Berlin vs Prague vs Vienna
 

Hey everybody!

My brother and I are 22 and 23, and we're trying to decide whether to spend an extra day in Berlin over Prague or Vienna. Currently, our itinerary is this:

Day 5, Weds 6/3: Amsterdam => Berlin! (6 hr train or plane)
-Night 5: Berlin!

Day 6, Thurs 6/4: Berlin!
-Night 6: Berlin!

Day 7, Fri 6/5: Berlin!
-Night 7: Berlin!

Day 8, Sat 6/6: Berlin => Prague (5 hrs train)
-Night 8: Prague

Day 9, Sun 6/7: Prague!
-Night 9: Prague!

Day 10, Mon 6/8: Prague!
-Night 10: Prague!

Day 11, Tues 6/9: Prague!
-Night 11: Prague!

Day 12, Weds 6/10: Prague => CK (2.5 hrs train) CK => Vienna (3 hrs train)
Night 12: Vienna

Day 13, Thurs 6/11: Vienna
-Night 13, Vienna!

Day 14, Fri 6/12: Vienna!
-Night 14: Vienna!

Day 15, Sat 6/13: Vienna!
-Night 15: Vienna!

Day 16, Sun 6/14: Vienna (day trip to Melk)
-Night 16: Vienna

Day 17, Mon 6/15: Vienna => Salzburg

I'm thinking that we need to take one night from Prague or Vienna and add it to Munich. What do you guys think?

Thanks for all your help!

Anna

You are right. You have only two full days in Berlin and Berlin is the largest of the three cities and has most to offer - a huge variety of attractions. I would probably cut a day from Prague - is is a beautiful city but rather small and compact and you do not need so much time to see the top attractions.

Do you need any tips for Berlin? Then tell us a bit about your interests and we can give you advice (I am usually a dozen times per year in Berlin).

While I agree that Prague is smaller than Vienna it is much more a young people's city. I would leave that as it is and take a day from Vienna - which while interesting always strikes me as sort of triste - not as lively as Prague.

Thank you both! We ended up cutting a day from Vienna, since with the day trip we technically had 4 there. We now have a full 3 days in each.

I would love some tips for Berlin. We enjoy hanging out and sightseeing, but are especially excited to drink beer and explore the city. Some museums here and there are good, but maybe we'll only go to the top 1-2 museums, and spend the rest of our time wandering, sightseeing, and drinking. My brother is a big history buff; I enjoy more culture and people-watching.

Berlin:

A good and cheap way to get an overview of Berlin is riding the public bus #100. It is hop on/hop off and runs from Alexanderplatz in the East over the boulevard Unter den Linden to West Berlin, Zoo station (and the other direction).

The top museums are the Pergamonmuseum with the gate of Babylon and the Neues Museum, featuring the bust of Nefertiti. Both are on the Museum Island and you can buy a combination ticket.

Across the Pergamonmuseum, the boats depart for a very interesting Spree river boattrip.

For nightlife, here a few tips:

- Walk at night along Oranienburger Straße, from Friedrichstrasse station eastwards, to Hackesche Höfe. At the western edge, have a look into the Tacheles - in fact a ruin, now a cultural center.

- In West Berlin, the Kurfürstendamm is the main shopping venue. The parallel street south of the Ku'damm is the Lietzenburger Straße with many bars and restaurants. Check also the Savignyplatz north of the Ku'damm in West Berlin.

- A new hotspot is Neukölln - a mix of a lively Arabian neighbourhood and current gentrification.

More to follow.

Depending on what you two REALLY want to do at NIGHT I would recommend doing "it" in Berlin and not in the "Bible belt buckle of Bavaria."

Doesn't look like they are going to be in Bavaria. Do you mean Bohemia?

Thanks for the tips! We are generally more chill; will probably go to a couple of clubs but mostly just casual drinks. We actually are going to Salzburg and Munich at the end of our trip but I lived in Salzburg for a while so we know the highlights for those two places. I never visited Berlin while I was abroad, and I had the flu in both Vienna and Prague so tips for all 3 would be great!