My husband and I are touring Krakow, Prague, and Vienna for 10 days this month, and are still undecided on how to divide our time. Some ideas are: Krakow (4), Prague (3), Vienna (3); OR Krakow (3), Prague (3), Cesky Krumlov (1), Vienna (3); OR Krakow (3), Prague (3), Vienna (4). We want to experience all 3 places, but not feel overly rushed. We love large cities as well as small towns, and enjoy art/history as much as experiencing the vibe of a city in bars and cafes. Any suggestions from those who have been? Thanks!
Posted by
OP
Seattle
2 posts
Thank you all so much! We are going to do the 3,3,1,3 based on what appears to be collective agreement. To save time (and not lose our day in CK in transport/trying to figure out trains, etc.), we are going to book Mike's Chauffeur's "Panoramic Transfer to Vienna," (in RS if anyone's interested) where he picks you up in Prague at 8am, drives you to CK for a full day, and then transports you to Vienna in the evening. It's pricier than training it, but time in Europe is irreplaceable. Thank you all again.
Posted by
Philadelphia
655 posts
I would vote for the 3-3-1-3 including Cesky Krumlov, a small, picturesque town which will provide you a nice contrast to the cities. Three days is enough for the others. You could probably limit Prague to two days.
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
Krakow is quite smaller than the other two cities so 2 days for Krakow, 1 for salt mine Wieliczka and Auschwitz (close to Krakow), Vienna and Prague each 3 days, Cesky Krumlov 1 day. Then, of course, you will lose some time in transport.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
1525 posts
I geneally agree with the 3+3+1+3 including C.K., but I'm not a big fan of urban-only trips. Adding Cesky Krumlov helps break the cities up, but I would go a step further;
Either while in Vienna or en route to/from Vienna, I would spend 6-8 hours doing the Melk-Krems Danube river visit (it's well described in the RS Vienna/Austria book). Depending on how you schedule it, it still leaves you with roughly 2 1/2 days in Vienna and/or Prague.
Don't take away a day from Krakow if you are going to see Auschwitz, because that will take most of a day, itself, and it's worth it.
All three cities are great and if you really wanted to cover them you could easily double your time there. But if you want to see how people live, the culture, the geography of a place, you have to step back from the cities a little and set foot in the countryside for a bit.