Poland train travel
 

I have 10 days in Europe with round trip flight into Kraków July 2015. I would like to find an overnight train to either Berlin or Vienna visit Prague in between and loop back to Kraków for return flight. Any suggestions?

There is an overnight train from Krakow to Berlin but none to Vienna (you can of course take a train in the evening and arrive the next day but it involves a couple of changes, is not a sleeper and takes much longer than some of the daytime trips).

Look at bahn.de for train schedules for all of europe.

Separately, 10 days is not enough to really see anything of 4 major cities especially if you have to return to Krakow. I wold definitely buy multi-destination tickets to avoid wasting a day getting back to Krakow and cut it down to 2 or at most 3 cities - or the whole trip will be just a blur.

I agree with nytraveler: If you can book into one city and out of another, that would be a MUCH better plan!

I also agree that trying to see Krakow AND Berlin AND Vienna AND Prague in 10 days would be, well, ambitious. Although it really depends on YOUR interests, as a rule, I would think this set of 4 cities better seen in a time frame of 18 or more days. So here's what I recommend: Buy some good guidebooks (always a worthy investment, IME) or consult them at your local library; decide what things YOU most want to see and experience, check their hours, and mark them on a calendar. Add in time for transportation, checking into / out of hotels, etc., and see what you think you can comfortably see.

I loved each of these cities -- they all have lots to offer!

Too much, train between Prague and Krakow alone isn't that convenient, I did it in two days because of that. The problem is there is no natural circle for what you want to do. At a minimum, substitute Dresden for Berlin (I have taken the train from Dresden to Krakow, but even that is a long trip.

It takes up an entire day to take the train between Krakow and Prague (about 8-10 hours). there is a transfer, except the night train which is 10 pm to about 6:30 am. Nothing you can do at that hour, anyway, you can't check into a hotel or do anything.

There is no direct train from Krakow to Vienna, either and that train with 1 or more changes can take 6-11 hours.

I think you need to change plans. YOu could visit some cities in Poland, instead, by train. Krakow isn't really on a direct train line to anywhere, that's the problem. Wroclaw is lovely and only a couple hours north of Krakow by train.

Booking a roundtrip flight to Krakow didn't really make sense if you wanted to go to other cities, unfortunately, you could have booked a flight into Krakow and Out of somewhere else (like Prague or Berlin or Vienna, whatever). But I'm sure it's too late now to change that or it would cost a fortune, probably.

Christina: <i>It takes up an entire day to take the train between Krakow and Prague (about 8-10 hours)</i>

No it doesn't, at least if you do part of it by bus. I have trained from Krakow to Olomouc before by train - not too difficult. Checking now, I see the most practical thing is to train from Prague to Ostrava, Czech Republic and take a bus on to Krakow - travel time of 6:13 (including the 30 minute layover). 2:20 on the bus - not bad.

Thank you all...yes, now I realize how ambitious! Decided on a flight to Berlin (1-1/2 hours) after Krakow.
Any recommendations on hotel in Krakow and Berlin?
Also - Auschwitz... book a tour or go independently?

Re: Auschwitz, here's a thread that includes a lot of useful info:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-auschwitz.cfm

I thought a flight would be the only thing that might work, if you want just two cities, that's better.

What's your price point in Krakow? I really liked the Pod Roza and it's a great location, especially for a first-timer. But if you want night trains, maybe you want something cheaper. There are some good cheap hotels in Krakow.

http://podroza.hotel.com.pl/rose_pl/Home

this is one near the Pod Roza but a lower price point, I believe. It is wellregarded from what I've read
http://www.hotelpollera.com/

"Krakow isn't really on a direct train line to anywhere, that's the problem."

Actually, there is a night train from Krakow with carriages to Budapest/Vienna/Prague departing each day. (And from those cities to Krakow as well.)

Day travel on the same routes is possible via Katowice.