Feedback on first draft of Central EU trip May 2017

Berlin at least 4 to 5 days. On the way from Berlin to Prague you can stop in Dresden. Prague 4 days with day trip to Konopiste. Then Cesky Krumlov, stay overnight. From there travel to Vienna (at least three days). Then Krakow. Vienna has better connection to Krakow than Prague or Budapest. From Krakow to Budapest by bus via Slovakia. Scenic ride. From Budapest to Salzburg and then Munich. I would probably postpone Slovenia for the next trip. It's a little out of way. Krakow and Salzburg each at least two days. Budapest at least three days and Munich three days, too. Balaton would be better in summer than in May. Brno is OK but you would have to go to Vienna via Brno and not C.K. I think C.K. as a day trip is not the best idea.

Hi Elaine,

Your itinerary looks good to me as far as sequence and timing is concerned, with one change. I would take one day away from Vienna and add it to Krakow. With your daytrip to Auschwitz you really have only one day to visit the many excellent sites in Krakow itself. I think another day is definitely in order. Your visit to the camp indicates some interest in WWII sites. Therefore, I would recommend seeing the Krakow in WWII Museum. It is housed in Oskar Schindler's old factory (The shots they showed in the film of employees entering the factory each day through the gate were actually shot here.) and it makes a for very informative two hour visit focusing on the lives of Poles during the War. Other sites in the city such as the cathedral, the castle and other major churches call out for at least a three day stop in Krakow.

Dear Elaine, Bless you and your mom for making this trip together! May everything work out for you two! Please give us a trip report - although we will need to wait 10 months for it. I love to hear how it all transpired.

Good suggestions above. I'd say 7 days is too long for Vienna unless there's something you want to do "above and beyond" what most visitors would choose. I'd give more time to Berlin, Krakow, and Budapest. And, as others suggested, spend a night in Cesky Krumlov if you can. And Munich would be worth some time, unless you've been there and chosen not to revisit beyond the airport. And if Slovenia isn't a big one for your mom you could buy time in some of those other cities by saving it for yourself in the future.

I think I counted six travel days in about a month, which is a good pace, and you're wise to treat them as full days of travel, instead of "partial" days in two places. Of course you won't necessarily be traveling from dawn to dusk on those days either. You know your mother's capabilities better than anyone here, but you want to allow plenty of time on those travel days, including rest.

I hope you both have a wonderful trip and hope you'll write about it afterwards.

I'd definitely take a night or two from Vienna and give it to Krakow.

Ljubljana may be a little out of your way.
With 31 nights I'd split my time ....
Berlin - 5 nights
Dresden - 2 nights
Prague - 4 nights
Cesky Krumlov - 2 nights
Salzburg - 4 nights
Vienna - 5 nights
Budapest - 5 nights
Kraków - 4 nights

Hi,

I'll comment on Lake Balaton (Plattensee) and Brno. Balaton is a favourite for German speaking tourists, seems they all flock there. Brno used to be the province capital of Moravia called Brünn. I found going there this time great, a great day trip from Wien Hbf if you arrive early enough, take the train to Slavkov to see what used to be Schloss Austerlitz and the detailed Napoleon Exhibit, ie multiple rooms on the battle history. However, I didn't have enough time to see the Zentrum of the town.

Day trip from Berlin aside from Potsdam, I would suggest Halle an der Saale, Leipzig (if you want a big city), Neustrelitz, Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The more esoteric place you go, ie less visited or not visited by international tourists, the more of a different feel you get in eastern Germany.

Let me explain my only two travel rules: never go to Europe without going to Vienna, and never go to Vienna for less than 7 days.
My stepfather was from Vienna, and he and my Mom have made many trips there since 1979. Typically her nephew offers us his flat and moves in with his mother while we are there. I am just in love with this beautiful city!!

So I absolutely cannot cut time from Vienna!!

But I've had some really good suggestions here and I'm starting to make some changes. I think one of the three outliers has to go.

Surprisingly Mom really does want to go to Slovenia so we've agreed to cut Berlin. That frees up 3 full days.
Ilya I think you are right about C-K not being a good choice for a day trip. I will probably add another day in Czechia maybe in Prague or maybe add Brno. I might be able to work in an overnight in C-K.
Jack you suggested I add a day to Kraków and I am going to do that.

Dick we're using Munich only for its airport this trip. We were in Munich for NewYears of 2011
Fred I think I will have a trip that will be dedicated to Germany and I will catch Berlin and east Germany then. I know you visit a lot of military history sites so I will follow up with you then.
I think I'm going to work on my boss for an extra week off so I can add a day here and there and maybe upgrade Vienna to 10 days.!!
I really do appreciate all the suggestions.

Hi,

On "never to go to Europe without going to Vienna ...." Bravo! I had originally reserved at the hotel for ten nights this time but then changed the reservation for 9 nights. So, when it came time to pay, the hotel staff mentioned the 10th night which I had completely forgotten and did not recall but, obviously, they had the on-line proof. I was still able to cancel without penalty.

What cancel Berlin? Unerhört I (unheard of). Seriously, your trip can just focus historically on parts of the old Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which the itinerary is doing just that! Logistically, that makes sense too.

Six days in Berlin proper (not making a trip to Potsdam) were not enough for me, so three days seem very light. However, I have a very strong interest in WW II and Cold War history, so you may need to adjust for that. Still, Berlin's sights are rather spread out, and the Museuminseln museums are very large and may come equipped with lengthy entry lines.

Both the DDR Museum and the House at Checkpoint Charlie were very crowded when I visited late morning or early afternoon. If you want to see either of those, I suggest trying to get an idea of the best time to visit so that things are easier for your mom.

Unless there are special considerations, I think you have more time than you need in Vienna.

Prague - 4 nights
Cesky Krumlov - 2 nights
Salzburg - 4 nights
Ljubljana - 4 nights
Vienna - 7 nights
Budapest - 5 nights
Kraków - 4 nights

I like every bit of the trip. Go for it...

Brno would be an interesting addition.not high on a lot of peoples list but I really loved it, so different from Prague and there is some lovely countryside around there.In May there is (or certainly was) an annual fireworks contest held in the Dam area about a 30 minute tram ride form the centre.

Hi,

This year was unique in Vienna, the scene of 4 special exhibits on Franz Joseph as it is the 100th year of his death, one exhibit being at the Hofburg. . Had you been in Vienna this year, it would have been well worth your time to spend a full week or more. I am glad I reserved nine nights.

I second the suggestion of Brno, especially for historical reasons, went there this time but was two hours late in arriving.

Okay. Changes have been penciled in. By dropping Berlin and flying out on Sunday instead of Wednesday I have effectively gained 5 days to add to the remaining locations, but when I map out it still doesn't seem like I have enough time!! What is enough??

Day 0 Charlotte
Day 1 Arrive in Prague
2 - 4 Prague with 1 or 2 excursions outside the city
5 Travel
6 - 8 Cracow with day trip to Auschwitz
9 Travel
10 - 12 Budapest
13. Travel
14 - 21 Vienna
22. Travel
23 - 25 Bled with day trips to Ljubljana and Soca Valley
26 Travel
27 - 28 St Gilgen with day trip to Bad Ischl (Great suggestion Fred)
29 - 30 Salzburg
31. Morning shuttle direct to Munich Airport for 1300 flight.

Most of the travel allows for a few hours of strolling and sightseeing on those days. I am one of those people who love trains and consider the train trips to be travel highlights rather than wasted time.

Someone has suggested Cracow before Prague so I'm looking at flight options for that.

Any other suggestions??? I have hotels/apts selected for St Gilgen, Bled and Budapest but am hesitant to book pending some little tweaks that might change these planned days.

Yes, if you can swing starting your vacation, or ending it, in Krakow you save one all day road trip.

"What is enough?" Yes, always the pertinent question on such a trip? Two or three weeks or two months?

Getting to Bad Ischl can be done by bus or train. Both times I took the train but across the street of the town train station is the bus depot, from which there is a direct connection to Salzburg Hbf. That bus is a good option.

The Kaiservilla is within walking distance, which you can only see with a guided tour given in German only. I've done this twice but the tour guides were different. Neither one asked if everyone understood German. That's expected since they both just started the tour in German. One of the pieces of furniture pointed out on this tour is the desk where Franz Joseph wrote his "An meine Völker" address when WW1 started. A typed copy of that primary source document is laid out on the desk.. No translation provided. I thought the war declaration against the Serbs which Franz Joseph wrote by hand in French (not German) to his Foreign Minister would be shown...unfortunately not.

Berlin, at least 4, 5 days if possible.
As for daily trips from Berlin, maybe Potsdam. But there is so much to do and see in Berlin, with excellent, time-consuming museums, that I would focus on Berlin, if I were you.
Kraków, at least 3 days. Apart from Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau trips, I recommend seeing Wieliczka salt mine. It is amazing and very close and convenient to get from Kraków.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wieliczka_Salt_Mine
Now, Vienna is beautiful but 7 days is too much. I would say 4-5 is enough or more than enough if you are well organized.
And if you need some extra days, maybe cutting one out of Prague could be also an option. Having said that, Prague is beautiful of course.

Hi,

Good that you have Budapest planned for this trip. I would suggest seeing the Mathias Church (first) and the Military/Army Museum on Castle Hill. Signs in English on Castle Hill point the way, easy to get to. The last Habsburg, the Archduke Karl, after the death of Franz Joseph was crowned at the Mathias Church.

The Military/Army Museum is all in Hungarian, don't know if there are audio phones, I did not ask, and they certainly did not mention it to me. I would say 1% (or less) is in German when you read the historical realia, among which the most interesting primary source is the answer (blown up on the wall) by the Hungarian Prime Minister (Ministerpräsident) to the Austrian Foreign Minister giving his tacit approval to the war declaration in 1914 against Serbia. You'll see the document is in Hungarian (obviously), with a translation of the text in both German and English.

@ Elaine...part 2.here...

I would suggest arriving at Bad Ischl by 1300. That gives you time to visit the gardens at the Kaiservilla and to see the place based on their schedule of guided tours. The villa shop left of the receptionist is full of nostalgia and history on Franz Joseph, his wife, and Karl, lots of postcards, both historical ones and scenic types. The publications and paperbacks are all in German and esoteric, mostly popular history, a few scholarly works...certainly NOT to be missed.

Thanks for the Bad Ischl info. I have learned there is another Hapsburg home near Budapest that was Sisi's Hungarian home. I'm assuming it was the tryst she shared with Count Andrassy.
Looks like we might be visiting 5 Hapsburg residences on this trip. seems like a theme here although that wasn't the intention.

If you want to add another Habsburg historical site, there is also Franz Joseph"s house/museum in Baden bei Wien, which is easy to get to from Wien, no need for the train. . Take the S-Bahn at Karlsplatz to reach Baden bei Wien.