My favourite time of day to explore Prague was late at night. After dark, the crowds of tourists disappear, but the city is still very much alive. Seeing Prague’s important monuments and buildings lit up against the dark night sky, added an element of romance to an already fairytale-like city. We happily wandered the streets…
As much as I adored Prague, I was eager to make a side trip out of the city to explore a bit more of the Czech Republic. We decided to do a day trip to Kutná Hora, a sleepy Bohemian town that’s only a short bus ride from Prague. Not only were there several things…
Nice post guys. We’re in Prague right now and Kutna Hora is on the list for the next couple of weeks. Tried not looking at the photos (I try not looking at photos of a place I’m going to) but enjoyed the read. As you say, there’s more to the Czech Republic than Prague and we’ve got a bunch of small towns on the list – a chance to get away from all those young drunk partiers in the capital!
Frank (bbqboy)July 13, 2014 – 11:34 amReplyCancel
Sounds like you’ll have a lot of time to explore the country! I would like to go back because we didn’t have enough time to see all the places I wanted to visit. I also like to escape to the smaller towns and get away from the busyness of the big cities. Enjoy the rest of your trip and I look forward to reading about your adventures when you return!July 14, 2014 – 11:49 amReplyCancel
Hey Guys! Well, we had our outing to Kutna Hora. Loved the town. And it is definitely worth seeing – amazing that you can leave Prague and suddenly see so few tourists (in Kutna Hora itself. Lots at Sedlec). And the Cathedral is stupendous and a much more pleasurable experience to visit than St. Vitus in Prague. No tourist hordes. I really think the place is a must see.
First time I looked at your post I tried not looking at the photos because we were going ourselves. I revisited your post and its funny how we ended up with very similar photos (the weather being slightly different).
Anyway, always fun reading similar experiences!
Frank (bbqboy)September 15, 2014 – 8:02 amReplyCancel
In Part One of our self-guided walk around Prague, we explored the Old Town, enjoying the architecture and atmosphere of Old Town Square, and the contrasts of the Jewish Quarter. When we last left off, we were crossing the iconic Charles Bridge, arriving into Malá Strana, also known as Prague’s Lesser Town. Greeting us at the…
Super description Rhonda, only one thing to add in the Castle section in that when you leave Golden Lane and turn left under the black tower, immediately on your right is the entry to the South gardens. You can get back to the main Castle entry via the gardens and they have stunning scenic viewing points over the city. Little tips from livingprague.com.September 7, 2014 – 5:17 pmReplyCancel
Arriving in Prague, I was speechless. I almost had to pinch myself to make sure what I was seeing was in fact real, and not a scene torn from the pages of a children’s fairytale book. You see, Prague has all the elements of great fairytale- cobblestone streets, alluring architecture, enchanting spires, and of course,…
Prague, with all its medieval charm and beauty, is a main attraction in and of itself. The city has so much to offer adoring visitors, but it’s a clock that attracts some of the biggest crowds, stealing the show at the top of every hour. Hundreds of visitors gather around Prague’s astronomical clock to see…
I’ve come to accept the fact that I am an emotional traveller. On more than one occasion, I’ve been moved to tears by places I’ve visited. Sometimes it’s because I’m overwhelmed by the beauty, other times it’s because I’ve waited so long to visit, I can’t believe I’m actually there. Prague made me teary eyed…
Nice reading this post – I intentionally skipped the photos because we’ll be there this coming summer, using Prague as a base for 2 months. I like being surprised and prefer to leave the visual for when we get there. But sounds like you loved it which is reassuring!
Frank (bbqboy)January 29, 2014 – 11:04 pmReplyCancel
The street music really was amazing in Prague, the only other place I can think of that rivals it is New Orleans and that’s a totally different style. The street food stalls look and smell fantastic in Prague too.
Prague was never really on my radar but friends rave about it, so we got cheap bus tickets over from when we were in Berlin and I’m so glad we went.February 9, 2014 – 2:45 pmReplyCancel
I went through your Prague trip report and wanted to read more about you..As you have been to Prague please can you give me some travel tips about it…I have also planned an Prague trip itinerary..feel free to add some taste to it from your side…
Thanks a lot..All d best for future traveling..March 14, 2014 – 4:08 amReplyCancel
I looked at your itinerary & it looks pretty good. You’ve included some things that we didn’t get a chance to see. The only thing I would add, is to walk across Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town (Mala Strana) and visit the Castle Quarter. We didn’t go inside any of the buildings, but it still was nice to wander around the complex. Plus, you get some great views of the city from up there! Have fun on your trip!March 15, 2014 – 10:41 amReplyCancel
In 1980 after the death of John Lennon, an image of the former Beatle member was painted on an ordinary wall in a secluded square, across from the French Embassy in Prague. Soon after, the youth of Prague filled the wall with other John Lennon-inspired graffiti and Beatles lyrics, turning the wall into a symbolic…
Flipping through a brochure offering excursions from Prague, I came to a listing for the UNESCO Heritage Site, Kutna Hora. “Silver mining town…former Royal Mint…15th century stone fountain…” Sounds alright, but I wasn’t sold yet. Reading on further I came to this: “You also will visit one of the most interesting burial grounds in the world-…
For our honeymoon, Mike and I decided to spend five weeks in Europe. We travelled to six different countries experiencing everything from small lakeside villages in the mountains, to one of the world’s most popular festivals. I’ll admit it, I planned a very ambitious (and detailed) itinerary for our five weeks in Europe. I left…
Thanks so much for this. We did a whirlwind 3-month European adventure a few years ago… 17 countries – wow! We are planning a trip back to Germany in the next year or two as our sister-in-law is originally from a little village outside of Bamberg. And we want to go see her family. I can’t wait to check out some of the other towns you listed! Also, I went to uni with Mike and just wanted to say a huge congratulations to the both of you. I’m so glad he found his soul-mate. xxx CaramiaNovember 10, 2013 – 3:37 amReplyCancel
Fantastic post and beautiful photos – you’ve really showcased the places you visited perfectly. I love all your comments on the German towns you visited. These are all on my next European itinerary so your comments are really useful. I look forward to reading more of your posts.November 11, 2013 – 3:00 pmReplyCancel
Interesting post – you covered a lot of places on that trip! We did some of the same spots a few years ago. I was also very impressed by Regensburg, not a place many people go to. Enjoyed, like you, Munich and Fussen (but disappointed by the Neuschwanstein tour as well). Heidelberg we found pretty but overly touristy, kind of felt the same way about Salzberg. We actually ended up being big fans of Germany – and your German photos especially are fantastic. You almost expect Hansel and Gretel to show up…
Great job,
Frank (bbqboy)November 26, 2013 – 9:19 amReplyCancel
I love your hit / miss approach. Definitely a different approach but that’s just makes it even better — and more insightful! For example although I’ve never been to Budapest (although I really want to) I have heard lots about their thermal baths. Everyone else that has written about them only speaks of the good — I’ve never heard anyone mention of the downsides, namely the rude staff that y’all experienced. Shame to hear but I appreciate your candor. Travel isn’t always a perfect experience but I feel all too often bloggers only write about the good and leave out the bad. For not doing so I just really want to say THANKS! Keep up the good work :)March 12, 2014 – 11:43 amReplyCancel
Thanks Derek. I always try to be honest about our experiences, even if they are not so great. Travel is still real life- many things are wonderful, but sometimes a few disappointments sneak in there. I think we would be doing readers a disservice if we didn’t write about our struggles, but I always try to convey that our experience, is nothing more than our experience. Someone else can have a completely different experience/opinion of a place and that’s okay. As for the baths in Budapest, I had read many reviews on Trip Advisor that were almost identical to our experience, but many blog posts that were opposite of what we experienced. I wrote a more in-depth review article about the baths, highlighting both the positives and the negatives, but I made sure to tell readers that our experience is just that- our experience. I think people should still go and try things out for themselves, but a little heads up about what they may encounter is nice!March 12, 2014 – 6:19 pmReplyCancel
We’re heading on a 6-week trip to Europe this summer, including several of the places you guys visited! (Munich, Fussen, Rothenburg, Cologne, Burges, Brussels, Hallstatt, and Salzburg!) Thanks for the inspiration! I will be trolling around your blog for more tips! :) (I’m very much a detailed planner, like you!) I look forward to all of the wonderful memories (and tips) I’ll be able to write about when we return! :)April 1, 2014 – 3:05 amReplyCancel
I love your blog so much. My sister and I went to some of those places in 2013. We have same opinion that Salzburg is truly amazing old town.. We love Neuswantein dearly. We do have the same problem in Paris. Paris is beautiful city but it was slowly lost its charm due to the smell, vandalism… We plan to go to Hallstatt next year…June 9, 2014 – 1:05 amReplyCancel
Hi there planning a two week trip next year paris for 6 days then on to munich and area my question is should we spend a night in rothenburg and a night in salzburg or just stay in munich and do day trips? Should we skip ludwigs castles is it really worth 30min tour of each ?? Thanks so much love your blog!June 24, 2014 – 3:39 pmReplyCancel
Nice job on this recap! Like you, we spent five weeks in Europe earlier this year on our way to the Winter Olympics. It was fun to see your impressions of the places we have mutually visited. Your itinerary, like ours this time, was quite ambitious, as my husband had never been. At times it felt as though we were doing reconnaissance, anticipating return visits in more depth. Now we are embarking on a “deliberately homeless” two-year round the world trip so that we can slow down. I appreciated your impressions of the places in Germany and Belgium we have yet to see and will add them for the Europe leg. Safe travels and Aloha!July 11, 2014 – 7:02 pmReplyCancel
hi i was online looking for tips to travel europe and as i have never been there i found your article very helpful thanks a lot for sharing it. i would really appreciate if there is a way i can get your itinerary where to traveled when and how. i would understand if you do not wish to share it. thanks again for this article.July 28, 2014 – 11:48 amReplyCancel
That’s a fantastic itinerary, though as a local I would definitely opt for more time in France!
In case you’ve liked Strasbourg so much, you would definitely love Colmar even more! It’s even more colorful and fairy-tale like :) The small city in France is – the more allure it has, actually.
Your photos are fantastic!
P.s. yep, ice-cream in Petite France is an absolute yum!August 18, 2014 – 6:35 amReplyCancel
Hi! Wow that was great! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I’m starting to plan my honeymoon trip for next year 5 weeks in April-May and I don’t even know where or how to begin it. Your hit and misses really have me a great platform to start on. Thank youSeptember 5, 2014 – 10:34 pmReplyCancel
I just stumbled across your blog, Rhonda, and have spent far to much time reading it when I should be doing something more productive. I always get suckered in by good writing.
My wife and I have been to quite a number of the places that you mentioned here and can never decided which to return to. With one exception.
At the end of every trip to Europe, we spend the last four to five days in….. Paris. We have been there the last three years running, and, maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but I have never noticed the bad odor that you mentioned.
If you want bad smells my wife would encourage you to visit Rouen in Normandy. She swears that the whole town smells of dog p..s.(Had to be delicate there.)
At any rate, have been enjoying your blog immensely.
Bonne journéeOctober 19, 2014 – 5:01 pmReplyCancel
Thanks for your kind compliments, Arnie. I’m glad you have been enjoying my blog! My husband and I could also keep returning to Paris again and again. I’ve been twice now, but still don’t feel like I’ve seen and experienced all that I want to. I think for any future travels to Europe, we will try and use Paris as our starting point. If only it weren’t so expensive! Happy travels!October 20, 2014 – 10:22 amReplyCancel
Hi there! Thank you for this post! I am planning a trip to Europe for next year and I found this really helpful! I was curious about how you structured your itinerary. When you say you spent 1 day in a certain place, do you mean one full day without traveling, or is that with traveling to/from the city?October 25, 2014 – 5:23 pmReplyCancel
Hi Jackie! I’m glad you found this post helpful. To answer your question, the amount of time I stated we were in a city is the actual time we had to explore (it doesn’t include travel time). So for Budapest, I said 3.5 days because that’s how much time we were actually in the city. We arrived early afternoon and then had another 3 full days to enjoy. Hope this helps. Have fun planning your trip!October 27, 2014 – 5:11 pmReplyCancel
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your trip, it was a great read and very helpful.
We are going to Europe for 4 weeks in ‘May 2015 and im struggling to work out how long everywhere. Some people say you have to stay a few days everywhere or you waste too much time travelling and get too tired .
Ive noticed alot of organised tours only do 1-2 night stays. There is so many places I want to see . What are your thoughts on overnighters? Is it difficult with luggage and check in & out times?
Originallly i had planned london-paris-venice-rome-munich-amsterdam-brussells-mannheim(our son is playing hockey representing australia here for our last 6 days). I was planning 4 nights/3 full days in each but now wonder if 2 full days is enough after reading your post?
We are late 30’s and fit and have our 13 yr old daughter in toe as our son travels with his team.
I always struggle with deciding how long to stay in one place. On one hand, I like to see a city in depth, but I also like to see many different places in a country.
When I’m planning a trip, I make a list of places I “must-see” in a city, and then another list of places that would be nice to visit if we have time. Then I look on a city map how far apart the attractions are, and use that to estimate how much time we need getting from place to place. In Europe, many of the cities are compact with the main sights close together, so you actually can see quite a lot in a day if you wanted to.
For bigger cities, I like to spend at least 2-3 days, but for smaller towns, I have no issue with only spending one night. If possible, I try to arrange it so that we have a few over-nighters in a row, then take a travel break with a few days in one place. This way we didn’t get too tired or feel like we were travelling all the time. We also tried to do day trips if possible.
I never unpack my suitcase, so the luggage wasn’t an issue. We always took an early morning train in order to maximize our days. Most places we arrived at late morning/early afternoon which still left us half the day to explore. We found train travel to be really relaxing, so that helped with not feeling too tired.
I can’t really tell you if 3 days is too much because it depends on what you want to see. If you get bored, you can always do a day trip somewhere. Munich wasn’t my favourite city, but there are a lot of great places you can see on a day trip around there. For myself- 3 days in Brussels would have been way too much, but you could look into doing day trips to Bruges and Ghent from there. I wouldn’t take away time from Paris or Rome though- both incredible cities!
Hope this helps. It’s hard to give advice for things like this because everyone’s travel style is so different. I personally don’t travel to relax- I want to see as much as possible, so I don’t mind getting up early, travelling around, and returning home tired. But, that’s not for everyone (my husband included lol!)January 17, 2015 – 10:40 amReplyCancel
Hi there, I am a relatively new traveler and I will be spending a month or so this summer traveling Europe by myself after my abroad program ends. I am trying to lay out an itinerary for myself but I am also trying to figure out the best way to get from place to place. Your itinerary looks quite similar to what I had envisioned and I was hoping you could let me know how you got from place to place. Any information you can give me would be a big help. Thank you!March 11, 2015 – 11:31 amReplyCancel
I feel the same way about planning a trip as you do! I also faced people saying it would not be convenient to book everything in advance and plan what to do. But for me it’s definitely the best way to travel because you don’t have to use your valuable time abroad doing that.
I’m also a big fan of these hits and miss styled posts. I really like the way you approach travelling in your blog in general as well. It’s refreshing somehow. Thank you! :)October 4, 2015 – 3:46 pmReplyCancel
Loved your trip review! I’m going on a Danube rivercruise next week that starts in Budapest and ends in Nuremburg. We had planned a couple of days in Salzburg afterward but now are thinking of staying in Nuremburg and taking day trips from there. Would you recommend Regensburg and Bamberg as the best daytrips from Nuremburg?October 8, 2015 – 3:33 pmReplyCancel
Great idea to spend some extra days in Nuremberg! I wish I had planned for more time there. We enjoyed both Regensburg and Bamberg, but would maybe give a slight edge to Regensburg, if I had to pick only one. But both towns were great! Another option would be Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This was my favourite place in Germany! Most people do it as a day trip, but I’m really glad we spent the night so we could enjoy it without all the crowds. Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise!October 8, 2015 – 4:01 pmReplyCancel
Hi Rhonda,
How did you go about budgeting for this trip? This is the hardest part for me, as I have planned an itinery myself, however just want to make sure we are not leaving ourselves short.
Also how did you go with the trains and finding your way around to your accommodation everytime, is this time consuming? or did you just catch taxi’s etc?March 3, 2016 – 8:02 pmReplyCancel
Hi Peita! When it comes to budgeting, we honestly don’t worry too much about that while we’re on the trip. We almost always use our airmiles/points for flights, so really only budget for mid-range hotels and train passes to get from city to city. Once we’re there, we do everything we’re interested in and not worry about the cost. We actually have a box that we throw all our spare change in and we use this as our spending money for our trips (it’s amazing how all that change can add up!)
I always tried to book hotels that were sort of halfway between the train station we’d be arriving at and the main tourist areas, also not far from a subway stop. Sometimes we’d walk to our hotel, sometimes we’d take the subway or a cab. Since we were staying so close to the train station, cab rides weren’t very expensive.
Hope this helps with your planning!March 4, 2016 – 9:08 amReplyCancel
i think i have like 10 tabs open here. what a great idea for a blog post, this is super helpful. we were going to do an overnight in munich, after 2 nights in salzburg, but i thought it was just getting a bit too fast paced, and since we’ll have a rental car, parking is expensive. i figure i will likely visit munich on its own than st. gilgan in austria, or the wachau valley. how i wanted to drive the romantic road! oh well, next time. from our week in the alps, we are driving down to lake bled and spending 2 nights in ljubiana, have you been?
bMarch 17, 2016 – 11:55 amReplyCancel
This post is exactly what I have been looking for! I am trying to plan an itinerary for my Europe trip and have had no luck looking online. Yours seems perfect the only thing I would have loved to know is travel time and the way you travelled between each place. I am super organised when I travel and I am really struggling with a Europe itinerary and where to find one with travel times and best way to travel :(April 24, 2016 – 4:01 pmReplyCancel
Hi Hailey! I’m glad you’ve found this post helpful for planning your own trip. I’ve gone and added the travel time between destinations, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, so thanks for the reminder! We took the train almost everywhere and rented a car once. Train is definitely our favourite way to travel in Europe. It’s easy, fast and efficient. Good luck with the rest of your planning!April 25, 2016 – 5:22 pmReplyCancel
I found your blog while searching for a 5 week itinerary for a trip to Europe. I really enjoyed reading about your trip but I couldn’t help but laugh about what happened on your walking tour in Prague. Something similar happened to us while my husband and I were in Cordoba, Spain. It was our first time taking a walking tour, we even paid for it because we wanted to skip the long lines to the Mesquita. The tour was so awful that we wanted to leave. Like you, we’re polite Canadians and we simply couldn’t bear the thought of being rude.July 25, 2017 – 7:36 pmReplyCancel
Oh no! It’s always unfortunate when a tour is not what you expected. I still regret doing that one in Prague because it made us miss out on other places we wanted to visit. I think a good guide is knowledgeable but a great guide knows how to read (and cater to) his/her audience.July 26, 2017 – 8:27 pmReplyCancel
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your post and the pictures are beautiful! I’m planning a 3-week trip to Germany currently and some of the same places are on my list! I’ve been reading various blogs to try to get ideas and information. I have to say, yours is the first that informed about having to pay for public restrooms, that is very good to know as I will be bringing my daughter!
I’m curious – there don’t appear to be a ton of people in your pictures, which is appealing to me to not have to deal with as large of crowds. Do you mind sharing during what month(s) you visited the Germany portion of your trip?March 22, 2018 – 11:47 amReplyCancel
Your photos are really amazing and especially the Ice cave. Everything is summarized so well. I am visiting Austria in September 2018. Will be staying 5 days in Vienna, 3 days in Salzburg. Planning for a day tour to Melk from Vienna and a day tour to Hallstatt from Salzburg. Is the Vienna Pass worth? Please give suggestions from where to shop souvenirs and must buys in Austria. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thank You!July 23, 2018 – 2:24 amReplyCancel
Thank you! We bought the Vienna Card and only saved a tiny bit of money. We wouldn’t buy it again. You can see our review of it here: https://www.travelyesplease.com/travel-blog-vienna-card/ I don’t like to shop so can’t help you on the souvenir question- sorry!August 3, 2018 – 9:52 amReplyCancel
I found your blog while browsing for things to see and do in Salzburg, and liked it so much that i started reading your other posts. I like this idea of hits and misses very much – very useful to start you off, and then point you to more in depth articles. But you really lost me when you said that you found Vienna boring. To each his own, I guess, but I like Vienna very much (but then again I am that person you never met, who found Prague quite underwhelming). I agree with you that the city is too expensive, but there is so many great things to do and see, and a lot of it even for free. I visited Vienna several times, never for less than a week, and never found a minute of it boring. I also think that you lose much when you visit a city famous for its museums, and then don’t go to the museums. On the other hand, I think that you can skip going to a classical concert (especially on your first visit and/or if you are only staying for a short time). A lot of the concerts are just tourist traps – expensive, and not that good.Anyway, keep up the good writing, and I’ll keep reading, even if I sometimes disagree :)August 24, 2018 – 7:20 pmReplyCancel
Last year, Travel Supermarket launched a photo contest for travel bloggers called Capture the Colour. It was so successful, that this year they are doing it again. I had never heard of this contest before and just started our blog a few months ago, so when I was nominated to participate by fellow Edmontonian and…
Great pics – our fave is probably the blue! Thx for nominating us, we would love to enter but may not make the deadline. Will see if we can sneak it in when we get home tonight, seeing as we are in Australia… We might still make the cut-off date! Thanks again & gorgeous photos there!October 8, 2013 – 1:45 pmReplyCancel
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Frank - Hi Rhonda – hey where are you guys right now? We’re in Prague and I was just getting set to post on a night tour we took here (a Ghost Tour). If you’re ever in the same city we could maybe meet up for a beer?
Great pics!
Frank (bbqboy)July 17, 2014 – 4:50 pm
Rhonda Krause - We’re home in Edmonton, getting ready to leave for Alaska in a few days. Yes, we should meet up if we ever cross paths! We wanted to do the ghost tour in Prague but ran out of time (and energy). Can’t wait to read all about it!July 17, 2014 – 4:56 pm
Frank - Shame, would have been nice to meet you. I’ll post in sometime tomorrow.
Alaska – ooohh, that should be fun!July 17, 2014 – 5:03 pm
Milena Yordanova - Brilliant photos! Prague is so romantic at night.July 18, 2014 – 1:30 am
Laura @Travelocafe - I love this night shots… really lovely pics.July 18, 2014 – 3:05 am
Emma @ Everyday Postcard - Beautiful photos! I have to agree, I liked Prague during the day but I fell in love with the city at night.July 19, 2014 – 11:08 pm
Claudia - WOW, nice shots!August 8, 2014 – 10:42 am
Rhonda Krause - Thanks so much, Claudia!August 8, 2014 – 11:27 am
Marsha - Great pictures at night. I now wish I had returned especially to the Charles Bridge late at night. I was there in the evening when there was oodles of people. This seems so peaceful. I love night pictures!!August 14, 2014 – 11:41 am
Rhonda Krause - Thanks! Charles Bridge was definitely more pleasant late at night, once the crowds had gone. I had so much fun photographing Prague at night!August 14, 2014 – 12:12 pm
Uptourist - The buildings in Prague are so beautiful. It is like they are lit from the frames. So beautiful.March 25, 2015 – 11:28 pm