Christmas in Munich

You don’t need (or want) a car in Munich. Trains will be running, just on a reduced schedule. I would definitely pick up the car when leaving Munich.

Advice remains the same that a car in Munich would be a huge burden. Bahn.com is showing S-Bahns running normally on Christmas day.

Where else are you going on this trip that you need a car?

Check the websites for the museums. Though usually closed on Mondays, over Christmas they may be open and closed on a different day. They may or may not be open on the 25th or 26th and may trade-off those days.

4 people, starting in Munich, then on to Prague, Dresden, maybe Leipzig, then turning the car in when we get to Berlin.

Easily done by train, but whatever, make sure you give the rental agency a heads up that you will be driving in the Czech Republic and dropping it off at a different location. Get International Drivers Permit for each driver from AAA.

I don't know how useful a car will be in Prague or Dresden.

For Dresden, it would depend on if you just want to explore the downtown (car totally useless), or if you have more time and want to do day trips for instance to the Elbsandsteingebirge. Though, come to think of it, even that you can do by train.

Christmas Days: Don't expect stores to be open. Trains and public transportation will be running on the Sunday schedule or on an otherwise reduced schedule.

We are wondering what will be open.

Well, since you are there on Christmas exactly, you might consider experiencing some Christmas! The 26th is considered a full Christmas holiday in Germany, so there will be church services everywhere, or special music events like the Christmas Oratorium. I don't know how you feel about attending a church service, but I have always found that kind of experience to be very special in a foreign country, even if I didn't understand a word.

We will ask at the hotel about Christmas celebrations. I would love to attend a church service!

If I wanted to go to church in Germany and didn't know what time the service is, I'd give it a shot at 10 a.m.. But the better way of course is to find out ahead of time. Choose the church you want to go to, or the denomination (protestant or catholic), and check their website, or have someone with some knowledge of German check it for you.

Edit - P.S.

Just had some fun comparing the table of contents of the culture sections of the German and the English Wikipedia on Munich. ;-)

Side note on German churches -- wear a warm coat! And gloves and muffler! Most were built without centrol heating.

Yeah, they didn't tend to have central heating back in the 12th century. :D

(And nowadays, preservation agencies will take care that we don't have living room temperatures in our churches because that will destroy organs and artwork.)

Thanks for all the good advice! I will pack warm clothes! Now I am trying to decide on whether to stay in Prague 12/28, 12/29, 12/30 and then push on to Dresden and Leipzig, or whether to extend my stay in Prague to include 12/31. New Year's eve in Prague might be fun, but it would cut out Leipzig or shorten Dresden. Thoughts?

Another question: With 3 nights in Dresden, should we "day trip" to Leipzig, or not? It's generally considered a 1 star attraction. Or should we try to visit Wittenberg before heading to Berlin? Perhaps less visually interesting but learn a bit about the protestant reformation.

Curious as to who thinks Leipzig is a 1-star attraction?

Rick Steves Germany rates Dresden as a 2 star attraction, and Leipzig as a 1 star attraction. Triangles, actually! Wittenberg/Lutherland also gets 1 star. But it might be a chance to give my grown kids a lesson on the history of religion!.

Rick also says not to bother visiting Mainz. It is obvious he has never been there or he would not say that.