4 Cities Munich Vienna Prague and Berlin

Hi Darrell, While you didn't really ask for an opinion on this, unless you've been to some of these places before I think trying to see all 4 major spots in 10 nights is a little ambitious. I haven't been to Munich yet, so I can't speak to your time allotted there. Four nights in Vienna sounds fine, but two nights for each Prague and Berlin is way too short. This will only really give you one day in each place, and I'd say Prague should get minimum 3 nights and Berlin should get minimum of 4 nights. Would you consider dropping one place so you wouldn't find yourself so rushed and spending a large quantity of your trip on a train? Just a thought...

"I think Vienna is a better choice because I can take one day and go to Salzberg." Munich to Salzburg is faster and much less expensive for a day trip than Vienna to Salzburg. In Fact, right now on the Bahn website, I see a connection with a train leaving Munich at 7:27, arriving Salzburg at 8:56. You could spend 12 hours in Salzburg and leave there at 9:01 PM, getting into Vienna at 11:44 PM, all with an advance purchase €29 Europa-Spezial Österreich fare. So, you could go from Munich to Vienna, stopping for 12 hours in Salzburg, all for €29 pP.

Angela, I appreciate your opinion. I do agree it is a bit rushed but it was either return back to Munich for a return flight or go up to Berlin and see one more city, at the cost of Prague getting cut by a day. I did a very similar trip 2 years ago in Italy seing Rome Florence and Venice in a short period. I initially was looking at doing a tour, but spending 10 days on a bus didnt sound like fun. I will spend a total of 13 to 14 hours on 3 trains during the trip. I figure if we really like any of the locations we can take a furture trip there and spend more time. I am lucky that my wife enjoys traveling like me. The goal now is to figure out the best things to do in Prague in one afternoon/evening and one full day and the same in Munich and Berlin.

Rick Steves debuted a new product (last year?) called "Snapshot Guides," and has one for both Berlin and Munich (includes Salzburg). If you hadn't taken a look at them yet, it sounds as though it will be worth your time to read through them and narrow down what your personal top choices would be to see. Unfortunately, his Prague guide is the full version (not a Snapshot) so it's a little larger and heavier, but still a very worthwhile read so you can plan your visit and maximize your time. Once you've had a chance to hone in on your interests, maybe post again with a tentative daily itinerary so people here could offer advice about feasibility, logistics, and other suggestions? By the way, in Rick's Vienna guidebook he does not mention the Zentralfriedhof Cemetery, which my husband and I enjoyed visiting. It's one of the largest cemeteries in the world and is "home" to many famous names (including lots of composers). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zentralfriedhof Good luck!

Sounds like you have your mind made up. However, I do want to say I agree with Angela. You are not spending enough time in each place to fully grasp the wonders of each. We did a similar trip last year and spent 4 nights in Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, and Munich. Even that was not enough for us. You will not have enough time to visit all the museums. Berlin has so many. Do some research and see which appeals to you. You will not have enough time for day trips. For instance, from Salzburg we went to Berchtesgaden Eagles nest, salt mines, Salzkammergut lake district, and Hallstatt. Munich day trips can include Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles, Dachau, Rothenburg, and Royal Castle of Herrenchiemsee. Prague day trips can include Chesky Krumlov. Many posts on this site about that. With limited time in Munich I would take both the walking city tour and the Third Reich tour. The Third Reich tour has many posts on this site. Look at the Rick Steves books for details. Both are inexpensive and educational. Likewise in Berlin and Prague, I would recommend the walking tour. RS has the details. For Salzburg try to take the Bob's Sound of Music tour. Look for details in RS book. It not only covers Sound of Music stuff but also the city and lake district. Within the cities of Munich, Berlin, Prague, and Vienna, no car is needed. For day trips it is quite handy.