akarasyk

My husband and I will have 11 nights to divide between Prague & Berlin in November. We have never been to either city. We will be flying into Prague, taking the train up to Berlin, and then flying home from Berlin. How should we divide our time? Are there any day trips you would recommend from either city? Will appreciate any advice.

hsv

3-4 nights Prague
1-2 nights Dresden
5-7 nights Berlin

MLF611

Agree with hsv but would do 4 nights Prague, 2 nights Dresden, 5 nights Berlin. There is enough to see in Dresden for two nights. How late in November? Will you be there late enough for Christmas market openings?

danon

I spent 5 nights in Prague ( I stayed in a private home), 2 in Dresden an 6 in Berlin.
Depending on the arrival and departure time (Dresden), one night would have been enough for me. (Maybe because I was alone ?)
I stayed right next to the Frauenkirche(Hilton) ...,took a taxi from and to the train station ( 6 euros each way).
Prague is lovely, rather compact.I arranged for shuttle from the airport. Although I had 4 full days in the city, I did not take day trips - the jet lag and lot of walking made up for it)
At first, Berlin seemed modern, unlike "old Europe", but after a few days I realized that is exactly why it is interesting. Not to mention some great modern architecture,
world class museums and galleries, hip vibe, and history.

In Berlin, I recommend Melia hotel...you can reach it by S-Bahn from the train station ( taxi would be 6-7 euros)
The hotel is in excellent location, very comfortable and reasonable priced. We stayed there again last month ( like rooms in the interior) .
If it is in your budget, the Westin Grand is in a similar location and more upscale.

annhig

I've been to Prague and Berlin but sadly not Dresden [yet].

I would definitely allow longer for Berlin than for Prague; there is just so much to see in Berlin; in 3 days we barely scratched the surface, whereas in 3 days in Prague, I think that there was little that we missed.

This would work, I think:

Day 1 - arrive Prague.
DAy 2 - Prague
day 3 - Prague
DAy 4 - train to Dresden [10.30 am train gets you there for 12.34 - here's the link to the bahn.de website showing the timings for a monday in November: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...&rt=1&OK#focus
rest of day in Dresden
Day 5 - Dresden
Day 6 - early train to Berlin - the 9.04 am one takes about 2 hours - here's the link:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...fasScrollDir=1
Days 7 - 11 - Berlin
Day 12 - home.

that gives you 5 1/2 days in Berlin, plus a whole day and a half in Dresden.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

akarasyk

Thank you all so much. I had not considered Dresden, but will definitely look into it.
MLF611, I will be leaving Berlin the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 24th. When do the Christmas markets open?

nytraveler

Well 3 nights in Prague is only 2 days there - since the first day is mostly lost to jet lag. And IMHO you really need 4 solid days to see Prague - unless you stick to just a few obvious sights. Dresden is pretty - but can be seen in one day. Berlin has a lot to see and do - but IMHO not really much more than Prague unless you're very much interested in trendy nightlife.

danon

Prague has nothing on Berlin when it comes to museums, galleries, and historical sights.
But of course, not everyone is interested in the same things.

Cali

We recently spent time in both Berlin and Prague and I loved both cities even tho they are very different from each other. Berlin is like new Europe to me and is a wonderful and vibrant city. Lots of things to see and do. We were there for 4-1/2 days and I could have stayed longer. We stayed at the Kempinksi Hotel Bristol which is a great location for walking and shopping and finding restaurants. The hotel also helped us set up several tours. The staff at the hotel was fabulous. We spent 3-1/2 days in Prague and loved it there too. Prague is like Old Europe to me. The architecture is fabulous. We stayed at the Imperial Hotel (Art Deco Hotel) and walked everywhere from there. Our rooms in the hotel were fabulous and the hotel restaurant is very well known and very busy. Also very good - for dinner. You have to have reservations. The hotel does not look as appealing from the outside but is wonderful when you get to your room. Staff was also great there. You can take taxis and tours in both cities and you can walk many places on your own. You will love both cities.

Ingo

It is beyond me how someone thinks he/she can see Dresden in one day. Or even two days. LMAO

annhig's itinerary seems perfect to me.

danon

Ingo, a visitor can never see ALL of any city...(or wish to) .
Five days in Berlin, Paris, London, Rome....???????????
but, what can we do - time and money are limited for most travelers.

Ingo

I know, danon, I know. I was referring to nytraveler's comment: "Dresden is pretty - but can be seen in one day."

If that was true, then you could see Prague in one day as well.

nytraveler

I think you need to have some perspective. It is possible to see a lot of Dresden in one day. It is NOT possible to see a lot of Prague, Berlin, Paris or London in one day.

Certainly you can almost always spend more time anywhere.

What I prefer about Prague is that so much of it is truly old - with unique architecture that has grown organically over many hundreds of years. Yes, Berlin has a lot of great museums - which I love. And it is an exciting, vibrant city. But it was essentially obliterated in 1945. The western side has been rebuilt on a largely US 1950/1960's model and the eastern part has been reconstructed on the original model. But it is all new building -less than 60 years old - not original. And history is one of the major reasons I love visiting europe. (Granted Berlin has had a lot o f history since 945 - but nothing to rival Prague.)

MLF611

NYT, when were you last in Dresden? This year? There is plenty to keep someone busy for more than a day.

Around Easter, I spent 4 days in Prague and 4 days in Dresden. I did not spend my days in Dresden twiddling my thumbs and wondering what there was to do.

Ingo

As for history - Prague has (almost) never played a key role in history - unlike Berlin or Vienna, or Paris or London etc. no matter if the architecture is old or new.

I agree that Prague has an overwhelming number of old buildings (which I love, too), covering all the styles from Romanesque to Art Deco (and a few interesting contemporary ones, too). However, you *can* see much of that in one day if you really want. After having seen two Baroque churches you can easily skip the next three or four. A walk down Celetna, passing the town hall, crossing Charles Bridge and through Mala Strana up to the castle, spending a bit of time there and walking a different way back down ... maybe having a quick look at Vaclavske Namesti as long as it is not dark yet and you have seen A LOT of Prague. Not nearly everything, but at least as much of Prague as you can see of Dresden in one day.

Berlin, London and Paris play in a completely different league here.

kfusto

Having been to a good number of Europe's major cities, Berlin remains one of my absolute favorites. The city is so diverse and for me, endlessly fascinating. I love the history, the architecture, the edgy vibe of the city, the outstanding museums, the excellent public transport system and also find it to be an outstanding value compared to other world class European cities.

We are headed back in 5 weeks for 4 days and very much look forward to our visit.

We visited Dresden last year as a day trip from Berlin. I would enjoy spending more time there one of these days but felt we were able to get a good feel for the city from the day we spent there. There is never enough time and money to do it all, so we have to prioritize.

JeremyinFrance

It might be nice to have a change from cities - and to see some spectacular scenery. If you get off the train at Bad Schandau (just over the German border) you can take a ferry over to Hrensko and have a hike into the Czech Switzerland area. http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/czech_switzerland_01.htm
I would say that if the weather is miserable then you are probably better off staying in the cities.

danon

In Prague, one marvels at beautiful buildings... but if galleries and museums are of interest to you - nothing very important to see in Prague.
Berlin is just the oposit - not too many old, beautiful buildings ( some fabulous modern architecture !), but museums, historical sites and galleries could keep one busy for weeks.

BillT

When in Berlin take a short trip to Potsdam.

Margo_Chester

We all travel differently and have different interests. For example, if I had only planned 2 1/2 days in Prague last month I personally would have been heat broken, there was so much there to see and do that I was interested in. .. I need to get that trip report done . . .