Prague - 4 days
Budapest - travel time = 7 hours - 3 days
Venice - 2 days
Florence - 5 days

Total = 15 days/16 nights

Looks like this works and sounds like a great trip! I used days since my mind works better that way.

I'm guessing you'll fly from Budapest to Venice since it's a 13/14 hour train ride and even the night trains take a lot of time with several connections.

Even though you can walk a lot in a day, sightseeing takes a lot of time. I also find I use time to take photos and just to enjoy a sight rather than rushing through it. I also like wandering around cities/towns and getting the feel of them.

So, something like this:

Red Eye in Prague (day 1)
Day-
Day-
Day-
Day-
Day-
Day-
Day-

Sorry i hit something on my iphone by accident.


So, something like this:

Red Eye in Prague (day 1)
Day-2-Prague
Day-3-Prague
Day-4-Prague
Day-5-Prague
Day-6-train to Budapest
Day-7-Budapest
Day-8-Budapest
Day-9-Budapest
Day-10-fly to Venice
Day-11-Venice
Day-12- train to Florence
Day-13-Florence
Day-14-Florence
Day-15-Florence
Day-16-Florence
Day-17-fly back to US

That looks good although I would stay in Venice one more day and take the day from Florence but that's my preference.

Four full days in Florence plus the half day for arrival may be a lot - consider day tripping to Siena (one "n") for a day (best by bus, not train) to see its own Duomo, which is a gem. Plan Florence out in advance - the lines for the major museums are LONG and you may need scheduled entry tickets for many or most of them.

Budapest is worth four full days if you have them: Castle, Parliament, St. Istvan's, Dohany street neighborhood and the Weeping Willow, Heroes' Square, KGB/Terror museum, Gellert Hill, Szoborpark are all worth a visit. The train to Budapest will take about 7 to 7.5 hours so you may want to look into a short flight with a discount airline, which would give you another 3+ hours on the ground in Budapest too.

Prague isn't a foodie haven - the Czechs have about 500,000 varieties of dumplings and traditional fare is fair at best; Hungarian food is better (neither compares to Italian). Terezin is a day trip. Czechs and Magyars have fairly different views about their time spent under Soviet domination.

Would anyone suggest taking a day from Prague and spending it in Budapest?

We are planning on taking a couple day trips from Florence (Siena, Balogna, maybe Modena, etc..)

Is Czech food really that bad? Our tastes lean stringly towards mediterranean faire. Of which we know we wont get in Prague or Budapest, but eating well is bery important to us.

We've visited Prague and Budapest, and we felt that four nights in Budapest was more than enough for us. One thing we realized is that we are museum people, and those cities, while having many interesting things, not as many museums as, for example, Rome and Paris. Do take time in each city, however, to visit the Communist Museum in Prague and the Terror Museum in Budapest.

Sounds like you're not planning any time in the countryside of Hungary or the Czech Republic? Your itinerary is good, though mostly focussed on cities. Which is great, of course, if that's what you're looking for.

We're big foodies, mostly interested in good local cuisine (as opposed to high-end stuff). Czech and Hungarian food is not on the upper end of cuisines that most people love. We did sample local favorites, especially in the countryside, but it was not, and couldn't be, a focus of the trip. This would be especially true for people (like us) who aren't huge meat-eaters. Budapest, in particular, does have more high-end places, but their food, I would say generally, is more international than Hungarian in feel.

With 4 full days in Prague, I would be tempted to at least take a day trip to Cesky Krumlov.

I would also considering subtracting 1 night from Florence and adding it to Venice.

Thanks for all the input everyone!

I am beginning to worry that this trip will feel too rushed. With the above mentioned itinerary (or something close) will we be able to have any time to relax? Or will this be a "major sites and move on" kind of trip?

My wife and I both like big cities, however if their are quaint towns near the major cities that should not be missed, we are open to suggestions. Our favorite day while in Rome was one spent at the nearby Orvieto. But with such a tight schedule I would not want to stretch ourselves too thin.

It seems as though the general consensus is to shorten our trip to Florence. How many days do you all suggest for JUST Florence sans day trips. And what day-trips would you take aside from Siena and Balogna? This past month we were in Paris and Rome for 8 nights each and while we do not regret spending that much time in each city, we could have shaved a night or two from each and been just as happy (though we do intend on returning to both cities!).

Hi! Last summer, we visited London, Paris, Prague, Budapest, Venice, Florence and Rome over 21 days and it was great! We didn't feel rushed at all. For the cities you are visiting, we spent 3 nights in Prague, 4 in Budapest, 2 in Venice and 3 in Florence.

In hindsight, 2 nights in Florence is plenty. It is a beautiful but small city. On one of those days, we made a day trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. There were also strikes and peaceful demonstrations while we were there so one of the days, the Uffizi Art Museum was closed. When in Florence, be sure to eat at least one meal at this quaint little restaurant called Coquinarious. It is superb! Authentic Italian restaurant with the freshest pasta and salads ever. The manager is so amazing - he translated the whole menu for us! This restaurant was recommended to us by this local couple we met on the train while enroute to Pisa.

2 nights in Venice was more than enough - even one night will suffice. It is a small city and you can only walk around San Marco plaza, visit the Basilica and look at the Grand Canal for so long. Beautiful little city but not a lot to do. Definitely don't skip it though.

Prague was one of our favourite stops during our trip. This city is gorgeous and full of culture. We took a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the bone chapel. Highly recommended! You can book it thru your hotel. Budapest is so beautiful too - we took a hop-on hop-off bus and visited the Chain Bridge, Great Synagogue and the Castle District.

I think your trip sound fantastic and I hope you have a wonderful time!

I (and I'm sure many others would too) completely disagree with the comment that Venice is a "beautiful little city but not a lot to do." I have been to Venice 3 times, spending multiple nights each time, and still have not been able to see all that I want. There are so many wonderful churches, museums, etc. There are the campaniles of San Marco and San Giorgio Maggiore, the Doge's Palace and all of the charming back "streets" and campos. There are also excursions to Murano, Burano and Torcello.

Cesky Krumlov, which I mentioned previously, is a charming village about 100 miles from Prague.

If you have not been to Venice before, I would spend at least another day. There are so many things to see: many absolutely amazing churches, the other islands (Burano, Murano, Torcello), the ghetto with very interesting synagogues, museums, etc. There are also concerts in some of the churches, interesting markets, etc. After 7 visits, I still have not even made it into any of the museums. It is a wonderful place to explore away from San Marco.

Is Czech food really that bad? Our tastes lean stringly towards mediterranean faire. Of which we know we wont get in Prague or Budapest, but eating well is bery important to us.>>

most of the food we had in Prague and Budapest is not bad, but it is not mediterranean by any stretch of the imagination. you will do a better of course in Venice and Florence,

I agree entirely with the posters above that you want to allow longer for Venice and Florence than kc2117 suggests - we spent a week in both and by no means saw everything that we wanted to see. with your interests in food, you will also find the food there much more to your taste then in Prague and Budapest.

Kc2117 - Thank you for the reassurance and the restaurant recommendation. What did you think about the time you spent in Prague and Budapest? Just enough, too little, or too much?

Delaine - Cesky Krumlov looks amazing! It seems rather difficult to get to. Did you take the multiple train route, or would you recommend driving? It seems the train would be a bit chaotic?

Sassafrass - Do you think adding another day would give us a significant enough amount of time to make the trip there worthwhile?

Annhig - Thank you. I have a Hungarian friend who lets me try some of his creations and while they are very tasty, they are, as you pointed out, far from Mediterranean. I know it is silly to avoid a location because of the cuisine, but I just want to make sure good food can be found however different from my usual preferences. Do you think it would be better to take a day from Prague and add it to Venice, giving us 2 full days there and 4 in Florence?

<< 2 nights in Venice was more than enough - even one night will suffice. It is a small city and you can only walk around San Marco plaza, visit the Basilica and look at the Grand Canal for so long. Beautiful little city but not a lot to do. Definitely don't skip it though. >>

The poster who said this definitely missed the best of Venice. It's so much more than St. Mark's Square!!! One of my favorite museums in Venice was the Ca d'Oro.

What a shame kc's scope was so limited. Same with Florence. Clearly the bone chapel in Kutna Hora impressed him/her rather than the Renaissance art around every corner in Florence or the magnificence of Venice. There was not even any mention of the 2 wonderful cathedrals in Kutna Hora or of the lovely Czech architecture. Here's the bone chapel in case you miss it.
http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/czechrepublickrakowfrankfurtpa/44#46


<< I am beginning to worry that this trip will feel too rushed >>

Now that you're asking...If this were my trip I would not combine Prague, Budapest, Venice, and Florence. They are two different trips and you will miss the small towns outside the cities since you do not have enough time. Two years ago I spent 2 weeks in the Czech Republic and didn't have enough time to see everything I wanted to see. I concentrated on the southern part plus Prague and Kutna Hora.

Choose either Prague and Budapest OR Venice and Florence and surrounding small towns in the Veneto and Tuscany.

I love Czech food but it's very different from Italian food. When in northern Europe I eat pork every night and love it. I eat much lighter food in Italy.

You can find decent food in Prague, just don't expect OMIGOSHTHATISSOAWESOME. Prague is not 1970s Moscow or 2010 Minsk. Plus the beer is good and really cheap.

You didn't indicate that you're a museum person like Lexma, so re-configuring your stay for less time in Prague or Budapest for that reason would not make sense.

Don't take a day from Prague. Right now, you arguably have too few, and there are certainly enough day trips you could take (Karlstejn, Thieresenstadt, Cesky Krumlov [a little tougher as a day trip]).

Excuse me, I have just realized I was spelling Bologna "Balogna," woops.

If we were to have an additional 2 days added to the plans, should we alott those days to the cities we have already chosen? Or maybe stop in Bologna for a noght on our way to Florence? Or leave Balogna as a day trip and as I just mentioned, distribute them amongst the listed cities?

Yes, I do think that extra day in Venice would make a difference. With only one day, you would be rushing just to see the San Marco area. It isn't until you leave the touristy areas that you start to appreciate the whole of Venice. It would also give you more time to wander in the evenings to different areas, to take a trip up/down the Grand canal both in the day time and at night and get a sense of the shape of the city. If you haven't already done so, I suggest you read as much as possible about the construction of Venice - pretty amazing.

wormin - i would add my time to Venice. on the off-chance that you got bored with the city itself, you could always do a day-trip to Verona or Padua, or Mantua or ....

leave Bologna til another time or when you are in Florence [though you won't be short of things to do there, either!]

So does this look "better?"


Red Eye in Prague (day 1)
Day-2-Prague
Day-3-Prague
Day-4-Prague
Day-5-Prague
Day-6-train to Budapest
Day-7-Budapest
Day-8-Budapest
Day-9-Budapest
Day-10-fly to Venice
Day-11-Venice
Day-12- Venice
Day-13- Venice
Day-14-Train to Florence
Day-15-Florence
Day-16-Florence
Day-17-Florence
Day-18-Florence
Day-19-fly back to US

Hopefully this would give me some more time for day trips?

looking good, wormin.

looks like a great trip.

Looking great!

The only thing I might change would be that I "might" stay in some other place in Tuscany and day trip into Florence. However, I've been to Florence several times. If this is your first trip there, then I would stay there and do at least one day trip to Siena or even Lucca. Others like Fiesole, but I would skip it. The ruins are interesting but, IMHO, just not worth the time it actually takes to get there and return. The views were nice, but not as good as from Piazzale Michelangelo. Don't miss Santa Croce.

You mentioned that you are interested in Architecture. A great day trip from Venice is to Vicenza to see Palladio's work, especially Teatro Olimpico. It is, of course, personal, but unless you have some very strong interest in that particular period of early religeous painting, I would choose Palladio's work, especially the theater, over Scrovegni Chapel in Padua in a heart beat.

Yes, this looks better. Seems less rushed, and you can day trip from Prague and Florence (the hard part will be chosing where!) Have fun!

Thanks for the input everyone! It looks like this will be our itinerary for the time being.

One more thing...for now if you don't mind.

If we were planning this trip for the beginning of May, would you start in Florence or Prague?

it would depend on the ease of the connections I trhink.

you might find that one hsa a particularly early flight home that you would prefer to avoid or a vey late arrival.

worth looking at all the permutations to see what suits you best. and also look at slight changes in dates - when booking our trip to Sri Lanka, we saved £300 each just by flying home on a monday rather than a sunday.

"2 nights in Venice was more than enough - even one night will suffice. It is a small city and you can only walk around San Marco plaza, visit the Basilica and look at the Grand Canal for so long. Beautiful little city but not a lot to do. Definitely don't skip it though."

I'm another one who says this person hasn't actually seen Venice. There must be hundreds of other calli & campi and dozens of other canals & islands to explore - the 3 places this poster lists are less than most daytrippers would see and they probably leave hating the place because they've only seen areas overcrowded with tourists. After 6 holidays totalling 8 weeks we felt we'd barely scratched the surface - and after moving here nearly 4 months ago we still feel the same. If you like walking several miles a day Venice is perfect.

Last year we spent a week in Florence and even though we'd both been before, we still didn't see everything on my list.

With 16 nights or 15 full days - *minus travelling days* - I would not include more than 2 or if pushed 3 of these cities. I'd work out exactly what you most want to see and do and then choose your top 2 cities.

I've generally eaten well in all these cities except Florence, where we've found food & drink very expensive & not great.

Caroline- I agree that there is always more to see, but being an American, with little-to-no chance of moving to Europe, I really don't have the luxury of spending unlimited amounts of time in each city. I just spent 9 days in Rome and of course could go back and spend months, however it is what it is.

With that said, do you still think it is unreasonable to try to fit these cities in? Though it is increasingly looking like Budapest is out of the mix as I have read some not so nice things regarding a significant rise in Hungarian anti-Semitism.

hi again, W/R - i don't think that you would run out of things to see and do if you reduced your list to Prague, Venice and Florence, though may I ask where you read this info re hungary?

we've recently had threads here about whether it's safe to go to Spain, and whether the water in Italy is potable so you can't believe everything you read; in any event it is highly unlikely that as a tourist you would encounter any problems caused by internal politics.

as an alternative, Vienna might fit the bill.

Annhig- There have been some recent developments in Hungary that have dismayed us. Not only has the Jobbik political party, which is openly anti-Semitic (and received 17% of the popular vote). But I am going to contact some third parties who may be provide better insight.

Either way it seems like a better idea to limit our stay to three cities and have a chance to explore outside of the main cities.

worminRome - I understand your misgivings and certainly the three cities you have picked will provide more than enough to interest you.

hope you have a great trip!

Thanks ann