From Krakow to Prague Trip

KRAKOW TO PRAGUE TRIP: HOW TO GET THERE

There are four options to travel from Krakow to Prague on your own: by

1. Direct bus from Krakow to Prague
2. Direct Train from Krakow to Prague
3. Car private transfer from Krakow to Prague,
4. Organised trip from Krakow with transport

Direct BUS FROM KRAKOW TO PRAGUE

A spontaneous  journey will cost at least PLN 270 per a return ticket for one person. These coaches leave from Krakow MDA station (just behind the Main Railway Station) and you may expect an 8 to 10-hours lasting journey until you reach Prague.

Tickets for e.g Lux Express Bus available to book at https://luxexpress.eu/pl/krakow-praga

2. DIRECT TRAIN FROM KRAKOW TO PRAGUE

A return ticket for a direct train from Krakow to Prague costs PLN 477  (EUR 108) per person and the journey is supposed to last 8,5 hours. In all the cases, you will travel to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague Main Train Station). Travelling to Prague on your own is recommended if you have enough time to spend on the means of transport and do not care much about the cost or necessity to book each component of the trip alone.

Ticket Available to buy at http://www.goeuro.com

3. AN ORGANISED TRIP FROM KRAKOW TO PRAGUE: THE SAVER’S OPTION

How to travel from Krakow to Prague and both save your money and time while gathering as many experiences in this beautiful Czech city as it is only possible? Fortunately, as there is demand, there is also supply of such possibilities.

One of the greatest offers in the market guarantees 5,5 hours of one-way journey from Krakow to Prague only (this is the shortest route possible), which – with 4:00 a.m. as the pick-up time – makes you get to Prague before noon. Travelling in air-conditioned limousine up to 3 passangers with the tourist agency providing this option will be a perfect choice to survive the hot temperatures of summertime.

As you set your foot in Prague, a competent local guide met there will show you around the most breathtaking attractions of Prague there are: the Dancing House, exhibitions of National Museum, National Theatre, Charles Bridge, Parizska Street, the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral, world-famous Astronomical Clock or the Jewish district of Prague. You will enjoy the views of the massive Prague Castle and have enough free time (2 hours)  to traverse the extensive Old Town on your own during the tour taken.

Tasting the filling Czech cuisine will surely prepare you for the journey back to Krakow. A river cruise down the Vltava river will be a cherry on the top of this delicious trip, letting you admire one of the most iconic views of Europe – the Prague’s riverbank, its castle and impressive bridges. Informing the tour operator of your participation one day before the trip will suffice to pick you up straight from your hotel, as well as to drop you off there after you return, which is the most comfortable option there exists!

Do not hesitate to visit one of “the grand slam” cities of Central Europe while staying in Krakow – after this excellent trip to Prague, you will only have Vienna and Budapest left to travel to. With the current price set at €450 per 1-3 persons, the tour described is probably the most cost-effective option to have a trip from Krakow to Prague completed within reasonable timeframe, as recommended by many tourists to have taken and reviewed it.

Krakow, Poland and Prague, the Czech Republic are two outstanding Central European cities of rich history that lie within the distance of 500 kilometres of road connections. It is often so that a visitor to Krakow is curious of what its unofficial Czech sister city has to offer, wondering how to arrange a trip that would not be overly time-consuming. Is it worth trying to cover the distance and not lose too much precious time en route? How efficient the transport between Krakow and Prague is? And, last but not least, what options do we have to make the trip to Prague possible? The answers are placed below, but first it’s worth discovering what Krakow and Prague have in common and what their specific attractions are.

KRAKOW VS. PRAGUE: DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO CHOOSE?

Krakow has 760 thousand inhabitants, Prague is nearly twice as big (1,267 thousand), while their historical centres are of comparable sizes, maybe slightly in favour of the Czech capital. Both cities, having had their areas marked with Stone-Age settlements, the presence of Celtic tribes and their legendary kings who are believed to have established them (consecutively, Krak and Boyya), have a different status now. Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic, while Krakow used to be one in the case of Poland, until the function was assigned to Warsaw (on the other hand, Krakow has longer history as the major royal town of Poland and more impact on the world’s history than Prague does).

This is why the prices of certain goods or services tend to be higher in Prague, being the most important city of its home country.  Both cities have their historical centres added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and each has at least two more located in its vicinity (Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine in the case of Krakow, Kutná Hora and the Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk for Prague). You will find majestic castles at river banks and Jewish Quarters in both destinations, and – as for a Polish city – Krakow will prove to have considerable brewery traditions Prague is so famous for. This leaves little room for a real decisive comparison between Krakow and Prague, where the choice only depends on the utter beauty of the Main Market Square of Krakow vs.  the impressive statue-adorned Charles Bridge of Prague.

Whilst these two are still different cities, some factual similarities can be striking at times – which does not mean that visiting any of them is less recommended  with regard to the other. It’s always best to find a personal way of comparing these two jewels of the map of Central Europe by visiting each one within a small time interval. Fortunately, it is possible to stay in Krakow, enjoying its proximity to the Tatras, the must-sees of Auschwitz or Wieliczka and get to Prague in a convenient way for a short but comprehensive trip.