A week-long train trip from the Czech Republic to the Czech Republic, through several places I haven't managed to visit yet in this year's big trip. Since I have that unlimited Interrail Global Pass for all trains. So pack a small backpack, cram the dots on the map into a clam shell and we're good to go.
I left the Czech Republic in the evening, so that I could catch the night train from Linz to Zurich. An hour or two to walk around Linz, which is plenty for Linz. Then spend the night on the train in the sleeper (reservation required for Interrail as well) and wake up in the morning at the Austrian/Swiss border, where there are currently quite detailed customs checks of trains, probably due to the migrants, of which the train was quite full.
A full day is then spent crossing from Buchs on the Swiss border via Zurich, Geneva and Lyon. Arrival reasonable, just in time for a good dinner.
The next day was marked by a full day exploring Lyon. It's worth it, there's not much around the station, but the old centre of Vieux Lyon is nice. Probably the best view is from the Esplanade de Fourviere with the stunning basilica and amphitheatre nearby. The great park Lac de la Tete d'Or is also a nice place, with a free small zoo and a rose garden/botanical garden.
The next day was again full of long travel from Lyon to Luxembourg via Dijon. Luxembourg is a very pretty city situated on a rocky outcrop, which makes it quite photogenic. 3 hours is enough to walk around the city, if you want to see the European institutions located here, you need to give yourself two hours more reserve, because they are located on the outskirts of the city, except for the court of justice, which is quite close to the station. Luxembourg is quite expensive, so overnight stays are better across the border in France, good prices in Hadondange for example.
On Friday I continued to Nancy and Strasbourg. In Nancy, it takes about 2 hours to walk around the center, most of the interesting sights are located in the small center around Place Stanislas. So the highlight of the day was mainly Strasbourg, whose historical centre is rich in monuments, I consider it one of the most beautiful cities in this part of Europe. You can walk to the European Parliament north of the city, but it takes about 2 hours and there aren't too many interesting things to see along the way. So it might be better to take public transport.
The next day I moved on to Basileia, which is not particularly interesting. The city and its sights are quite large, considering that a wide river runs through the city. Of interest here are the several functional passive ferries across the river, which are attached to ropes and move from bank to bank using only the pressure of the river's flow. So it only takes 2-3 hours to reach Basel and continue on to Zurich. The latter is much more pleasant. The highlights of Zurich are the Zurichsee full of boats and people, the small center of the old town Altstadt and for me as a scientist, not only the view of the whole city from the local university ETH. Switzerland is very expensive. And when one has that unlimited train travel, it is really worthwhile to go across the border to Germany via Baden for accommodation, where you can get it for a quarter or fifth of the price in Zurich. Unless one intends to stay in Zurich for two days or more...
The next day I took a scenic drive along the Lake Constance locale, which in places has a very nice view. From St Gallen I then drove up to Sevelen and went to Vaduz in Liechtenstein, just 3-4 hours to see the town. The whole of Liechtenstein lies under a huge mountain peak. Overnight in Nuremberg on the way via Munich.
On the last day the plan was Erlangen, a small town next to Nuremberg. Worth it if one just has a way around and about 3 hours of time. In the afternoon then return to the Czech Republic.
The itinerary of this trip is more or less conditional on owning some time-based train ticket, otherwise the tempo of the trip could be considered unnecessarily fast and one could spend (even multiple) more time at each of the places mentioned. But that can be said of any place where one is on the move. In any case, for a cursory exploration of the places themselves, this is amply sufficient.
A week-long train trip from the Czech Republic to the Czech Republic, through several places I haven't managed to visit yet in this year's big trip. Since I have that unlimited Interrail Global Pass for all trains. So pack a small backpack, cram the dots on the map into a clam shell and we're good to go.
I left the Czech Republic in the evening, so that I could catch the night train from Linz to Zurich. An hour or two to walk around Linz, which is plenty for Linz. Then spend the night on the train in the sleeper (reservation required for Interrail as well) and wake up in the morning at the Austrian/Swiss border, where there are currently quite detailed customs checks of trains, probably due to the migrants, of which the train was quite full.
A full day is then spent crossing from Buchs on the Swiss border via Zurich, Geneva and Lyon. Arrival reasonable, just in time for a good dinner.
The next day was marked by a full day exploring Lyon. It's worth it, there's not much around the station, but the old centre of Vieux Lyon is nice. Probably the best view is from the Esplanade de Fourviere with the stunning basilica and amphitheatre nearby. The great park Lac de la Tete d'Or is also a nice place, with a free small zoo and a rose garden/botanical garden.
The next day was again full of long travel from Lyon to Luxembourg via Dijon. Luxembourg is a very pretty city situated on a rocky outcrop, which makes it quite photogenic. 3 hours is enough to walk around the city, if you want to see the European institutions located here, you need to give yourself two hours more reserve, because they are located on the outskirts of the city, except for the court of justice, which is quite close to the station. Luxembourg is quite expensive, so overnight stays are better across the border in France, good prices in Hadondange for example.
On Friday I continued to Nancy and Strasbourg. In Nancy, it takes about 2 hours to walk around the center, most of the interesting sights are located in the small center around Place Stanislas. So the highlight of the day was mainly Strasbourg, whose historical centre is rich in monuments, I consider it one of the most beautiful cities in this part of Europe. You can walk to the European Parliament north of the city, but it takes about 2 hours and there aren't too many interesting things to see along the way. So it might be better to take public transport.
The next day I moved on to Basileia, which is not particularly interesting. The city and its sights are quite large, considering that a wide river runs through the city. Of interest here are the several functional passive ferries across the river, which are attached to ropes and move from bank to bank using only the pressure of the river's flow. So it only takes 2-3 hours to reach Basel and continue on to Zurich. The latter is much more pleasant. The highlights of Zurich are the Zurichsee full of boats and people, the small center of the old town Altstadt and for me as a scientist, not only the view of the whole city from the local university ETH. Switzerland is very expensive. And when one has that unlimited train travel, it is really worthwhile to go across the border to Germany via Baden for accommodation, where you can get it for a quarter or fifth of the price in Zurich. Unless one intends to stay in Zurich for two days or more...
The next day I took a scenic drive along the Lake Constance locale, which in places has a very nice view. From St Gallen I then drove up to Sevelen and went to Vaduz in Liechtenstein, just 3-4 hours to see the town. The whole of Liechtenstein lies under a huge mountain peak. Overnight in Nuremberg on the way via Munich.
On the last day the plan was Erlangen, a small town next to Nuremberg. Worth it if one just has a way around and about 3 hours of time. In the afternoon then return to the Czech Republic.
The itinerary of this trip is more or less conditional on owning some time-based train ticket, otherwise the tempo of the trip could be considered unnecessarily fast and one could spend (even multiple) more time at each of the places mentioned. But that can be said of any place where one is on the move. In any case, for a cursory exploration of the places themselves, this is amply sufficient.
itinerary by Martin Konhefr
A week-long train trip from the Czech Republic to the Czech Republic, through several places I haven't managed to visit yet in this year's big trip. Since I have that unlimited Interrail Global Pass for all trains. So pack a small backpack, cram the dots on the map into a clam shell and we're good to go.
I left the Czech Republic in the evening, so that I could catch the night train from Linz to Zurich. An hour or two to walk around Linz, which is plenty for Linz. Then spend the night on the train in the sleeper (reservation required for Interrail as well) and wake up in the morning at the Austrian/Swiss border, where there are currently quite detailed customs checks of trains, probably due to the migrants, of which the train was quite full.
A full day is then spent crossing from Buchs on the Swiss border via Zurich, Geneva and Lyon. Arrival reasonable, just in time for a good dinner.
The next day was marked by a full day exploring Lyon. It's worth it, there's not much around the station, but the old centre of Vieux Lyon is nice. Probably the best view is from the Esplanade de Fourviere with the stunning basilica and amphitheatre nearby. The great park Lac de la Tete d'Or is also a nice place, with a free small zoo and a rose garden/botanical garden.
The next day was again full of long travel from Lyon to Luxembourg via Dijon. Luxembourg is a very pretty city situated on a rocky outcrop, which makes it quite photogenic. 3 hours is enough to walk around the city, if you want to see the European institutions located here, you need to give yourself two hours more reserve, because they are located on the outskirts of the city, except for the court of justice, which is quite close to the station. Luxembourg is quite expensive, so overnight stays are better across the border in France, good prices in Hadondange for example.
On Friday I continued to Nancy and Strasbourg. In Nancy, it takes about 2 hours to walk around the center, most of the interesting sights are located in the small center around Place Stanislas. So the highlight of the day was mainly Strasbourg, whose historical centre is rich in monuments, I consider it one of the most beautiful cities in this part of Europe. You can walk to the European Parliament north of the city, but it takes about 2 hours and there aren't too many interesting things to see along the way. So it might be better to take public transport.
The next day I moved on to Basileia, which is not particularly interesting. The city and its sights are quite large, considering that a wide river runs through the city. Of interest here are the several functional passive ferries across the river, which are attached to ropes and move from bank to bank using only the pressure of the river's flow. So it only takes 2-3 hours to reach Basel and continue on to Zurich. The latter is much more pleasant. The highlights of Zurich are the Zurichsee full of boats and people, the small center of the old town Altstadt and for me as a scientist, not only the view of the whole city from the local university ETH. Switzerland is very expensive. And when one has that unlimited train travel, it is really worthwhile to go across the border to Germany via Baden for accommodation, where you can get it for a quarter or fifth of the price in Zurich. Unless one intends to stay in Zurich for two days or more...
The next day I took a scenic drive along the Lake Constance locale, which in places has a very nice view. From St Gallen I then drove up to Sevelen and went to Vaduz in Liechtenstein, just 3-4 hours to see the town. The whole of Liechtenstein lies under a huge mountain peak. Overnight in Nuremberg on the way via Munich.
On the last day the plan was Erlangen, a small town next to Nuremberg. Worth it if one just has a way around and about 3 hours of time. In the afternoon then return to the Czech Republic.
The itinerary of this trip is more or less conditional on owning some time-based train ticket, otherwise the tempo of the trip could be considered unnecessarily fast and one could spend (even multiple) more time at each of the places mentioned. But that can be said of any place where one is on the move. In any case, for a cursory exploration of the places themselves, this is amply sufficient.
A week-long train trip from the Czech Republic to the Czech Republic, through several places I haven't managed to visit yet in this year's big trip. Since I have that unlimited Interrail Global Pass for all trains. So pack a small backpack, cram the dots on the map into a clam shell and we're good to go.
I left the Czech Republic in the evening, so that I could catch the night train from Linz to Zurich. An hour or two to walk around Linz, which is plenty for Linz. Then spend the night on the train in the sleeper (reservation required for Interrail as well) and wake up in the morning at the Austrian/Swiss border, where there are currently quite detailed customs checks of trains, probably due to the migrants, of which the train was quite full.
A full day is then spent crossing from Buchs on the Swiss border via Zurich, Geneva and Lyon. Arrival reasonable, just in time for a good dinner.
The next day was marked by a full day exploring Lyon. It's worth it, there's not much around the station, but the old centre of Vieux Lyon is nice. Probably the best view is from the Esplanade de Fourviere with the stunning basilica and amphitheatre nearby. The great park Lac de la Tete d'Or is also a nice place, with a free small zoo and a rose garden/botanical garden.
The next day was again full of long travel from Lyon to Luxembourg via Dijon. Luxembourg is a very pretty city situated on a rocky outcrop, which makes it quite photogenic. 3 hours is enough to walk around the city, if you want to see the European institutions located here, you need to give yourself two hours more reserve, because they are located on the outskirts of the city, except for the court of justice, which is quite close to the station. Luxembourg is quite expensive, so overnight stays are better across the border in France, good prices in Hadondange for example.
On Friday I continued to Nancy and Strasbourg. In Nancy, it takes about 2 hours to walk around the center, most of the interesting sights are located in the small center around Place Stanislas. So the highlight of the day was mainly Strasbourg, whose historical centre is rich in monuments, I consider it one of the most beautiful cities in this part of Europe. You can walk to the European Parliament north of the city, but it takes about 2 hours and there aren't too many interesting things to see along the way. So it might be better to take public transport.
The next day I moved on to Basileia, which is not particularly interesting. The city and its sights are quite large, considering that a wide river runs through the city. Of interest here are the several functional passive ferries across the river, which are attached to ropes and move from bank to bank using only the pressure of the river's flow. So it only takes 2-3 hours to reach Basel and continue on to Zurich. The latter is much more pleasant. The highlights of Zurich are the Zurichsee full of boats and people, the small center of the old town Altstadt and for me as a scientist, not only the view of the whole city from the local university ETH. Switzerland is very expensive. And when one has that unlimited train travel, it is really worthwhile to go across the border to Germany via Baden for accommodation, where you can get it for a quarter or fifth of the price in Zurich. Unless one intends to stay in Zurich for two days or more...
The next day I took a scenic drive along the Lake Constance locale, which in places has a very nice view. From St Gallen I then drove up to Sevelen and went to Vaduz in Liechtenstein, just 3-4 hours to see the town. The whole of Liechtenstein lies under a huge mountain peak. Overnight in Nuremberg on the way via Munich.
On the last day the plan was Erlangen, a small town next to Nuremberg. Worth it if one just has a way around and about 3 hours of time. In the afternoon then return to the Czech Republic.
The itinerary of this trip is more or less conditional on owning some time-based train ticket, otherwise the tempo of the trip could be considered unnecessarily fast and one could spend (even multiple) more time at each of the places mentioned. But that can be said of any place where one is on the move. In any case, for a cursory exploration of the places themselves, this is amply sufficient.
