12 days in Central Europe in October? Crazy weather, is it?
Replies: 9 - Last Post: Sep 12, 2012 6:53 PM Last Post By: WaterhazardJack
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12 days in Central Europe in October? Crazy weather, is it?
Hi,My wife and I are planning to visit central Europe for 2 weeks in mid october. We are travelling to Europe for the first time and have broadly finalised three countries: Czech, Austria and Switzerland. We have about 12 days excluding the to and fro from Delhi.
The itinerary looks like this:
October 10: Land in Prague
11
12
13: From Prague to Cesky Krumlov
14
15: From Cesky to Vienna
16
17
18 From Vienna to Salzburg
19
20 From Salzburg to Interlaken (Train / Bus?)
21
22
23 Interlaken to Lucerne
24: Lucerne to Zurich and Fly to Delhi
About us: Indians travelling to Europe for the first time. Interested in scenic outdoors, wandering around, outdoor cafes, we like architecture but not too keen to wait in queues for museums.
I have a few queries:
Will it be too cold to walk around in October? (If yes, are we better off doing Switzerland and Italy: 1 week each)
Will daylight time be sufficient?
Best way to travel from Salzburg to Interlaken?
Are we trying to pack in too much in 2 weeks?
Most cost effective inter city travel mode? (train or bus)
Any cities we should include or exclude from the suggested itinerary above
I know I've put in too many questions, contradictory sometimes but after reading so many threads and opinions, I am thoroughly confused. Would appreciate your expert views!
Edited by: strangecurrencies
1
Hi, welcome to tt!You can always walk around in Europe - the locals do it all year. The trick is to bring the right clothes. Bring warm things that you can layer on top of each other, and bring water- and windproof clothes. October is fall season, it can be cool, windy and rainy. If you're lucky, however, it will still be sunny and somewhat warm. You never know, especially in the mountains. Sunrise will be around 7:30 am, sunset around 6:30 pm. You decide if that's enough.
For Salzburg - Interlaken, look at ÖBB, the Austrian rail company.
And yes, you're planning to do a lot of things in very little time! Are you sure this is what you want to do?
3
OP - the itinerary looks fine. As its your first time in Europe it will take you a few days to get used to the way things are done so having 3-4 days in Prague is a good idea. I spent 5 days in Prague and there's so much to see and do.Coming from India you may not have experienced cold European weather so take #1 advice - layered clothing (wool or other thermals) and be sure to have rain/wind proof jacket and a good scarf (useful for covering face,ears,throat on the windy days).
Having said that, I was in those countries in Oct 08 and there had great warm weather (t-shirts)!
happy travels.
4
You can find average weather conditions for Prague here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/3067696 (scroll down the page)
Nobody in Europe would find this too cold to walk around. Your plans are OK, a little rushed but not too much.
I presume you know that Interlaken is merely a hub- you don;t necessarily want o spend your time in Interlaken itself but in the villages/mountains nearby (where it may well be colder than Prague, at least at night, due to the altitude)
5
Thanks PhiMeow and MTL for the insights. Your responses have been helpful in making me feel more comfortable with my proposed schedule.Ok, so it seems we can manage the weather with the right clothes. But I hope we dont miss out on the 'feel' of the cities because of the weather, I mean would there be music on the streets, open air cafes, scenic backdrop, the slight city hustle bustle, this time of the year.
What I need to know is, is there any other country in the neighbourhood that I'd rather go to like Italy or Hungary, to experience the aforementioned.
I need to soon finalise either of (a) Czech/Austria/Switzerland itinerary or (b) the Switzerland/Italy circuit.
What are your views on this?
6
But I hope we dont miss out on the 'feel' of the cities because of the weather, I mean would there be music on the streets, open air cafes, scenic backdrop, the slight city hustle bustle, this time of the year.
These cities are not just for tourists, they have people living in them, you know. So there will be the 'slight city hustle bustle' no matter what time of year. The weather is like that 4-5 months a year- you're way too worried about this. It is not extreme weather- just typical fall/spring temperatures. Nobody will bat an eyelid about the weather. Perhaps if you were talking early January, when the days are short and the temperatures drop below zero, your concern would make sense. But in October? No.
What I need to know is, is there any other country in the neighbourhood that I'd rather go to like Italy or Hungary, to experience the aforementioned.
It's a nonsense question. By all means, if Hungary attracts you more than Czechia, that's where you should go. But the weather will be the same and will not have a different impact in these places.
7
MTL, thanks for your kind words!My concern with the weather is taken care of and thank you for that.
The reason I mentioned Hungary / Italy was to know if these places are better (than Czech Republic and Austria) to experience the interests i mentioned: street activities like music/performances, outdoor cafes etc..
Any inputs welcome.
8
I agree with all the above. However, please note that mountain hiking in the area of Interlaken might be tricky around that time (if you thinking about doing some hiking). This is basically a transition period between summer ("hiking") and winter seasons ("skiing"). Many lifts are likely to be closed, it can be dump and cloudy. However, you might be lucky as well, you never know. If you have a chance, you might consider starting from Switzerland (if not abandon the plan of visiting Interlaken), not from Prague. Also, check the info on Interlaken, it might not be the most pleasant place (fine as a base though) and in the end of Oct it will be somewhat dead (as it caters mostly for tourists, and late Oct is a very low season).9
Are we trying to pack in too much in 2 weeks?Absolutely not...in fact, this is one of the more sensible itineraries we've seen here...I wouldn't change one day of your trip...
Most cost effective inter city travel mode? (train or bus)
Prague to Cesky Krumlov - the Student Agency Bus network is the best and cheapest, as far as I know...
Cesky Krumlov to Vienna - the most direct way is to purchase a shuttle bus ticket which costs 1100Cz (approx €44) but there are ways of saving money, for example, by taking a shuttle to Linz (400Cz) and then purchasing train tickets to Vienna...some advance deals from as low as with OeBB from €9 or €15.60 with Westbahn, I believe...
Vienna to Salzburg - the newish Westbahn service is very competitive at €25 each...you could also use an Einfach-Raus ticket for €32 for both of you but this would be laborious and time-consuming as you are restricted to local trains...
Good luck...
