Even the most seasoned European traveller can be caught unawares by rail schedules changes. Most European rail companies introduce major timetable changes over the second weekend in December, and this year there are some big alterations in the offing.

There is no more civilised way of making a big hop across Europe than on a night train, and the new schedules see a whole raft of new night train services. Take Amsterdam for example. The Dutch city has always featured on Europe’s night train schedules, but for 2008 Amsterdam secures new daily services to Copenhagen, Dresden, Milan, Minsk, Moscow, Prague, and Warsaw.

For the first time for many years Switzerland and Bavaria will benefit from direct overnight trains to Poland and points east, with new direct night sleeper services from Basel SBB and Munich to Warsaw and Moscow. Fixed fares apply for travel on most European night train routes, often with little advantage for railpass holders. A one-way journey in a shared sleeper costs from €69. For those on a budget, couchettes are priced from €49 and a one-way overnight in a reclining seat begins at €29.

The changes are of course not limited to night train services. New for 2008 are a daily direct train from both Vienna and Prague to Stralsund on Germany’s Baltic coast, a very handy new daytime train from Kraków to Budapest (less than nine hours on a beautiful route through the mountains that straddle the Polish-Slovakian border), a new fast direct daytime service from Paris to Munich (just over six hours) to supplement the long-standing Paris-Munich night train, a new direct Berlin to Copenhagen link (where the entire train gets shipped on a ferry between Denmark and Germany), and a new direct once daily train from Geneva Airport to Venice.

Rail travel in Europe can challenge even the most competent travel planner. Web sites like those of the Deutsche Bahn can help. But there is really no substitute for the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, a gem of a book updated each month. For many savvy European travellers, it is required bedtime reading.

This is the fifth in a series of fortnightly blog posts by the editors of hidden europe.

A few years ago, Mozaika’s burgers were named the best in Prague. Burgers outside of the U.S. are a sensitive subject: think of the role they play in the Whit Stillman film Barcelona, where the burger is symbol of what American can do right. The Mozaika burger may not be the best burger around, but it’s not an embarrassing attempt either.

The pros: It’s American sized, if a little sloppy—especially with the creamy mayonnaise topping, which tends to funnel down the edges of the lettuce—and comes with mushrooms, a rather Czech addition to a ground beef patty.

The cons: it’s never going to emerge from the kitchen anywhere near medium rare. Sorry.

In short, Mozaika is still worth a visit for those hungering for a slab of beef in Prague—think of it as burger outsourcing.

Photo by oliviagiovetti

We overheard this brilliant aside from an American backpacker in a bar in Zizkov: “What the hell is up with all the puppets?”

It’s sort of a good question. Prague’s more touristy areas have marionette shops on practically every corner. The art of puppetry has been a popular form in Prague since the 17th Century. It was one of the first forms of theatre performed in Czech. Historically, the innocence of the marionettes and the naïveté of their puppeteers have allowed many censored ideas to reach the public.

The National Marionette Theatre (Zatecka 1 in Stare Mesto) performs Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni twice daily. With a theatre bar that allows you to bring your Pilsner into the performance, this Giovanni is a burlesque send-up for those who love and loathe opera alike. Sit in the front row if you don’t mind getting wet.

Photo by oliviagiovetti

If you’re in Prague on Saturday, June 16, don’t spend your day museum-hopping. Wait until 7 p.m., when the bulk of the city’s museums and galleries will waive admission as part of Prague’s Museum Night.

In its fourth year, Prague’s Museum Night is part of a European movement to make art open, accessible, and (best of all) free. The only two museums not offering free admission are asking for “symbolic admission”: the Museum of the City of Prague is charging CZK1 (€.04; $.05), while the City Gallery Prague is asking for CZK10 (€.35; $.47) per entrant. If you’re completely strapped for crowns, don’t fret. There are over 15 other museums and galleries to keep you busy.

Transportation between museums will also be free. A handful of other cultural events and exhibitions will complement the evening’s festivities. So if you’ve ever found yourself jonesing for a Cinderella, stroke-of-midnight moment at Prague Castle, June 16 is your chance.

Photo by eks

A former flour mill, the Kampa Museum is, arguably we suppose, the highlight of Kampa Park. From the museum, bankside views of the Vltava are far less crowded than they are from the Charles Bridge. Plenty of trees offer shade for an afternoon nap or a perch from which the over-priced gelato sold at the kiosk just outside of the park’s entrance can be enjoyed.

Additionally, the cafe adjacent to the museum offers reasonably-priced wines, beers, and nibbles for riverside dining. Stop in after enjoying what is one of the best free art experiences in the city. Its roster includes Yoko Ono and Christo, and the lobby exhibitions are free—as is the entire museum on Mondays. Adults pay CZK 200 (€7; $9.40) and students and seniors pay a mere CZK100 (€3.50; $4.70) to see the both the permanent and František Kupka-Piet Mondrian exhibitions.

One of the coolest things about the Kampa just now is Julian Opie’s “Walking on the Vltava,” which includes two LED figures named Bruce and Suzanne walking outside on the river proper. A canal runs through the museum’s clear floor, and into the courtyard, allowing museum-goers to have their own Jesus moment.

Photo by Jenny & Peter

Along the Vltava river, which Bedrich Smetana immortalized in his collection of symphonic poems “Má vlast,” now sits a museum that’s worth interrupting your riverside stroll. Go a little past the Charles Bridge and cut into the small side street of Novotneho lavka to visit the Bedrich Smetana Museum.

While the waistcoat pocket-sized museum doesn’t have the space or artifacts to compete with the Dvorak House or the Mozart Museum at Bertramka, there is nothing more Czech than listening to “Vltava” while sitting on the Vltava. Point the laser-tipped baton in the main section of the museum’s room towards any of the music stands to sample “Má Vlast,” the “Bartered Bride,” or a handful of other works by the composer.

More interestingly, and worth the price of the CZK50 (€1.75; $2.35) admission fee, is the display of Smetana’s ossicles—that is, his ear bones. They’re available for viewing under magnification among the standard mix of journals, letters, scores, and family photos.

Whether you’ve never heard of Smetana (for shame!) or can hum the “Bartered Bride” from memory, this is definitely a waistcoat pocket worth checking out.

Photo by lucid283

President Bush is in Prague today (and will later head to Germany), selling his plan for radar and missile sites in the two countries. While the EuroCheapo blog tries not to get political, we were interested to note where the President and the first lady visited on their trip through the city.

Of course, President Bush got the tour and lunch option at Prague Castle—obviously one of the most popular destinations for anyone going to the city—but the respective first lady, joined by Czech First Lady Livia Klausova, paid a visit to the Strahov Monastery. The monastery, founded in 1120, is one of the most enjoyable sites in Mala Strana. It boasts orchards and an incredible view of the Prague skyline outside, and baroque flourishes inside. Plus, even if you’re not a First Lady, admission to the monastery is still less than a dollar.

Photo by oliviagiovetti

In Prague, you can get your fill of apple strudel at any sidewalk cafe. However, (especially if you’re in the Czech Republic long-term) no one will blame you for craving a giant soft-baked chocolate chip cookie. And expat Anne Feeley’s Bakeshop Praha (Kozi 1, just a block down from the Kafka statue) is just the place to find them, along with a wide range of other American-style baked goods (including bread that isn’t rye!).

The cheery shop, located near the Jewish Quarter, has a design that isn’t too far from Feeley’s Californian roots, warm with a retro, gee-whiz interior. The staff is oh-so-helpful, whether toasting your ham and cheese croissant (a delicious buttery sin) or bagging up a dozen scrumptious oatmeal raisin cookies to bring home.

While the shop makes for a nice afternoon pick-me-up, it is also the perfect locale for a quick, cheap lunch (their quiches are roughly CZK65/$2.00 and are so addictive they should be outlawed). If you have some extra time and extra money burning a hole in your pocket, Feeley’s sister restaurant Bakeshop Diner, is nearby in Mala Strana (next to the Charles Bridge) and offers up the full dining experience for a few extra Czech crowns.

Photo by oliviagiovetti

Though Prague is knee-deep in music history, the only way to get into the Estates Theater—its most famous opera house—is by seeing one of its operas. And if you’re taking in an opera, why not go for one of Prague’s most famous operas, La Clemenza de Tito?

If you missed last month’s production of Clemenza as part of the Prague Spring Music Festival, you’ll be able to catch it again as part of this fall’s Czech Opera season. Written for Prague by its adoptive son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart it the opera had its original premier in the very theater where it will be performed this fall. The current stark white set and modern(ish) costumes (designed for the Mozart 2006 Prague Festival) aren’t replicas of the original 18th century production, but they make for exciting visuals to an exciting Mozart score.

Seeing this integral part of Czech culture, a part of its living history, in the blue velvet jewel-box of an opera house is a must. And with tickets for Clemenza still available for CZK450 to CZK1000 (that’s about $20 to $50), soaking up history and culture won’t soak up your bank account. Bohemia Ticket (located on the net and off Wenceslas Square) is a good resource for getting tickets.

Photo by oliviagiovetti

If you ask the older Expat Czech-set, The Globe isn’t what it used to be since it moved seven years ago from the Holesovice to the trendier address on Pstrossova, near the National Theater. Howevery you can still find them in the corner of the bookshop-slash-café that puts Borders to shame.

Browse the wide selection of English books in the storefront (including the box of freebies by the door), and don’t be shy to ask the English-speaking staff if they can order a copy of what anything don’t have in stock. After you’ve grabbed an expat (or expat-in-spirit) appropriate book, head to the back café and sit on or under its grand balcony.

The current owner has a keen eye for the aesthetic experience which works in the café’s favor, making it atmospheric without the overkill. Currently the works of Roman Zakrzewski, whose collection “The Only Woman in the World” features portraits of his wife at various ages, flirt with the eye (and can be purchased for a decidedly non-Cheapo price of $3,000 each).

A hand-picked mix of jazz, European house, and techno remixes of opera arias msehes well with the reasonably priced drinks (stop in for half-priced cocktails every day between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m), and the live music featured on Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to the print menu of beverages and desserts, there is also a dinner menu that offers great portions, wonderful flavors, and prices as friendly as the waitresses.