Our family of 4 adults would like to travel from Prague, reaching Rothenburg ODT in the early afternoon on a Saturday. 1. Should we take the train from Prague to Plzen then buy the Bayern-Bohmen ticket to Rothenburg? Can we buy tickets at the stations? How much will this be? What's the earliest train we can take out of Prague? 2. Should we instead take the bus to Nurnberg then train to Rothenburg? We would prefer more direct routes though, if there is one that will require less changes that will be good because we have 1 medium sized luggage each.
Posted by
Birmingham, USA
41 posts
In 2011 my husband and I spent Christmas in Prague and then drove to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was an easy drive with a GPS to help get us out of Prague. We enjoy traveling by car since it gives us flexiblility. We stopped by a town in Germany called Amberg on our way to Rothenburg. The bridge, originally a part of the town fortifications, has arches that reflect on the river waters resembling a pair of spectacles. It is a walled town with easy parking (1 euro). It has some other interesting sights and when we were there they still had the Christmas tree in the town square. We also had some delicious brat wurst from a street vendor. I know your question was about train travel but thought you might like to consider going by car. We picked up near the Hilton in downtown Prague and returned it at the Prague airport. We always use Kemwell and reserve and pay for the vehicle before we go. Hope you have a fun trip.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19099 posts
Use the German Rail (Bahn) website to find schedules. There used to be a couple of direct trains from Prague to Nürnberg, but today the direct train goes only to Munich. You can take that train as far as Schwandorf, then transfer in Schwandorf to a train to Nürnberg. Or, you can take a regional train to Cheb, then transfer to a train to Nürnberg. The Cheb route is a few minutes faster, but costs more. Both the train to Schwandorf and the train to Cheb go through Plzen. There is a connection leaving Prague at 6:15, connecting through Cheb, and gettiong to RodT at 12:59. Next connection leave Prague at 8:15, arriving RodT at 15:49. With the bus, you could leave at 7:38 and arrive at 12:59. However, AFAIK, the Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket cannot be purchased in Plzen (But, I didn't check the automat in Plzen). You can purchase the Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket online from the Bahn Store, but last I checked, it's only in German. You can purchase a Bayern-Ticket online from the Bahn in English, 34€ for 4 people. That will get you from the first stop in Germany all the way to Rothenburg. If you take the Schwandorf route, purchase a Czech Rail ticket to Furth im Wald (about 10€/P) and use the Bayern-Ticket from there. If you take the Cheb route, buy the CR ticket to Marktredwitz (about 13€). So, if you use a Bayern-Ticket and go through Furth im Wald, the entire trip for four of you will cost 74€. Taking the bus from Prague to Nürnberg will save you one train change (in Cheb or Schwandorf), but you will still have changes in Nürnberg, Ansbach, and Steinach. The fares using the bus to Nürnberg and the trains to Rothenburg start at 29€/P, 116€ for all four. According to ViaMichelin, gas and road tolls from Prague to Rothenburg, not including to cost to rent a car for the day, will cost 63€.