Which order would be best for pricing flights?

Erik,

Welcome to the fun house.

I cant answer your question directly but this is what i have found from my trip planning.

1. Sometimes you THINK you can do something, but the Airlines will throw a wrench into your plan. I look at the cost/times/availability and layovers when i look for flights in/out and where. But this will depend on where you will flying from/to.
2. Since you dont have your Germany part nailed down, i would hold off until you do since you maybe able to find better flights (cost/times/availability) depending on where you decide to go.

what i usually do is that i will fly to the furtherest point and work my way back, but thats how I'm wired and do things.

happy trails.

Thanks!
The wife is in charge of researching Germany. LOL. I know we will go to 3 cities (9 nights)- Berlin, Nuremberg (so I can drive the track , or thereabouts), and probably Munich. I kinda like to wind down at the end of a trip like this and for that reason feel Budapest may be a better option than a larger metropolitan city like Berlin, or am I off base?

To reduce backtracking on the ground, we usually try to fly in and out from the furthest ends of the trip. Flying into Berlin and out from Budapest makes sense, with visits to Berlin, Dresden, and perhaps Leipzig or another town in that area. If the German focus will be in another corner, then start by flying to Frankfurt or Munich. Note that train or bus run direct from Prague to Berlin, Munich, or Vienna, but requires connections to/from Salzburg.

@ erik,

I kinda like to wind down at the end of a trip like this and for that reason feel Budapest may be a better option than a larger metropolitan city like Berlin, or am I off base?

I havent been to Berlin so i cant say. I was in Budapest last Sept and found it a really cool place. I plan my "chilling" time so picking a place to start/stop isn't an issue. I found that your pace and how you want to travel is up to you. If you want to burn the candle at both ends, its your choice. Some places can be more "busy" but it desnt bother me unless i cant find a place to "chill" but that hasn't happened, yet.

happy trails

Some here may have noticed that we spend quite a bit of time in Budapest, what I don't discuss a lot is where we go prior to Budapest. It has been London, Paris, Rome (and a major part of Italy), Moscow, a good deal of the Czech Republic, Vienna, Istanbul, a lot of Slovakia and Bulgaria and Romania and parts of Israel and Greece and Egypt, and ,......... Sure I am forgetting a few, The point is we end every trip in Budapest because we enjoy Budapest for winding down a long trip. So for my money; end in Budapest, https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/many-thanks

I am flying out of Berlin this year, I lived Berlin on my first visit two years ago. It's a big city, but very well-organized for getting around. I would just pick a more residential neighborhood and fly back from there, if the airfare looks good. Haven't been to Munich yet.

Which cities you will and will not find relaxing is no more predictable, in my experience, than which cities you will or won't like. For instance, while I love both Budapest and Berlin, I found Berlin easier (and thus, more relaxing). I found Prague relaxing; others don't. Etc. etc.

So, I agree with Ray: look to travel in a line, but check transit options before committing to an itinerary. See if one route has cheaper flights to the US than others; there's no rhyme or reason to this, and sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars this way. And make sure the train or bus or flight operates between your city pairs at times and prices you want.

The point is we end every trip in Budapest because we enjoy Budapest
for winding down a long trip.
So for my money; end in Budapest

You will note that the emphasis is on "me" and "we". The very nature of the question by Jason-Erik requires a subjective / opinion answer. But Harold is correct, just my opinion.

James, my post wasn't a criticism of yours. It was just to point out that his question has no consensus answer. If someone asks, "Which is more relaxing, Budapest or Pecs? Berlin or Görlitz?", there would be general agreement on Pecs and Görlitz (of course, not 100% agreement). But the question, "Which is more relaxing, Berlin or Budapest?" will get more varied answers.

Harold, sorry if I got a little too sensitive.

James, I agree with you. travel is so subjective. My husband and I always try to end our trips in Croatia., (Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Rijeka) because we have family and friends in each city and we can get in some beach time. so when we begin a trip we pick the furthest point from Zagreb and begin there, filling in cities along the way depending on time.

Jason-Erik, I have been to all of those cities and enjoyed each one for different reasons. I would check the flights and decide based on the best fares/times/airport. I prefer JFK to LaGuardia or Newark and would look for flights from there first. this past summer we did Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Croatia and had great connections with drivers and bus and hydrofoil. Once you decide your first and last stops, which will be Berlin/Budapest or vice versa because of logistics, you can then build on your vacation. As you do your research, a small town or city might jump out and you decide you must stop there. Especially in Germany, we rented a car and stop at many small towns.

Agree that checking flights first might help. I always try to take the easiest flight over, as in, nonstop if possible. Just makes for less jetlag and no time wasted. On the way home I don't care.