Vienna, Budapest and Prague are the three closest capital cities in Europe to each other, so they are really ideal to visit during the same trip. You can take the train to each or drive, but I decided to drive since I also wanted to add a few smaller cities to my trip that were not very train-accessible (Bratislava, Cesky Krumlov, and Meissen Germany). I flew into Vienna, took a train to Budapest, then rented a car to go from Budapest to Bratislava, to Cesky Krumlov, to Meissen Germany and then got rid of the car to spend the remaining time in Prague. Note that the cheapest place to fly into would be Budapest, but it didn't work with our schedule. This is the outline of what we did:
Sunday May 14-- Flight from Baltimore, quick layover in Frankfurt, flight to Vienna
Check in Monday May 15/Check out Saturday May 20 Airbnb in Vienna
Check in Saturday May 20/check out Friday May 26 Airbnb in Budapest
Check in Friday May 26/check out Saturday May 27 Marrol's Boutique Hotel in Bratislava Slovakia
Check in Saturday May 27/check out Monday May 29 Hotel Ruze in Cesky Krumluv
Check in Monday May 29/check out Sunday June 4 Airbnb in Prague
Sunday June 4-- Flight from Prague, quick layover in Frankfurt, flight to Baltimore
Below is the detailed version. As I've mentioned many times, I prefer researching what I want to do in each place and then put together my own itinerary instead of joining tour groups. So after hours of research, this is what I came up with:
Vienna is all about cafes, palaces, music , and art, so the focus for Vienna for this leg of the trip is on culture.
Day 1-Vienna
Arrive at 4PM
Taxi to Airbnb in city center
Dinner at Figlmuller (good to make a reservation, but they happily made room for us. Has good wiener schnitzel)
Bedtime
Day 2-Vienna
Take the underground to Schönbrunn Palace
Breakfast at Cafe Restaurant Residenz, located next to the palace. Order the Sachertorte (chocolate cake)
Explore inside palace and gardens
Visit the worlds oldest zoo
Watch the strudel demonstration and eat the strudel
Optional—there are daily evening concerts at the Palace
Visit “The Prater,” which is the worlds oldest amusement park and ride the world’s oldest ferris wheel
Dinner at Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom “Le Loft” (beautiful views of Vienna)
Day 4- Vienna
Breakfast at Café Demel (they have a viewing area where you can watch the viewers baking)
Visit the Belvedere Palace
Naschmarkt for lunch (Vienna’s largest inner city food market, also has sit down restaurants)
Ballet at the Opera House (we saw Swan Lake)
Dinner at one of the many restaurants by the Opera House
Day 5- Vienna
Breakfast at Café Central
Visit the Hofburg Palace (you can visit the Spanish Riding school, but we opted not to)
Check at museums at the museumquartier
Dinner at The Kunsthistorisches Museum (on Thursdays you can book a dinner at this art history museum, sitting in the rotunda and visit the art exhibits in between courses)
Day 6- Vienna
Breakfast at Café Diglas
Visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Visit the Imperial Crypt (where the Habsburgs are buried)
Dinner at Griechenbeisl (oldest restaurant in Vienna)
Other options I had on my itinerary that we ended up not doing included a lot of cafes (many have live music) and rooftop bars including: Café Cobenzl and Heel Café with beautiful views up the hill in Vienna; Mozart Museum; Café Landtmann; Café Schwarzenberg; Café Braunerhof ; Café Bar Bloom of Hotel Lamee (also has rooftop bar);Sky, Karntner Strasse (rooftop bar); Kleins Café; Daniel Bakery
Budapest is everything! The food, the market, the festivals, the hot springs, the river the views, the chill local vibe.
Day 7- Vienna to Budapest
Take train to Budapest (3 hours, high speed train)
Check in to Airbnb
Subway to Gourmet Festival (Budapest has a lot of festivals. This was a food festival)
Optional- There was also a Roman Gladiator show nearby at the Museum of Aqiuncum, but we didn’t have time to check it out
Day 8- Budapest
Breakfast and visiting the Festival of Museums at the Hungarian National Museums (dozens of museums are represented and have on display random things. You also get free admission to the Hungarian National Museum. Lots of food, shopping, local vendors)
Walk the chain bridge over to the Buda side of Budapest. You can go inside the Buda Castle, but it’s a museum.
Take the Furnicular up
Watch the changing of the guard
Lunch on castle hill overlooking the “Pest” side of Budapest (you can see the Parliament building, which is gorgeous and the 3rd largest Parliament building in the world. Lots of people enjoy taking tours of the building, but I don’t think the inside can compare to just staring at it from across the water)
Rudas Turkish Baths
Dinner near random restaurant near our Airbnb
Day 9- Budapest
Breakfast at Great Central Market Hall (this place is the best market I’ve ever been to. Its inside and has everything from prepared food to eggs and vegetables to street market items and loots of paprika. I would suggest buying a few dishes and splitting them. Chicken paprika is a popular dish. And definitely try the langos, which is kind of like funnel cake but so much more!)
Visit St Stephens Basilica (climb the stairs for some of the best views in Budapest)
Go to Gelarto Rosa for rose shaped ice cream (the cutest ice cream ever)
Go to Szechenyi Thermal Baths
Dinner near Airbnb
Day 10- Budapest
River cruise to Szentendre, Hungary
Lunch by the Danube river
Visit National Wine Museum
Visit Open Air Village Museum (we were not sure how to get there so we missed out. Find out how to get them from where the boat drops you off)
Day 11- Budapest
Subway to “Buda” side of Budpest
Visit Fisherman’s Bastion
Lunch at Halászbástya restaurant
Visit Matthias Church
Visit Gellert Baths
Lunch near Airbnb
Day 12- Budapest
Visit Jewish Quarter
Visit Szimpla Kert (most famous ruins bar)
Visit Dohany Street Synagogue
Hungarian State Opera House for an Opera (Love and Other Demons)
Here are a list of other ideas I had for Budapest but didn’t get around to:
Gellert Hill (St. Gellert Monument, Citadel, Statue of Liberty (Szabadsag Szobor), Gellert Hill Cave Church (Sziklatemplom)
Other bath houses: Spa at Corinthia Hotel (bathhouse that’s not crowded), Lukacs Bath,
Café Ruszwurm 2 min from Matthias Church and Fishermanns Bastion and one of the oldest and most traditional cafes (cream cake)
Dracula Tour
Vajdahunyad Castle
Vaci Street, best shopping street
Spoon Café and Lounge, restaurant on a boat
Café—Book café (New York Kavehaz)
Food—Kurtoskalacs Pastry
Momento Park
Marionett Craft Beer House (located inside the Budapest Marriott Hotel on waterfront)
Good views – High Note Skybar at the Aria Hotel
Day 13- Budapest to Bratislava
Pick up rental car. About 2 hour drive
Check in Marrol’s Boutique Hotel
Lunch at Modra Hviezda (one of Central Europe’s best restaurants)
Take sightseeing bus up to castle on the hill and through the town (it is a tiny six-seater bus that is allowed to drive through the pedestrian sidewalks and through little alley ways)
Walk around the main street
Visit the Blue Church
Outdoor Markets
Slavin Memorial
Cesky Krumlov is really like a fairytale. Really small, so easy to just walk around.
Day 14- Bratislava to Cesky Krumlov
Drive about 3.5 hours to Cesky Krumlov
Check into Hotel Ruze
Walk the town
Dinner by the Vltava River
Pool and Jacuzzi at hotel
Day 15-Cesky Krumlov
Castle
Walk up the steps to the tower for the best views
Tour of castle
Puppet Museum
Lunch at Medieval pub
Optional—you can take kayaks on the river. Gypsy Pub was also recommended to eat
Day 16- Cesky Krumlov to Prague
Karlstejn Castle on the way to Prague (2 hours 15 min drive)
Drive from Castle to Old Town (45 min)
Check in to Airbnb in Old Town
Explore Old Town and watch the Astronomical Clock at the top of the hour
Go up the clock tower
Church of Our Lady (tower inspired “Sleeping Beauty”)
Dinner in Old Town
Day 17- Day Trip from Prague to Meissen Germany
Drive to Meissen
Meissen Porcelain Museum (lunch at museum)
Visit and tour the Albrechtsburg castle
Lunch overlooking river next to castle
Drive back to Prague
Optional- Dresden is also a great town close by to check out if you have time
Day 18- Prague
Visit Prague Palace (has St Vitus’ Cathedral, Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane)
Secret Garden behind palace with peacocks
Church of Loreto nearby with cherubs
Café Savoy for lunch or breakfast, has nice atmosphere)
Changing of the guards 12pm daily
St Nicholas Church (beautiful and colorful)
Castle tower has good views
St Vitus Cathedral
South Tower has good views
Cross Charles Bridge and go up in the Bridge Tower
Opera at the Estates Theatre (we Saw Don Giovanni)
Dinner near theatre
Day 19- Prague
Go to Petrin Hill
Private tour of Strahov Library
Lunch at The Stahov Monastic Brewery
Visit the mini Eiffel tower
Walk down hill and visit shops
Visit the Jewish Quarter
Old Jewish Cemetery
Old New Synagogue
Spanish Synagogue
National Theatre—Opera Tosc
Day 20-Prague
Go to Letna Park to visit the beer garden
Pack and relax
Day 20- Fly Home
By the time we went to Prague, we were more in chill mode. Here is a list of other things we didn’t get to:
Zikov Tower (views and restaurant)
Jazz Dock (Czech music)
Clemintinum Library
Powder Tower
Municipal House
Tours of National Theatre and Estates Theatre
Restaurants and Bars
Art and Food Had
Ginger and Fred (dancing house)
Café Atmosferas
U Jelinku
U Fleku restaurant
Choco Café
Serial Burgers
U Sudu
U Medviki
Lokal Dlouhaaa (restaurant and best pilsner pub)
U medvidku beer hall and restaurant
Restaurace Zlata Praha at Intercontinental Prague
La Valmont (inspired by movie “Valmont”)
Pivovar U Tri Ruzi (brewpub)
U Zlateho Tygra
Café Imperial
Café Café Restaurant 8 min walk near Estates Theatre
Marina Ristorante (Grossetto) (restaurant on a boat)
Also, Brno and Telc are supposed to be two cute cities in the Czech Republic for a day trip
