Prague tours/activities not covered by Danube riverboat trip

dolciani

We are taking the Eastbound Prague-Budapest trip this August with Tauck, arriving 2 days early in Prague and staying 2 days past the tour in Budapest. We are wondering what tours/activities we should consider that are NOT included in our Tauck trip so to get the most out of our time spent in those two cities. For those of you have been on this tour, can you help out with suggestions? So far I have found the following considerations:
-Vltava river cruise (1 hour)
-Hop on/off bus
-Taste of Prague food tour (4 hours)
-Evening Mozart concert in Prague w/ dinner
We are concerned that any walking tours might overlap with what Tauck covers. Any info or suggestion is appreciated. Thanks

AshvEd

Prague: Petrin Hill (Funicular & Tower), Concert at Klementinum.

Budapest: Memento Park, Concert at Basilica of St. Stephen, Shoes on the Danube.

MCD

Prague: Day trip to Terezin concentration camp.
Walk around Mala Strana, the area just over the Charles Bridge, south of the Castle district.

Budapest: Free walking tours. (I loved the Communist tour. )

AlanS

If you look in previous posts in this forum you’ll find lots of ideas. If you look at the itinerary you see you must choose activities so we did the Jewish quarter with a private guide so we could tour the city with Tauck. Likewise we hired guide and driver to take us to Cesky Krumlov so we could go to Salzburg with Tauck.

dolciani

So far I’ve found (and signed up for) two activities in Prague: a food tour with “Taste of Prague” and a Mozart dinner concert at the Grand Hotel Bohemia’s Boccaccia Ballroom. I didn’t notice either of these on previous forums and found them thru Pinterest and trip advisor.
What I’m wondering is how much is covered by Tauck and whether we should sign up for extra tours (since we are staying two extra days on each end). For example:
In Prague: Does Tauck go inside the clock tower; is there a full tour of the castle inside and outside; they offer an old town tour for early birds and then the next day offer the same tour - is it the same tour? Do they take the funicular to Perrin Hill;
In Budapest: Do they see the interior and exterior of Buda castle; is there a tour of the opera house; is there an interior tour of parliament; how much time is spent inside the great market hall
We have received our documents and booklet, but not many details of what the daily tours include.
Also, has anyone eaten at Mlynec restaurant in Prague (overlooking the Charles Bridge). Wondering will Tauck make reservations at restaurants for us prior to trip?
Thanks in advance for any info offered. We are on the August eastbound- getting excited and making early reservations.

AlanS

dolciani wrote:

So far I’ve found (and signed up for) two activities in Prague: a food tour with “Taste of Prague” and a Mozart dinner concert at the Grand Hotel Bohemia’s Boccaccia Ballroom. I didn’t notice either of these on previous forums and found them thru Pinterest and trip advisor.
What I’m wondering is how much is covered by Tauck and whether we should sign up for extra tours (since we are staying two extra days on each end). For example:

In Prague: Does Tauck go inside the clock tower;

I updated the following:

No, the city hall is closed for renovation and covered by netting- you can't even see the clock face, just a very large projection TV screen. Additional info: "The Old Town Hall Tower is undergoing general repair. While its observation deck is open to public, the Prague Astronomical Clock is being repaired. The medieval clock has been taken apart and it will be back in place in October 2018." Follow this link too see a live webcam view of the Old Town square and City Hall/Astronomical Clock.

is there a full tour of the castle inside and outside;

Courtyards- yes. The Saint Vitus Cathedral- yes, but no other buildings (we passed by the gift shop and while waiting for rain to subside had time for a quick shopping stop. Many buildings, one being the Presidential residence, are still in use by the government. The welcome dinner was at the Lubkowitz palace and there was time afterwards to view the Lobkowicz Collections in the adjacent rooms.

they offer an old town tour for early birds and then the next day offer the same tour - is it the same tour? Do they take the funicular to Perrin Hill;

Don't know if it is same tour- call Tauck they will tell you. Petrin Hill funicular and observation tower were not on regular tour. We arrived early and booked a walking tour of Jewish Quarter with PragueWalker so we could do the old town tour with Tauck once the tour started. We also took a day trip to Cesky Krumlov with PragueWalker.

In Budapest: Do they see the interior and exterior of Buda castle;

No, just Matthias Church (inside and out) and adjacent Fishermen's Bastion.

is there a tour of the opera house;

http://www.opera.hu/operahouse Only partial- royal (private, rear) staircase and the upper and lower lobby. The main auditorium was closed for renovation. From 2017: "Looking ahead, after the renovations are completed, the Opera House is set to reopen for performances on May 24th of 2018." I haven't seen any updates. We were entertained by a short but wonderful opera performance (parts of Don Giovanni (Don Juan) and two other operas) performed by two costumed singers on the landing of the grand staircase. Essentially this tour: "Concert performed by 2 opera singers (2 arias and 2 duets / 10-12 minutes. Guided tour in the currently visitable rooms (15-20 minutes). The auditorium cannot be visited during the reconstruction works."

is there an interior tour of parliament;

No. A walk-by starting at Shoes on the Danube, 30 min. visit to the The Kossuth Tér Massacre Memorial below ground on the Parliament plaza, followed by a walk to the Monument to Imre Nagy/Remembrance Day (Oct. 23), statue of Ronald Reagan, Szabadság tér, stature of BG Harry Hill Bandholtz, U.S. Army, near the US Embassy, and the Memorial to the Victims of the German Invasion, ending near St. S t e phens Basilica. No tour of the basilica nor climbing the dome- both possible additional activities to consider.

how much time is spent inside the great market hall

About an hour- on your own. Food on lower level, souvenirs and crafts on the second level.

We have received our documents and booklet, but not many details of what the daily tours include.

Tours are often subject to holidays, opening times, renovation, etc. You can always get more detail by calling Tauck.

Also, has anyone eaten at Mlynec restaurant in Prague (overlooking the Charles Bridge). Wondering will Tauck make reservations at restaurants for us prior to trip?

No and no.

Thanks in advance for any info offered. We are on the August eastbound- getting excited and making early reservations.

Info from 12 April 2018 Blue Danube eastbound departure on MS Joy.

dolciani

Wow - Thank you AlanS...your info is very helpful and alerts me to set up tours to fill in those few gaps that Tauck has left out. So glad you responded.

AlanS

dolciani wrote:

Wow - Thank you AlanS...your info is very helpful and alerts me to set up tours to fill in those few gaps that Tauck has left out. So glad you responded.

I made significant updates/additions to my previous post. You are correct, there are a few gaps, but not many and not long. Often, when it says you have an afternoon free to explore on your own, it doesn't include time to find a place and eating lunch, etc. This tour involves a lot of walking. You might be better off just making a list of fill activities but not making any firm reservations, especially once aboard the boat. Except in Prague before and after in Budapest, there really aren't opportunities for extra activities once aboard the boat unless you don't take advantage of Tauck's options. Once you have a chance to see the more detailed daily schedules, how things go, and have a chance to talk with a TD or the CD you will be able to make a better decision. If you do decide to go out on a tour of your own in Budapest, you might be better off arranging for a guide with the hotel concierge.

CalKat

Restaurant recommendations - both are very small and reservations are a must:
Prague - Restaurant Pod Věží just on the other side of the Charles Bridge, 58/2 Mostecka Street, Prague 1, 118 00 | Phone 420 257 532 041
Budapest - Zeller Bistro, Izabella utca 36-38 | 1077, Budapest 1077 | District VII Jewish Quarter | Phone 30 651 0880

GailNY

AshvEd wrote:

Prague: Petrin Hill (Funicular & Tower), Concert at Klementinum.

Budapest: Memento Park, Concert at Basilica of St. Stephen, Shoes on the Danube.

Hello. My husband and I leave next week for our cruise from Budapest to Prague. In Budapest - we are trying to decide whether to change our excursion from Dohaney Synagogue with Tauck to the Parliament Building. We want to go inside the Parliament Bldg - does Tauck take you inside??? There are no tickets left in English - has anyone ever gone in with a different language tour (even if you only have a little understanding?). Also if we do Dohaney on our own, do they have tour guides? Also is it nice to take the funicular? And how have people found Hospital in the Rock to be?? Is Margaret Island worth it? Name of a good strudel place (Hazi Retesbolt? ) Thanks

British

We did the Hospital in the Rocks on our own last year and enjoyed it, especially with my nursing background. There are guided tours in various languages and I think they began on the hour, you would have to check. It kind of reminded me of the Churchill War rooms tour in London. We took the land tour with Tauck last year, Warsaw, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, , there is much more time to see things on your own on the land tours. The tour included an inside tour of the Parliament building which is not to be missed.