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Prague

Prague is called the "Golden City" by its inhabitants, and if you get up really early and find a spot on a rooftop or tower to watch the sun come up, you know why they say that. Prague also has become a tourist magnet, so many of the little streets in the downtown area can be pretty crowded.

The downtown area is separated by the Vitava river, the Old Town (Staro Metska) on the west and the "Little Village" (Mala Strana) in the west. The connection between are a number of bridges, the oldest being the Charles Bridge with it's two toll towers. The bridge and the surrounding areas on each side are where most of the attractions in Prague are located.

Prague and surrounding Bohemia (Czech) have a unique, very hearty cuisine. This area is also where the modern day beer was invented, and it shows. Bring good appetite and stay thirsty.

Where to stay

As with Budapest, there are many good places to stay here, but make sure you're close to downtown. The subway system takes some getting used to.

My place to stay in Prague is the Hotel U Tri Pstrosu (Hotel At the Three Ostriches), which is right at the eastern end of the Charles Bridge. The place has quite a bit of history -- it used to be the bar where King Charles watched the progress on the bridge being build -- the bridge now carrying his name. It's definitely a medieval building, walls some 3-4 ft thick, 500 year old wooden ceilings etc. Get a room that has a view over the bridge, and you'll have all the evening entertainment you'll need just by looking out the window. The place has also a very good restaurant downstairs and a beer garden right on the bridge as well. You're right in the middle of Mala Strana (the Small Town) with it's many small alley ways that lead you from one little square to the next, with many good shops and restaurants.
It's a good value, and it's not on every travel site - booking.com has it here: https://www.booking.com/hotel/cz/u-3-pstrosu.html?aid=356980 .

Another good hotel, not too far from here, and with a awesome restaurant is the Aria Hotel. However, it doesn't have the view over the bridge.

What to see

Staro Metske (The Old Town)

The Prague Old Town with it's famous square is right across the bridge in eastern direction, through the western toll tower of the bridge and pretty much straight thru a labyrinth of small alleys and streets until it opens into the Old Town Square (Staro Metske Namesti). Two of the main attractions in the old town are right here, the 600 year old Astronomical Clock in the town hall tower at the western end of the square, and the Tyn Church across the square at the eastern end. If you think the slight difference in size of the church towers at the Tyn church is a optical illusion, it isn't, they are indeed slightly different in size and symbolize a man and a woman. The square is full of rstaurants and coffee's, but it is also pretty touristy here.

At the south-easternn end of the square starts Celetna street. This is one of the many shopping streets in downtown, so check the stores along the way. The street leads up to the Powder Gate.

Next to the gate is the Municipal House ("Obecni Dum"), styled in Art Nouveau architecture. Inside is on the left is a really nice, upscale restaurant that is still reasonable. The you gonna love the architecture in that place, stop by for a snack or coffee.

You can follow the main street in front of the Municipal House towards the river - there are some big shopping malls along the way. Once you're on the river make a left and follow the river until you're back at the Charles Bridge, Or you can zig-zag through the old town. If you can keep your general bearing towards the west, you'll always eventually wind up at the river, turn left until you see the Charles bridge - you can't really get lost.

Mala Strana ("Little Quarter")

This is one of my favourite places in Prague, and your hotel is right there. Just wander around the little alleyways that sometimes cross over side channels of the main river, and where you come across tiny squares, with small shops and restaurants. The area was at times inhabited by Italians (and Germans too), the architecture of the small houses glued to each other still shows this.

Eventually, you'll run into the Lennon Wall (or just look for it), and have one of the famous Trdelník' (a cake on a stick that is available throughout the town, but best in Mala Strana). Towards the north is the embassy area of the Czech Republic, and you'll see many official vehicles and persons.

Prag Castle (Hrad)

Right to the north from Mala Strana rises the Hradschin hill, which is topped by the Prag Castle ("Hrad"). It's the largest castle complex in the world. The areal includes St. Vitus Cathedral (Czech Monarchs are buried here), the Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica and the Golden Lane. Unfortunately, the Golden Lane is now pay-access only, which cuts down on the masses of tourists going down the little alleyway, but it's pretty steep to go thru a alley with tourist shops. However, if you're there, I'd say go for it, it's one of the unique views of Prague.

Even tho the distance from the hotel to the Prague Castle is not very far, it's a steep accent. It's entirely doable, and takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes, just take your time. Take the shortest route from the hotel thru Mala Strana up the hill to the castle. There is another way up further to the east, but that seems to be alot more crowded. There are now metal detectors at the entries, that's the reason for the delays. Basically go straight up the castle, and then follow thru to the other side on castle hill. The exit on the other side will get you back down into the Embassy Area and Mala Strana. On the way back to the Charles Bridge and your hotel, you'll pass by the house of Franz Kafka.

Moving on...

There is a train leaving from Prague to Dresden about every two hours, the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. Since it's a fairly short trip, an upgrade to 1st class isn't really necessary. Most trains have food service on board.

Dresden

Dresden is the historic seat of the Saxon Royalty. One of the Kings, August the Strong, took a liking (and competition) to the french court and created a downtown castle area that is nothing short of breath taking - especially now that it has been rebuild after the destruction caused by World War II. On a side note, the King wasn't called the Strong because of his physical stature, but because it is rumored that he had 700+ kids.

Where to stay

There is quite a number of good hotels in Dresden. But since the downtown area is so small and compact, it makes sense to get a hotel right downtown, you'll never need to use a cab or public transportation while you're there (aside getting from and to the train station). There is one hotel I always stay in, it's the Hotel Steigenberger, right in the middle of where everything is (https://www.steigenberger.com/en/hotels/all-hotels/germany/dresden/steigenberger-hotel-de-saxe). It's upscale and reasonable. Make sure to get a room towards the front (towards the Church).

The other hotel that is nearby and is very good is the Hilton Dresden (http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/sachen/hilton-dresden-DRSHITW/index.html), it just doesn't have the same views.

What to see

Neumarkt and Downtown

Dresden is my home town, when I was living as a kid in East Germany. It's still amazing to me what transformation this town has gone through in the last 25 years. When I was 10 years old, most of the downtown area was still in ruins, including the Frauenkirche right in front of the hotel. Make sure you go inside for a visit, and go to the top of the dome for a look around Dresden. The church is partially reconstructed from existing pieces that came from the rubble, and were reinserted into their original spots. That's why parts of the outside looks like a mosaic. On the way out of the church, you'll notice a crumbled metal cross at the exit. It's the original cross that was found in the rubble. The new cross that is now on top of the church was donated by a gold smith from London. His father had taken part in the air raid. The church was entirely reconstructed out of private donations, the largest donations coming from the US.

The area around the Frauenkirche is called the Neumarkt and has some good shops and restaurants. On the southern end is a small alley called Muenzgasse, at the lower end (towards the river) is a bratwurst stand that has some of the best grilled brats that you can find in Germany.

Up the stairs from here is the Bruehlsche Terrasse. Head towards the left (towards the old stone bridge), and you'll find the Royal Palace, the Royal Church and further down the Semper Opera house.

Crossing the square in front of the opera house, you'll find the entrance to the Zwinger, a baroque palace areal with different museum and exhibits in its wings. You can use the stairs on the northern end to get up on the upper level to find the fountains and sculptures hidden in the corners. The southern end has a Glockenspiel made of Meissen Porcelain, you'll hear it while you're there.

Walk through the gate and back into the old city, and head back towards the church. Along the way is the Fuerstenzug, a 300 ft long mural entirely made of porcelain that shows all the ancestral portraits of the Wettin Dynasty, the ruling family of Saxony in these days. The creator of the mural has a cameo in the procession, it is the last figure depicted.

Green Vault and Old Masters Gallery

Before doing anything else, have the hotel staff help you making reservations for the Green Vault, a museum that houses some of the most precious artifacts that the Saxon king collected. Don't miss to see that, but you have to get a reserved spot, and you most likely won't get tickets for the same day (sometimes not even for the next day). The Green Vault is a 5 minute stroll from your hotel.

In addition, worth seeing is the Old Masters Gallery housed in the Zwinger wing near the Semper Opera house. One of the more famous paintings there is the Sistine Madonna by Raphael, but there are plenty of other famous paintings to see here.

Altmarkt

If you keep walking past the church and past the Steigenberger Hotel crossing the street behind it, you'll find the Altmarkt square with city hall. There is typically always something going on in this square, it is also the place for the longest running christmas market in Europe. You can follow the pedestrian mall that follows the square all the way to the train station, there are loads of shops in this street. If you still have a need for something to bring home, here is probably the place.

Steam boat ride on the river

Right in front of the Muenzgasse exit to the river, there is a historic steam boat fleet (https://www.dresden.de/en/tourism/attractions/sights/city_region/saxon-steamship-company.php) that offers excursions up the river. With some luck, you may get same day tickets if you're early, otherwise reserve for the next day. Make sure to get a trip on one of the old steam ships, not the more modern diesel powered ships. A trip up to Pillnitz castle (and back) gives you some nice views of Dresden along the river and takes about 3 hours or so.

Canaletto view

Head across the Augustusbruecke stone bridge, and head towards the left along the river. The view you're seeing there is called the Canaletto view, painted by Canaletto back in 1749. Bernardo Bellotto, il Canaletto - View of Dresden from the Right Bank of the Elbe with the Augustus Bridge - WGA01824.jpg

Moving on...

To get from Dresden to Berlin, there are fast trains running every other hour, and the train ride takes less than two hours. Since it is a relatively short ride, an upgrade to 1st class isn't really necessary. However, make sure to have reserved seats, this leg can be quite busy.

As an alternative, you can rent a car for the rest of the trip. However (even though I said different earlier), I recommend against it for this leg, since you'll have that car in Berlin, but no real need for it. It's pretty though to find parking in Berlin, so I'd say wait with the rental car for the next leg from Berlin onward.