As mentioned, we disembarked our Viking ship in Budapest and stayed on a couple of days in a hotel there. Then we had booked a private taxi transfer from there to Prague, our final addition to the trip. Interestingly this option was bookable online and very competitive with taking the train, plus much more convenient as it was door to door.
The driving time was about 5 hours and the taxi driver doubled as a tour guide in that he recommended places to stop along the way so we enjoyed a full day trip with lunch (we paid for that, including his!) and of course we learned a lot about the Czech Republic as he originated from near Prague.
The first stop was Lednice State Chateau which is “one of the most beautiful complexes in the English Neo-Gothic style in Europe”. We did not have time for an internal tour, but wandered around the grounds and admired the gardens and architecture while our driver chatted happily to his cousin who was part of a wedding party that just happened to be there that day! (He truly didn’t know beforehand!)
After that, we moved on to Brno which is a city known for its modernist building and links with architect Mies van der Rohe, who renovated the Tugendhat House there and designed the Brno Chair – a classic iconic 30s design still available from Knoll in the USA and which I am familiar with from my time with Spinneybeck, which is part of the Knoll Group.
We had a nice lunch with our driver and wandered around the town for about 20 minutes. We saw neither the house – from photos it is not our taste as it’s a glass and concrete box – nor (unsurprisingly) any of the chairs! Some very beautiful buildings in the centre nevertheless and so it was an interesting stop.
As you can see there were a number of market stalls selling freshly cooked local dishes, unfortunately we found this after having had lunch – which was also local food, but I do like the market vibe. Hey ho! And then it was time to head out and on to Prague.