MCE

My husband and I will be traveling to Munich this fall. We have about 10 days. Any thoughts on whether it is too much to try and see both Prague and Vienna in this time, along with Munich? Or should we try for Munich and just one of these other cities? How long do you suggest in these cities?<BR><BR> Also, should we plan on renting a car (what are the distances between these cities??) or is the train a better option? I am in the preliminary planning stage and found this site very helpful when I planned my Spain trip last year. Thanks!

Suzanne Engels

You could take the train to Prague and Vienna from Munich. We lived in S. Germany and saw as many sites as we could, including Munich and Vienna. (never made it to Prague.) Some closer options are the Zugspitz, Neuschwanstein and Berchtesgaden for experiencing the Bavarian Alps. The small castle towns on the Romantic Road are some of the highlights of the real Germany. Salzburg is a lovely city just over the German border from Berchtesgaden.<BR><BR>Driving is recommended over the train.<BR>Although train travel is Germany is very good, the connections to the small towns aren't so good if you have limited time.<BR><BR>Gute Fahrt! For more info on Germany, see our website at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/smengels/de<BR>You'll find links to the German train system and other helpful resources.<BR><BR>Suzanne Engels<BR>[email protected]

Dick Yeager

MCE,<BR><BR>We just returned from a three week trip to Germany and other countries. This was our first trip to Europe and included 5 nights in Munich. We could have easily spent two weeks!!!!<BR><BR>If you only have 10 days, I think I would limit it to two cities.<BR><BR>Dick

Bob Brown

You certainly have chosen 3 premier cities to visit. You can get the highlights of all 3 in the time you describe, but I think like any major city, you will also leave something for your next trip.<BR><BR>If you could stretch it out your time to 11 full days, not counting the day you arrive and the day you leave, I think you could fit all 3 cities in with high quality visits.<BR>You will need the better part of a day to get to Prague from Munich; and the same is true for Munich - Vienna.<BR><BR>Any way you could fly into Munich and fly home from Vienna? Or the reverse?<BR>That way you would not spend quite as much time on the train. <BR><BR>Your best travel time between Munich and Prague is about 6 hours and 45 minutes; but be careful which train you take because some of the trips involve several changes and can stretch out to 9 hours!!<BR><BR>The trip from Vienna to Munich is about <BR>5 hours, with 4:50 being your best travel time. <BR><BR>Prague - Vienna is at best 4 hours, 38 minutes.<BR><BR>If you had 11 days, you will still lose parts of 3 of them to intercity travel.<BR>I think 3 full days in Munich, 3 in Prague and 3 in Vienna would be a good place to start your planning. If you take early trains, you could get in half days at two of the destinations. <BR><BR>Vienna is one of those cities that can captivate people. If you like classical music, Vienna is a center of attraction. I have spent 4 days there twice, and found plenty to do. We attended 3 operas in 4 days, and had a great time doing it. <BR><BR>Munich has several major attractions, but some of the surrounding area has plenty to see, also. Neuschwanstein and the Wieskirche make a good days excursion by car. Then there is Berchtesgaden, which, while close, is not quickly reached.<BR><BR>Given the relatively short amount of time for 3 major destinations, I would like to suggest that you save Prague for another trip. This time focus on Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna. Salzburg is a very popular place for good reason, and it is on the main rail line from Munich to Vienna.<BR>That way you would have time to do all of them more justice. Train travel would not eat up so much of the available time, and you would have more quality time at each destination. I think 2.5 to 3 days would be sufficient for the attractions of Salzburg, particularly if you leave out that virtually worthless Sound of Money, er ah Music tour. (I am highly biased there; I took it and felt not only robbed but also swindled. But that is another story.)<BR><BR>As for renting a car, my answer is both yes and no. I rented a car for an excursion to the area around Munich.<BR>You could do the same for the area around Salzburg. Vienna on the other hand is not overly car friendly. Parking is tight and expensive. Munich inside the city is not car friendly either. Parking is at a premium. I watched people park these little sawed off cars with about a 12 foot turning radius. They would squeeze them into ridiculously short parking places, where there was just about enough room for a motorcycle, by backing in at an 80 degree angle. Then they would squirm the car around until it was tucked in with about 8 inches between bumpers both fore and aft.<BR><BR>You do not casually park around either Vienna or Munich, not even if you live there!!<BR><BR>Have a good trip. I don't think you can go wildly wrong. And I am sure some peope will tell you to emphasize Prague. Perhaps so, but among the 4 cities we have discussed, you have 4 winners. So you can't lose; you can only maximize.<BR>

iloveprague

I would forget Munich entirely....Vienna and Prague are so much more beautiful that Munich doesnt even compare in my opinion. Prague is one of the most beautiful places in Europe so please don't miss out. Vienna is huge and you will need at least 4 days to see everything. But please see Prague before anything else. You won't be disappointed. All you need are 3 days there.<BR>

Jennifer

We spent 2 weeks in Vienna and Munich in December/January. We loved both cities and would like to go back. I think you could see Munich in 2 or 3 full days, but you will definitely need 4 days to see Vienna. We were really surprised at how much we loved Vienna and love it as much as we love Paris. The train was easy, we got to see the countryside, and write in our journals on the trip. Everything within Vienna and Munich were accessible by walking or taking the train. (I've never been to Prague so I can't comment) Have a wonderful trip!

Nick Fortune

I have lived in Vienna since August last year, coming from 18 months in Munich and have visited Prague about 5 times. Generally I would agree with what others, especially those that suggest three trips is too much. I would also add a couple of extra warnings. Motorway driving for the uninitiated in Germany can be awful-lunatic speeds are very common and I have experienced some truly appallingly dangerous driving on the Salzburg-Munich motorway in very bad weather conditions. Austria is not so bad with more controlled speeds. Also I know Americans that had trouble from Czech police when hiring a German car - bribes for nonsense offenses etc. The writer warning about parking in Munich and Vienna is spot on. Prague is the same. If you do drive, I suggest the route for Salzburg to Vienna, you get off the motorway at the halfway point and go along the Danube River through the Wachau area - a stunning 1.5 hour drive. Munich has fantastic scenery to the south with all the lakes which are accessible by the local train net work (Starnbergersee, Ammersee etc)and further south - F&uuml;ssen, the town for Neuschwanstein is beautiful in its own right and many tourists just take in the castle and do a day trip - spend a night in the suburb of Bad Faulenbach instead. Priem am Chiemsee with Herrienchiemsee in the middle of the lake (another Ludwig castle) is also wonderful. If you go in summer take your swimming costumes. Vienna has the prettier centre compared to Munich but with Prague having a great centre on both sides of the river, I would say Prague was the prettiest (but with some horrible suburbs thanks to communism) Vienna has the most to see in the immediate centre with its selection of museums (more conveniently located for a short time visit than Munich, but Munich's Deutsche Museum is one of the world's really great museums). Prague is gorgeous just to walk around and eating out is cheaper than the other two cities (but hotels are not necessarily). In summary, I agree with the suggestion of Munich-Salzburg-Vienna, perhaps driving from Salzburg to Vienna and dropping the car off in Vienna on the first day. Use the train in Bavaria - super value group tickets for day trips make this route really cheap.

Nick Fortune

I have lived in Vienna since August last year, coming from 18 months in Munich and have visited Prague about 5 times. Generally I would agree with what others, especially those that suggest three trips is too much. I would also add a couple of extra warnings. Motorway driving for the uninitiated in Germany can be awful-lunatic speeds are very common and I have experienced some truly appallingly dangerous driving on the Salzburg-Munich motorway in very bad weather conditions. Austria is not so bad with more controlled speeds. Also I know Americans that had trouble from Czech police when hiring a German car - bribes for nonsense offenses etc. The writer warning about parking in Munich and Vienna is spot on. Prague is the same. If you do drive, I suggest the route for Salzburg to Vienna, you get off the motorway at the halfway point and go along the Danube River through the Wachau area - a stunning 1.5 hour drive. Munich has fantastic scenery to the south with all the lakes which are accessible by the local train net work (Starnbergersee, Ammersee etc)and further south - F&uuml;ssen, the town for Neuschwanstein is beautiful in its own right and many tourists just take in the castle and do a day trip - spend a night in the suburb of Bad Faulenbach instead. Priem am Chiemsee with Herrienchiemsee in the middle of the lake (another Ludwig castle) is also wonderful. If you go in early autumn take your swimming costumes (September can still be very warm). Vienna has the prettier centre compared to Munich but with Prague having a great centre on both sides of the river, I would say Prague was the prettiest (but with some horrible suburbs thanks to communism) Vienna has the most to see in the immediate centre with its selection of museums (more conveniently located for a short time visit than Munich, but Munich's Deutsche Museum is one of the world's really great museums). Prague is gorgeous just to walk around and eating out is cheaper than the other two cities (but hotels are not necessarily). In summary, I agree with the suggestion of Munich-Salzburg-Vienna, perhaps driving from Salzburg to Vienna and dropping the car off in Vienna on the first day. Use the train in Bavaria - super value group tickets for day trips make this route really cheap.

Janine

If I had to limit myself to 2 places, I would pick Munich and Prague, but that is just a personal preference. I recently spent 5 nights in Prague and found that to be about right, although you could spend longer if doing day trips out of the city. You will definitely want to see some places outside of Munich, such as Rothenburg on the Romantic Road and Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps. You can also get to Salzburg very easily from here (under 2 hours by train).<BR><BR>Even though it would be possible to do all 3 cities, Prague, Munich & Vienna, you would be cramming quite a bit. It depends a lot on what your interests are. As they all have something to recommend them, I would suggest browsing a few guidebooks. You will soon get a feel for what is a "must-see" for you.<BR><BR>Regards<BR>Janine