Berlin + Prague alone or with a 3rd city

I'd suggest Dresden: Berlin-Dresden-Prague. Dresden has much to offer; you could take an Elbe river trip in addition to seeing the sights. Going to Prague from there is a natural progression.

Dresden is a good choice and worth a day or up to 2 days. Another choice is going on to Vienna for a few days. There are daytrip possibilities from Prague too. Or if you are out-doorsy, the river valley just east of Dresden (along the train line to Prague) is stunning with lots of quiant towns, river boating and biking.

I really like Vienna and Budapest with Berlin and Prague. It's a logical swath. I typically go a little longer and add intermediate stops along the route - Dresden is a perfect one.

Dresden, absolutely. It's about halfway between the two cities. It also has lots of delicious ice cream and cake spots :) and the coolest beer garden I've ever been to, on the Neustadt side of the Elbe.

Thanks for the responses. I hadn't even considered Dresden, and it looks like I'm going to have to do some research on it. Sounds like it might fit in well. I liked the sound of Budapest (it just sounds a bit, uh, exotic), but worried that it was just too far to travel. I'm having trouble finding train information between Prague and Budapest. Does anyone know how long it takes to go between the two?

I would agree that Dresden makes a lot of sense...it's right on the way. You could travel from Prague to Vienna & see Vienna for a couple of days...about 4.75 hours and then go to Budapest from there...3 hours. Otherwise, I believe it's about 7 hours from Prague to Budapest.

For 10 days Berlin, Dresden and Prague are just OK. Adding Vienna or even Budapest would make it too rushed. Check the map. WWI and WWII interests: you can visit Army museum in Prague, Memorial Lidice (the village was destroyed as a retaliation for assassination of Heydrich), Cyril and Method Church where the assassins made last stand. There is an exhibition in Valdstejnske zahrady (Gardens) commemorating 70th anniversary of assassination of Heydrich. I think the exhibition is opened until July. Kids could be interested in visiting National Technical Museum in Prague (trains, trams, cars, motorcycles, etc.). Berlin of course has many WWII sites to visit. Dresden was pulverized in air raid in February 1945.

Dina, one more thing: check the Dresden website; they have a place where you can request travel brochures and it came by return mail to me in the states (in several languages). Also, if you go and want to see the famous "Gruenes Gewoelbe" - Green Vault - advance reservations are indicated.

I did just that trip, but in reverse two weeks ago. I added a couple of days and started in Munich. Then I went to Prague, Dresden, and ended in Berlin. Dresden is the perfect choice, and I actually liked it better than Prague!

Thanks again. My husband liked the idea of Dresden and I became convinced it's a good choice once I discovered that it's around 2.5 hours and 50€ for the whole family for each train journey. Not sure exactly when we're doing this trip, but I know it won't be before the end of July. We were thinking this might be our trip for the kids' fall school vacation.

Dina, It sounds like you've "more-or-less" made a decision. I was going to suggest that Berlin & Prague would be a good choice, along with a day trip to Cesky Krumlov. Berlin has a LOT of interesting historic sites. For example: > the Deutsches Museum has lots of displays of weapons, armor and other things (including an 88 mm Flak Gun). > Original Berlin Walks has some interesting tours covering WW-II sites, including the former Luftwaffe Building (still in use), the Bendlerblock, the Museum of Terror located at the location of the former Gestapo headquarters and of course the site of the former Fuhrerbunker). > Soviet Era sites including the touristy "Checkpoint Charlie" and the remains of the wall. There are a LOT of interesting sites in Prague! For example: > The Charles Bridge - lots of entertainers. > Prague Castle - a magnificent site, but you'd have to structure the touring to match the "attention span" of your kids. The Changing of the Guard might be interesting for them. The Golden Lane has lots of small stores with all kinds of different items. I found it took longer than expected to tour there, as I kept finding new places to explore. > The Old Town Square - the unusual Clock might be of some interest? > Wenceslas Square, where the "Velvet Revolution" took place (it's quite touristy, but interesting) > WW-II history - the Jewish Cemetery, and the Orthodox Church that was the last location of the Czech soldiers that carried out the Heydrich assassination. There's a small but nicely arranged Museum that explains the operation, and visitors can stand in the crypts where the "final battle" took place. In that corner of Europe, there are so many historic and unusual places to visit. Happy travels!