From Vienna to Prague with Daytrip

Prague has always been one of those places that I knew I would have to visit sooner or later. It is just one of those postcard destinations that I’d love to see in real life and prove to myself again that everything is possible.

That’s why when Daytrip invited me and Krasi to experience their service, I was more than excited to do so. The trip started in Vienna and ended in Prague visiting two iconic Czech gems along the way – Mikulov and Kutná Hora. Add to that delicious cuisines and choice wines and you get the perfect road trip in Europe. So that’s how our adventurous 2016 began! 

Daytrip is actually the first company in Europe to offer such kind of service – it lets you travel from one city to another visiting chosen sights along the way and have your own customised itinerary. On top of that, your driver is a local who will be more than happy to tell you more about the local life, culture, history and more. In my honest opinion, this is a much better way to get to your next destination as opposed to taking the bus, train or plane. 

I’m sure you saw our #EuropeDayTrip journey on Facebook and Instagram but to give you a better understanding of the concept of Daytrip, here is how our whole trip actually went… 

Planning your trip

Booking a trip through Daytrip’s platform is easy-peasy. First you choose your cities and hit the Plan-my-trip button. Daytrip currently has 36 available routes across 6 countries in Europe but plan to spread all over Europe. And I’m positive they will, because their concept is unique and can come in handy for any traveller. 

The next step is to create your itinerary. I think this is the best part of the platform. The interface is so easy to use and navigate that I could plan trips all day long. You just have to choose which places you would like to visit during your transfer to your next city:

Every time you add a trip to your itinerary, the platform calculates the actual time you need for that detour and estimates the final time of arrival based on your itinerary. That way you can plan your trip more thoroughly. 

After you choose your stops, you can see the estimated time of travel and the final price of your trip. I find the planning platform very easy to use, not complicated at all (something I’ve experienced with other platforms) and a fantastic way to plan a trip. 

Sometimes, there’s not another way to visit some of these stops. Either you’d have to rent a car or waste time combining several means of transportation. I don’t want to sound like an ad platform, but isn’t Daytrip’s solution the smartest idea ever?

To prove to you that I’m not just saying that, I dare you to go to their website www.ondaytrip.com and plan a few trips. You will see how easy it is to create your itinerary and use their platform. But, first, here’s how our trip went…

Our itinerary Vienna-Mikulov-Kutna Hora-Prague let us have a quick night walk
in the gorgeous Austrian capital!

From Vienna to Prague in one day

We flew from Sofia to Vienna on a Thursday. On Friday at 09:00 we were ready to start our day trip to Prague. Our driver, Michaela, was absolutely on time and super friendly and, most of all, knowledgeable. We did a quick introduction, confirmed our itinerary and started our journey. 

Visiting Mikulov

Mikulov was the first stop of our trip. We were there at 10:30. This cute little town in Czech Republic is surrounded by idyllic countryside and can simply warm your heart no matter how cold it is outside (and it was cold). Mikulov is famous for its unique wine, the Castle and its strong Jewish history transformed into the best Jewish cuisine I’ve ever tried. 

After walking around Mikulov for a while, we stopped for a lunch in Tanzberg restaurant. This delicious traditional Jewish meal in the photo below is called SOULET. I can’t tell you what it is made from or how it is made, but I can tell you that you simply have to try it…

We also had a wine tasting session along with our lunch. Our wine expert was so enthusiastic about it and helped us choose the best wines for each meal. Fun fact: apparently, his uncle is the founder of the Bulgarian Club in Prague. “Wait, what? Bulgarian Club in Prague?”. Exactly! The world is so small…

Visiting Kutná Hora

After our rich lunch and a few wines (5 to be exact!), we headed to our next stop – Kutná Hora. Another small Czech gem with a unique atmosphere and a spectacular cathedral. Kutná Hora is a medieval silver-mining boom town which was the centre of the economy of the Czechs back in the 13th century. 

Now, there isn’t much to see or do in Kutná Hora for more than a few hours. Which is why it is a perfect add on to your day trip travel to Prague. I recommend that you visit the 14th century St. Barbara Cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary made of bones.

Arriving in Prague

Micha, our driver, left us on the front door of our apartment in Prague. We were more than satisfied with our trip from Vienna to Prague. Meeting with Daytrip’s team was the next stop on our agenda.

Needless to say, the young team of Daytrip was more than hospitable. They’d organised a great local dining and brewery experience for us in local venues. There was a lot of beer drinking that night. After all, we were in Prague…

The next day we had the whole day for Prague. I was amazed by how nice Prague was during winter and didn’t skip the chance to take some photos of the snowy Golden city. Expect more blog posts about Prague in the next few days.

Should you choose Daytrip for your trip in Europe

After thinking over and over about what Daytrip offers, I’m more and more convinced that their service is revolutionary. The platform lets you choose places to visit which maybe you wouldn’t be able to visit otherwise. It lets you travel from one city to another such as the bus, train or car but with a few more benefits. I will try to be objective here. 

What are the benefits of using Daytrip:

• Customisable itinerary – you can literally choose what you want to see along the way depending on your interests, time and budget

• Local driver/guide – your driver is a local who can introduce you to real stories from the places you visit and recommendations for best restaurants, bars, hotels, etc.

• Flexible program – you can decide how much time you want to stay in one place or adjust your itinerary on the go

• Perfect for road trips – if you don’t like to drive but prefer to travel by car, this is for you

• Visit places you wouldn’t consider otherwise – maybe there is no other way to visit the places on the itinerary or it takes more time and effort

What are the downsides of using Daytrip: I couldn’t think of any other reason than the money issue. Yes, you can take the cheaper bus or train from Vienna to Prague or other destinations. But, in my opinion, the cost of the trip with Daytrip is justified with the above mentioned benefits. Of course, it all depends on which way you choose to travel. But I am sure that if you choose Daytrip, you will have a great experience with them! 

The best thing you can do now is visit their website and start planning your next trip in Europe or give Daytrip some love on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Even if you don’t plan to travel anywhere now, you may consider them for a future day trip in Europe.

Use Discount Code: TxB1620 on www.ondaytrip.com

• Coupon is good for €20 off the final price
• Simply paste the code into the “Additional notes & wishes” field when booking your trip
• The discount will be applied when it’s time to pay (which is after the trip)
• Valid through July 2016

So would you choose to travel with local guides instead of taking the bus?

 *All in all, my overall experience was excellent. Even though it was a press trip, all opinions shared here are my own and I stand behind every word I said (woops, typed)!