Train to Cesky Krumlov

MisterSteve
Traveller
896 comments

what do you mean you "can't get access to trains to Cesky Krumlov"? They should appear in a good timetable planner (possibly not the Eurail App because it isn't one of those) but all but one train pair per day on the České Budějovice - Černý Kříž line are operated by GW Train Regio who do not accept the pass. That one train pair only covers the section České Budějovice - Český Krumlov as IC533 which begins in Prague at 09:29 arrives Český Krumlov at 11:52 and returns to Prague at 14:07 as IC 534 - the pass is valid on this pair of trains so they should appear in teh App, whether it will let you make reservations is a different matter.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Thanks for your reply. I was using the Eurail Rail Planner App and every train to Cesky Krumlov comes up “Not in Pass network”. Unfortunately, our day begins in Vienna and we’re going to Cesky Krumlov before we go to Prague, so we’ll miss the connection you give.

MisterSteve
Traveller
896 comments

That would have been a tiresome itinery even with pass validity, Český Krumlov has poor transport from the Austrian side so you have to go the long way round.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Yes, so I’ve discovered!

nltrainer
Traveller
1333 comments

IF yo do not mind spending the odd €-a direct BUS, local-pay driver, from Ceske Budejovice is best-the tiny nadrazi of CK (=station) is also quite far away from ''town'', the bus not-as is quite often the case anyway in CZ. JU+SEnior pay only half price of what are already low fares anyway for buses in CZ
It is also quite possible that the tiny local trains on that line are NOT anymore by CD=-the state rail that accepts passes and this would also mean youi would need to pay for the ''private'' other train comp. There are sevweral very good all-transpo plannes for In CZ-dr google knows them all.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Hey, thanks for this. We’ll take your advice and grab a bus to CK.

MisterSteve
Traveller
896 comments

That just adds confusion to the plan. The problem wasn't a lack of trains from České Budějovice to České Krumlov, it was that most don't accept the pass - and that coming from Vienna via České Budějovice is an indirect route. If you accept the inconvenience of travelling via České Budějovice then you may as well pay the small amount extra for the local train (from the same station) to České Krumlov instead of dragging your luggage outisde to hunt for the correct bus stop. If you could reverse the itinery and visit Vienna after České Krumlov (and there after Prague) there may be a viable option of a local taxi from České Krumlov to Kaplice station (about 10 miles) - this doesn't work in the original direction because Kaplice station is actually way outside the town of that name and doesn't have waiting taxis.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Thanks MisterSteve. We don’t have the option of reversing our itinerary, as we already booked and paid for hotels in Vienna, CK, and Prague, in that order. We’ve come from Portugal through Spain, France, Italy and Slovenia and thought doing a bit of a horseshoe route (continuing to Berlin and ending in Amsterdam) would make sense. Too bad we didn’t have this information months ago when we were planning, as we had no idea the route was a bit backwards.

MisterSteve
Traveller
896 comments

České Krumlov is too far off that route for a short visit. It would make more sense to get the direct train from Vienna to Prague. On a map follow the main railway Ústí nad Labem - Děčín - Bad Schandau - Dresden, the area around the border is national park in both countries so you could fill the time allocated to CK in that area. This is the route of the Prague-Berlin trains so you wouldn't be making time consuming detours.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

We have four days in CK and four days in Prague, in that order, rooms already paid for. So you’re suggesting we go direct from Vienna to Prague and then Prague to CK the same day so we only use one Eurail travel day? The other option, I suppose is to rent a car in Prague and drive to CK. I’m bound and determined to go to CK because my son was there 25 years ago and it has special meaning to us both.

MisterSteve
Traveller
896 comments

In that case you are committed. There is no point in driving, the trains are there and the local connection not covered by the pass costs very little - especially if you make the journey from CK to Prague on the afternoon InterCity train which does accept the pass. The irritating part is that if you caught the train at 10:28 from Wien Hbf to Linz and changed there for České Budějovice and then again for České Krumlov you arrive at 15:12 - but the train from Linz stops at Kaplice at 13:21 and if you could get a taxi from there you'd be in České Krumlov around 13:40 !!! But you'd have to organise it in advance.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Ack! So many options! Thanks for all your suggestions, we really appreciate your comments and knowledge, and the time you took to reply!

nltrainer
Traveller
1333 comments

In CB train and bus are opposite on same square-as is very often the case in CZ (and SK) anyway. No long walk or drag around. I hope these train-promoters may once even get some realistic ideas of when trains are not the best choice.
CK is also blessed with a few times/day direct pretty fast and cheap coach/buses to a stop in Praha. RegioJet is one of the operators for that. And-RJH also runs some trains-on other lines, as competitor to CD (the state rail in CZ)

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

Thanks, we ended up taking the bus from CK to Prague with RegioJet, and it was an easy walk from there to our hotel. By the way, our train fare from CB to CK was 26 crowns each, less than 3 euros total! It sometimes pays to be a senior :). Another bonus, transit is free for seniors in Prague.

MarionHarrison
Traveller
8 comments

In a few days, we’ll be taking the train from Berlin to the Schiphol Airport. We go from Berlin Hbf to Duisburg Hbf to Utrecht Centraal to Schiphol. Any comments about this? It seems to be a long day, leaving at 09:46 and not arriving until 17:44.