JenV

I am leaving a week from tomorrow for 25 days in Europe and most of my itinerary is set but I have a few questions and would love input on my basic plan. It may seem like a strange combo but I knew I wanted to be in Positano for my birthday and then explore some new areas after.

So far:
Land in Milan Sat 5/17, spend 1 night, see Mona Lisa on Sunday and then pick up rental car and drive to Hotel Castello di Sinio for 2 nights
5/19-20 Wine tasting on Monday, what type of itinerary would make sense for only 1 day of wine tasting? The hotel says they will make some reservations for us that morning. Also I would like to see Alba and Neive and Vercelli (just a brief stop/photo op as it's my family name). Is this possible for one day and visiting 2-3 wineries? Any dinner recommendations or safe to wing it?
Would like to have a nice breakfast the next morning (any suggestions?) and then drive back to Milan for afternoon flight to Napoli.
5/20-5/26 - 2 apartments rented for Positano at Casa Maresca. I've got this portion covered as I'm familiar with the area. My birthday dinner is at La Sponda - would love to hear if it's worth it or somewhere else would be better? Want a lively atmosphere and good food.
5/26 flying to Vienna and have an airbnb rented for 4 nights. Sole reason for this portion of trip is to see the Admont Abbey. I had planned to take a day trip and it seems it might make sense to rent a car and explore the Wachau Valley as I read so many recommendations for it when doing research on the forums. So questions are: is this best done with a rental car? Is there a particular route etc. that has prettiest scenery? Is it doable to see Admont and Melk in one day and head back to Vienna? What is the best way to organize this day?
Other days will be spent seeing Vienna sites
5/31-6/3 Berlin - have a hotel booked but unsure if I will like the area. It is the Nuekoln/Kreuzberg area and called Huettenpalast. Taking the Fat Tire Bike Tour of the city and then will explore on our own.
Last city Budapest - I have some questions on the baths. Is it possible to take a phone and book with you or should those be left in the locker? Most people seem to recommend either the Gellert or the Szechenyi but it appears the Gellert is male only on the days we are in town. Any others I should consider? Any great restaurants to visit?
General questions - I have no day trips planned other than the Abbey and with 4 days in each city I don't think I need to? For Budapest flying out Sunday am and was going to try and visit Bologna for day and then train to Milan to fly home. Is that doable/wise?
For sightseeing I believe we will just about cover the basics/majors. Not sure about booking music/opera tix in Vienna/Budapest. Can these wait til we are there?

Thanks for your input - not sure anyone will make it through this very long post...lol.

suze

No imo you don't need to add any day trips You're already got plenty on your plate for 25 days.

JenV

It's actually 23 after travel days. Even more on my plate! This was the hardest trip to plan for some reason. I could go anywhere and so was paralyzed with indecision. Thanks for the feedback Suze.

JenV

Wondering if I should repost this separately for each question/city?

Thanks for any feedback.

JulieCallahan

For Budapest: First, the baths. I would not take anything. The baths I visit don't really have a spot to set things. I guess in the summer and outside, perhaps. I can't comment on this as I only visit the baths in the winter (too hot for me in the summer). My favorite baths are the old Turkish ones like Karoly and Rudas. Personally, I would not go to the Gellert. Szechenyi is fine, albeit crowded.

If you really want to go to the opera, I would book in advance. We are going with friends in a few weeks and bought the tickets a while ago as things were selling out. I would drop into the Franz Liszt Academy to see what is going on there. It is my favorite venue - and you can at least see it.

To me, there is no single restaurant that is a must visit. I would probably go to Kiskakukk or Cafe Kor - Hungarian yet not too Hungarian. Both require reservations.

dwdvagamundo

A lot of traveling around for a short period of time. When I saw your tagline, I had a hard time believing it but do believe it was very hard to plan! I dquestion your jumping around so much--especially Vienna to Berlin to Budapest and then returning to Milan. But to each his own.

You might be able to get a train to Melk then cruise back down the river to Krems or thereabouts and train back to Vienna. A very pleasant way to spend a day. I wouldn't try to do both Abbeys in one day.

JenV

Julie thanks so much! I read many of your Budapest posts and noted some restaurants you recommended and things to see. Very cool to be living there. I will look into the opera and also stop into Franz Lizst. 2 bikes come with our apartment so I'm looking forward to pedaling all over the city.

Dwdagamundo - thanks for the advice on the abbeys. I didn't think 4 days in each was too short but you're right it's a bit of a wacky itinerary...definitely not slow travel, except for the 6 days in Positano. Flying in/out of Milan was cheapest and ticket bought way before I even knew which countries I wanted to visit. Also, I will look into river cruise. Melk is #2 choice so most likely going to Admont if I can only see one.

lavandula

I have not been to Admont (and would love to see it now that I know about it), but you could spend the best part of a day seeing Melk Abbey and having a meal in the small town attached to it. We were there last year, and got there from Vienna by train about 10am; had a coffee when we arrived (travelling with then-4-y.o. daughter), then went up the stairs and saw the abbey (more than an hour), then had a longish meal in the Stiftsrestaurant (attached to the abbey), then went down the steps and explored the town a little, including a walk over the bridge, then came back and had another coffee (this time loaded with Marillenschnapps, apricot schnapps) and an ice cream. The town is charming, if small, and after that we headed back to Vienna by train. We got back to Vienna about 4pm. I would not combine Melk with another abbey because there was enough to do there without rushing. You could easily spend more time in the abbey than we did - it's very beautiful and you might want to read all the inscriptions to the exhibition (with a kid, we did not). Good luck, a lovely part of the world.

Lavandula

JulieCallahan

No worries, Budapest is a wonderful city. We are lucky to be here.

My husband is a big biker... Me, not so much.

A few rides he does ( going from easy to harder). Of course, Margit Island. Easy.

Last week he took a nice ride to a new park on the Buda side across from the National Palace of the arts. I believe he crossed from Pest on the Liberty Bridge and followed a bike trail along the river.

You could also cross Margit Hid and go to Obuda or Szentendre. He says the trail to Szentendre gets bumpy. The trail is along the river on the Buda side heading north.

For some spectacular biking, (just trust me on this, not as hard as it will sound) take the train ( with the bike) from Nyugati to Vac. The fast trains leave at :07 after each hour. The bike trail out of Vac is lovely and goes along the Danube bend. ( my blog link is on my profile and I have written about Vac). This is my favorite 1/2 day trip. You will go to places like Nagymaros across from Visegrad castle.

He is training to bike to Bratislava next month. You will want to stop and take the train back from Vac to Budapest!

JulieCallahan

In a very unscientific survey, the favorite bath of serious bath people is Rudas.

JenV

Julie - great info, thanks so much for all the biking trails. Hope to use at least a few of them. Will look into Rudas baths as well. I would rather be somewhere not as touristy personally so good to here what the locals prefer.

Lavandula - sounds like a great day. I really have my heart set on Admont because of the beautiful library. I love books and decided on Vienna just to see the library at the monastery. I will have to come back for Melk someday. I love the sound of the coffee with schnapps. That is a recommendation I can get behind.

JulieCallahan

If you want a Rudas like experience (Old Turkish) that is more local try Karoly. When we go on a Sunday morning, we are often the only non Hungarians.

JulieCallahan

BTW, Gellert or the Szechenyi are the worst baths if you want a non-tourist experience. I would recommend anyplace but those if you want local. (local having its pros and cons, of course)

fourfortravel

I live in Vienna and so have the luxury of having visited both Melk and Admont separately. A Vienna-Admont-Melk-Vienna route requires around 6 hours of driving, with much more time on trains. Add to that the logistics of navigation, parking, crowds (at your time of year the Danube cruise boats and other tour buses regularly disgorge people) plus touring both abbeys and decide if that is something you really want to do. Personally, I would not do that.

With your interest in libraries, you may want to add the National Library State Hall in Vienna to your sightseeing list, if it is not there already. http://www.onb.ac.at/ev/state_hall.htm

Happy Planning!

JenV

FFT - thanks for the recommendation for the National Library State Hall. I think it's saved in my AFAR list.

Do you think that renting a car in Vienna and driving straight to Admont, then visiting a winery, eating and cruise back is doable? We will skip Melk.

Julie-my friend that will be with me in Budapest asked about Turkish bath so those two will be good to suggest. We have both been to Turkish baths in Istanbul. Is it a similar experience? She prefers a more pampering experience with massage but I just want to experience the waters.

JulieCallahan

The Turkish baths in Budapest are not like Turkey in my experience...

I have never been scrubbed in Budapest. Generally there are some number of different sized soaking pools of various temps. You head to a different area where you can get a more traditional massage. You schedule the massage when you buy you entry ticket. In Hungary during mixed sex times, it is bathing suit required.

In Turkey or Jordan, the main attraction was the scrubbing.... At least where I went. Not as much about the pools.

In this area, people go to the baths as a medical treatment. If it is prescribed, insurance pays. This makes the baths feel a bit more medicinal, esp. In the non tourist ones. In Slovakia at the baths, a doctor had to clear us.

fourfortravel

JenV, your proposed plan is achievable, but perhaps not in the way you are thinking. The area around Admont is not really a wine region. Certainly you may find a winery here or there, but the best regions for visiting wineries are along the Wachau toward Vienna, and then south into Burgenland and part of Styria.

I would visit Admont at first opening, then drive toward Melk and along the Wachau for the scenery and lunch at a winery (they're called heurigen here, or sometimes, buschenshank). Bread with Liptauer and a regional wine make for a fine lunch. Return to Vienna and drop the car. Not only is parking difficult to non-existent in the vineyards, but the alcohol content of the new wines is much higher than most people expect, so taking public is advised.

I've suggested below a couple of ideas for an enjoyable evening in Vienna's vineyards. If you go early enough (before 19:00) you shouldn't have too much difficulty getting a table; otherwise, I suggest making a table reservation.

1. Take the 38A or 38 Tram to the "Grinzing" stop and roam about until you find a heuriger to your liking. Zum Martin Sepp is our preferred, but I would suggest a reservation if going on a weekend. This area is a bit touristy, though, be forewarned.
2. Go further on the 38A to the heuriger at the "Cobenzl" stop for dinner atop the Wiener Wald.
3. Take the D tram to its terminus at Beethovengang and walk across the street into either Kierlinger or Schubel Auer next door. We prefer Kierlinger for its food, though Schubel Auer has a prettier garden. (It's all relative, really.)

If those plans fail, just down the street from Kierlinger is Bamkraxler, a Salzburg-style biergarten for a different experience. Lots of children and noise, very casual, and pretty decent food, as well as good beer and wine.

JenV

FFT thanks so much for the additional info. That sounds like a doable plan for the abbey. Love all the wine tips. Great ideas for us.

cathies

Just a little thing. The Last Supper is in Milan not The Mona Lisa. Hopefully you already know that you need to book in advance.

JenV

Cathies thanks, I booked tickets months ago for last supper. I can get a little ADD sometimes with planning but after booking major items I dropped the ball with some of the details (busy season at work). Now I'm scrambling to fill it all in.