I will be flying into Zurich for a Conference in May. The conference lasts until the 13th. Then my husband and I will be on vacation until we need to fly home on the 24th (from Zurich). We have 9 days to travel. We are strongly considering Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. I have been to Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Vienna, and recently many cities in Italy. Any recommendations on how to best use our time? Would three days (including travel time) be too few in Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. Are we overlooking great alternatives? Any input is much appreciated.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8163 posts
Berlin is about 215 miles NW of Prague. Prague is about 175 miles NW of Vienna. Budapest is about 150 miles SE of Vienna. It's out of the way. Of Berlin, Prague and Budapest, you'd probably have to pick two.
And there's plenty to see in Berlin and Prague that'll take all your available time.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
If you have to fly back home from Zurich and cannot change your ticket, and want to see something from these three cities, I would pick just two of them. Remember that if you fly between cities, you lose the better part of a day, so that would leave you only 2 full days per city with your original plan. All three are wonderful places (in another thread, I identified them as my favorites of the ones I've seen in Central Europe). And each is quite different from the others (and from Vienna, by the way). I, personally, would have been frustrated at having only 2-3 days in each, particularly with the stress of having to move around so frequently. But if you like that kind of travel style, go for it. How would you have felt flying from Zurich to Barcelona for 3 days, then flying to Paris for 3 days, then flying to Vienna for 3 days, then flying to Zurich to go home? This will tell you if your proposal is right or wrong for you. The obvious alternative you're overlooking is spending more time in Switzerland. I've never been there, so I don't have direct experience. If you're looking for large cities, which your post above indicates, Rick is not the only one who feels Switzerland is not the best place (although Zurich, Luzerne, Lausanne, and Bern each have their fans; Geneva has few). But no one seems disappointed by the rest of the country, despite the high prices. By the time you figure in the cost and hassle of flights to other countries, you may just decide to "suffer" in the Berner Oberland or the Lake Geneva area, which sound amazing.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3049 posts
It really depends on how much energy you have and how well prepared you are. If you plan smartly and know what you're doing, flying between those cities doesn't have to eat up most of a day. But you'll need to be prepared to hit the ground running, know where to store your bags if your hotel check in isn't available yet, and how to get to the stuff you want to see easily and efficently. Most of my travel is 3 days (or less) because of my husband's job, or because my other travel companions have to work M-F. We make it work. Of course 3 days - or 2.5, really - isn't enough for any of those cities, but it's enough to get a good overview and have fun. If that sounds too exhausting to you, I'd just pick Berlin and Prague. You can train or bus between those two, flying into one and out of the other.