My 8 year old son and I will be visiting Munich, Prague and Vienna during March. We are planning to take the trains from city to city. We are still debating whether we should fly from Munich to Prague since the train ride is almost 7 hours. The round trip airfare (which is less than the one way) is about $200 and the train fare is about $60 one way, 2nd class. How safe is second class? Should we purchase 1st class tickets? Anyone know the cost? How cumbersome is flying to Prague? Should you be at the airport 2 hours before the flight departs? Thanks.

If you are talking 2nd class on train, there is no more safety concern than 1st class. In fact, on some trains, part of the train car is 1st class and the rest is 2nd class. You can ride in regular train car setting or in compartments. I prefer compartments, particularly if you find one with nice people. You get to know natives of the country, make friends and have someone to watch your luggage when you need to leave the seat. I have noticed that young women traveling alone tend to find compartments with other women and it works fine.

Rudzyne Airport in Prague is only about 20 minutes outside of the center of Prague. You might add 10-15 minutes if its during rush hour. You can allow 60-90 minutes in the airport from Munich prior to departure, but no more than that. I'm guessing the flight from Munich to Prague is no more than 90 minutes, so you would be saving yourself about 3-4 hours flying, but your quoted cost is triple compared to the train. Is it possible for you to take a late night train from Munich to Prague (you'd be saving the cost of one night in a hotel)? Will you then be taking the train from Prague to Vienna or flying? You might check into airfares through inter-European airlines for cheaper flights between the cities. My most recent Frommer's magazine lists the following websites to try for discounted inter-European flights (however, I have no experience with them):<BR><BR>www.airtreks.com<BR>www.easyjet.com< BR>www.ebookers.com<BR>www.europebyair.com<BR>www. flights.com<BR>www/go-fly.com<BR>www.globalfare.com<BR>www.ryanair.com<B R>www.travelselect.com<BR>www.virginblue.com.au<BR ><BR>If any of them have direct flights, you might be saving yourself time and money instead of using the train.

I took the overnight train from Prague to Munich and I would not do it again. We booked in first class in a sleeper compartment and the beds were not very comfortable, but the worst part was the noise. The overnight trains between these two cities are not direct so every half hour or so the train comes to a screeching halt. We were constantly awakened by the noise and the police upon crossing the German border. We feel asleep in the hotel in Munich upon arrival for a few hours and felt much better. We did the overnight train to save time and money, but maybe we should have flown.

My husband and I took the sleeper train from Wurzburg to Prague this past December 26th. I agree with Dawn- the train made so many stops and starts, the border crossings were a pain as first the German immigration agent comes and just as you get back to sleep the Czech agent arrives to wake you up again. we were exhausted. ALSO- there were no dining cars to even get a cup of coffee.