In Vienna def take a train to the countryside and rent some bikes. You can take them on a ferry up the Danube and bicycle back, stop for lunch, etc. Really wonderful. Love Vienna, great city.

Prague, you can't go wrong and I've no special insights. We went in fall to and its perfect ... we just walked for days on end enjoying fairy tale land. Oh and the food.

The Prague trip had actually started in Budapest because I had business there, of all places. One thing I always say about researching places to travel is that you never find a write-up saying "don't bother". Honestly, that's my opinion of Budapest. Not that it doesn't have some charms, but I'd do another itinerary if I were you ( you could do Istanbul and leave Greece to itself in the future, or you could tie in a zillion other cities with Vienna and Prague).

My take on Budapest (and to be fair, this was about 6 yrs ago, and things can change quickly): like a lot of former Soviet Bloc countries, it can be very hit or miss. Ugly and run down side by side with ancient and charming. Not terribly clean or efficient. The Greshiem Palace hotel is very lovely, and has lovely views across the river of the palace (whatever that one is called). We went to the old (was it Gellert?)baths and they were interesting but also very Soviet-like, rundown, faded, a bit ... tawdry maybe? We did a few museums, strolled around. I could jar my memory for more, but the fact that that is all i recall off the top of my head is telling as well. We spent two days and changed our flight to leave earlier for Prague.

Just my 2 cents. As I said, I have never opened up a guide book that said "there are better cities to visit", so I thought I'd give my input.

Toledo, Spain. They make some unusual jewelery there. Madrid if you can catch it at Easter time. They parade the Virgin Mary in the streets. No bull fights then.

I appreciate your comments on Budapest, mtn. It's helpful to hear both the good and bad.

Istanbul is on the top of my list for sure, but I'm not certain it makes sense for this trip. Hmm. Maybe I'll reconsider. My daughter and I started to plan a visit there for her college spring break in March, but I have to work (in the Caribbean) that week, so she's going with me. While she's happy about a vacation at a beach resort, she's also a bit disappointed because she knows I'll likely do Istanbul with her dad instaed. ;)

Thanks, zackey, but we're focusing on Eastern Europe this trip. We have visited Spain and loved it.

My son did an internship in Budapest and didn't love it. However, there were extenuating circumstances which may have colored his views.

I've made many trips to Prague but haven't been there in years. I'm sure it's changed a lot but I always enjoyed visiting.

We had a day long cruise stop in Dubrovnik years ago and LOVED it. We plan to return in a few months. I would definitely look into Croatia.

My son spent 10 days in Croatia last year and loved it especially Dubrovnik. I don`t know if Berlin is too far but it was another city that he really found fun and interesting. He also went to Prague and found the people really friendly and he like it for a variety of reasons but the main one was that it was such a walkable city.

When travelling he did a mix of buses and trains.

I think Jterrilynn went to Dubrovnik? see if it comes up on google search.

A friend of mine spends all summer in Croatia where her family lives. Her FB photos make me want to get on a plane immediately. It is gorgeous! I believe they stay on the southern Adriatic coast. I remember in particular some great photos from a city called Split. If you do go to Croatia, I can ask her about her don't miss locations.

Eastern Europe is my stomping grounds, plenty of fascinating places to see.

If you are going to both Vienna and Prague you don't *need* to go to Budapest. Vienna and Prague are superior in terms of beauty and accessiblity I'd say, but I do love Budapest too. Warsaw isn't a necessary see on your first trip either. Krakow, Poland, however is a fantastic spot and not too far from Prague, I highly recomment it. If you are prepared for it Auschwitz-Birkenau is near Krakow is of course worth the visit. Don't underestimate how difficult the visit to Auschwitz can be psychologically, however, and it isn't appropriate for very young children.

Berlin is a fascinating city, it is always a good option, depending where your itinerary takes you.

I highly recommend heading south by car from Austria into the Alps and to Slovenia, especially in September. Visit Bled (unbelievably beautiful spot) and head through Slovenia to Croatia. Skip Croatia's capital, Zagreb, and continue south along the Dalmatian coast, visit Split and the islands off the coast near Split, and finally Dubrovonik. If you have the time drive into Mostar, Bosnia (a truly special place) and onto Sarajevo. The drive from Sarajevo to Dubrovonik is not terribly long and it is perhaps the most spectacular drive I've even done. The impact is more dramatic going from Sarajevo (mountainous, alpine climate and vegetation), dropping in altitude and coming out of the mountains to to the sea to a classic mediterrean climate at Dubrovonik.

If you want to head really into Eastern Europe, I recommend Transylvania in Romania (seriously), and even into the Moldovan regions of Romania. Fascinating villages and ancient monasteries. This is fairly off the beaten track however, I'm not certain what sort of travel you enjoy.

Not sure how much time you have, but Vienna + Prague and a drive south to Slovenia and Croatia would be an incredible September trip. That's my vote. :)

I just saw that you only have ten days, missed that the first time. Budapest is closer to Vienna than Prague, so if you want to do two of these great cities, time-wise Budapest might be a better fit than Prague.

It comes down to a choice of a cities tour or smaller villages and alpine countryside tour. You could just do Vienna and head south through Slovenia (Bled) and Croatia and save Prague for another trip. If you're starting point must be Vienna it will be difficult to head north to Prague and then south to Dubrovonik in ten days.

Must you fly in and out of Vienna? If so you could leave your car in Dubrovonik and fly back to Vienna from there, you'd save at least a day that way.

Cesky Krumlov is a lovely town about two hours from Prague and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It's a nice drive south from Prague to C.K. through the countryside and the small towns of Telc, Trebon and Tabor are worth a stop.

If you have a beer lover on your trip you might also stop in Ceske Budejovice and do the original Budweiser tour!

About 3 years ago we went to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. I loved all three, but honestly I am stunned at people saying to skip Budapest. We loved it- I thought it was so very different looking and just wonderful. The view along the river was beyond breathtaking.
I guess that's what makes the world go round, but I would highly recommend Budapest.

Two years ago we took the cruise below. Not that you're cruising, but it will give you an idea of what you might see and do. You can't go by the timing though as the ship moved very slowly...I'm sure driving times are far less.

I found Prague to be my favorite and I wished we had more time there, even though we stayed an extra day, followed by Vienna and lastly Budapest, though in and of itself, it was enjoyable. But you could easily skip Bratislava...We did go to Cesky-Krumlov which was also interesting, but someplace that's worth a 1/2 day...

If you do go to Prague, be sure to visit Kampa island as it's much quieter than the hubbub above. And be sure to never cross unless you have the walk light. There was literally no car around anywhere so we jay walked and a local told me to never do that...the fines are extremely high if you're caught.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Danube

Wow, you've all given fantastic information. Thank you! I wish we had a month to visit all these lovely-sounding spots. I've traveled through Germany but not Berlin; however, I think we'll save that for another time.

We haven't purchased our airline tickets, so we can do outbound to anywhere and return from anywhere. We could therefore start in one location, head to Vienna for work/pleasure and then continue on. I think I can covince my hubs to do Vienna plus 10 days ... so 13 days total. I don't dare say 2 weeks or he'll say he can't be gone from work that long (even though he totally can). I'll say 12 days. Ha.

Maybe something like this:
Depart US
Morning arrival in Prague - stay 2 nights?
Drive to Vienna (direct route shows 3.5 hr drive which we could do in the morning; if we stop in Cesky Krumlov and the other small towns suggested on detour route, we may need to allocate a full day. Hmmm)
Vienna - 3 nights?
Drive to Bled (4 hours) - 1 night?
Drive to Split/islands (5.5 hours) - number of nights?
Drive to Mostar (2 hours) - stay overnight or continue on?
Depart from Dubrovnik (2 hours) - number of nights?
Return flight from Dubrovnik?

What do you think?

Specifically, we have to be in Vienna mid-afternoon Sunday through Tuesday evening. We probably would stay overnight Tuesday for a total of 3 nights, and then drive to Bled (or wherever) Wednesday morning ... unless we should spend more time in Vienna. Our 2.5 days will include great sightseeing and fantastic dining with our business hosts.

Sochi, how much time would you allocate to each location? In the time we have, should we try to fit in more? What would you do? We don't mind a bit being on the go go go.

lizzard, I had no clue Budweiser is a Czech thing. I do have a beer lover, but despite the historical significance, one Budweiser tour in a lifetime is really all I ever need. Ssshh, we won't tell my husband.

Shelia and Annie, you both posted as I was writing my last post, so thank you. I'll check out the cruise itinerary. And Shelia , I also appreciate your comments about Budapest. I really need a month I think. Darn.

Cesky Krumlov is a great recommendation and worth doing. You can easily fill two or three days in both Vienna and Prague, it is a tough choice. Maybe only do two nights in each if your interest in the drive through the Alps and along the Adriatic is stronger than your city interest.

Start in Prague if possible, drive south to CK then through Austria to Vienna. I'm not certain of driving times, but head south to Bled. Bled is beautiful, but very small. If you can stop here for lunch for a couple of hours en route that is enough. You just have to see it, which doesn't take days. One night there if necessary.

Drive on to Slovenia's capital Lublijana (spelling off a but, sorry). Lubijana is the capital of Slovenia and is a magical place, full of dragon bridges and beauty. Spend a night here.

Then down to Split, you could easily do two days here as you visit the islands of Hvar, etc., from Split. Split is lovely too.

On to Dubrovonik, or Mostar (Bosnia) then Dubrovonik, depending on routing and timing. One night and a full day is good for Mostar, at least two for Dubrovnik. Mostar is truly special and so dear to my heart (I worked there after the war, arriving just days after the Dayton Accords). It is a little off the regular tourist track, but it is remarkable and I'm sure you will love it.

I may be in Geneva for work in late September. My DH and kids have never been to any of these places (except Prague, DH has been there). I'm so excited by this itinerary we may do the same trip!

And as far as English, our tour guide said, if you need help, ask a young person. Apparently, before the wall fell, the students were required to learn their native language and Russian. As soon as the wall fell, the schools switched to English. We found that to be true...the young gals we talked to had very good English.

Oh and a bit of etiquette...when you sit down, there's a coaster on the table. You put the coaster down and they will offer you a beer...the beers will keep coming until you put the coaster back in the rack...

I'm not a beer drinker, but the dark beer is excellent and the perfect accompaniment for all the cabbage dishes we ate...kapusta!

Tanks again, sochi and Annie.

Sochi, thank you so much for your recommended itinerary. DH is using it to plan our trip in September. We're excited and think it will be a great trip!!

That is great funnygirl! We might have to have a GW get together in Vienna in September, so many of us may be there.

I didn't mention the Italian Dolomites, essentially the section of the alps in North east Italy, north of Venice and extending over to Slovenia. Unbelievably beautiful, and quite a different look and feel from the German, Swiss and Austrian alps. The Dolomites are a unesco world heritage site, check out the link. Depending where you are coming from and how much time you have, check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Dolomites

Deleted extra post.

This post was edited by sochi on Sun, Jan 25, 15 at 12:20

I also loved Budapest. We toured the Opera house which was beautiful and enjoyed the monuments and cathedral dedicated to St. Stephen. The public market is also wonderful. There are many interesting things to see relating to WWII and up to the 1990 departure of the Soviets. The Rick Steves travel guide to Budapest was good for these places.
In Prague there is a section of restored Baroque gardens along the hillside below the castle. Beautiful gardens and views across the river.
Have a wonderful time!