Honeymoon Travel Between Countries- Prague > Vienna > Switzerland

Posted by nickeb on 12/30/17 12:43 AM

Hi All! We are planning our honeymoon, and want to maximize our time spent in each country. We plan to spend 3 nights in Prague, 4 nights in Vienna (room for day trips), and the remaining week in Switzerland. Our plan is to hit the Berner Oberland (likely Murren) and round out the trip in Lucerne. Looking for recommendations on how to travel between countries, i.e. what rail passes may benefit us. Would a flight be best between Prague and Vienna to reduce transit time? Our understanding is while the train from Vienna to Murren is a long one, it is quite scenic and worth train over flight.

Having a hard time understanding the difference between train sites, and how to acquire rail passes. Any help is much appreciated!

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

12/30/17 01:21 AM

16894 posts

I recommend reading about rail passes starting from our Switzerland page, since that's the majority of your train travel.

You only have two significant train rides outside of Switzerland, so you might go ahead and commit to dates and times for advance-discount tickets on those routes, Prague-Vienna and Vienna-Chur, both sold by the Austrian railways (www.oebb.at) starting about 3 months in advance, give or take. A Swiss Travel Pass (probably the version for 8 consecutive days) or a Half-Fare Card would kick in from that border crossing point. You can't buy these passes more than 6 months ahead.

A 3-country Select Pass only comes in 1st class for adults age 28 or older, so that can make it more expensive. If you have one, the trains on your route don't require seat reservations; they're optional. Note that the youth age cut-off is different for the Swiss products - under age 26. You'll find more coverage comparisons on the link above.

Posted by David

Huntsville, AL, USA

12/30/17 03:17 AM

8176 posts

Why don't you just travel to Tirol in Western Austria. It is incredibly beautiful country that is easier and cheaper to travel through than Switzerland. It is also in very close proximity to Virnna--south of Salzburg. After all, the Alps are the Alps.

Posted by Ilja

Seattle

12/30/17 03:24 AM

4637 posts

Flight between Prague and Vienna would not reduce transit time. If you count the travel to and from the airports, you have to be at the airport 1.5 to 2 hours ahead, flight itself takes almost 1 hour and it takes easily more than train ride (little under 4 hours) plus all that hassle nowadays associated with flying. Go by train. You won't need railpass. Buy point to point. Czech railroads usually have cheaper tickets than Austrian so check prices on both.

Posted by Harold

New York, NY, USA

12/31/17 02:44 AM

11294 posts

"Having a hard time understanding the difference between train sites, and how to acquire rail passes. Any help is much appreciated! "

The rail guru who will explain it all is The Man In Seat 61. His website has tons of information; a few hours spent there will make everything much clearer.

To start, here is his introduction to European rail travel: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm

Here is his discussion of rail passes. Make sure you understand ALL his points before buying any passes: https://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#railpass-or-point-to-point-tickets

Here's his guide on where to buy tickets for each route: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm

On the left of each page, he has links to various European (and other) countries. The country pages start with how to get there from London; scroll down to learn about travel within the country.