Comments & Suggestions sought re itinerary: Germany, Czech...

Comments %26amp; Suggestions sought re itinerary: Germany, Czech R, Austria

We’re in our 60’s taking our first trip outside North America in Sept. We’ll probably only be able to go on 4 more trips outside the US in our lives, so want to make the best of it. And we have only 15 days not including flying to and fro. Most traveling will be via train.

* Fly to Berlin:

* Berlin: 2 ½ days, 3 nights

* Dresden: 2 ½ days, 3 nights (spending a day driving to Blumenau in the Sachsen where my wife’s father was from)

* Prague: 2 ½ days, 3 nights

From Prague we’re considering 3 options:

Option 1:

* forgo Rhine visit

* Train Prague to Cesky Krumlov

* Cesky Krumlov: 1 night

* Salzburg: 1 ½ days, 2 nights

* Vienna: 2 ½ days, 3 nights

* fly from Vienna

Option 2:

* forego Vienna

* Cesky Krumlov: 1 night

* Salzburg: 1 ½ days, 2 nights

* 2 days driving thru Bavaria to Rhine

* Rhine (Boppard?): 1 day, 2 nights

* fly from Frankfurt

Option 3:

* forego Cesky Krumlov

* Train Prague to Vienna

* Vienna: 2 ½ days, 3 nights

* Salzburg: 1 ½ days

* Train to Rhine,

* Rhine (Boppard?): 1 ½ days, 2 nights

* Fly from Frankfurt

Or other recommendation?

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I regards to the above we have some specific questions related to the Czech:

After gathering comments in other forums we%26#39;re convinced we should eliminate either the Rhein or Vienna or both from our itinerary allowing more time in Dresden, Sachsen, Czech, and Salzburg/Tirol.

1. We will be renting a car in Dresden to go to Blumenau in the Sachsen. We%26#39;d planned on returning it to Dresden and taking the train to Prague. But its been suggested we keep driving from the Sachsen into the Czech to Prague, put it in a garage while in Prague, and continue driving to Cesky Krumlov thence Salzburg.

1a. What do you think of that vs taking train/bus along same route? It may give us more of a feel for the Czech country and people.

1b. Is driving a rental car in the Czech frowned on by rental companies? Does it present more of a risk than elsewhere in Western Eu?

1c. I%26#39;m a trypical male who can find my way anywhere without asking directions (or so I think, my wife disagrees). With the strange language and alphabet, is routefinding in the Czech likely to be a problem?

2. Cesky Krumlov: it looks like a bus (or driving) could get us there from Praque by midday. That would leave one afternoon, a night, and part of the next morning there. I realize its always best to spend more time, but so much else beckons elsewhere. What do you think about spending one vs 2 nights there (realizing that we%26#39;ll have to cut our itinerary elsewhere to make up for the extra day and night)?