Prague - Krakow - Budapest ???

Hi, Keith, I just did that exact same trip in reverse order. I'm not quite sure what you're asking, so some additional specifics might help. Also, you don't need a railpass, at least in my opinion. You can buy point-2-point for a much better value.

Ashley,

Just was wondering if there were any places else besides those three cities that I should look at when planning my trip. Also, how many days did you spend at each location? I was thinking 3 for each city plus a day for travel between each. My other question that I still have not been able to answer is the benefit of going 1st class vs. 2nd on the train. I can get a Eastern Europe pass for $209 for 2nd and $299 for 1st. Does the extra $90 get me anything? I thought that since both train trips are around 8 hours, 1st class might be more comfortable.

What about Ljubljana? We're in the preliminary stages of planning our Eastern Europe trip and we're doing those 3 plus Ljubljana and Dubrovnik. People say very nice things on here about both.

Amy,

Where are flying into / out of?

I would stick with a 2nd class pass. Not really that much difference except that the 1st class cabins are sometimes pretty empty. If you want to add day trips I would add another day to each city, especially Prague and Budapest. Krakow is quite small and you can comfortably see the city in 2 days, but I would add another day for Auschwitz.

Keith, we did not realize how far Dubrovnik was from everything, so we determined that flying open jaw would save time and in the end, may not cost a lot more money... We're looking at doing Prague - Krakow - Budapest - Ljubljana - Plitvice - Dubrovnik. We're going to stay about 18 nights. I have no experience in Eastern Europe except for Prague, so any info I have for you is from reading books and info on this site!

A bigger question to consider is whether you need a rail pass and what benefit it would provide. I think you will probably come out much cheaper with point to point tickets and these are easy to come by especially towards Sept. Do your research.

Hi, Keith! I spent 4 days in Budapest, 3 in Krakow and 7 in Prague (I left extra time in Prague because it's one of my all-time favorites). I think 4 is a good number for Budapest, because the sights and experiences are pretty widespread, plus you'll want to leave quite a chunk of time for visiting one of the baths. Three was plenty for Krakow, and on the second day there we visited Auschwitz, which was a very moving experience. I would suggest 4 days for Prague as well. I think you could do it in less, but part of the beauty of the city (to me at least) is enjoying the pace and wandering the streets outside of the tourist targets. As far as side trips go, Kutna Hora and/or Cesky Krumlov (from Prague) are wonderful. Auschwitz is life-changing.
PS- I'd go with 2nd class tickets, too. You don't really get enough bang for your buck with 1st class to justify the price. Have you considered night trains so you don't lose a day of your trip?

In Czech Republic, try to see Kutna Hora and/or Cesky Krumlov.