dresden or berlin

I will be spending 10 days in Prague in early April. I was planning to take two days in the middle of the stay to go to Dresden. However, my daughter, who is studying abroad in Prague, called me from Berlin and said that I should revise my plans and go to Berlin. I am hesitant because it takes twice as long to get there and because Berlin is such a big city, I am concerned that I will not be able to accomplish much sight seeing in that short a time. I would appreciate advice on what you think I should do -- Dresden or Berlin? Thanks.

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I heard a lot of good things about Dresden. I%26#39;ve been to Berlin twice,and found the city to big for short stays. So my impression of the city were traffic and shopping, and this is probably wrong since evryone tells my how dynamic and interesting Berlin is, so perhaps I have to go back on a longer stay one day? Conclution: I understand you are hesitating.

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Yes, that is my impression. Anyone else with thoughts on this?

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Dresden is well worth a day or two - I love the Taschenbergpalais, a wonderful hotel in the center, close to the Zwinger and the Opera and all the rest of the sights in Dresden.

Berlin will take more time to discover; on the other hand, Berlin offers an incredible variety, for everybody. It is a hot city, no doubt. Difficult decision. You could also take 3 nights, go to Dresden for one and the rest to Berlin. (10 days is a lot for Prague)

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Yes, I know 10 days is a lot for Prague. That is why I was planning to spend 2 days in Germany. I also planned some day trips to areas in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. Do you think that is still too much time in Prague? I can make changes now as the trip is 2 months off. Thanks.

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I agree with Martina, you should not need 8 days to visit Prague. I also agree with your daughter about spending a few days in Berlin. Unless you already have plans to visit other parts of the Czech Republic, you could easily spare 3-4 days from Prague and visit both Dresden and Berlin.

Since they are on the same train line you can leave Prague in the morning, arrive in Dresden by 10am, and visit Dresden for the day. It is a very compact city and all of the major sites are within walking distance.

Spend the night in Dresden, then the next morning you can take the same train you arrived on. You will be in Berlin by lunchtime. While Berlin is a large city you can manage to see a lot central Berlin in 3 days.

I lived in both Prague and Berlin for a year each and love both cities. With 10 days you will be able to see the best of both cities!

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I guess I will have to decide if the trip is more about visiting my daughter in Prague or about seeing more sights. Another complicating factor that I didn%26#39;t mention is that I will be traveling alone with a young married couple (son of my husband and the son%26#39;s wife) that I will have to coordinate with. They are on a budget and will be staying in a hostel in Prague while I will be staying in the Maximillian. They are coming with me to Dresden. So every decision I make will have to consider their needs. Do you all agree that Dresden is only worth one night? Should I add time in Berlin or should I visit other areas in the Czech Republic as a supplement? I certainly don%26#39;t want to overdue the time in Prague if it is not worth all that extra time. After all, my daughter will be in class a lot of the time. I appreciate your help and insights.

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I would spend at least four full days in Prague (you may want to add another “jet lag day” if you are flying from North America). I would then spend several days exploring the Czech Republic rather than going to Berlin. The Czech Republic is a wonderful country and there is so much more to it than Prague. I recommend Brno, Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Olomouc and Telc (of course you don’t have to see them all).

You may want to rent a car for your time outside of Prague since some of these places are easier to visit by car than by train.

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Are the places you mentioned all possible to do as day trips, thus allowing me to return to Prague at night? I know that Cesky Krumlov might require an overnighter.

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You can do Dresden in a day trip, so you friends can keep staying in the hostel. You can stay the night in Dresden and then go on next day to Berlin. Spend as many days in Berlin as you will in Prague.

Be selfish - yes your daughter is far more important than spending time with the family of the inlaws. You will regret it otherwise.

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Peb,

My thought perhaps is that I should spend those 2 nights in Dresden and instead do some of the extra time not in Prague travelling in the Czech republic to such towns as Telc and other places in Southern Bohemia. What do you think is the right number of days to tour in Prague?

Save Berlin for another time?

Thanks.