I'm planning a 8 night trip over Christmas 2015. My first trip to Europe! The goal is to hit up Prague, Munich & Vienna with a possible day trip to Salzburg. What are the recommendations on how much time to spend in each city? With there being closures, where should we stay dec 24th-26th (aka which of these cities is going to have the most open so that we don't lose valuable days?) We are definitely there to experience the magical Christmas markets but also to see the cities, museums and culture and am not sure where to start! Coming in from Chicago. I don't want to spend an over abundance of time on trains but also want to see as much as we can. Thanks!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Plan to fly into one city and out from another; there's no need to return to your starting point. Travel time is roughly four hours between any of those three larger cities. Each of them has plenty to see, and I would want to spend at least three nights in each. Preferably, cut the list to just two cities, or three if you stop in Salzburg on the way between Munich and Vienna.
Posted by
2081 posts
nataliemarko22
8 days, 3+ cities, Not a lot of time for any of them and that doesnt include travel. if i remember correctly its approximately 4 hours between each city by train. I did Munich > Prague > Vienna. If you are flying from the USA, that 8 days will be 7 since you will loose a day.
i would get some travel books and start reading up on what each place has to offer and make a priority list.
happy trails.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I agree with Laura that it would be much better if you cut your trip to 2 of the 3 cities. In addition to the travel time between them, and the fact that all three have lots to see, remember the days will be short, cutting into your outdoor sightseeing time.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20197 posts
Let's see, thinking out loud here:
Day Zero Leave the US
Day One Arrive Prague about 1 pm pooped out. Night one
Day two, See Prague Night Two Prague
]Day three, See Prague Night Three Prague
Day four most of the day train to Munich, Night Four Munich
Day five, see Munich Night Five Munich
Day six, see Munich Night six Vienna
Day seven, train to Vienna Night seven Vienna
Day eight see Vienna Night eight Vienna
Day Nine Head home
Okay, I think you are one day short of a great trip, but I'm not a big fan of Vienna so this would work for me. Except I would shorten the train time by about 2 hours by doing Prague / Vienna / Budapest. But if Budapest doesn't interest you that would be a waste. Still FYI https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/holiday-season-in-budapest
Posted by
Chicago
555 posts
Natalie,
I have been to Munich and Salzburg in summer.
Salzburg is a little bit chichi for me. It's expensive and caters to an upper-crusty clientele. Having said that, it's worth visiting. I would suggest a day trip to Salzburg from somewhere else. Another option might be to stay one or two nights and seeing the sights during one day. Mozart's birth house is definitely worth seeing. See the church behind his birth house, where he performed publicly for the first time. There are some early, second-century AD Christian catacombs in Salzburg that were fascinating. Also, the Salzburg Festung, or fortress, is fun to visit. A lot of people enjoy the "Sound of Music" tour, but I didn't go on that and don't know if it is offered during the winter. Eat some goulash.
Munich is a blast. There are three great art museums. (I've seen two of them.) The palace downtown is jaw dropping. The Nymphenburg palace is even more jaw dropping. The beer gardens around the Frauenkirche, main cathedral downtown, serve wonderful food. People rave about the science museum. The main park is fabulous in summer. I would suggest at least two full days there. Munich's main train station is my favorite in Europe.
Happy travels!