cesky krumlov to split?

hey all,

i was just wondering what is the best way to get from cesky krumlov to split?

i am planning a 14 day break to czrch and croatia. vienna would be point of entry and departure. so i will also need to return to vienna after touring croatia. i am wondering what is the best way to do this.

i saw some cheap flights. but is there a cheaper land option as well? i dont mind making a couple of switches here and there, if need be.

Also, in august - shd hostels be booked in advance? or can u find them after arrival.

thanks!

Will you have a Eurail pass or are you trying to do it as cheap as possible by public transport?

I personally would not combine Czech Republic and Croatia, the connections are not so good between these 2 countries. Especially not if I was flying in and out of Vienna.

If you must, the best way is to fly from Prague to Split.

http://www.whichbudget.com/en/cheapflights.php?from=PRG

Note that Croatia is not part of Schengen, as an Indian citizen you'll need a multiple-entry Schengen visa. This is hard to get, you'll have a much better chance of getting a single-entry Schengen visa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

[ Edit: Edited on 16-May-2009, at 13:52 by t_maia ]

hey, thnaks for the reply.

No i will not be having a eurail pass - since plan is for just 2 countries. so my itenerary looks like this:

- land in vienna
- proceed to prague
- 2- 3 days in prague
- couple of smaller towns in moravia/bohemia, explore castles(2-3 days)
- finish of with cesky krumlov

- proceed to split
- korcula, drubovnik and split (6-7 days )
- return to vienna, fly out

i was planning on using public transport. and in the cesky - vienna - split leg, i am ok with having to make a couple of changes etc . but if it is way too many changes and greater than anight or so, flying may be better.

what dyu think?

yes - it would all ultimately depend on the visa

[ Edit: Edited on 16-May-2009, at 22:46 by aprilsgal ]

I checked on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en for the train schedule from Cesky Krumlov to Split.

The best connection is using the night train from Cesky Budejovice to Zagreb and then continue to Split from Zagreb. The fare would be around 130-160 EUR one-way. Travelling time is a whooping 26:55 hours. You depart Cesky K. at 6 pm and arrive around 8pm the next day in Split (if all trains are on time, which they are often not.) I admit, part of the length of travel is because you have a long wait for your connection in Zagreb, so it would make a lot of sense to spent a few days in Zagreb. But still, under these conditions it will be way cheaper and faster to fly. It costs only 10 EUR to travel to Prague Airport from Cesky K., and you shouldn't have a problem finding a cheap flight from PRG to Split for less than 130 EUR.

[ Edit: Edited on 17-May-2009, at 01:38 by t_maia ]

Never book a hostel in advance. There will always be a bed available in one of the many. The risk in booking a bed - is if your flight is delayed or your train cancelled, you will lose the payment. Not worth it. I've been hostelling all over Europe for years - and haven't booked a bed in advance since my flight to AMS went pear shaped a few years ago and - oh you know the sort of thing.
Sure, it'll mean walking from one to another for a short while, but that's all the fun of travelling. You'll find a bed somewhere, for sure.

hey Maria, great - may be the flights after all. is this something i can look at say weeks before my trip. or will the flights become exhorbitant by then? also any recomendations on czech for some little know rustic spot?

also, how about getting between towns within the country - is the public transport good. like u suggested this bus between prague and cesky.

redpaddy - thanks for that bit of advice. i was worried abt acco - simply cause august is supposed to be a busy season. i dont mind the walking .

thanks a lot guys!!!

Err.. no bus between Prague to Cesky Krumlov. You'll have to take the train.

See http://www.cd.cz/ (or alternatively the German bahn site) for schedules.

And if you heard all about the fantastic rail system in Europe - unfortunately this does not apply to the Czech Rail system. The ultra cheap rail fares in Czech R. come at a price - old trains that are slow. But they get you were you want to go, so it is possible to use them without too many problems.

And you should book flights from Prague to Split as far in advance as possible. One or two weeks before departure prices will be very high, high enough that the train will be the cheaper option.

Cesky Krumlov is a little rustic spot - corners of it are still the same as they were 20 years ago. Unfortunately it is quite well-known. There are some other towns though that are nice - Karlovy Vary for example. And if you are interested in a trip into Germany take a look at Dresden.

BTW, Cesky Krumlov is quite small. If you come late in the evening I would suggest calling ahead to make sure you have a place to stay. So don't book ahead, but don't just drop in either. You have better things to do (like sightseeing) than to hunt for a hostel bed all over town after you get off the train.

hey !

thanks for that reply - i havent been able to reply in between. will try to lock in on flights as soon as possible then!!!
karlovy vary also sounds interesting - will come back to u for more suggestions once i have the basic stuff planned out.

thanks again!

If you do make it to Cesky Kromlov i would seriously recommend staying in Hostel 99, i stayed there last year while going around eastern europe and did not want to leave.

It is clean, the staff are friendly and has a ok bar that serves good food and not to expensive.

A beautiful part of the world

Matt

@ matt! thanks - i will def look that up.

i have a rough itenerary for what we should be doing in czech -

- 3 days in Prague ( with a day trip to terezin)
- go to to karlovy vary (overnight stay here)
- 2 to 3 days in cesky krumlov exploring some castles and greenery and some fo these paces - nova hardy, jindrichuv, telc...

this is before we head of to the next country... does this sound alright?