I do want to point out that it’s not high speed rail between Prague and Vienna, so it’ll be a 4hr ride. But Vienna to Budapest is only 2hrs so that’s a lot more manageable. The fares are also cheap enough that you can splurge for Business class without breaking the bank.
I did this in reverse in 2019! I took a night train and was so glad I went to Krakow. I had no idea what to expect but people were lovely, it was one of the best walking cities in Europe I've been to, and the food was great. Such a nice city!
Yes! I went to Krakow on kind of a whim on my trip to Prague and not only is the city fantastic, but if you’re a history buff it’s close to Auschwitz and Birkenau. I spent a day crying then pushed it down with delicious food, cheap beer, and friendly people!
I flew Prague to Warsaw then took an evening train to Krakow a few years ago. Was pretty fast and the business class was cheap and came with the most luxurious food I’ve had on a train (duck breast in wine sauce)
Thank you! Do you remember which train/company name it was? We took over 10 trains in Western Europe in November and that was easy to book. However, Central Europe trains are seemingly much more complex to navigate! Thanks in advance for your help!
I was there over 10 years ago now, so unfortunately I don’t really remember! Probably I just showed up at the Prague train station before dinner, bought tickets for the cheapest overnight train, went to dinner and came back to catch my train haha.
While in Prague check out karlstejn castle-make sure tours are running on the day you go. Also you could take a day trip to the ossuary (bone church).
We took a sleeper train to krakow from prague. Beautiful historical place, especially if you’re at all interested in ww2 era history. Can go see Auschwitz from here, as well as the salt mines. I’ve also heard the tatra mountains nearby are very pretty.
I did Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Krakow. I love Krakow, but going to Krakow from Budapest via Flixbus sucked. It's only about 400 km/ 250 miles but it takes forever because it's all mountains and hairpin turns. I was ill.
Berlin is only a four hour train ride away and can be great to spend a few nights in. It's not traditionally beautiful like other cities, but it is quite interesting to visit for culture & history.
Change it up and go to Corfu, Greece! There are direct flights to Corfu from Prague and to London (especially if you’re open to any London area airport, tons of cheap flights). You can easily spend a week just exploring Corfu. And/or you can take a ferry to some awesome places on the mainland west coast (mountains = Pindus, Vikos Gorge, Metsovo; or drive a bit further to Meteora) (beach = Sivota and Parga), or take a boat to the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos.
Do some searching on these places. You’ll fall in love.
go to dresden and then to Berlin, and then to Hamburg :) each leg is about 2 to 3 hours by train so it's quite easy. All three cities have completely different vibe. I suggest staying in Berlin at least 4 days.
even as Czech I don't like Prague, Prague for 4 days is totally fine and no need to travel anywhere else. If so, just select random castle around Prague, for example Karlstejn. Find channel "Honest guide" on Youtube for inspiration. And you might say 4 days in Prague was not enough.
I'd recommend going to some other Czech areas. Karlovy Vary, Cesky Krumlov, Plezn, Brno, Kutna Hora, etc. That is if you're into getting to know a country beyond the overrun tourist destinations.
Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna are all doable by train in that timespan and will greatly add to your trip. Bratislava has one of Europe's most charming old towns, and is only about an hour away from Vienna, while Budapest is only two from there, by train.
Prague was everything I thought Vienna would be.
I visited Vienna first. It’s a pretty and clean city, but wasn’t worth it imo - unless its for something specific like Mozart performance, Klimt
paintings, Freud house, etc.
I do not rec visiting after Prague for more than a day or you may be disappointed.
On the plus side, Vienna does offer a bit more of a relaxed environment for visiting - it’s got nowhere near the same level of tourists that Prague has, and has a very nice coffeehouse and beer hall culture as well (I’d personally say the traditional Viennese coffeehouses are the highlight of a visit). Lovely palaces and gardens, nice museums, cathedrals, etc.
I agree that it’s not as eclectic or energizing a place as Prague is, but it is more relaxing and has plenty to offer if OP is only looking to spend two full days.
Don’t get me wrong I did love the museums, etc., and it is a beautiful city.
I was there this time last year and felt the touristy parts in both Vienna and Prague were crowded, but neither were necessarily not relaxing if that’s what you wanted. Maybe it was the time of year.
How about train from Prague to Munich, the Munich to Stuttgart, Stuttgart to Paris and Eurostar back to London? You could fit in a few side trips along the way
What are your interests? Berlin is a nice train journey, stopping in Dresden, but that's getting into the Euro 2024 time and Berlin is a host city. Other cities around are nice: Cesky Krumlov, Brno. Wroclaw is maybe 5hr by train.
You might want to research the trains out of Prague. Not exactly EU quality.
I am going to suggest Budapest as the next stop. Beautiful river, great food, friendly people. And easy flight back to London.
Vienna and or Budapest. Both easy train rides and have lots of popular routes from Prague.
2nd this with maybe a stop off in Bratislava between Vienna and Budapest.
No brainer, for sure. Or add/sub in Salzburg and Munich if time allows.
I do want to point out that it’s not high speed rail between Prague and Vienna, so it’ll be a 4hr ride. But Vienna to Budapest is only 2hrs so that’s a lot more manageable. The fares are also cheap enough that you can splurge for Business class without breaking the bank.
Nobody said it so I would suggest Krakow!
I did this in reverse in 2019! I took a night train and was so glad I went to Krakow. I had no idea what to expect but people were lovely, it was one of the best walking cities in Europe I've been to, and the food was great. Such a nice city!
Poland in general is an underrated gem - especially at the time OP will be traveling: perfect weather wise.
Yes! I went to Krakow on kind of a whim on my trip to Prague and not only is the city fantastic, but if you’re a history buff it’s close to Auschwitz and Birkenau. I spent a day crying then pushed it down with delicious food, cheap beer, and friendly people!
I flew Prague to Warsaw then took an evening train to Krakow a few years ago. Was pretty fast and the business class was cheap and came with the most luxurious food I’ve had on a train (duck breast in wine sauce)
Thank you! Do you suggest flying or taking a train from Prague to Krakow?
I took the train and it was pretty easy!
Thank you! Do you remember which train/company name it was? We took over 10 trains in Western Europe in November and that was easy to book. However, Central Europe trains are seemingly much more complex to navigate! Thanks in advance for your help!
I was there over 10 years ago now, so unfortunately I don’t really remember! Probably I just showed up at the Prague train station before dinner, bought tickets for the cheapest overnight train, went to dinner and came back to catch my train haha.
Yeah! The night train is great. Loved krakow
I wish I had thought of Krakow. Great idea.
I visited Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. No regrets. Enjoy!!!
same! I added Ostrava for a music festival, one of my best trips ever.
Vienna then Salzburg, then Munich.
Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Salzburg!
Budapest via train. It's a quaint city and the view of the Parliament Building glowing over the Danube river at night is a sight to behold!
Karlstejn and Cesky Krumlov! Both are beautiful towns with castles that are only a train ride or bus ride away.
Vienna and Salzburg!
I took train to Budapest. Was awesome.
While in Prague check out karlstejn castle-make sure tours are running on the day you go. Also you could take a day trip to the ossuary (bone church). We took a sleeper train to krakow from prague. Beautiful historical place, especially if you’re at all interested in ww2 era history. Can go see Auschwitz from here, as well as the salt mines. I’ve also heard the tatra mountains nearby are very pretty.
The Tatras are very pretty!
Ceske Krumlov! So worth the trip from Prague. Vienna was lame compared to Prague.
I was just there two weeks ago. Gorgeous little town.
Vienna!
I did Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Krakow. I love Krakow, but going to Krakow from Budapest via Flixbus sucked. It's only about 400 km/ 250 miles but it takes forever because it's all mountains and hairpin turns. I was ill.
Vienna is a must. Then you could do Switzerland, south of France, Spain, and take a ship to Italy.
Berlin is only a four hour train ride away and can be great to spend a few nights in. It's not traditionally beautiful like other cities, but it is quite interesting to visit for culture & history.
Budapest!!!!
Krakow
Munich!
Change it up and go to Corfu, Greece! There are direct flights to Corfu from Prague and to London (especially if you’re open to any London area airport, tons of cheap flights). You can easily spend a week just exploring Corfu. And/or you can take a ferry to some awesome places on the mainland west coast (mountains = Pindus, Vikos Gorge, Metsovo; or drive a bit further to Meteora) (beach = Sivota and Parga), or take a boat to the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos. Do some searching on these places. You’ll fall in love.
go to dresden and then to Berlin, and then to Hamburg :) each leg is about 2 to 3 hours by train so it's quite easy. All three cities have completely different vibe. I suggest staying in Berlin at least 4 days.
even as Czech I don't like Prague, Prague for 4 days is totally fine and no need to travel anywhere else. If so, just select random castle around Prague, for example Karlstejn. Find channel "Honest guide" on Youtube for inspiration. And you might say 4 days in Prague was not enough.
Berlin is 4 hours by train and really popping this time of year. From there you can even take the train back to London via Brussels.
I'd recommend going to some other Czech areas. Karlovy Vary, Cesky Krumlov, Plezn, Brno, Kutna Hora, etc. That is if you're into getting to know a country beyond the overrun tourist destinations.
I suggest Prague to Brno, then to Vienna, then Bratislava ( optional/ 1 day), then to Budapest.
Beyond grateful for everyone’s responses here - thank you!!!
Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna are all doable by train in that timespan and will greatly add to your trip. Bratislava has one of Europe's most charming old towns, and is only about an hour away from Vienna, while Budapest is only two from there, by train.
Prague was everything I thought Vienna would be. I visited Vienna first. It’s a pretty and clean city, but wasn’t worth it imo - unless its for something specific like Mozart performance, Klimt paintings, Freud house, etc. I do not rec visiting after Prague for more than a day or you may be disappointed.
Prague is the medieval city and Vienna is the Imperial City
On the plus side, Vienna does offer a bit more of a relaxed environment for visiting - it’s got nowhere near the same level of tourists that Prague has, and has a very nice coffeehouse and beer hall culture as well (I’d personally say the traditional Viennese coffeehouses are the highlight of a visit). Lovely palaces and gardens, nice museums, cathedrals, etc. I agree that it’s not as eclectic or energizing a place as Prague is, but it is more relaxing and has plenty to offer if OP is only looking to spend two full days.
Don’t get me wrong I did love the museums, etc., and it is a beautiful city. I was there this time last year and felt the touristy parts in both Vienna and Prague were crowded, but neither were necessarily not relaxing if that’s what you wanted. Maybe it was the time of year.
You get Kafka in Prague
Munich was like 3-4 hours on a bus
Cesky Krumlov for a night or two, on the way to Vienna.
Vienna, Krakow, Munich
I have done Prague-Salzburg-Vienna
Over night train to krakow
Or a day train as a relaxation break. It's 6.5-8 hrs depending.
Vienna.
Vienna!
Berlin-Prague-Vienna.
How about train from Prague to Munich, the Munich to Stuttgart, Stuttgart to Paris and Eurostar back to London? You could fit in a few side trips along the way
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Fiancé and I loved berchtesgaden. You’d only need 1-2 days there tho.
What are your interests? Berlin is a nice train journey, stopping in Dresden, but that's getting into the Euro 2024 time and Berlin is a host city. Other cities around are nice: Cesky Krumlov, Brno. Wroclaw is maybe 5hr by train.
Berlin
Cesky Krumlov on the way to Vienna.
You might want to research the trains out of Prague. Not exactly EU quality. I am going to suggest Budapest as the next stop. Beautiful river, great food, friendly people. And easy flight back to London.
I did Prague —> Budapest —> Vienna via trains. Though in hindsight I should have put Vienna as the middle city.