Hey Guys,
I will be traveling for about 10 days this May...about May 11-21st. Right now I plan on working my way from Berlin, through Prague, and ending in Munich. I was wondering if anybody had suggestions about 'off the beaten' track things to do, either in or around those cities, or other places on the way to these destinations. I will probably be taking trains all over, so I have a pretty flexible schedule. Thanks for any advice you can give me!
Jill

I found the Ossuary in Kutna Hora very interesting. It's a day trip we took from Prague. The train stop is actually called Sedlec and the Ossuary is very easy to walk to from there.

Although it sounds macabre, it really isn't. During the black plague the monks ran out of burial ground and decided to give respect to the dead by utilising their bones. They made a chandelier, crests and other formations.

Kutna Hora was once a prosperous silver town and has some incredible buildings. There are also great cafes in the town square.

Elly

Hi Jill - have you thought about a trip to Český Krumlov?

We travelled to Český Krumlov by train from Prague in late April last year and spent an amazing two days here. Here's what I wrote in my email to friends at home:

"From Prague we travelled to Cesky Krumlov which is a fairy-tale, medieval looking village of cobblestone streets and little stores, with meandering river and a castle on the hill above. We had a great vegeterian lunch sitting on the banks of the river and looking up to the castle which we later visited. (second only in size to Prague's castle)
We were also very fortunate that our visit coincided with the Magical Krumlov Festival which involved many festivities in the town square, capped off by the town's children dressing up as witches and warlocks and carrying lanterns, lit with tea candles, through the streets of Cesky Krumlov and a range of entertainment acts performing in the square, together with the flickering flames of a number of large bonfires.
Partook in what Tini described as "life changing dumplings" which took the form of dumplings similar to a pork bun (think yum cha), filled with forest berries, in a butter sauce with cinamon and farmers cheese on top. Not sure they were life changing, but they sure were yummy!"

You can take the train from Prague to Cesky Krumlov (with change in České Budějovice) - the journey will take somewhere in vicinity of 4-5 hours.

Well worth an overnight/two night stay if time permits. If the weather is warm enough you can go floating down the river on lilos...

Cheers
Christine

You can also take the Plzen train and go on the Klatovy, which is a very interesting small town with some lovely buildings and no tourists. You can take the train to the border at Bayerisch Eisenstein and change there onto a German local train, with a final change at Plattling onto the main line to Munich. This route takes you through national parks in both Czech Republic and Germany. The whole area is peaceful and unspoilt - certainly off the beaten track. Cesky Krumlow is very pretty but, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is busy with tourists all year round.

When we visited Cesky Krumlov at the end of April/early May there weren't many tourists around. We had many sections of the Castle to ourselves, most restaurants had many more locals in them and those watching the Magical Krumlov festival were predominantly locals.

So probably depends a fair bit on the time of year you visit.

Hi Jill...

We did a similar trip in June 2006 but went by car instead of train... we drove from Frankfurt to Prague, then Prague to Fussen... Our drive to Fussen took us right through Munich.

The point of this post is to tell you that on our drive to Fussen, we stopped by chance in the city/town of Regansburg. Regansburg is between Prague and Munich...if I recall correctly, it is about an hour outside of Munich.

We absolutely fell in love with this beautiful walled city/town ... it had a "magical" quality to it ... so, if you can make a train stop there on your way to Munich ... I would highly recommend it! We only spent half a day there... but know we would have found much to do if we had more days.

Have a wonderful trip...

Karen

Why not consider Berlin - Görlitz - Prague - Frantiskovy Lazne - Regensburg - Munich? I wouldn't gainsay any of the good comments made here about other spots, but I would commend Görlitz as possibly the most picture perfect small town in central Europe and FL as the consummate expression of the central European sa town. Both are good for briefs stays: perhaps two nights, but that would give a full day in each to enjoy their own charms. If I can advise more, please do not hesitate to say.

One advantage of this route is that it keeps off the main rail routes, and gives the bonus of using more rural rail routes. That south of Görlitz towards Prague is especially beautiful (criss-crossing the Neisse River in and out of Poland) and another star is the route from Cheb south to Regensburg on the hop from FL to Regensburg.
Nicky
editor / hidden europe magazine
www.hiddeneurope.co.uk