I believe the easiest way to get to Krakow from Deva is via Budapest. If you could leave Deva Sunday afternoon at around 1pm, you could get to Budapest in time for a night train that gets to Krakow for the next (Monday) morning. If you left in the evening, then you could get a sleeper train from Deva to Budapest and then a day train that would have you in Krakow by Monday evening. There is a sleeper train from Krakow to Prague. Prague to Berlin via Dresden, you would have to allow 4 3/4hrs (or 2hrs 16 and then 2hrs 9mins if you split the journey).

So in conclusion I think you are trying to fit too much in. Settle on 1 or 2 places you really want to see and savour them and don't be tempted to do a whirlwind tour and not really see much and rather spend a lot of time in transit. If you are sold on seeing Auschwitz, I would forgo Dresden and spend some time in Berlin instead and not feel like you're rushing back for your flight.

If you were to only take 3 journeys - Deva to Krakow, Krakow to Prague, and Prague to Berlin, you should also check whether a Eurail pass is most economical. I suspect that individual point-to-point tickets would be best!

Your best friend is the online timetable at the German Railways website, www.bahn.de, English button at the top. It won't give prices outside Germany, but will give times for almost all of Europe.

It suggests the 13:05 train from Deva to Budapest, arr 18:50, connnecting with the sleeper to Krakow, depart Budapest 20:05 arrive Krakow 07:03 (this sleeper actually calls at Auschwitz, modern name Osweicim, at 04:57, either double back by train from Krakow or get up early and go to the Hotel Glob outside the station and left for an early breakfast). For the Budapest-Krakow section you're looking at maybe 70 euros plus 28 euros for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. A dare say the deva-Budapest bit will be quite cheap, maybe 30 euros.

Personally, though, to avoid any delay causing a missed connection, I'd take the earlier 09:12 arriving Budapest 14:50, then have an afternoon in Budapest.

Buy tickets for this section at the station, they cannot be bought online. It is very unlikely to be full.

Krakow-Prgaue there's a direct sleeper train, just buy tickets at Krakow or secure them through reliable Polisg ticketing agency www.polrail.com . Fare about 50 euros plus 25 euros for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, per person of course.

Prague-Dresden book at www.cd.cz/eshop, plenty of trains, from 19 euros.

I haven't done this trip, but it seems a bit mad on the face of it (no offence) - bahn.de is usually pretty good with train trips, and it's showing Deva-Krakow as taking between 19 and 25 hours. I actually took a 19-hour train trip in Ukraine this summer, and it wasn't all that bad, but nor is it most people's idea of fun. I have taken the train between Prague and Krakow - my friend and I got robbed on the overnight train - and I've also taken Prague-Berlin (I didn't stop in Dresden though), which is an okay trip.

How about the overnight train from Deva to Budapest on the Sunday, then overnight Budapest-Prague on the Tuesday or Wednesday, then I would just go straight from Prague to Berlin on the Friday evening and stay somewhere handy for the airport in Berlin. Or straight from Deva to Prague, then chill out there for a bit, then Dresden and Berlin?