Vienna or Munich during Cezch Republic trip
 

Hi! During early June, three of us are going to Prague for 11 nights. We are flying into and out of Prague. The purpose of the trip is to see the Czech Republic (my husband and mother-in-law are of Czech descent). We also wanted to see some of the surrounding cities. Thus far our itenary is:<BR><BR>4 nights Prague (3 1/2 days; including day trip to Kutna Hora<BR>2 nights Cesky Krumlov <BR>1 night Salzburg<BR>2 nights either Vienna or Munich<BR>2 nights Prague<BR><BR>We are planning on driving from Prague to CK and to Salzburg. We can either drop the car off in Salzburg and catch a train, or keep the car. Please advise on itenary and which city we can do best in a short timeframe.<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR>Melanie

Before dropping a car off in a different country than the one in which you rented, check the drop fees. I just checked on renting a car in Interlaken and dropping it in Munich.<BR>Two train tickets from Interlaken to Munich are much cheaper than the drop fee!! In fact, the whole rental was cheaper than the drop fee!!<BR><BR>As for the choice between Munich and Vienna I have one comment: Ouch.<BR>I was in both last summer; second visit to Vienna and to Munich. I don't know!!<BR>I think it depends on what you want to see and do. <BR>My suggestion is to get a good guide book on each city, read about what is available, and then pick your favorite activity. <BR><BR>If I were in the same position, I would opt for Vienna, maybe. But my reason for selecting Vienna probably would not be those of someone else. I would have to check the opera and concert schedules first.<BR>Then I would decide. <BR>As it stands on the information given, Munich has the best science and technology museum you will ever see and Vienna has Schloss Sch&ouml;nbrunn and other showcases of the Hapbsburg empire.<BR><BR><BR><BR>(Not meaning to be picky, but are you talking about an itinerary?)

Hi Melanie,<BR><BR>I did a very similiar trip last year in May. It was great. I would recommend Vienna. It fits in with the driving better then Munich. We picked up rental in Prague spent 2 nights in Cesky Krumlov. Then 2 nights on the Danube north of Vienna and two nights in Vienna then on to Budapest. We drove the whole way. The longest drive was 3-4 hrs and all of the roads were easy to navigate. I would recommend doing Vienna because the drive along the Danube is beautiful. With many stops to choose from along the way. Ther are 2 beautiful Cathedrals and several castle towns.<BR><BR>If you want more details, send me an email. Also, we stayed in several nice hotels which had triple rooms.<BR><BR>Aileen<BR>

Hi Melanie -<BR><BR>Just got back from the same basic itin on the 19th... <BR><BR>I would also reccommend Vienna... 2 nights is REAL short time in Vienna so stay a a really central hotel... Bristol or Sacher... both right at the Opera House and the Karsplatz main Metro station. Eat at the Paulusstaben Restaurant close by (maybe a half block) ... best snitzel we had on the entire trip! In Prague we stayed at the K+K Hotel Fenix... right off Wenceslas Square in a very convenient location!<BR><BR>On the one day in Salzburg - If you see things in this order (and they are all close together in "Old Town") I think they will make more sense. First the Cathedral and Cathedral Museum, then the Monastery of St. Peter and it's graveyard and catacombs, then the Residenz (of the Prince Archbishops), then Mozart's birthplace and first home.... you will get a good understanding of the flow of the history of the area. From there wander up and down Getreidegasse. You CAN do all that the first day if you push, and it will make things "fall into place" for you. Make sure you have some half euro coins in your pocket, there are "info phones" in some of the sites that will give you a good short history of the site. From there just hit the Fodor's guide books and look at some of the other posts on these cities. One thing I will add is that the Nature Museum there is wonderful... but has nothing to do with Salzburg! We came in and left by train and stayed at the Renaissance Hotel which is only a block and a half from the station. Then rode the #5 bus back and forth from the train station to Marketplatz in Old Town. One of the best meals we have ever had was there at the Stiftskeller St. Peter close to the monastery!<BR><BR>Best wishes for a great trip,<BR><BR>Barry

My husband and I have visited Vienna and Munich a number of times and have enjoyed both of them. Vienna would be our recommendation. There is a better variety of places to visit such as: Schloss Sch&ouml;nbrunn (a must), the cathedral, a tour of the Opera, an assortment of museums, etc. There are wonderful concerts and other cultural things to do. We've also had some fabulous dinners in Vienna. As others have said, it is definitely more convenient for your itinerary.

Betsy, I agree with the consensus of others about dropping Munich from your itinerary. One other change I would make is to just stay one night in Cesky Krumlov. A full day there, or even a day and a half is enough. You might want also go to Cesky Budjevoice, which is closeby and has the second largest public square in Europe (Red Square is the largest) and also where the original Budweiser beer was brewed. CB is a short distance from Cesky Krumlov. If you only want to go to Cesky Krumlov, I still recommend only one day, which would give you a third day in Vienna. <BR><BR>To the list that others have mentioned in Vienna, you might enjoy St. Stephen's Cathedral, Belvedere Palace and taking the tram around the Ringstrasse to admire the granite buildings. There are also a few good museums in the Ringstrasses. Don't miss the parks, Vienna has some beautiful parks and statues.<BR><BR>Also, Kutna Hora is a very good choice for a 1/2 day trip. Besides going to St. Barbara's Cathedral and the mint, make sure you stop by the Sedlec Ossuary to see the Bone Church.

Melanie,<BR><BR>I have been to both Vienna and Munich numerous itmes and I would choose Vienna. It is an incredibly beautiful city that reminds me of one large city park. There are a number of sites near to the city center or along the Ringstrasse. St. Stephens, the Residenze, the Kunthistoriches Museum, the Rathaus, the Votive Church etc.<BR><BR>However, IMHO, there is a drawback to Vienna...the people are not as friendly as they are in a number of other European cities.<BR><BR>That is one area where Munich wins hands down. And BTW, Munich is one of my favorie smaller cities in Europe and has a lot to offer.<BR><BR>Tom

I've been to all the places you mention in your tentative itinerary. We had a rental car for all of them. Personally, I think you have too large of an itinerary and will be spending a ton of driving time. If you don't absolutely have your heart set on Salzburg which is quite far out of the way, I have some other suggestions. Get out your map and check out these locations. If your purpose is to see the Czech Republic, limit yourself to that country. In addition to Czesky Krumlov where we stated 2 nights and would have stayed for another if our hotel had had a room, we have visited and enjoyed Telc, Trebon and Karlovy Vary none of which are really very far from Prague. If you go the Karlovy Vary route, go into Bavaria and visit Bamberg. It's an absolutely delightful Bavarian city not too far from Czech. if you do go the southern route, we also really really liked Regensburg and wished we had been able to stay more than a day. Passau (on the Danube) was also very interesting. Along the Danube on the way to Vienna Krems and Melk are absolute gems. Europe is so much more than the large well-known cities. I agree with Tom about the Viennese. They really aren't very friendly. My daughter spent a semester in Vienna and that was her biggest complaint.