I am planning a trip to visit my friend in Prague this coming fall and would like to extend my trip to see some of Germany and Austria. Currently, flying from Minneapolis>Frankfurt is the cheapest route so I was thinking of starting there(1 day), next stop Prague(2 days), Salzburg (2 days), Munich (3 days) and back out of Frankfurt.
My real question is, is Frankfurt in 1 full day after travel enough time/ worth it. I would also like to make a stop in Dresden if at all possible - is that worth the stop and how much time would you dedicate? Any top sites/places I need to see in any of these locations?
Any help or advice is very welcomed!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
How do you plan to go from Frankfurt to Prague? If by train, you're looking at a minimum of a 6 hour train and bus ride, and that doesn't include the time it will take you to get to and from the main train stations in each town. So, it would basically consume the better part of the day to travel between the two. So, before booking a flight to Frankfurt, unless there's something you really want to see there, consider the loss of travel time and the additional cost it will take to reach Prague.
Your proposed loop of travel, unfortunately, puts you nowhere near Dresden.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
If you cant fly in to Munich, I would head there straight up on arrival.
Arrive Frankfurt Airport
3hr 35min by train to Munich (4) - with day trip to Salzburg
5hr 40min by train to Prague (3)
2hr 15min by train to Dresden (1)
4hr 24min by train to Frankfurt (1)
Posted by
San Francisco
14539 posts
After you land in Frankfurt, spend a day or two there, then take the train to Dresden. I think it's worth a stop, depending on how desperate you are in seeing the place, I would. After your visit there, take the train to Prague for another 2 plus hours.
Posted by
Prague
1 posts
It might be worth splurging on a connecting flight to Prague. Unless you've travelled extensively in Germany, I don't think Frankfurt is really worth your limited time. Also, trains from Frankfurt to Prague are not cheap and generally require several changes and take at least 6 hours.
Another possibility is to fly into Berlin instead. Berlin has great nightlife, and the best museums in Germany. You could stop at Dresden on the way to Prague, as it is on the same train line. Dresden is really underrated. There are nice art museums as well as the Green Vault, the best treasure museum in Europe. It is about five hours from Berlin to Prague with Dresden at around the three hour mark.
If you do fly into Frankfurt, consider stopping at places like Rothenburg and Nurnberg on the way to Prague. You'd probably be changing trains at Nurnberg anyway.
I'd add a third day to Prague. Especially, if your friend lives here, as they could show you around to sites beyond the typical tourist agenda. Prague is the most beautiful city in Europe but it is crushed by tourists. Be sure to walk the parks on the hilly west side of the river. There are beautiful views from Petrin Park, The Royal Garden, Chotkovy Sady and Letna Park looking down at the Old Town and Mala Strana. It's my favorite thing to do in Prague, and I'd say it is the favorite of Czech people I know as well.
My other Prague tip is to climb the many towers. Very few tourists do this. You can buy a joint ticket that covers several of them. My favorite is probably the Powder Tower, though both of the Charles Bridge towers are great too. The Old Town Hall Tower is also nice, but it is extremely busy. Instead, get drinks at the rooftop bar at Hotel U Prince across the square. You'll get a better view with more peace. You'll pay too much for your drinks, but probably less than you'd pay to go up the tower.
If possible, I definitely recommend stopping at Česky Krumlov on the way to Austria. It is probably the most picturesque village that I've seen in Europe. It is often described as fairytale-like. From there, I know that you can get a Student Agency bus to Salzburg, and probably to Vienna.
Vienna is worth considering as an addition to your trip. If you don't stop at Česky Krumlov, you can get there from Prague in four hours on the train. As the former capitol of the entire region, it is a grand city. To me, it feels a lot like Paris without the massive crowds. It has the best art museums in the German speaking world.
From Salzburg, you could day-trip to Berchtesgaden National Park and Königsee lake. You could also day-trip to Hallstatt. I think both are at least as interesting as Salzburg itself.
If you stick to the plan you laid out in your post, I assume you'd land in Frankfurt in the morning. I'd immediately get on a train to Nuremberg (2-3 hours) and stay one night. Nuremberg is more interesting than Frankfurt. From there, take a bus (about 4 hours, usually better than the train) to Prague and stay three nights. Then, take a train to Salzburg and stay two nights. From there take a train to Munich and stay two nights. Finally, take a train to Frankfurt and fly home.
Finally, you could consider flying into a different city. I'd look at London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels. All usually have cheap discount flights to Prague, and all are more interesting than Frankfurt. Though they are further away, you might not spend much more to do this.
Best of luck in your planning