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Heen · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Los Angeles, CA

Hi everyone! I'm currently taking a TEFL course in Prague, and this will pretty much be my only free weekend with all the work coming up. My friends and I were originally planning a trip to Budapest, but the riots kinda put an end to that idea...So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I know there are good places to visit in the Czech Republic, but we would like to venture a bit farther this weekend. Vienna and Germany are out since my friend has been there and wants to see someplace new. Krakow seems similar to Prague, and we were looking for something completely different. Switzerland seems expensive, but we would love to see it.

Any recommendations or comments would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance! Very Happy

Chris Westergaard · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 215 Location: Prague

Vienna is great city and beats a lot of cities surrounding it in regards to class and style. I lived in Vienna for 1 year before moving to Prague and I still consider it my second home.

If you decide to do something local, Cesky Krumlov is really nice as well as lake Machova to get some of the last rays of summer.

dannypoet · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 24

Dresden is pretty cool and close, its a city under transition but the neustadt has lots of great bars and shops and a real bohemian vibe with the altstadt has reconstructed beautiful palaces amonst the worst of the GDR and allied bombing... the Elbe is beautiful too, and the train ride up is spectacular... and its the sort of place youd probably never visit again while Vienna will always be there.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I wonder at the mindset of our transatlantic cousins. It is like those tours : "Fifteen European Capitals in Nine Days !'

Heen · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Los Angeles, CA

I'm sorry if I offended you. I have not seen much of the world and am very excited to be in Europe...I'm sure it will be one of the highlights of my life! I don't know if I'll ever be back to this continent, and I don't think seeing one country in addition to the one in which I'm living for 5 weeks is overdoing it.

Heen · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Los Angeles, CA

Hey Stevie! Glad you understand my mindset. I went to Vienna, and it was wonderful. The people were the friendliest I have ever encountered, the pastries were delicious, and the architecture was beautiful. I would definitely recommend visiting the Schonbrunn Palace, which has gardens, a maze, apple strudel, and the oldest zoo in the world. You can hike up to the top of the hill for a great view of the city. I also climbed to the top of the Stephansplatz church, which was fun, but it would have been better if there had not been construction going on at the time. I went to a very nice concert as well...if you get off the metro near the church, there are people selling tickets everywhere for about 30 euro (student price). The metro is super easy to use, so we were able to do lots of exploring. I would definitely recommend Vienna for a great weekend trip!

ITTP · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 343 Location: Prague/Worldwide

It's very easy to get 'stuck' in Prague and not make it out of the city at weekends and the great aspect of weekend travel in the CZ is that it is an affordable option.

I can definitely recommend Karlovy Vary and nearby Loket.

Karlovy Vary is a spa town and a 'little Russia' and is a very relaxing place to spend a weekend away. Accommodation is a little expensive here so you might want to travel on to Loket (where accommodation is much more affordable). Loket is a beautiful castle town and just 17km away from Karlovy Vary (regular bus services).

For more info on both these options here are a few links:

http://www.loket.cz/english/index.php

http://www.kr-karlovarsky.cz/kraj_cz/KRAJ_UK/Fotogalerie/