Krakow Travel Forum

Hello,

As for others I've been having difficulty finding out the best way to go between Prague - Krakow and Brno. Unfortunately, if I can't find an easy way to get to Krakow - I might have to skip it! I would like to go.

Is it quicker to go from Prague to Krakow or Brno to Krakow. Quicker by train or bus?

I appreciate your help. I've already checked the following websites, without much luck:

http://www.vlak-bus.cz/ConnForm.asp?tt=c&cl=E5

http://rozklad.pkp.pl/bin/query.exe/en?

Thanks so much, I look forward to your response and appreciate your help!
Amanda

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en will give you times of trains: it's an excellent site (though will not give you fares..you'll need to use the country rail site for that).

Prague/Krakow is around 7.5 to 8.5 hours, depending on changes (you can do it in just under 8 hours with only one change).

Brno to Krakow is around 6 - 7 hours.

Not much to choose between them really, except perhaps number of changes required.

The bus will almost certainly take longer (probably much longer). I can't find a bus from Prague (or Brno) to Krakow on the Eurolines site though (www.eurolines.com).

I was traveling Kraków - Praha - Kraków (direct train) in January and there were no problems,I actually saved some money on accommodation traveling overnight. However, I bought the tickets directly at the station. There are 2 trains going from Prague to Kraków, one at 14.06 and the other at about 10p.m. I can't remember the exact times for trains from Kraków to Prague but the one we were travelling on was also at about 10 p.m., the other some time in the morning. I found some info about the 14.06 Prague - Kraków train under this address: http://www.intercity.pl/?page=home_page
Intercity is the division of Polish Railways dealing with international connections in Poland. But the site does not seem to be working well. You may try your luck, though.
I put some details about my journey on my Prague page, you can see if it's useful. Best of luck with your travel arrangements.

Hi,

You probably know everything about the Praha-Krakow connection. If not, an important thing: all trains to/from Krakow go via Bohumin and we will use that fact to make your ticket cheaper to Krakow and going back your connection both better and cheaper.

The connection from Krakow to Brno is very good, it's just buried deep and

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/traininfo.exe/en won't give it as default, you have to trick it a bit.

- Train number EC-108, departs Krakow 7:00, arrives Bohumin at 9:38. De-train in Bohumin.
- Train number R-734, departs Bohumin at 10:23, arrives Brno at 12:57

Ticket price: obviously, you will need only a Bohumin-Krakow round-trip international ticket because on the Czech side you can use the Praha-Krakow train with Praha-Bohumin domestic part-ticket. Same about the Bohumin-Brno: you de-train in Bohumin and have ample time to buy the ticket. All trains (from Praha to Krakow and the way you go back) always go via Bohumin.

- Bohumin-Krakow-Bohumin round-trip is 15.40 Euro
- Praha-Bohumin is 334 Czech Crowns
- Bohumin-Brno is 168 Czech Crowns

You may use the Praha-Krakow train with a ticket "cut" at Bohumin.

The Czech railway map can describe the best:

http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/czechia/czechia.gif

Bohumin is a very small station, above Ostrava (on the right), close to the Polish border.

Keep in mind, because of the round-trip the Polish domestic tariff will be MORE than the discounted international. For the Czech part just use the domestic tariff as I wrote.

You will have three ticket sheets:

Ticket sheet/1:

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5284/picture11op4.png

Ticket sheet/2: (this is a rond-trip ticket!)

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9584/picture13me8.png

These two ticket sheets belong to each other. Buy these in Praha. Note, that the Czech domestic ticket part is valid for one day only - you have to use it on the day you ask it. The international part is valid for 2 months and is open-ended for your trip back to Bohumin.

Ticket sheet/3: (this is what you buy in Bohumin):

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/2013/picture12vx3.png

Remark: if you know the day you travel back EXACTLY you can obviously buy the ticket sheet/3 earlier in Praha. If you want to have your options open - just buy it in Bohumin. If you feel, the timing is too tight, you can board the train from Bohumin to Brno without the ticket - you pay 30 Crown extra to conductor.

Forgot to tell - these ticket sheets are there for you to print out, use them as virtual tickets as you buy the real ones from the ticket office or from conductor - saves time and language misunderstandings.

Wow - thank you so much. I wasn't expecting to get so much response in so little time :) I appreciate the websites, interpretations, ways to cut cost and times you've provided me with.

Looking at the information has helped me decide that I will travel from Prague to Brno (a few days stay) and then from Brno will take a bus to Olomouc to do a few hours of sight seeing. It seems that there are direct trains from Olomouc to Krakow that are not so long. This breaks up the journey.

On the way back, I think we will catch a direct train to Vienna. I was impressed that some trains to Vienna aren't too long from Krakow.

Are all tickets bought at the train and bus stations? I suppose I should write down where I want to go and any information to make communication easier?

I've been to Olomouc once, but it's been a long time. I hope the bus & train stations are not too far from the centre and that this is all accessible.

Any comments on my "plan"?
Thanks again so much!

The only comment is about the Krakow-Vienna ticket cost. There is a Krakow-Vienna special (29 Euro) only available in Krakow, the info (in Polish) is here:

http://www.wasteels.com.pl/index.php?id=6

If there is no 29 Euro to Vienna, you still can get a 25 Euro special to Budapest. The number of seats is limited but it seems not that much as on the airlines.

Bu I think you should just buy the Ostrava-Krakow or Bohumin-Krakow round-trip and the rest in the Czech Republic. That means:

Ostrava-Krakow round-trip and Ostrava-Vienna is much cheaper than Ostrava->Krakow and than buying in Poland Krakow-Ostrava-Vienna non-special price.

Yes, get your tickets at the stations.

Writing things down is always a good idea, though learning a few phrases of the relevant language is both courteous and sensible. Take a small phrasebook/books with you: there are plenty of cheap, light ones artound which are invaluable for reading signs, interpreting timetables etc. But I doubt you'll have any real problem in communicating.

VT is a very helpful place (as you have probably realised!), so do come back with any more questions you might have.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks GyuriFT - but breaking up the journey as such: Ostrava-Krakow and Krakow-Ostrava (maybe you meant Olomouc, that was what I was writing about earlier) then to Vienna. Wouldn't that be very time consuming?

I think I'd prefer to get to Vienna quicker for this leg because we will not have much time in Vienna to begin with. I think there is a 7hour train from Krakow to Vienna.

Are you saying there are not many direct tickets from Krakow to Vienna?

((by the way thanks leics - you're right - VT is great!))

There is a big misconception. A ticket is in most cases nothing else but

"LEGAL ALLOWANCE TO BE ON ANY TRAIN".

That means, you can "cut" a ticket in portions and have three consecutive tickets for one train if you like. You do not need to change trains if you have two tickets. This is the most important knowledge many overseas visitors are shocked to know: "ticket" and "train" have in most cases nothing to do with each other. I can have the Praha-Krakow journey cut in three tickets and stay on the same train. I can buy a single Subotica-Beograd-Sofia-Bucuresti-Timisoara-Suceava-Kiev-Moscow-Tumangan (North Korea) round-trip ticket for 234 Euro round-trip:
( http://deals.virtualtourist.com/viewDeal-20751-1213-1--Republic_of_Serbia-viewDeal.html )

But there is no such train, I have to change trains several times. This is pretty natural in Europe but may appear weird for you.

The way I did cut your tickets is probably the most beneficial (cheap+convenient) for you. Just look at your schedule, conform it with me here, print out your virtual tickets, take to the counter and get the real ones.

I wish, the system in the States or Canada would be as flexible as in Europe...

One more thing probably you did not realize: these tickets are in most cases like railpasses, just better: you have 2-6 months to complete your journey (in most cases 2) and you can de-train at any station you like in-between, than hop on a train going in the same direction later, continue as you like, de-tran again and so on. All you need do watch out to stay within the validity of the ticket.

The ticket is called in Czech "jizdenka". As I said, it in most cases ensures you, that you are on the train legally - but does not guarantee you a seat.
In my "weird" ticket (see above) if I have that long-long ticket from Subotica to Tumangan in North Korea: that ticket merely does ensure, I can board the train and won't be thrown out by the police, nothing more. Same with you: you have, say, 5 small ticket-lets and they cover the Praha-Krakow distance. These (or a single Praha-Krakow ticket) merely ensure, you MAY board the train and have peace of mind, the police won't be called to de-train you. That does not guarantee you a seat.

The seat reservation is called in Czech language "mistenka". Do not confuse it with "jizdenka"! The "mistenka" (seat reservation) will guarantee you a seat on a PARTICULAR train, it's like the boarding pass. In most cases it's optional: if you don't have it and the train is full, you have to seat in the corridor of the train on your luggage or where the conductor tells you - in some grave situations you have to STAY all your journey. That is VERY rare, but this June the trains in Switzerland and Austria will be like that: there is the soccer European champoinship. Trains in CZ or PL won't be affected, but just telling you a sample. Many trains don't have any reservation at all. Some trains have - their pictogram is with a simple large "R". Some trains have OBLIGATORY reservation. That means, you cannot board the train without seat or bed assignment. That is not very common - but happens. A seat reservation (= "mistenka") in Central/East Europe is usually 1-3 Euro EXTRA to the jizdenka (routing ticket). A bed assignement is in the sleeper 5-40 Euro EXTRA to the routing ticket, depending on the company and the level of the service.

Hi!GyuriFT,
For a one way journey Praha to Krakow,either by day train or night train,one should buy 2 tickets in Praha.One ticket Praha to Bouhmin,and the other Bouhmin to Krakow Glowny.Would this work,and what would it cost.Is there a discount for senior citizens.
You have written to me earlier on the same train journey.But,could you please clarify this connection.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks,
Jayarep.

GyuriFT - You are right. I misunderstood you. I thought you meant that I would have to break up my journey at these points (ie Ostrava, Bohumin...). I thought you had misunderstood that I wanted to stop in Olomouc between Brno and Krakow... etc. I did however know that you can buy tickets to various points and stop or keep going along the way... that is also done within Canada (and you can save money doing this).

One question for you: How much would I really save by buying a ticket from Krakow to Ostrava and then Ostrava to Vienna? Is this done normally, would the person at the train station selling tickets understand?

Because I will be travelling with my mother, in a way, I would prefer reserved tickets. I would I go about actually reserving seats on trains? Would breaking up the ticket (Krakow to Ostrava; Ostrava to Vienna) complicate getting a seat reservation?

Thanks