connection via Plzen and Furth im Wald is not without risk. Because of the crisis, border controls have been reintroduced, and if they take too long, the train only goes to Schwandorf, and you have to take another one there, which can extend the trip considerably (see the info on www.bahn.com) (1). I would definitely not take a later train than the one at 7:38 (scheduled arrival in Regensburg 11:45), because if something goes wrong, you may easily not arrive before 14:00.
NB. In any case, buy tickets from Czech Railways, they are much cheaper there than elsewhere.

(1) I just see that those silly DB people forgot to translate the warnings into English. For EX 360, dep. Prague 7:38, for example, it runs: "EX 360: Furth im Wald->Schwandorf: Major disruption. Due to the wave of refugees from Ukraine, the Federal Police are currently carrying out border controls on our trains in Furth im Wald. This is causing major delays. As a result, this train may end in Schwandorf and you may have to change trains (possibly to a later train), or you may not reach a connecting train. We apologize for this. Please pay attention to the information provided by our train staff."

Many thanks for this detail. I know that every plan is subject to be upset by current events - Ukraine, Covid, etc. Appreciate the insight you provided.