Prague & vacinity itinerary help
 

We are thinking of planning a trip to Prague. Unfortunately it will not be long, 10 total days, which means 8 days "on the ground" We are looking at 9/26/19-10/5/19, with the 26th & 5th being travel days OR 10/3/19-10/12/19, with the 3rd & 12th being travel days (to & from USA).

We are thinking of a 4 & 4 trip, with 4 days in Prague and 4 days somewhere else. Ideas we are tossing around are:

• Berlin
• Vienna
• Saltzburg
• Amsterdam
• Brussels

We have only made 2 trips to Europe so far, so there are many, many places we haven't been and want to go to. So what I would like to ask is this:

• For a couple who hasn't seen much of Europe yet, what other city would you recommend as a "must see" over others?
• And the 2nd part to the question would be, what would be your recommended day trips from both Prague and whatever other city you would recommend?

We like to do day trips so that we are not moving hotels every other night and feel "settled" in a place for a few days, without worrying about constantly packing & unpacking. For day trips, we plan to take trains, but not opposed to flying to get to the 2nd location.

I would appreciate any input, ideas, help, suggestions, etc.

Do Vienna!

Each of those cities is well worth seeing, and none of us can tell you which YOU should see at this time. I would urge you to consult some decent guidebooks to see which most appeals to you and your interests. Those same guidebooks will cover possible day trips and will give you a sense of whether you actually have time for any day trips. And don't forget the time it will take to get from Prague to wherever -- you could "lose" about 1/2 day to that transition.

If it helps, IMO, 4 days is about right for Prague; I'm not sure you would have time for a day trip, but you might. IMO, Berlin and Vienna each easily warrant more than 4 days. Amsterdam and Brussels could each work in about 4 days, perhaps with a day trip, perhaps not. Salzburg should fit nicely in the time you have. Those are just rough guidelines -- everyone has different interests and travel preferences, and so individual choices about how long to spend in any given destination vary a lot.

Hope that helps!

I believe Menachem is from Amsterdam, and he is recommending Vienna. And, I agree with him. Great first time city. And, a few years ago, we did a whirlwind 16 country tour of Europe in 30 days and Prague was our biggest surprise. (Even had Arnold Schwarzenegger on his bicycle run us off a sidewalk). There are wonderful day trips from both Prague and Vienna. Simply google 3 or 4 days in each city, and you will get various ideas of things to see and do. Also, google day trips from each city. That's just a starting point before you start to drill down. The one great thing is Europe is so wonderful, you can't make a wrong decision.

Cesky Krumlov is a great day trip from Prague, if you're interested in extremely quaint medieval villages/castles, winding roads, etc. I went for the day (from Prague) and had more than enough time to explore.

Karlstejn castle is also great, if you JUST want to see a castle.

Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg are all reasonable train rides away and in cities cars are useless and with your schedule you have little time for exploring rural areas in between bases - for lots on trains and booking own tickets often at a discount if done early enough - www.seat61.com; www.thetrainline.eu; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

All three are great bases for four nights.

If you decide on Vienna, consider arriving there first. The Wien Weinwandertag weekend is 28-29 September this year and is worth attending. Designated wandering trails are open in the vineyards; and there are numerous vintners along the way offering their local varietal along with small plates. The atmosphere is festive; and even if you don't imbibe, the views alone are worth the effort. It's all accessible via public transportation, too.

The Prague-Dresden railway tracks right thru some great scenery in Saxon Switzerland where the tracks hug one side on the gorgeous Elbe River valley (sit on east side of train going to Dresden for best views. Dresden was known as the Florence on the Elbe until war damage and commies took over but even under them and much more after German Unification the rebuilding of the Florence on the Elbe riverfront of museums and such has lovingly been rebuilt.