richnindy

Friends had discussed visiting Prague and hoped to make this a multi-city trip, perhaps including Vienna or Berlin or perhaps Budapest. We have only about 12 days, so would not want to visit all of those cities in such a short time, but in the process of determining which would make the best choices for a multi-city vacation, I am now questioning whether we even want to go to Prague. From the comments on travel message boards, it sounds crowded in season, cold off season and generally unwelcoming any season.

Is that true? Vienna sounds lovely to me, and a trip down the Danube to Budapest sounds charming. My friends are strongly gravitating toward Berlin for one stop because of what sounds like a lively nightlife scene.

We do like nightlife, we like food, we like museums and culture, sightseeing, new areas, local life. In Europe we have been only to Italy, England, Ireland and Wales.

Any suggestions to such a vague query? Is Prague a must-see? Would other cities work better for a 12-day trip, factoring in the travel between locations?

As always, thank you.

PalenQ

Prague and Berlin are fairly close together by train or car - 4.5 hours about by frequent trains. Dresden is about half way and would make IMO a great few-day stop as well. Berlin has so much varied things to offer that several days could be spent there - Potsdam - the Prussian Versailles is in its suburbs -

You could easily start in Vienna then take the train or car to Prague and then end up in Berlin - 3-4 days in each city.

Or drop Berlin and start or end in Budapest - only a few hours by train from Vienna.

If going by train here are some superb sites IMO that will help planning a rail trip if you are not familiar with the fantastic rail systems in Austria and Germanuy (and Czech Republic on main lines like the ones to Vienna or Berlin) - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com. Does not seem you are traveling enough to warrant consideration of a railpass but if you do Budapest and drop Berlin then perhaps the Eastern European Railpass could be viable if traveling in first class, which after four decades of European rail travel i heartily recommend for a more leisurely travel experience.

Christina

I don't know what travel boards you are looking at but your summary of Vienna vs Prague makes no sense to me. Any country over there is cold in winter. Vienna is not warm. Any major city worth going to has a lot of tourists and is crowded in-season. I've been to Prague 3 times in-season and crowded didn't bother me. No worse than many other places I've been in Europe, like London, Paris, Vienna, Krakow, Dresden, etc. They all have tourists. I can't imagine who would say Prague is unwelcoming in any season, it's one of my favorite cities (as you can probably tell since I've been there 3 times). Czechs are very friendly compared to some other places, and there are lots of expats of all nationalities in Prague. Just a truly weird remark to me. Now Vienna was not my favorite places, if any place seems cold and dull and unwelcoming, that was it for me.

danon

not been to Budapest.
Prague and Vienna are both lovely and have that "old Europe" feel. Berlin is full of history, great museum and modern architecture. It is kind of cool and "happening" and totally different than the other two.
I was in Prague in the summer... it was crowded, but as PP said, so are most great cities.

elnap29

We loved Prague! It is such a fascinating city and generally found it quite welcoming in the short time we were there. We really enjoyed talking with people on Charles Bridge and also in several intriguing art galleries as well as cafes. The only unwelcoming attitude was felt upon arrival at the airport and while going through customs. The rest was delightful.

nytraveler

Prague is a gem and to miss it would be a crime. it is the one major city in Central Europe that wasn;t destroyed in WWII - since it was handed over to try to appease Hitler. So it has an incredible architectural history, a wonderful music scene, reasonable prices and we found mostly very good food. Visiting the synogogue area was an incredible experience and we had a walking tour of the Old Town by a university grad student that put anything done by Rick Steeeeeves to shame.

It will be chilly in winter - as will all of the other places you named.

And any popular tourist destination has lots of tourists in summer.

In 12 days I would do 2 destinations - not 4. My favorites would be Prague and Berlin - but you can;t go wrong with any 2 of the 4 named.

Lexma90

It sounds like you're definitely planning on Vienna, so the question is which other city or cities - I could see your going to 2 or 3 of the four with the amount of time you have. I've never been to Berlin, so have no comments there.

Prague: It is a beautiful little city, very charming, and yes, lots of tourists in the high season. (But what great city doesn't have tourists?) I found the Czechs welcoming, though we did have to be more careful to check our bills (restaurants and cafes) than other places, and did have several "mistakes" that were quickly corrected. We are very big on museums and art, and Prague has less of that than, for example, Paris, Florence or Rome.

Budapest: We visited Budapest on the same trip as Prague. Also has its beautiful parts, though not as cute and charming as Prague. Our son commented, and I agree, that Budapest felt more like a "real" city. A bit more sophisticated, in terms of the dining scene, etc., than Prague. Also not so many museums as some other cities - but that's our personal preference. Lots of great cafes. We ran into a bout of rainy weather, and spent one afternoon going from cafe to cafe.

Either city would work with the other cities you're considering. If you want to get away from the other tourists, consider renting a car and going to the Czech countryside. Many small beautiful smaller cities and towns, and lots of great castles to visit.

richnindy

Thanks so much for the lovely responses and the reassurance about Prague! I never know how much credence to place on people who gripe about a city's hospitality, since cranks tend to sometimes be louder than enthusiasts. So your enthusiasm is appreciated. And the Prague-Dresden-Berlin idea is a truly excellent one, PalenQ. Thanks again.

PalenQ

Prague-Dresden-Berlin keeps the travel times down to just a few hours each trek - leaving more time for exploring these three tremendously interesting and historic cities.

danon

I did Prague-Dresden-Berlin last summer and enjoyed all three. Went back to Berlin last moths, would go to Prague again given a chance.

danon

sorry..month

seafox

My trip report that includes Vienna and Prague will give you some ideas - do a search on "dark beer"

lindy27

Berlin does have a great nightlife and it deserves at least 4 days. Lots of great history and museums. Potsdam makes a great daytrip. We did this free walking tour while there and had a great time http://www.newberlintours.com/nbt/

I have not been to the other places on your list but am planning a trip next year and plan on including Vienna and Budapest and am looking forward to both.

I would keep it to 3 cities in the 12 days you have and you will have a great time.

Cali

We just returned from a trip that included Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest. We loved them all. Berlin is very Cosmopolitan and has great restaurants and shops and lots of nightlife. Also lots of interesting history. Prague is beautiful. It seemed to be the most old world Europe to me but it was wonderful - great people, lots of beautiful architecture and great food. Vienna has many things to see and also lots of shopping, coffee shops, etc. Didn't really remember the food there, except the pastries which were fabulous. We enjoyed seeing the training of the Lippozan horses at the Spanish Riding School. Budapest also had very beautiful buildings. and the people we met were very nice and happy that we were visiting their country. The shopping didn't interest me as much in Budapest but loved the coffee shops and restaurants. I would have hated to miss any of these cities.

Keiracaitlyn

I loved Prague. We did encounter some minor anti-American sentiment (oddly enough, from tour guides), but nothing that detracted from our enjoyment of the city. It's beautiful and has an amazing mix of architecture and history. Don't skip it!

My pictures of Prague:

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripw...3-33e4-f682?ln

walkabout

I went to Prague in March 2008, and I must say that I am not as enamored of it as a lot of people are. It's a lovely city, and I'm glad I went, but for me it didn't have the fairy tale quality that several friends had raved about.

I was there during Easter time and it was crowded, but I liked that, particularly the Easter markets. It was also unseasonably cold, but that can happen anywhere. I found the Czechs reserved, but not unfriendly or unwelcoming.

I have had naysayers make disparaging comments about almost every place I have ever traveled. I ignore them, and go wherever I want. If you are interested in and curious about Prague, then by all means go. You will probably have a wonderful and memorable time.

Ingo

I'd like to encourage you to do the Prague-Dresden-Berlin trip. Sounds most logical to me. As Palenque said the travel times between the three are short - 2 - 2.5 hours. Also, all three of them are very different.

I personally don't like Prague very much, but that's subjective, of course. You need to watch out more than in other cities not to get ripped off. I absolutely *hate* that you hardly find a restaurant/cafe that is smoke free while smoking is not allowed in public places, theatres etc. Totally ridiculous IMO.

Anyway, I am sure you'll enjoy Prague nonetheless.

thursdaysd

I, too, am not a big fan of Prague. It has a smaller area of interest to tourists than the other cities mentioned, so the same number of tourists make it MUCH more crowded. While I do think it's worth seeing, once, I've been back to Budapest and Vienna, but not to Prague.

PalenQ

Prague - either love it or leave it it seems - such varying opinions/experiences - personally I think it to be one of Europe's really unique cities and in the town center one of its most beautiful and interesting. But I did not find a whole lot of do there other than a day up and around Castle Hill - one of Europe's dreamiest areas IMO.

So yes less days there than say Vienna or Berlin, both of which teem with varying types of things of interest.

tomboy

There's a reason it's crowded....people like it.
There's a reason some places aren't crowded, too.