itinerary thoughts

Hi Jen,
For this trip, I'd consider deleting Interlaken, Munich, and Vienna and adding those days to Prague and Berlin. That might be a little dramatic but it would be a more relaxed trip. Just my initial thoughts...

According to DB website, it would take 5.5 hours to get to Interlaken from Frankfurt. that is a long train ride after you have been on a plane for 8-9 hours. One might think that they can sleep on a train after a long international flight.....but I couldn't. We flew into Munich and got on a train to Vienna, thinking we would be rested up......we weren't. That train ride was about 4 hours. If you got on a train and immediately went to Munich, it would take 3.5 hours. I would take the days away from Interlaken and give them to Vienna and Prague. I would take the day away from Dresden and put it toward Berlin. 3 nights in each city: Munich, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Stockholm.

Too much in-transit time, too many destinations. Since Interlaken is the only smaller place you want to stay, I'd keep it. The area has spectacular scenery. But you need more time everywhere, especially in Berlin. You have 11 nights before Stockholm. I'd try this. Interlaken: 3 nights. Relax, adjust. Take the JungfrauBAHN. Maybe visit Schilthorn for breakfast. Then head north again. Bacharach or Braubach: 2 nights on the Rhine. Tour a medieval castle, take a river cruise, have some wine. Then head east. Prague: 3 nights Berlin: 3 nights Berlin - Stockholm: FLY. Ryanair flights in June are available for 30-60 Euros on many days. Munich and Vienna represent a very large detour. And Vienna is dull. Ancient Marksburg Castle in Braubach is 800 years old and was never destroyed; it's more interesting and more historically significant than the infant Neuschwanstein, and easier to get to, given your itinerary. www.marksburg.de

Jen, this trip is doable but you might consider deleting one city and then see how that helps your itinerary. The 2-2-1-1 portion of your trip is going to be pretty quick. I travel faster than most on this board ever condone, but I also try to follow the rule that each city gets at least 2 nights of sleep. Yes, I have the occasional 1-nighter, but putting two back to back, after two 2-nighters ... you might be worn by the time you get to the wedding. 86 Dresden and add that night to either Prague, making it 3 nights, or to Berlin, making it 2 nights and eliminating the 1-nighters (the 1-nighter in Frankfurt is acceptable since it's there for the purpose of flying home). Finally, backtracking a bit, with regards to Interlaken, since you are only going to be there for one day, don't do the eastern side of the Laterbrunnen valley as you are planning you'll be on trains all day, to get to the Top of Europe, and since you will have been on planes and trains all the day before, your rump may get a little fatigued. Instead, do the western side of the valley, which requires less train transportation and offers you more time to hike and actually see the wonderful Swiss Alps. You can ascend to the Schilthorn via cablecar if you like - the view is wonderful and every bit as good as the Jungfraujoch. Happy Travels!!!

You'll only see the highlights in each place, but that's good for a start, IMO, and you'll get a feel for which cities you might like to revisit, or not. Rergardless, you're going to have a great time.

I think you are rushing things a bit. Just looking it seems that Interlaken is really the odd ball out. You are taking a long train there and a long one back to Munich for only 2 nights there. I would skip Interlaken. and add another night to Vienna and Prague, both of which deserve way more time. I would also drop Dresden and spend another day in Berlin. If you want to see the Alps you can consider going to the Bavarian or Austrian Alps which are much closer to your other destinations If you really want to go to Interlaken look at skipping Vienna this time around. To not get exhausted you should really try to not have any one night stops (or try to only have 1). You will waste/spend a lot of time in transportation and finding/checking into your hotel.

Thanks for all of the advice! I would actually not be against dropping Interlaken, but unfortunately that is basically the highlight for the person who i am traveling with, so compromises are necessary! I don't mind an immediate long train trip the day I land...I'm going to be too tired to do anything active anyway. When I went to Italy last year I flew into Rome and got directly on a train to Milan and I was fine (except for falling asleep at 6pm haha). I'm very much a person who travels believing the entire time that "one day I'll be back" (I'm not yet 30...we'll see how long this mentality lasts) so I'm good at prioritizing what I want/need to do and see.
I'm really looking forward to Dresden, so I don't want to drop that, but I found it interesting that everyone thinks I should spend more time in Berlin. From my research it didn't seem like there was a ton of MUST SEE stuff there. I'm basically planning to see the gate, the remains of the wall, probably the Holocaust museum, and then just wander around, maybe go to Sans Souci. What are some other things that I should abdolutely not miss? Though I'll only have one night there I will have two full days, since my flight to Stockholm isn't until 8pm the second day.

Berlin has tons of stuff to see, far more than any of the other cities you are going to visit. I have been there 3 times and still haven't even come close to seeing everything I want to see. Plus, it is really large and spread out, not a compact, I think I will wander around the square and look at everything kind of place. Sans Souci is in Potsdam, so you will have to take the train there.