Berlin/Vienna/Prague/Budapest

I%26#39;m planning a budget trip for Europe in the fall of 2008 ( I like the cold, off season). I%26#39;m open up to all budget options, safety is a must though.

I want to visit Berlin/Vienna/Prague/Budapest for sure.

What%26#39;s the cheapest way to connect to these cities? (train, plane, bus?)

Thank you.

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I would say trains, go Berlin - Prague - Vienna - Budapest, then its all kind of half day train rides, berlin - Prague beeing the longest I would say, and this way you also get a mix of styles during your journey, or go the other way round, I would say Berlin is the most lively town of them.

Greets, Fritz

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If you book well in advance you could get very cheap flights as well.

Like Vienna-Berlin or the other way round at the end of your trip if you have to fly out to the US from the same city.

www.airberlin.com/site/index.php?LANG=eng

www.aua.com

http://www1.skyeurope.com/en/ (from/to Bratislava)

I would fly either into Vienna or Berlin from the US and connect the other cities by train.

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fritz1978:

Thank you

Ulrike73:

Flying into Berlin %26amp; Budapest from the US (New York) is the cheapest ($505) and I may connect the other cities by train.

Thank you

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The I would fly into Berlin, connect the other cities by train and fly back to Berlin from Vienna with a cheap flight.

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visit also www.wizzair.com and austrian airlines-sometimes they have goog offers to/from Vienna

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Ulrike73

Thank you.

So, fly into Berlin

Berlin - Vienna by train

Vienna - Prague by train

Prague - Budapest by train

Budapest - Prague by train

Prague - Vienna by train

Vienna - Berlin with a cheap flight

(???) Thank sounds like a good plan.

speedycat:

Thank you!

Now, can I buy local train tickets or do I have to get EURORAIL train tickets because I am a foreigner?

I%26#39;m still looking at the cheap BUS option.

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No, the best itinery would be:

fly into Berlin

Berlin - Prague by train - Duration: 4:35 hours (direct connection)

Prague - Budapest by train - Duration: 6:42 hours (direct connection)

Budapest - Vienna by train - Duration: 2:59 hours (direct connection)

Vienna - Berlin with a cheap flight

For further schedule inquiery:

oebb.at/pv/…index.jsp

Ticket info:

oebb.at/pv/en/Travel_within_Europe/index.jsp

bahn.de/international/…prices_europe.shtml

bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/interco…

bahn.de/international/…eurail_pass.shtml

For cheap bus travel look at:

http://www.eurolines.com/

www.eurolines-pass.com/index.php?id=113

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Ulrike73

I just found flights: New York, NY (JFK) - Frankfurt, Germany $383 per person, which is very, very good. They are for Jan, Feb,

do you think I need more time to plan or can go in Jan, Feb?

Can I get Hostels in all cities or are they full, do you think it is too %26quot;cold%26quot;, etc?

Thank you.

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The price is very good - but you should also look at the website of the Austrian Airline (AUA), because they offer direct flights for about 400 Euros from New York to Vienna and back:

http://www.aua.com/at/eng/default.htm

So you could save the trip from Frankfurt to Berlin and simply do the tour I recommended above the other way round: Vienna - Budapest - Prague- Berlin.

I think booking hostels and hotels will not be a problem at that time of the year as it is not high season!

But of course it might be snowing and cold, you never know...because that will be winter time - but you also avoid the crowds of tourists and as you will be only visiting big cities you will still get a good impression and atmosphere! Imagine it like visiting New York at that time of the year...You might not be able to sit in parks or in cafes outside, but you will still see that these cities are awesome with their buildings, museums, castles, restaurants...

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Sorry, I just saw that the flights with Austrian Airlines - the 400 Euros are only one way....!