nine day trip
We (two women with carry on luggage only) are planning a nine day trip in the Czech Republic. First four days will be in Prague. We also want to go to Karlovy Vary (mostly for the Moser Glass factory tour), Marianske Lanza, and Cesky Krumlov. We note there is good bus/train transport but also are considering renting a car.to avoid being tied to public transport schedules/connection times and for the convenience of having our gear in the trunk if not yet checked into hotels. How does cost of car rental's convenience vs. public transport compare? Because of the shortness of our trip, we may not be taking any other side trips, but definately think that would not be possible if we don't rent a car.Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thank you.
1
My wife is Czech. When she goes there on her own with our small daughter, she takes a lot of public transport because it is a lot cheaper than hiring a car, at least for her+child. The only time she hired a car was when she filled up all 5 seats with several relatives, and made a cross-country journey that would be horrendous by public transport.When I go there, I always hire a car, because the public transport tends to slow unless you are directly connecting main centres by direct railway lines. Also Prague airport is a nuisance by public transport, though of course Prague city centre is impossible by private car.
Car rental is similar price to anywhere else in Europe, likewise the fuel. Public transport is rather on the cheap side in comparison to most of western Europe.
K Vary and M Lazne are both spa towns, with some similarities therefore - isn't one enough? Tabor is very nice, is on the way to C Krumlov by train and would therefore offer some variety and convenience.
3
The problem with using the train system is that except for the smaller towns, getting to the various tracks involves taking stairs down to a passage way and then up again. Can be a pain with luggage. The only station I saw with elevators was Hdrac Kralove.As for transportation from the airport into town, I asked about a shuttle to the center at a counter at the airport that sells passes for public transportation in Prague. I was told how I could take a bus from the airport to the Zličín metro station. From there it was a quick ride to the center. The bus and metro were covered by my transportation pass.
