We are planning a three week trip next summer. We would like to visit Berlin, Krakow, Budapest, Ljuibiana and Lake Bled, Vienna,Salzburg and either back to Berlin to fly home or Fly home from Vienna. We have already been to Prague. Does this itinerary give us enough time in each place and is it easy by train or bus? We are thinking of 6 nights in Berlin, fly to Krakow for 4 nights, train to Budapest for 4 or 5 nights , train to Ljubiana and Lake Bled for 5 nights, train to Vienna for 4 nights with a day trip to Salzburg. Does this sound okay for each place? Any suggestions?

Remove Lake Bled and Ljubljana from the itinerary; add another day to Krakow; from Vienna visit Melk Abbey (need an additional day). The remainder of the time will be travel between cities.

The train from Krakow to Budapest takes 10.5 to 11 hours. You can take a night train or fly. Same with Berlin to Krakow. Krakow is a difficult place to take trains to and from although it's beautiful with lots of sightseeing and wonderful people. Well worth the effort to get there.

Compared to many trip plans this one seems to be rather leisurely - bravo on making it so realxed even though travel between those places may take much of a day (even flying consumes at least half a day or more) -for great train info I always spotlight these IMO superb sources; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

If wanting first-class travel - always a more relaxed ride IME of decades of European rail travel - a Eurailpass of some sort may well prove economical - for 2nd class travel maybe not - unless you want flexibility.

Discounted tickets available from the various national railways involved can be cheap but they are sold in limited numbers on each train and can sell out weeks/months early sometimes and often have severe restrictions on changes or refunds. A pass in all those countries save Italy just lets you hop any train anytime - fully flexible tickets like that can cost a fortune. (In Italy you must reserve a seat before boarding for 10 euros on top of using a day on your pass - but since the Austrian Railways I believe run the Venice to Vienna trains you may be able to just hop on those as well.

You could take an overnight train Berlin to Krakow if you want - saves time over flying and a night's cost of a hotel - but if a light sleeper then night trains are a no go - no fun arriving wasted early in the morning - but if you are like many who can sleep nice on night trains consider the advantages in savings of cost and time.

I'd try to stay in Salzburg as well - and hit Hallstatt if possible and the fabulous Lake District (a k a Sound of Music Country) - could do if cutting Slovenia from itinerary as adrienne suggests!

a day trip to Salzburg from Vienna is a long one on trains.

Thanks for your suggestions - is it better to go to Slovenia and forget Vienna. How long a trip is it from Budapest to Ljubiana? Or should I save Slovenia for another trip?

Is Bratislava worth staying in on the way from Krakow to Budapest? Can you suggest a 3 -3/1/2 week itinerary for this trip?

"is it better to go to Slovenia and forget Vienna"

Apples and oranges! Even the largest city in Slovenia -- charming Ljubljana -- is very small and can be seen in a day a day and a half. Lake Bled is tiny -- well worth seeing -- but tiny, and it (and its surroundings) can be seen in a day and a half. Vienna is a major city with world-class museums that easily merits 5 or 6 days just to scratch the surface. Check a couple of guidebooks at your local library and then decide which you prefer. They are both wonderful options.

I agree that Krakow deserves more time.

I think 4 days in Krakow is enough - I loved Krakow but four days there would have been too much - a neat old city but not that much to see and do like in a Vienna or Munich or Berlin.

Of course there are day trips to Auschwitz/Birkenau and the awesome UNESCO World Heritage Site Wieliczka Salt Mines just south of town - but 4 days in Krakow - I'd take a day off there and put it somewhere else.

Is Bratislava worth staying in on the way from Krakow to Budapest? Can you suggest a 3 -3/1/2 week itinerary for this trip?>

I did Bratislava as a day trip from Vienna - just one hour by train or a bit longer perhaps by hydrofoil on the Danube.

IME Bratislava, though nicely restored, has a compact city center bereft of many individual sites and one day is enough.

Plus day tripping in you have no luggage - no re-locating to a hotel - consider doing Bratislava as a day trip from Vienna (but after the Wachau Valley day trip is hurting for time).

If you had 3 to 31/2 weeks would you bother with Slovenia for 3 days or just focus on Vienna, Bratislava and the other day trips outside of Vienna. So my itinerary would look something like this:

Fly to Berlin- 5-6 days
Fly or train to Krakow - 5 days with day trips to Aushwitz and salt mine
Train to Budapest - 5 days including overnight train
Train to Vienna -5 days with 2 day trips to Bratislava and Hallstatt
Train to Salzburg - 3 nights or train to Ljubiana for 3 nights with trip to Lake Bled

I'm leaning toward dropping Slovenia... Probably easier for me to fly home from Vienna. So does it make sense to take the train back to Vienna from Salzburg. I'm not sure the best place to fly home.

Slovenia is one of my favorite countries in Europe, in part because it isn't on the "American Top Ten" list so not overrun with American tourists and thus feels more exotic than many other places I've visited. (It was one of the few places I've where locals would ask me where I was from - meaning, what COUNTRY? Elsewhere locals seemed to assume I was just another American.) But it may not make sense when grouped with the other places on your list - it seems like a detour.

Slovenia goes well with Croatia or even Italy.

Much as I love Slovenia, I'd be inclined to wait until you can combine it with Croatia or (as Andrew notes) part of Italy.

BTW, it doesn't look like you are counting the time you will need to actually get from place to place -- the train + checking in and out + packing and unpacking + getting from the train to your hotel and back + getting oriented to a different country. That means you will lose at least 1/2 day almost every time you change locations.

Whichever you chose, it should be a great trip!

Train to Vienna -5 days with 2 day trips to Bratislava and Hallstatt
Train to Salzburg - 3 nights or train to Ljubiana for 3 nights with trip to Lake Bled>

Not sure but Hallstatt could be a shorter day trip from Salzburg then Vienna and in any case from Salzburg you could take post buses thru the fabulous Lake District to get to Halstatt - bit longer than the train via Attnang-Puchheim probably.

Ideally cut a day off Vienna and stay two night in Hallstatt between Vienna and Salzbur g- enjoy a smaller town up in the awesome Austrian Alps - Salt Mine tours here too - I think you may slide down into them on slides - used to not sure now. But Hallsatt is the type of town folks dream of staying in - in a cozy chalet with awesome views but rarely do. Vienna and Salzburg and most of the rest of your itinerary is only large cities.

"Ideally cut a day off Vienna" -- that would REALLY depend on one's interests! I thought 4-5 days in Vienna itself, not counting any time out of the city, barely sufficient for my interests.

It all depends on your interests - awesome Alpine wonderlands or a unique one-of-a-kind city - a city however after many sojourns there never really excited me but again different strokes for different folks.

Sorry P I seldom disagree but lake Bled is soooo pretty. Tito used to take foreign politicans there when he had nothing to say to them and just let them chill out. Way nicer than say Bratislava.

bilbo- I was not talking about Lake Bled - I have never been there - was talking about Vienna and yes I think from what you say Lake Bled would be far nicer an experience than Bratislava - yet Bratislava being just one hour from Vienna it is a short day trip and the chance to 'do' another country.