Air Deals, Manchester UK into Europe
 

Flying to Manchester for a wedding, then planning to visit Prague, Berlin, Munich, Vienna...maybe Zurich, maybe Copenhagen or Amsterdam. Not sure what city to fly into from Manchester to then start our land tour, wondering if one city has particularly lower fares from Manchester than any other.

Also what is your favorite city to visit in this vicinity? What cities have you found are most train-travel friendly, easiest to visit? This would be an older couple preferring accomodations not too far from transportation etc.

A few of your cities have budget airlines that fly from Manchester. You may find the following useful which sets them out:
http://www.whichbudget.com/en/cheapflights.php?from=MAN

My favourites from your list are Berlin and Prague but I know nothing about your interests and you know nothing about mine so we could have very different views on this!

How long do you have for this trip?

Don't rule out Liverpool airport which is close to Manchester and is also a base for Easyjet.I know there is a Liverpool to Berlin service on this airline.
Having said that I seem to recall that more planes fly to Germany from Manchester than any other international destination so that is a good start for Munich.You can get direct flights to Germany on B.A. Lufthansa and also I think on Hapag Lloyd.
My favourite is also Prague but I haven't been to Berlin.I don't know how long you have for your trip but Copenhagen and Amsterdam are slightly out on a limb from your other destinations if you are pressed for time.
Prague is not large and quite user friendly. It has a large number of hotels /and apartments right in the centre. This is the location I have visited most recently and so my views as to accessibility in other cities may be out of date.

Maybe 21-22 days for the land portion of the trip visiting Europe after a week in UK. Interests art, architecture, history. No hiking or beaches or shopping. Have already visited Paris and Lyon and Italy.

Thank you for the airfare ideas! Any opinions on train-friendly city-pairs? Not sure which city to choose to fly back to the USA from, either.

You can fly to Prague from Manchester on either BMIbaby (budget) or Czech Airlines (scheduled). If you are booking far enough in advance you may find cheaper flights with BMIbaby (www.bmibaby.co.uk) but Czech Airlines (www.czechairlines.co.uk) have also reduced prices to cope with the competition.

Thank you, Maria. Can't figure out how to book a one-way on the Czech Air site though.

I see that Prague is not included with Eurail pass...is it easy to get a train from Prague to Berlin or Munich? How much advance notice is required?