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Budapest- Prague - Munich help!

Posted by on

Hello, we are looking for some trip planning help. We are going to Europe in late September. Here is our rough itinerary:

Day 0: Fly into Munich-arrive early AM. Fly over to Budapest? Train seems too long. Remainder of that day in Budapest.
Day 1-2: Full days in Budapest
Overnight train to Prague
Day 3-6: Full days in Prague
Day 6: Travel to a castle? Stay over night there?
Day 7: Travel to Munich in morning. Probably by train-depends on what castle.
Day 7-9: Munich (Oktoberfest!)
Day 10: Fly out of Munich back to the States

2.5 days in Budapest is short but I from my research, Prague seem to have more that we want to see. So we have considered doing 3.5 in a Budapest and 3 in Prague but are leaning towards more time in Prague as seen above. Thoughts about that? The next thing is whether to knock off the castle day and/or which castle to visit. I have previously visited Neuschwanstein and while it is beautiful- I found the the modernity of it a bit disappointing. I have always wanted to see Burg Eltz. I understand this is the opposite side of the country. However, it is much cheaper to fly from Prague to Cologne (1.15 hr trip for $50/person) then train from Cologne to Koblenz than it is to fly from Prague to Munich (I'm sure because of Oktoberfest). The next day we would have to take the train from Koblenz to Munich (which is a little over 4 hours). But that's an awful lot of travel for a castle. Has anyone been to Eltz that feels it is or is not worth it? Is there another castle that would be closer and/or more worth it? Or nix that side trip all together? The only thing that is fixed about the trip are the flights in/out of Europe and the stay in Munich- had to get hotel early in Munich because of Oktoberfest. The rest is up for change. Any suggestions/help is much appreciated!

Posted by
4637 posts

Burg Eltz is a nice castle but you would have to sacrifice too much time to get there. I would suggest while you are in Prague take a trip to Karlstejn or Krivoklat or Konopiste. You can read about those castles in Rick Steves book Prague & the Czech Republic.
Budapest and Prague needs each at least three full days.

Posted by
3050 posts

While Burg Eltz is certainly "worth it" - on another trip. Doesn't make sense for this one. What about renting a car when leaving Prague and visiting this place on the way to Munich: http://www.burgruine-leuchtenberg.de/

That's far from the only castle near the route. Like open Google maps, zoom out from Prague to Munich, and search "Castle". There are options. I accidentally found the castle I'm attending a wedding at in June just looking this up!

Edit: I know this is an unpopular opinion here but you can see the highlights of Budapest in 2 full days. I'd err on the extra time in Prague, not least because it's more crowded.

Posted by
21195 posts

OK, I've been to Burg Eltz. If you are spending a few days in the Mosel valley, its a must see. But I would never fly from Prague to Cologne just to see it, then turn around and head to Munich. Somebody here can probably suggest some interesting castles in the Prague area.

Instead of flying to Budapest from Munich airport, you could travel by train to Prague, then train to Budapest, then night train to Munich. I guess if you can have the flight included in the flight to Munich so it is just a connection, I'd go with that.

Posted by
6507 posts

A few years back, I did a trip, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Munich. I think I had about 10 days. It is always better to spend more time than less, but sometimes there just is only so much time available, so I get it. That said, a lot of time would be used just in travel to go to Burg Eltz. I seem to love every place I travel to in Europe, but I especially liked Budapest and Prague. I think if you research and are very organized, you can do Budapest in two full days. (Warning, you will probably want to go back again, anyway!) Try to get a tour of the interior of Parliament. I think the English tour was at 10am. It's spectacular. Then I'd recommend poking into St. Stephans, the opera house and the market on the Pest side. Walk along the river and bridges. You of course would also want to go to St. Matias and Fisherman's Bastion and that area. If time permits take the historic metro to Hero's Square. To save time, we took an overnight train to Prague from Budapest. We arrived Prague very early in the morning. I think you could use some time to explore more rural Czech Republic rather than spend time getting to Burg Eltz. One place still on my bucket list is Cesky Krumlov.

If you want to do some day trips in Munich, you will love the Bayern train system/tickets. Such a great deal. I want to say as you add each additional person it was only a few euros more.

I hope you have a grand time!

Posted by
20309 posts

For Budapest get a Eyewitness Top Ten guide book. Map out the route, wake early and start off. By 10pm you will have the opportunity to walk or tram past every one of the top ten. As an alternate get on one of the HOHO Busses, but don't hop off! Again, in under 12 hours you will have "seen" all of the sights. Then go to bed and take the 7 hour train to Prague the next morning.

Posted by
20309 posts

One serious suggestion is to consider Czech Air from Prague to Budapest. It takes about half the time. Even the airport time isn't wasted, as that's when and where I eat breakfast.

As for seeing Budapest in 2 days, I only had 2 1/2 days the first trip and I didn't want to leave. But I made up for it in the next 50 - 60 trips.

Posted by
416 posts

But I made up for it in the next 50 - 60 trips

How on EARTH can anybody afford to do that? We went to Germany last September and it took us 4 YEARS to save for ONE trip. Seriously.

What is the secret???

Posted by
20309 posts

I invested in a couple apartments in Budapest back when they were cheap (cheaper than my used car). The income on the apartments finance the trips. Almost always 5 or 6 days someplace new and 10 or 11 days in Budapest. This has been going on 3 or 4 times a year for a dozen or so years. Still love Budapest as much now as the first trip. Unfortunately obligations at work have slowed me down the last few years.

Posted by
20309 posts

Some hints. Go off season. The shoulder seasons are actually more enjoyable as there are fewer tourists and it's not so hot. For a typical Budapest trip that will save $400 a ticket.

Then I consider combining traditional locations with Eastern Europe, but pick locations where the discount airlines go. Montenegro is stunning and much cheaper than anything comparable in Western Europe, but under $100 nonstop to a lot of Western Europe; you get the best of both worlds. Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine; all great no matter what your interests are.

Look for short term apartments rentals on the fringe of the tourist zones so you can experience the tourist sights and the real culture. You can get great apartments for under $60 in all of Central and Eastern Europe.

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