Katowice to Prague via the scenic route

[159jim]

Evening

Recently I booked a spontaneous long weekend for next week flying into Katowice and out of Prague and was wondering if anyone could recommend a scenic route between the two via the Carpathians/Tatras that's hauled throughout or most of the way (preferably with fresh air stock) ?

Thanks in advance,
Jim.

 

[87015]

Evening

Recently I booked a spontaneous long weekend for next week flying into Katowice and out of Prague and was wondering if anyone could recommend a scenic route between the two via the Carpathians/Tatras that's hauled throughout or most of the way (preferably with fresh air stock) ?

Thanks in advance,
Jim.

The only through hauled route is the standard EC one via Bohumin (well or Berlin), nearly all aircons and doesn't go through the mountains. Everything else basically involves hours on carts of varying rancidity, Szklarska P is as far as you'll get on an engine that way, Zwardon is all carts, Zakopane for a bus to Poprad probably can't be done in a day and again likely aircons on the Slovak side onwards.

Perhaps the TLK to Kudowa Zdroj could be of use if you can find a way to get over the border to Nachod as thats only a short unit to pick up a Trutnov goggle, dont know how scenic the Polish side is, the Czech side is nothing spectacular.

 

[30907]

Assuming you don't mind an overnight stop, apart from Jelenia Gora-Szklarska Poreba-Harrachov-Tanvald

As it's a weekend, Polregio operate from Opole to Glucholazy where you can pick up a CD unit to Jesenik, and then a diesel-hauled service (possibly still with fresh air windows) through the mountains to Zabreh/Olomouc/Brno. That's rather more scenic than the Trutnov route

Alternatively, Sedzislaw to Kralovec operates at weekends, and the unit is based at Trutnov so works back there in the evening

 

[Zamracene749]

Not hauled, but still quite old school, fresh air and quite rare is TLK36102 from Katowice (0808hrs) to Jelenia Gora, from where you can connect to Prague as detailed by 30907 above. This is worked by 50 year old SKPL SN84 DMUs (Ex german 614 units). 1st class on these is a nice, usually empty compartment in the motor coach. The route is hardly alpine, but it's nice enough in a rural backwater way.