My wife. & I are doing a zig-zag trip through Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and back to CZ. The trip is in that order. We’ve got train tickets Prague to Berlin then to Krakow, but now we need to go Pilsen via Prague. The rate seems to fluctuate but thats not a big concern but the big ALERT on the ticket page says that there will be track repairs during our travel time, May 6th. I’m sure we’ll need to do a transfer in Prague and we don’t want to miss the train. So, my question is; do we not worry about is or might we just fly? We’ve train travelers and never flown in Europe, any problems? George from Monterey CA
Posted by
Chicago
504 posts
There might be cause for worry.
In 2015, I visited Poland, Hungary and Austria. Prior to leaving, I bought a Eurail Pass good in those countries. The second leg of my trip was to go from Krakow to Budapest with a switch of trains in Katowice, Poland, and in the Czech Republic.
There was an alert because infrastructure work was under way on Polish rail between Krakow and the Katowice junction. No problem, the Eurail sales in the U.S. said. Just take the bus from Krakow to Katowice: Your ticket entitles you to get on the bus.
Except this was rubbish. The morning I showed up in the Krakow bus station, I dutifully showed my Eurail Pass, expecting I would be waived on. I wasn't. I was told I had to pay the bus ticket. It was only $15, but I felt Eurail Pass in the U.S. screwed up. Also, the bus was late to Katowice by 30 minutes, meaning I missed my train to Budapest and spent the night in Katowice.
In a way, I didn't mind. A good traveler adopts to unexpected issues, and I found Katowice to be a fascinating city. However, I had one less day in Budapest.
You should plan to take a plane, have contingency plans or adopt on the fly.
Posted by
OP
Monterey, CA
3 posts
Thanks Craig, before your letter we decided to not chance the train. But looking into flights it got pretty complicated, leave Krakow around 6 am and with one or more transfers getting into Pilsen at 5 pm! So, we’ve decided to skip Pilsen (where my parents met after the war) and fly directly to Vienna, where a cousin lives then but/train to Brno where I was born. Thanks again for confirming my decision. And thanks RS’s Forum for providing this service!