Looking for your feedback on planning pre-Xmas trip
 

We are planning a last minute trip to Europe around Thanksgiving/early December.
We had to cancel a different trip we booked for November due to my husband health issues, so need to plan this one quickly now.
We always wanted to see pre-Xmas Europe, so this is an opportunity to do so.
The goal is to do some sightseeing, x-mas markets, museums, etc…
We will have around 10 days starting November, 27, and we plan to take trains.
There are a couple of routes I am thinking about:
1. Vienna (2.5 days, been here previously in summer) – Prague (2.5 days) – Drezden (2 days) – Nurmberg/Bambsberg (2 days)
2. Berlin (2 days) – Drezden (2 days) – Prague (3 days) – Vienna (3)
What are your thoughts on this? Do you have other suggestions or recommendations?

Thank you!!!

With either itinerary I would suggest you consult the train timetables and then revisit your plans. Does the time allotted (10 days) include travel days? For example, the train from Vienna to Prague is ~5 hours; add in the transfer and logistics time and it's more than half a day. Same with the Dresden to Nuremburg.

Personally I would drop one or even two of the cities from each itinerary. With the first itinerary I would structure the holiday around Prague and Vienna, with perhaps a day trip from each city. WIth the second itinerary I would drop Vienna.

Fourfortravel,

I did counted time we need for travel.

I have something of this sort.

Vienna - Nov, 27,28, 29 (27 is a morning arrival)
Vienna to Prague Nov 30, Dec, 1, 2
Travel to Drezden Dec 3, 4
Travel to Nurmberg Dec 5, 6, 7.
Fly home on Dec 8

I see what you are saying - too rushed. However, I was hesitant to skip Nurmberg/Bamberg, because they have this famous x-mas market. And my husband really wants to go to Vienna. Hard to decide

I also have a question about train travel. We normally drive in Europe, so no experience with train travel and train tickets.
What is the good place to look at/book tickets?
I was using www.bahn.com and www.eurail.com.

Since, there are three country involved into this trip, so it seems like point to point tickets are cheaper than a pass.

Do we I need to book in advance?

Don't know about tickets Vienna - Prague, but guess you can get a discount if you book in advance. No need to book in advance for Prague - Dresden and Dresden - Nürnberg. The latter is regional trains only, anyway, and you will want to buy the "Quer-duchs-Land-Ticket" for this trip. 44 Euro for one, 50 Euro for two adults. Buy it from a ticket machine at the railway station, fill in the name of one traveller before you board the train. Travel only on regional trains with this ticket, and only after 9 am. Works fine in this case, the IRE train leaves Dresden 9.01 and arrives Nürnberg 1.18 pm.

Point to point tickets is the way to go, and it can often pay to book in advance ("Sparscheine" tickets.) For the Vienna to Prague route, check the OBB (Austrian Federal Railways) site, http://www.oebb.at/en/

Personally, I still think you're underestimating the time you'll need in each destination without feeling rushed. The Christmasmarkt force is strong; strolling, taking photos, glühwein, shopping, and debating purchases can take much more time than you think. Vienna alone offers more than a dozen markets to experience during the time you'll be here. Plus, Central Europe is cold that time of year; you'll have to factor in time to pause in warm cafes, as well. :)

Ingo, Fourfortravel, thank you so much for your responses!
Yes, I saw this IRE train to Nuremberg, and will check Austrian railways as well.
I assume, second class is comfortable enough for a few hours ride.
Fourfortravel, I agree, it is rushed... But this is the same problem we have every vacation, too little time :)

We will have to live with less shopping...

If you have never been to Dresden, I suggest you drop one day from Nürnberg and add it to Dresden. You can easily spend a week there, without the Christmas markets! Or, skip Prague completely.

I agree with Four - you're traveling too much and not enjoying enough! Both Dresden and Vienna have many Christmas markets and many museums and 2-3 days is very rushed.

helen63, OBB second class is quite comfortable. Spend the extra couple of Euros for a seat reservation in a compartment; it also buys you the use of the overhead luggage rack.

For your travel planning, here is the list of Christmas markets from a Vienna tourism website. The list is incomplete, as it doesn't include some of the specialty markets that are only open on a given weekend, but it could help with planning.

http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-win...istmas-markets

Fourfortravel, thank you! This is perfect! Where did you stay in Vienna? In the past, we stayed somewhat away from the center, and used a tram to get there. However, this time, we wanted to stay centrally located, because we have little time, and my husband just had a recent surgery.

Wanderfrau, we may follow your advice, and stay an extra day in Dresden. These days are flexible.
I really want to see Prague, since we will be so close.

I actually wanted to skip Vienna, because we have been there previously, but my husband wants to see it during X-mas season.
I hope, this will not be our last time in
there.

helen63, we live in Vienna! I'd love to be able to offer you our guest bedroom; however, we are hosting visiting friends and student athletes from across Europe for the next several weeks! :)

Oh, you live in Vienna!!! Lucky you! :)

What are your favorite things to do in winter in Vienna then?

Over the Thanksgiving week here in Vienna there are at least 8 Christmas markets to explore, including a new market at Naschmarkt. The dog and I, and friend as well conduct recon missions during the day, and report out to the family over dinner about which markets should be revisited in the evenings, when the twinkling lights make everything more festive. A large ice skating rink will be set up in front of the Rathaus Christmasmarkt, too.

Regarding Christmas markets, there are four in Vienna that are the "same;" that is, they offer identical crafts and foods in four different locations (http://weihnachtsdorf.at)

On the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend the United Nations Women's Guild holds its massive annual bazaar (easy access from the U1). Think of it as a way to sample your way around the world, in the coziness of hundreds of others! Food, beverages, costumed performances, and shopping. This alone requires a day.

In early December the museums are quiet, so you can enjoy some of Vienna's art without bulky tour groups to step around. Plan your museum trips well; the Imperial tickets come in many varieties, and it's easy to get confused about which ticket you really want/need. Same thing with the Vienna card.

So nice! Sounds like dog and you :) have a wonderful winter time...
I really want to visit Naschmarkt. We did not make it there last time. Is it in walking distance from Stephansplatz? We will be staying around there.

As for tickets prices, I am not worried about prices. With time we have, we will probably make only to Kunsthistorische. Unfortunately, we will not be there on Saturday either