I'm planning my summer 2008 trip and am looking at visiting Prague plus one or two other cities in the region. I travel with my 13 year old daughter (she's a veteran of several previous trips.) and prefer to make connections by train, as opposed to driving.
I'm trying to scale my itinerary down to Prague plus TWO of the following:
Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw...
Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Dave
Dave, I'd do something completely different: Prague plus other spectacular cities nearby. Dresden and the Swiss Saxony are only 2 hrs from Prague but offer enough for more than 2 days. Budweis, Pilsen, Nuremberg are also quite close to the Czech capital. You could do Vienna but why not Pressburg (Bratislava) and surroundings? Budapest, Berlin, Danzig (Gdansk) and Warsaw have got nothing to do with Bohemia and the Bohemian lifestyle. I'm just throwing this in...
I've been to all of your choices, and my suggestion would depend on what your interests are. Berlin for sure would be one of MY choices. There is so much to see and do there. If you like 20th century history, there's probably not a more interesting city in the world.
I personallly would choose Gdansk, but being by the sea would probably have more summer appeal to me (who lives in the middle of pigs and corn) than to you who lives by the ocean already. If your daughter is outdoorsy, pick someplace with easy access to some recreational activities--in Munich you're close to the Alps. If your daughter likes violin music, head to Budapest and hear the gypsy violins. Also, consider your budget. Vienna is wonderful, but expensive. Poland is cheap.
There are cheap airfares from Prague to Krakow and Budapest, etc. if you don't want long train rides.
Check out http://www.skyscanner.net/ I use this to plan all my trips and where to go when, etc.
If choosing Poland, I'd go with Krakow over Warsaw. Although I found Warsaw surprisingly pleasant and enjoyable (not the ex-communist sea of concrete I expected), Krakow wins hands down. And yes, Poland is VERY cheap, with much of the same quality of ammenities found in the rest of Europe (at least in the major tourist areas... some areas in the east are a different story...)
vienna and budapest which are close together and offer you many sights to see.
We did Krakow, Budapest and Vienna last Sept. All were GREAT, each had it's unique charm and features. Krakow was very friendly and inexpensive, Budapest had great old world charm and a bit more expensive. Vienna is a beautiful city but is indeed a bit more "pricey". Transportation from Krakow to Budapest is best accomplished by relatively inexpensive airfare....allowing you to save time by avoiding train travel.
Warsaw doesn't have the old world charm of Krakow. Berlin and Munich (also very cool!) would present travel problems, whereas KRK, BUD and VIE are relatively close to each other.
