Hello, We are staying 4 days in Prague and then on to Vienna and Budapest. We would like to stay for a couple of nights in a small town near the Danube. We could use some help with this question, "What would be the best way to go from Prague to the Danube near Melk? We are looking for a small town to stay for a couple of days before traveling on to Vienna. We want to take a day trip on a boat on the Danube. Your help is most appreciated! Bill
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
19 posts
Bill, I can't help you with the trip from Prague, but I would recommend that you stay in Melk on the Danube. You can tour the stift Melk in the morning (i think it opens at 9) and then catch one of the two boats that will take you down the Danube though the Wachau valley to Krems. You can stay in Krems (or anyone of the small towns that the boat will take you too). Or you can stay in Krems (which really isn't a small town however.) From Krems you can take the train into Vienna. The two boat companies that operate between Melk and Krems are the Brander at http://www.brandner.at/partner/brandner/english/f_default.asp and DDSG at http://www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/eng/index.php Good luck. Dirk
Posted by
Paris
10201 posts
Dirk is right on with his suggestions. We did this and loved it. I don't know if it would be possible for you to build another day or two into your trip? Essentially, if you go be train, you want to go from Prague to Linz, Austria (you're traveling in a sputhwesterly direction) and then in Linz, change for an eastbound train that will stop at Melk. The problem is that Prague to Linz is something like 7 or 8 hours according to the Deutschebahn website, and that's a long ride. We broke it up by stopping first in Ceske Budejovice and Cesky Krumlov, which broke it into more manageable pieces (and Cesky Krumlov, in particular, is stunning). Linz to Melk takes anywhere from just over an hour to almost 2 hours depending on what train you get. I don't know too much about budget airlines in Central Europe; maybe someone will have a suggestion that would help. Melk is simply amazing. I've traveled a lot and seen a lot of churches, but when I walked into that Baroque riot, my jaw dropped. Its position is stunning too. You won't regret going!
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
And if you need a hotel in Melk, I'll recommend Goldener Stern.
Posted by
Paris
10201 posts
Michael that's where we stayed, and loved it! But I was wary of recommending a hotel based on a stay that was 14 years ago. Glad that someone with more recent experience can vouch for it.