A note for family & friends

A 50th birthday, on trains through a European winter

Mid-December 2026 through mid-January 2027 — Christmas markets, opera and ballet, snow, and a slow hop from Berlin to Vienna. The route, the trains, and the booked nights out.

50th in Prague · 21 Dec Booked rail legs Concerts & day trips

The map

Berlin → Prague → Kraków → Budapest → Brașov → Munich → Salzburg → Vienna. Gold line = booked day trains.

Overnight cities Booked train hops

The route

Rough dates only — apartments and street details stay offline. Open a country page for currency, weather, and time vs Sydney.

  1. 13–18 Dec
    Berlin Arrive from Sydney · Christmas markets · Deutsche Oper Capital of Germany · city ~3.7 million
    Germany · ~84 million Germany notes →
  2. 18–23 Dec
    Prague 50th birthday week · 21 December Capital of Czechia · city ~1.4 million
    Czechia · ~10.9 million Czechia notes →
  3. 23–29 Dec
    Kraków Christmas Day in Poland · a day trip out of town City ~780,000 · capital is Warsaw
    Poland · ~38 million Poland notes →
  4. 29 Dec – 2 Jan
    Budapest Opera, New Year’s Eve dinner, thermal baths Capital of Hungary · city ~1.7 million
    Hungary · ~9.6 million Hungary notes →
  5. 3–6 Jan
    Transylvania Brașov and a few quiet days in the hills Brașov ~250,000 · capital is Bucharest
    Romania · ~19 million Romania notes →
  6. 6–11 Jan
    Munich Bavaria · castle day in Schwangau City ~1.5 million · capital is Berlin
    Germany · ~84 million Germany notes →
  7. 11–13 Jan
    Salzburg region Mozart country · lakes and mountains Salzburg ~155,000 · capital is Vienna
    Austria · ~9.2 million Austria notes →
  8. 13–16 Jan
    Vienna Musikverein · then home Capital of Austria · city ~2.0 million
    Austria · ~9.2 million Austria notes →
🇩🇪 Germany 🇨🇿 Czechia 🇵🇱 Poland 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇷🇴 Romania 🇦🇹 Austria

Booked trains

Day trains already locked in. Overnight Romania and Kraków → Budapest still to buy. Each hop links the matching Seat 61 guide.

Train hops · Seat 61

Specific The Man in Seat Sixty-One pages for each rail hop on this route (including still-to-book legs). Brașov → Munich is a short flight, not a train.

Booked nights out & day trips

Shows, dinners, and one Bavarian castle day — cities and times only.

  1. 14 Dec · 19:30
    Der Nussknacker Deutsche Oper Berlin · ballet Berlin
  2. 25 Dec · 13:00
    Christmas lunch at Ed Red Kraków old town Kraków
  3. 27 Dec · 07:30
    Auschwitz-Birkenau guided day trip From Kraków with transfer Kraków
  4. 30 Dec · 18:30
    La Bohème Hungarian State Opera · Budapest Budapest
  5. 31 Dec · 19:30
    New Year’s Eve dinner at SIMALIBA Belvárosi Csárda · Budapest Budapest
  6. 8 Jan
    Hohenschwangau & Neuschwanstein Kings-Ticket day trip from Munich · castle entries 11:05 & 14:15 Bavaria
  7. 15 Jan · 20:00
    Die SchlossCapelle Wiener Musikverein · Großer Saal Vienna

How we’re travelling

  1. Stay
    Apartments, not hotels Longer stays in each city
  2. Move
    Day trains between capitals Short flight out of Romania toward Munich
  3. Days
    Walkable centres Christmas markets, food, booked concerts
  4. Kit
    Winter layers Snow, short days, warm coats