Berlin, Dresden and Prague or Berlin and Vienna?
 

DH, 17yo DD and I are planning a fall (school break) trip to Europe. We are squeezing in a visit to family in Edinburgh at the end, so only have 7 nights.

Background: DH and I have been to Prague and Vienna - but we haven't been to Vienna in about 20 years. We wouldn't mind going back to either, though I guess I would prefer cute, little Prague over monumental Vienna. We all like art and great local cuisine, usually, but know that food won't be the focus of this trip. DD really wants to visit places with historical significance. She's never been to Central Europe / behind the former Iron Curtain; that's how we started talking about Berlin. I love history, and we also just like to wander around and stop at cafes. Dresden would likely be a short stop, maybe an overnight, between the two. I would be visiting there primarily because of its Vermeers; DD and DH for its historical importance.

Which would you suggest, for our interests?

Shame you've only got 7 nights, this looks like a 10 day trip!

Given your interests and that you've been to Vienna before, I'd drop that straight away.

there are direct trains every 2 hours both from Prague to Dresden and from Dresden to Berlin, so you could have as long as a day and a half in Dresden and still give yourselves a decent amount of time in Berlin.

look at bahn.de to see the train timetables and ticket prices.

Another vote for Berlin, Dresden, Prague. We did that trip a few years ago and loved it (though we may have had another night or two). Given your interests, I think these are a better fit than Vienna; you will breathe history everywhere you go. Easy train connections between all 3. I'd suggest giving the largest portion of your time to Berlin. Have fun!

Yeah, I'd do Berlin and Prague too. The amount of time in Dresden I would base on what your interests are there - namely, in the museums. If you want to see more of the museum stuff, then I'd spend a night in Dresden; otherwise, maybe just a long day off the train from Berlin before heading on to Prague the same day.

Prague is by far the most picturesque of the three, and it wasn't heavily bombed in World War II so is pretty authentic (plus it's just beautiful). Dresden was largely burned to the ground and rebuilt, Berlin too maybe to a lesser extent. But Dresden's skyline at night is breathtaking.

Thanks for the comments - this combination was what I came up with initially, but hesitated because it will be a bit rushed, basically (including Edinburgh) four cities in 10 days/nights.

I initially said I didn't want to visit Dresden because I feel so guilty (really) that "we" Allies bombed such a historic city, but it sounds like it's definitely worth a visit, as we would going right by the city anyway.

Prague is such a gorgeous place, that I think DD will like it. When we visited several years ago (without her), we took a very interesting walking tour called "Revolutions in Prague," which included Jan Hus, the Prague Spring as well as of course the Velvet Revolution.

Tough call, but you might want to give (just) Berlin and Dresden a closer look -- granted, many buildings of historical significance in these 2 cities are gone, but the museums there (art, history, etc.) preserve some priceless historic gems. Together with Dresden it is, IMO, well suited to a week-long visit. (Adding anything else would be WAY too rushed for my tastes! YMMV.)