Planning on a river cruise starting in Prague, first land then Danube to Budapest. Prior to starting in Prague, I would like to extend our vacation. Not sure if we should fly into Venice, been there and love it, take the train to Praque? Or start in Munich, take a bus or train to Prague. Or start our trip in Europe in another city? Time is not a problem, but always looking for a good price on flights to Europe from LAX. Since we are paying a steep price for airfare which city in Europe would be most interesting and economical to fly to? Suggestions welcome.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8166 posts
You'd do best to start your trip in Munich, as you can easily get to Prague from there by train or bus.
Getting from Venice to Vienna or Budapest is a little difficult as the Alps get in the way. And flying is not an inexpensive option everywhere in Europe. Distances can often be longer than they appear on maps.
Munich is a great city with many sights to see. They have a fine airport, also.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
18054 posts
Sig, you can look for towns with a direct, less than 4 hour, train connection to Prague (like Munich), or you can go wild and look at discount non-stop air fare from Prague; and Budapest if you wanted to extend the end of your cruise as opposed to starting early before Prague. I travel to Budapest a lot so my examples will center on Budapest, buy you can find similar into Prague. For instance if you were to spend a day or two in Budapest after arrival then you could leave the bulk of your luggage with the hotel or other accommodation and take a trip to Istanbul, Moscow or Jerusalem for a couple of nights then return to Budapest for a few more days. . Return trip airfare can be had for about $325; and there are cheaper to less exotic locations.
But before you consider that, lets make sure you are spending enough time in Prague and Budapest. Each deserves a minimum of 3 full, complete, sunrise to sunset days. I can help you with Budapest if you are interested.
You are going to have to fly open jaw. If I had to make a wild guess as to the cheapest airfare to a city accessible to Prague by train I would guess Frankfurt or Munich, but its still a long haul to Prague.
This TV add has been running most every night in my town. What is odd is that they mention Nuremburg but 75 percent of the add is filmed in Budapest. http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7wvw/viking-river-cruises-see-things-differently-
Posted by
OP
Prescott, AZ
149 posts
Thank you both for ideas. James the more I think about this trip, the more I am inclined to fly to Munich, explore Munich then take the train or bus to Prague where we start the tour, the AMA Waterways cruise ends in Budapest, featuring a one day tour of Budapest. My plan would be to stay a few extra days in Budapest, so I would welcome any ideas or input. The advantage we have of being retired is, we can go a few days early and stay a few days later, hopefully catch a better airfare? So far in looks like United or one of their travel partners, Luthansa? My email is [email protected]
Posted by
Piedmont Triad, NC
164 posts
Hi Sig, it may be too late for this reply, but EasyJet flies into Prague from various locations, including Paris. You might find a cheap flight that will inspire you. Two years ago, we flew from Prague to Paris for $45! Whatever you decide, your trip sounds amazing. My dad has done several river cruises and loves them.