Best of Germany tour ending in Berlin

If you want to stay another night in Berlin you can use the evening for very nice impressions and pictures: Festival of Lights.

During Sunday you can explore Berlin by visitng flea market(s) or one of the numerous other sights of Berlin that you do not see during the tour.

Second idea: How about a stop-over in Dresden which is on the way and full of culture?

Thank you for your reply, Mark. The tour will be stopping in Dresden (walking tour) right before Berlin. Trying to keep in mind Rick's advice of traveling like I'll return, but being fortunate to stay a bit longer makes me want to make good use of the time.
SO many cool places I want to visit along with places to return!

I agree with MarkK, spend more time in Berlin. There is no lack of things to see and do in Berlin...lots of culture, people watching is quite interesting and there are parks for a bit of nature.

We happened to be there during the Festival of Lights and really enjoyed walking/U-bahning to several locations. The light show on the Koncerthaus Berlin in particular was excellent.

Jay

You mean this year, in two months? How many days extra do you have? You're flying home from Berlin?

I haven't been on this tour, but I spent five nights in Berlin solo and there was so much I didn't get to do. I'd suggest booking tickets for a free guided tour with visit to the dome of the Budestag building. I enjoyed learning about their government and the dome is incredible. There are currently only open time slots on the 8th (10:30 a) and 9th (noon), but nothing the 10th-12th. You can also just book a visit to dome. Slots fill very fast, and they have scheduled website maintenance this weekend, so I'd book now if you're interested.
https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration-245686 (click "online registration" on right side).

Other places I enjoyed: Berlin Wall memorial and museums (multiple locations), Palace of Tears, Pergamon museum, Neues Museum, Gemäldegalerie, and walking tour of street art. Among many other things. Given that the Pergamon is closing Oct. 23 for at least 4 years, I would suggest getting in to see it.

I like Prague, but given the potential train travel woes you note, I'd probably stick with Berlin if you only have a couple days.

Thank you all so much for your recommendations - I'm truly grateful for your time and experience.

Yes, CL, the tour is just a few weeks away. I have 3 days before the tour begins in Hamburg, then 8 bonus days after the tour to explore. I'll be flying home from Frankfurt. Thank you for the links and information for visiting the Budestag building - very helpful.

Feeling even more excited (which I didn't think was possible)!

Michelle

Berlin is well worth at least one extra day as there is SO MUCH to see and do. And that is not at all to shortchange Prague, which is a stunning city with a lot of sites that often go unexplored. But even hitting the highlights with the tour in Berlin will leave you with a big gap.

I have traveled by train from Prague to Berlin a few years back, and it was easy. When we did Berlin to Prague by car, the year was 1992 or 1993, so my experience is probably not all that useful--but at 13 or so, I didn't find it that onerous. Do with that what you will.

Give Berlin as much extra time as you can - we were there four nights several years ago and it wasn't nearly enough.

We used CK Shuttle to go from Praque to Cesky Krumlov; we used them again from Cesky Krumlov to Vienna - service was excellent.

We took the train from Berlin to Prague - it's an easy trip. I'm not familiar with the current issues that you refer to. Bus could be a reasonable option.

In Prague be sure to take a Municipal House tour.

I spent 12 nights on my last visit to Berlin. Absolutely no lack of things to do and not everything of interest covered!

Above suggestions are great and only the beginning. Many other museums if you like those - art, WWII, government buildings, etc. Easy, easy day trips to Potsdam - Sanssouci, Ceclianhof, Bridge of Spies, Neues Palace. Sachsenhausen concentration camp if that is in line with your interests.

The area surrounding Berlin is wooded - you might look at Wannsee to see if that is of interest.

I tend to be an in-depth rather than an "across the top" traveler, so my style won't fit everyone. However, if you would prefer staying in one location to moving on to Prague, I am certain that you can find lots within your interests to spend a few extra days.

Berlin and Prague are both great cities with a lot to see, but I'd suggest you spend some more time in Berlin after the tour since you're already there. The tour's one full day will walk you through the central part of the city, and probably allow some free time, but there's much more to see as others have mentioned. I think the tour itinerary ends there in the expectation that some members will stay longer, not on the assumption that one full day is enough. Carpe diem.

I think you said you had eight days after the tour ends, so you'd have time to spend in Prague too and maybe a day trip to CK, which is enough. I liked Prague and could have used more time than the two full days I had, but for my money Berlin has much more to offer. I'd stay there longer if this were my trip.

Yes, thank you all for your recommendations. Decided to extend my stay in Berlin, then hit Prague, day trip to Krumlov, then an overnighter from Linz to Frankfurt to make my flight home.