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Central Europe 22 days on the ground

I know I know....I am one of those last minute people...but hey...at least I have a ticket....
So I have 22 actual days...after reading many blogs etc etc...this is what I have come up with ... I had it the other way round...but realized I would arrive in Prague at Easter.

Any comments would be totally appreciated....

25-Mar Arrive in Berlin HD B
26-Mar train to Dresden HD D
27-Mar train to Prague FD P
28-Mar Prague FD P
29-Mar Prague FD P
30-Mar Prague FD P
31-Mar N Train to Budapest FD P
01-Apr Budapest FD B
02-Apr FD B
03-Apr FD B
04-Apr Night Train to Krakow FD B
05-Apr FD K
06-Apr FD K
07-Apr FD k
08-Apr Train To Warsaw HD W
09-Apr HD W
10-Apr HD W

11-Apr Train to Gdansk HD G

12-Apr FD G
13-Apr FD G

14-Apr Train to Berlin HD B
15-Apr FD B

Posted by
7010 posts

If you're going to use initials to identify something you need to let everyone know what they mean.

EDIT: okay I figured it out. HD means half a day, FD means full day, the single letters are the first initial of the city.

Posted by
31 posts

Sorry...FD is full day and HD is half day and whatever letter is the city I am in...sorry...

Posted by
4540 posts

I loved Dresden and (without knowing your interests, preferences and plans for Prague) would give it more time, either by taking a night from Prague or by taking a later train to Prague on the 27th to give you 2 half-days in Dresden.

If you're there in time, Dresden Walks has a daily Old Town walking tour - now held at 12:30 - that gives a nice overview in a short amount of time.

Posted by
31 posts

Thanks for the comment about Dresden....I looked at the war footage of Dresden and I had to see it...so I will revamp...it's so difficult. I am a wanderer...but I love museums, watching the world go buy, architecture...food...wine and beer....

Posted by
4540 posts

Dresden has a wonderful collection of museums, all in a very walkable center. Since you'll only be there a short time, it may be worth staying near the old town.

I stayed in the non-glamorous Motel One, which is a 5 minute walk (at most) from the Zwinger Palace and old town sights. It's an easy tram ride (Tram 11 at the time I took it, last fall) from the train station to PostPlatz, which drops you very near the old town and across the intersection from the Dresden ferris wheel and adjacent Motel One.

Posted by
31 posts

I will be in Dresden over night...coming in from Berlin by noon and leaving next day...sometime in afternoon.
I did not really have a question...I just wanted some feedback on my itinerary...I have pared it down from original...so I was just wanting some feedback...or anything anyone noticed that was out of whack...when you keep revamping it's hard not to miss something...

Thanks kindly for thoughts...

Posted by
4637 posts

Did you skip Vienna from your itinerary on purpose?

Posted by
31 posts

well yes and no...I had it in originally...but then I was like...well I have to take out something....or I would have to cut down or eliminate something else...Thoughts?

Posted by
4256 posts

I would cut another place and do Vienna. Everyone who goes there loves it. The only other cities on your itinerary that I have been to are Berlin and Warsaw and I definitely prefer Vienna to either of them.

Posted by
4616 posts

We were in Prague two years ago and enjoyed the Easter markets on the square the week before Easter. Not sure when they actually opened, but it was a festive atmosphere with great food, local dancers, and rows of vendors. We had never heard of Easter markets, so we're thrilled. Enjoy and safe travels!

Posted by
17645 posts

If you decide you arent such a big night train fan, I would fly. Prague to Budapest is about $125, Budapest to Krakow is less. Both about an hour. The evenings in Prague and Budapest can be quite nice and flying let's you enjoy them.

Here is a thread that is interesting https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/obb-overnight-train-review

And I would fly straight to Prague and add the data to Budapest, but just me.

Posted by
31 posts

James thanks for the flight information...I will definitely check that out

Thanks Cala - I really went back and forth with going to Vienna. I was there a very very long time ago and can't remember anything about it except listening to music. Anyone else have any thoughts on Vienna...I would have to skip Warsaw and Gdansk vs Vienna.

Pat - Easter Markets...well that gives a whole new perspective...thanks for that.

I really appreciate these comments.

Posted by
4616 posts

ALSO- research what's open wherever you end on on Easter Sunday and Monday. That may influence your trip planning. Often shops are closed, but sights are not. Even if not religious , attending Easter services in a spectacular cathedral can be an amazing experience of art and music.
Safe travels!

Posted by
4616 posts

I just Googled Prague Easter markets [I just don't know how to add a link here], and they are open March 28-April 19, and are open all of Easter weekend. [This is very different from xmas markets, which usually shut down on Dec 23-24.]

Posted by
839 posts

Just another possibility - I had the discussion about the Budapest to Krakow train versus plane issue with my wife two years ago and for flexibility of flight/train times/durations we ended up flying Budapest to Warsaw and catching one of the frequent Warsaw to Krakow trains.

Posted by
31 posts

Pat thanks for the information re Easter Markets...definitely interested in that.
For those of you who mentioned taking a plane vs overnight train....sounds like a better idea.

So this is my dilemma about Vienna...if I go to Vienna I have to take out Warsaw and Gdansk - though some of you think that Vienna is better than Warsaw.....

My itinerary would then change to the following:

Dresden 2
Prague 4
Cesky Krumlov 2
Vienna 3
Bratislava 1
Budapest - fly to Krakow 4
Krakow - fly to Berlin 4
Berlin 2

What do people feel about this itinerary vs other.

Posted by
4256 posts

nellstein, in Vienna, our favorite thing was the Sunday morning church service at the Augustiner Church(recommended in Rick's Eastern Europe book)-they do a short classical mass and the musicians and choir are professional quality. We loved the Kunsthistoriches Museum and my husband's favorite museum was the Hous of Music. He also really enjoyed the cheap standing room ticket at the Opera House-I didn't go because I don't like heights.

Posted by
26840 posts

You cannot go everywhere even if you have 3 months rather than 6 weeks. All your planned destinations are good ones. So are other places you haven't mentioned--your trip is overwhelmingly focused on quite large, touristy cities. Just figure the places you don't get to this year can be part of the next trip. That's better than trying to cram in too much and spending a lot of time sitting on various forms of transportation.

It obviously takes considerably more time for good visits to Gdansk + Warsaw + Krakow than to visit Vienna alone. How do you feel about the amount of time allotted to your other stops? If you think you'll be pressed to accomplish your sightseeing goals in the other cities, maybe subbing Vienna for all the Polish stops and distributing the left-over days to Budapest, Berlin, etc., would be a good option. (I do love Poland; I spent 5 weeks there in 2018.)

To my mind, both itineraries are cutting Berlin very seriously short. Although Berlin itself is not particularly physically attractive due to wartime damage, it has many, many time-consuming museums and historical sites. It's a large city, and the top sights are rather scattered except for the multiple museums on Museum Island. I'd suggest that you postpone Berlin until you have enough time to see it more comprehensively, but it appears that you are flying in and out of that city.

Dresden is not a place to which I'd plan a half-day trip. It was fire-bombed during the war and has a fairly small, though handsome, central area rebuilt in the historic style. Many towns and cities have more old (or old-looking in the case of Dresden) buildings than you'll find in Dresden. What Dresden has is some magnificent museums. Large museums. A half-day, to me, would be of questionable value, and you'd be spending a good bit of time changing hotels for just one night. I'd go straight to Prague and try to find time at some point in the trip for a visit to a smaller town.

Posted by
31 posts

A.Craven - very good advice...and you have made me rethink this.......I am seriously short cutting Berlin...and there was a reason I chose Berlin to go in and out of. I think i have lost sight of what I want. Back to the drawing board...Oh well nothing like cutting it short....

Thanks again for all the wonderful help and thoughts.

Posted by
17645 posts

One night is fine in Cesky K. Sort of splits the trip to Vienna. You wont suffer if you miss Bratislava. There are 2 nights for Berlin.

Posted by
3049 posts

Just weighing in and I might get pilloried for this, but if I were going to take a night from somewhere in your original itinerary, it would be Prague, Krakow, or Budapest. All 3 are lovely cities but none have the mind-bendingly impressive, big museums of cities like Berlin, Dresden, or Vienna.

I just returned from Krakow and loved it but 3 nights/ 2.5 days was a good introduction to the city, we didn't do everything but that's what coming back is for! In November did the same amount of time in Vienna, my 3rd trip to the city, and I didn't have time to see the stuff I wanted to see on that particular trip!

And while I hear great things about Warsaw, I wonder if it's going to seem less appealing after the beauty of Krakow. I'd be inclined to cut it entirely from this trip, but maybe I'm being unfair, since I haven't been there myself.

Posted by
26840 posts

Warsaw has comparatively little original historic architecture and a rather small area rebuilt in the old style; it definitely lacks the density of beautiful buildings to be found in Krakow. What it has is a wealth of museums and historic sites -- the Warsaw Rising Museum, POLIN, the National Museum and many more. For those interested in WWII and Cold War history, it is pretty much not skippable. I suspected I would need more time there than I originally booked (which I think was 5 nights) because I spend an unusual amount of time in 20th-century history museums/memorials, but I didn't expect to be in Warsaw for 10 nights. I did spend the better part of a day going to Treblinka.

Posted by
31 posts

Thank you all for your information....As a wise person said I cannot do it all in 22 days. Sadly I have decided to cut Vienna and Budapest from my trip. I think when I come back those are two cities will go well together and I can spend the proper time in them and the countryside. I am looking at doing 6 nights in smaller towns between Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk. I just think it makes more sense to do a circle. Next time fly in one and out the other. From what I understand from you folks it's an area that you keep coming back to for more exploration. I tend to travel outside of summer and would love to do the Christmas markets if it's not too crazy busy in November as I think Vienna and Budapest would be great for that.

Thanks again for all your assistance and Happy Travels.

Posted by
26840 posts

Lorraine, I think you've made a good decision. On longer trips I find I really appreciate having a mixture of larger cities and smaller towns. I haven't been to Austria recently and have little experience with places other than Vienna, Salzburg and Graz, but I can tell you that Hungary definitely has a lot of worthwhile smaller destinations. I spent just over 2 weeks bouncing around outside Budapest in 2018, and I didn't get to all the places that sounded interesting by any stretch. One thing to keep in the back of your mind about Hungary is that the rail lines tend to radiate out from Budapest, so you may find yourself traveling back through that city even when you don't intend to