Is this a "Relaxing" Itinerary?

A lot of night trains in Europe have been discontinued. Are you sure there is one from Budapest to Prague?

I'm not sure about driving that far to the airport just prior to flight time. Bavaria is famous for it's "Staus". I think the train would be more reliable (although not guaranteed, either). Better yet, go somewhere close to the airport (like Freising or Erding) the night before. Or do the 3 nights in southern Bavaria first and finish with 2 nights in Munich. The S-Bahn from downtown Munich to the airport is very reliable.

Lee, I'm pretty sure because I checked the seat61.com website. But I didn't mean to throw a curveball with the night train idea. I'm more interested in knowing if people who have travelled to these cities think this is enough time to relax! Thanks.

In the direction of travel from Budapest to Prague, all of the "live" online train schedules show the Budapest-Prague night train arriving quite early - just before or after 4:00 a.m., depending on which station you get out. (The schedule works better for those staying on until Dresden or Berlin.) It's been like this for at least a year. The Seat 61 site probably hasn't updated that timetable display recently, which is why they recommend you reconfirm through the other sources. Other than that, I don't have any concerns for your itinerary.

Hi,

Budapest is a hub for night trains. Some night trains in western Europe have been taken out, a lot of them are still running. Budapest connects with all the capitals in central Europe and some major cities...Berlin, Prague, Munich, Warsaw, etc. Budapest to Prague is doable by the EN night, just depends on one's travel style. I'd do it. .

Hi,

In terms of relaxing, having ample down time, etc, I would skip CK, add those days to Munich. Four nights in BP and Prague are fine, you'll find Budapest to be fascinating...culturally, geographically, and above all, historically.

I am trying to figure out who's kind of style is arriving in Prague at 3:45 am. Then what??
Take the direct train at 3:25 pm and get there by 10:09 pm and get a good nights sleep.

First off, thank you all for your replies. I've tried to plan it out so we'd have plenty of time to relax, and it seems like we're on the right track there. I'm glad to hear positive things about Budapest, as I have a feeling (I dont know why) that I'll really love it while others have suggested eliminating it entirely. As far as the night train goes, this was totally a last minute idea...as a matter of fact, I saw it suggested on a Rick Steves show only yesterday. And while I agree that getting off a train in the middle of a new city at 4am would not be very "relaxing", its my understanding that the train that leaves Budapest has 2 sleeper cars, one that goes all the way to Berlin, and the other is uncoupled at 4 am and stays on the tracks till 6:45 at which time you must get off. Those are probably the only circumstances that I'd consider it. Julia

I agree with Fred about dropping CK.

From Prague... if you want a less-touristy, well-preserved, old-world town with a river setting, try Bamberg for a few days.
https://www.nuernbergluftbild.de/images/cache/527d715e38f63c0fc11ecb9d165cf20e_w768_h768_cp_2.jpg
https://www.nuernbergluftbild.de/images/luftbild/L10020214d.jpg
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624
https://en.bamberg.info/sehenswertes/

Make some new beer memories in Bamberg:
https://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

When I think of "relaxation", Munich and touristy Füssen (heavy tourist base) do not come to mind. You might consider some lesser-known destinations in their place.

The Tegernsee: http://en.tegernsee.com/
Oberstdorf - Mountains, valleys, lakes... https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g198407-Oberstdorf_Swabia_Bavaria-Vacations.html

if you're considering the night train from Budapest to Prague you might be interested in this thread in case you missed it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/czech/arriving-early-in-prague-on-budapest-night-train

I think relaxing is something you really have to plan for. It's really nice to have for nights but, if you pack your days full then it won't be relaxing. I'd say plan for one thing to day a day, then just relax the rest of each day in whatever way feels good. Even with the two night stays, which is very short, just under plan what you will do so it won't feel rushed. A sleeper car might lead to exhaustion from lack of sleep which is exactly what you are not looking for! I suggest you skip that idea!

Relaxing is - in my experience - impossible in Prague, though easier in Budapest! You may try to allot more time in Prague or Budapest to be able to see and do things on a more leisurely pace. Maybe you will have better luck at that late time of year, post summer-blitz. Relaxing in cities, in my experience, means allowing enough time that you can really just make one appointment for yourself every day and not more (excluding dinner and coffee of course!)

Sounds like you are on the right track, though! Good luck!

Relaxing is more a state of mind than than time. Approach each city with a "we'll see what we will see" attitude and not a "we have to cram everything in" attitude. Set your priorities and leave plenty of time for wine o'clock and beer-thirty! Sitting in a cafe with a beer or glass of wine & people watching - that is relaxing for us. We make time for that at least twice a day!

I know this might sound a bit contrarian, but it is easier to relax, during peak travel times, on a bigger city than at small cutesy very famous towns. Both get tons of visitors, but by sheer size, a bigger city will not be completely overwhelmed, making it much easier to escape to tranquil areas or just a more relaxed visit as long as you are okay with the idea of not having a long list of places you must "do" just because they are located in the city. A small town with just a few attractions might get hordes all over them, however.

No problem arriving at almost 4 AM, it's still summer, I would go right to the Waiting Room (salle d'attente), in less than one hour it is day light. The vendors start opening up for business. In two hours or so, the big hotels near Praha hl n would be serving breakfast, simple as that. After that I would be ready to start my day in Prague.

Unless you are in love with trains, I would fly Czech Air. About 1 hour, nonstop for about $125. There are morning and evening flights. Also, I am biased, but Budapest is a better 5 night stay, and best last on the trip. But that's just my preference.

In a big city train station, there is security walking around at 4am, in fact 24/7. At least, that was my experience in Warzawa and Roma.

True about the security. I've been at as late as 23:40 or so at Berlin Hbf and Berlin Ostbahnhof where you do see the police or DB security walking around, same as at Wien Westbahnhof

Thanks all for your replies. It seems I have a good plan...my typical M.O. is to have one "scheduled" activity per day and spend the rest of the day wandering the shops, cafes or farmers markets for local products. I am curious...to those who had high praise for Budapest vs Prague, is that because Prague is more crowded/touristy? And thank you Nancy for the link to the night train thread! That cleared up alot of confusion. Some good info there. Julia

Having visited Prague and Budapest both in the last two years, in high season, I have to say I found Prague almost impossible to enjoy because of the crowds. A shame, really. That wasn't so in Budapest. I wouldn't ever rate one town over the other - they're too different.

Nobody has mentioned Vienna ??

Arrive Munich - 2 Nights
Train to Prague - 3 Nights
Bus to Cesky Krumlov - 1 Night
Bus to Vienna - 2 Nights
Train to Budapest - 4 Nights
Fly to Munich, pick up car
Drive to Fussen - 3 Nights
Drive to Munich airport for late afternoon flight

Or get a car after your first 2 nights in Munich for the Bavarian Alps. That would let you add a connecting flight from Budapest for your Munich departure.

Prague and Budapest are different and both great. I liked Budapest better because it seemed less crowded and we had a little more time there (the "relax" part of the equation). And there was something special about the Hungarians we met, a kind of friendly spark we didn't quite experience elsewhere in central Europe. As a history guy I might attribute it to the fact that they're Magyars, ethnically and linguistically apart from the Slavic peoples surrounding them.

Budapest appeals to tourists, but you don't have the sense that tourism is as important as it is in Prague. Maybe it has to do with the geography of the town, Budapest seems more spread out. That said, the Jewish cemetery in Prague might be my all-time most powerful sightseeing experience.

Returning to your real question, I think your plan will give you time to smell the roses. You might consider just one night in Cesky Krumlov instead of two, and give the extra night to another city. (For me that would be Budapest.)

Cesky Krumlov between Prague and Vienna ?? Easy with shuttles.

I agree with Dick. Cesky K is a one night stop (But a good one). Take a morning shuttle there, and a afternoon one out the next day. Also agree with Dick I'm that Budapest is where to place that extra day.