Living and studying abroad in Prague is such a unique and cultural experience that presents itself with endless activities and attractions. However, a major benefit is how centralized the Czech Republic is in Europe. This makes traveling to neighboring countries surprisingly easier than I had anticipated. The cheapest form of transportation from Prague is by train. You can take the train to Vienna, Berlin, Budapest, Munich, Warsaw, Bratislava, and many other cities. Thus far, I have traveled to Munich and Vienna (as seen in these images). An affordable train paired with a hostel makes traveling more feasible for college students. Additionally, there are no Friday classes at the university, offering us more time to travel to other countries. It’s common to leave on Thursday after classes and return on Sunday in order to utilize as much time as possible in the other country.
In Vienna, the public transportation is quite similar to Prague and is thus easy to navigate. With a 24-hour public transportation pass, we were able to save a lot of money getting to and from each location. I traveled with some study abroad friends from CEA and we managed to take a palace tour, visit the Albertina art museum, walk to the top of the cathedral, eat some local food, and much more. Not only did we have the opportunity to visit another country, but the five-hour train ride lent us lots of time to get to know each other better. I highly recommend visiting Vienna, and if there is time, Salzburg is a short train ride away where you can live out your Sound of Music dreams.
Visiting Munich was also an incredible experience, especially during Oktoberfest. While it was officially canceled due to COVID, the locals were still dressed up in Lederhosen and celebrating. Here, we toured a palace, walked in the English Gardens, ate in local cafes and celebrated Oktoberfest. While going to a cafe is such a small thing, it was one of the many highlights of the trip. We watched locals walk by and gained a stronger feel for what life in Munich is like. The transportation here was also very navigable, but we also walked to many places so we could see the neighborhoods and architecture.
In the image below, you can see a cute cafe we found on our walk to the palace. Breakfast included coffee, tea, and something from the bakery. The seven-hour train back to Prague gave us time to catch up on homework and take in the beautiful countryside between Munich and Prague.
Thanks for reading along on my travels - up next: Budapest!
