Intinerary Help - 12 days in Germany / Central Europe - May / June 2016

Hi, I am leaving for Berlin in a couple of weeks and we are doing Berlin/Prague/Vienna in 13 days with stops along the way (Dresden, Cesky Krumlov, Melk). I can let you know if it felt like a push or not. My only concern with your itinerary is the travel time from destination to destination.

My daughter and I just did 4 nights Vienna, train to 3 nights in Budapest, flew to Berlin- 4 nights then flew to Amsterdam for 3 nights. Daughter stayed on in Europe another 6 weeks.

We loved Budapest and really wished we had allowed 4 nights there. If you do fly into Budapest and only have 3 nights that is 2.5 days with first day being your jet lag day- I would give Budapest another night.

Berlin- will you be able to do any sightseeing while you are there for your program? If so-maybe cut a night from there- could your friend stay on once you start your program to see more of Berlin on her own?

I think with just 11 nights to work with you will probably need to drop a major city if you want to add smaller towns/countryside or you will be spending a good portion of several days getting from place to place.

Since you mentioned Salzburg- maybe start there 3 nights with a day trip to Berchtesgaden- then head to Cesky Krumlov 1 night for a smaller town experience/countryside then to Prague 3 nights. From Prague you can train to Dresden- stop off for a night then continue on to Berlin for your final 3 nights.

Leaves out Budapest but there is so much to see and do there I'd just plan another trip where you can give it the time it deserves.

Also wanted to mention- if you rent a car you will want to rent and return in the same country or you will pay a very high drop off fee.

Thanks jrasdn, please let me know what you think and have a great time!

ChristineH, great suggestions! I can stay a couple days after my program to see Berlin with classmates so I'll check with my friend and see what she wants to do. She may skip Berlin in order to have more time in other areas. I know my husband wants to go to Budapest, so that could be another trip.

Thank you both!

I had the same sort of problem planning this past June's trip- we wanted to do and see everything. I especially wanted to go to Prague but my daughter had been there and my husband wants to go there so we took that out and did Budapest instead. We both wanted to see Dresden but it just did not fit and 1 night stays are a killer so out it came as well!
Husband and I will do Salzburg-CK-Prague next May/June. This way we all got what we wanted (well mainly me) but over 2 diff trips.

We chose Vienna as our starting point because we could get direct flights from DC- I don't know where you are flying from but you might want to see what flights are available to you- we much prefer direct to our first destination. I don't think there are any direct flights from US to Budapest. Next May we are starting in Frankfurt and working our way down to Munich-Salzburg, etc- then will fly from Prague to Amsterdam to end our trip. Trains are great but if it takes more than 4-5 hours I'd rather fly. Time is money. I am very particular about the transits during our trips- want it to be easy as possible.

Anyway- planning is half the fun!

Hi,

In what subject is the Master's Program? Is it connected to a university in Berlin? Which facet of WW 2 history are you interested in while seeing Berlin?

You can easily get to Budapest from the US., no direct flight but changing once. Flying United or Lufthansa gets you to Frankfurt, where you can get a connecting flight to Budapest. From Calif. fly from LAX direct to Berlin on Air Berlin, where you can connect to Budapest.

Thanks ChristineH, I love planning trips so I totally agree with you! And perhap Budapest willl be on the next trip...I appreciate all the feedback and I'll post an update as soon as I plan a bit more. I love the suggestion for C-K, it looks beautiful. We're flying out of LAX, so I'll look into which flights are non-stop.

Fred, it's an MBA with a focus on sustainability. We are partnering with a university in Berlin but I'm not sure of the name at this time. I'm looking forward to visiting a part of Europe that I have not yet been to. As far as WWIII, I am interested in the build up and causes, particularly WWI and the build up to the second war. Also, the holocaust and the repercussions and how the first and second world wars changed our world. I'll look into Air Berlin from LA. Thanks!

Hi,

One of the lucky advantages living in Southern CA (you can see I like Southern CA ) is that you can fly LAX to Berlin Tegel. direct. On the origins and causes of both wars, I suggest the German History Museum (DHM) on Unter den Linden, on the right hand side as you're facing the Brandenburg Gate, just up from Pariser Platz. It has the English explanation for each exhibit adjacent to the German. If you read German , all the better, since you can read the realia (political posters, letters, documents, annoucements, newspaper headlines, etc...all very revealing) The realia isn't translated.

For the Holocaust, the two obvious places to get the in depth explanation on the causes, see the Holocaust Monument, the Museum underneath, and take the trip out to Berlin-Wannsee on the S-Bahn to the villa where the physical extermination was decided. The exhibit there is important.

Since your itinerary includes Vienna, I heartily recommend going to the newly expanded, refurbished Army Museum (the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum) to see their coverage on the origins and history of WW 1, seen from the Austro-Hungarian perspective, how the events affected them. Although this newly expanded exhibit has more English than the former presentation, it's a lot less compared to the DHM in Berlin. Here, to really understand the displays and exhibits, reading the German is needed. The displays are literally packed with "stuff" realia related to the war against Russia, Italy, and Serbia, ie, on the history much less frequently covered in anglophone historigraphy. You'll see things there not seen in any museum focusing on war, at least I haven't. Be prepared to spend most of the afternoon on this WW 1 exhibit.

Your husband wants to visit Budapest. Budapest > Vienna > Prague is a very popular route for a 10-night or (preferably) longer trip. Save that idea.

How about starting in Vienna to see the Schonbrun Palace (better than the Hofburg), then to Salzburg (easy 1/2 day trip to Eagle's Nest and the excellent Documentation Center/bunkers) , Munich (day trip to castles) and then Berlin?

Hello! I was JUST going to post this same potential itinerary so I'm watching these reports. I'll be traveling there next month with my husband and two kids. The business trip is Berlin, lots of time to sight see. I figured we might fly into Vienna because i can get a direct fligth there from my city. (There or Frankfurt are the options, but frankfurt doesn't lend itself to as many geographically centered trips).

Watching this thread. Thanks!

Fred, excellent information! Sadly I do not read German but the exhibits you reccomend sound amazing!

Chani, thanks for the information! I think my friend has her heart set on Prague so we'll have to discuss. I appreciate all the options. I think the first thing we need to do is decide on where we are flying in to and go from there.