Krakow or Prague?

Never give up a chance to see Prague.

I have not been to Krakow, so cannot give you any comparison. However, I will say two things: 1) Prague is a beautiful city, I think one of the top 5 in Europe, and 2) it is far more accessible from Munich than Krakow. You have chosen some wonderful destinations. However, I would reconsider cinque terre. While very picturesque and unique, I would not place it in the pantheon of other places you have chosen. You might want to consider Rome or Venice instead.

I'll start by offering some general advice, then get to your request regarding Krakow vs. Prague. Do you intend on hitting ALL these cities, or are they just "hopeful" places? You're trying to cover an awful lot of ground, though I have no idea how long a time you're planning for this trip. Each of the cities you've listed deserves AT LEAST two full days, if not three or four. It would help to know how much time you have allotted, so we can give you some more concrete advice on how to proceed with planning. Regarding Krakow vs Prague: It depends on what you want to see, and when. Just my personal opinion, but Prague is WAY overrun with tourists. Every other store in the Old town area is a souvenir store with tacky trinkets. In the summertime it's really, really crowded (as is, of course, much of Europe). After two trips there, I'm of the opinion that it can be difficult to experience "real" Czech culture by only seeing Prague. That being said, there is lots to see for a first-time visit to Prague. The Old Town and its architecture is lovely, the Castle and surroundings offer lots of small streets to explore and fun places to poke around, and you can take a day trip to smaller towns like Cesky Krumlov, Pilsen, or Olomouc. Now, seeing as I've spent the last two years living in Poland, I'm partial to Krakow :-). The city itself can be seen in a day or two, but there are also excursions to Auschwitz, the Wieliczka Salt Mines, or Zakopane. While there are definitely tourists in Krakow, it feels much less crowded. The town square is the largest medieval town square in Europe, and it's constantly alive with people! Wawel Hill, with Wawel Cathedral, gives you a great perspective on historic and modern Catholicism in the country, and the Oskar Schindler. museum is a fantastic look at what Krakow endured during the second world war.

I am going for 3 weeks! I picked cinque terre because it is a little different, yet not too far south (where I hear Itallian men are more aggressive and travel time will be much longer plus, so much to see I may need to save for a separate trip). Just my thoughts. I'm ok with hiking, I'm an exerciser/ walker. My main goal my first trip is to just take lots of photos and take in everything I can!

I personally liked Krakow better. Both cities are pretty touristy, but parts of Prague can be almost overwhelmingly so. If you've visited a Disney park in the last decade, do you recall how it seems like there's a gift shop after you exit almost every ride? That's the impression I had in parts of Prague. However, Krakow is also an outlier on a trip that is already somewhat tight- 3 weeks may seem like a lot of time, but your wishlist is spread out over a very wide area. You will experience several very long travel days as it stands.

I don't know when you're planning to go (EDIT: see below), or in what order you're planning to string your locations together, but you'll probably do better with point-to-point train tickets (and perhaps plane tkts, too). Especially if you're willing to commit to certain trains and purchase the tickets online in advance - much cheaper than walk-up prices, but (mostly) non-refundable and non-changeable. You lose some freedom, but save lots of $$$. With a railpass, you still need at least some reservations in order to travel on some trains, so there are hidden charges to the base railpass price. These questions can't be answered until you have your trip more fleshed-out and can start looking at particular dates and routes. I've never made it to Krakow - yet - but I've been to Prague twice and love it! It's extremely crowded, but just wander off a couple of blocks and it's completely different. It's so different from anything I've seen in the rest of Europe; just know that it's very popular = a bit overloved :-( Sept/Oct would be infinitely better than July, though. I'm nowhere near 'done' with Prague... Duh - If you're planning to go to Oktoberfest, that's prolly somewhere around Sept - Oct, huh? (blushing sheepishly)

3 Weeks with cities in 7 different countries? Amsterdam, Prague, Munich (oktoberfest), Salzburg, Cinque Terre, Paris, & Barcelona? OMG, this reminds me of my Czech relatives that come to visit me for two weeks in San Francisco area and asked if we can include NYC, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Disneyworld, Yellowstone, Hollywood, and Yosemite in with the SF/Golden Gate/Napa wine tasting - plus do some beach time. My advice is to eliminate a few countries. Stick to not more than 3 - 4 big cities in 3 weeks. If you are going to do Oktoberfest(This year? - I hope you have already reserved a spot in a tent -otherwise forget getting in!), the logical thing to do is to include only Germany, Austria, & Czech Republic. I can honestly say that 7 days each for Paris and Barcelona, Amsterdam 5 days, 3-4 days each Prague, Munich area with Oktoberfest and Cinque Terre area, Salzburg 1-2 days. Plus you need to keep in mind travel time. Good rule is if bus or train takes more than 4 hrs, then book a cheap one way flight.

I was in both Prague and Krakow in May for the first time. I loved both cities and they are quite different from each other. I agree with the others that Prague is overrun with tourists and tacky souvenir shops, but it didn't ruin the beauty of the city for us. My two daughters in their 20's preferred Prague. We stayed on the castle side instead of Old Town which also gave us a break away from the crowds. I think with you having only 3 weeks and trying to cover so much territory, Prague is less out of the way than Krakow and therefore makes more sense. You could also consider visiting Cesky Krumlov, a beautiful medieval town between Prague and Salzburg. We spent a day there and all of us loved it.

Krakow is a beautiful city, as is Prague. I found Prague to be very crowded and filled with tourists, but I loved it.

We loved Krakow. We visited Auschwitz one day - I think it is one of the most powerful and important places to experience on earth. The city of Krakow was charming with lots of street performers in the main square of the old city, the castle,and the od city itself. Food was nothing special. Prague is lovely, but we found it overrun by tourists. Either way, if you take a good guide, your visit will be enhanced tremendously.