1 Additional night in which of these cities?
 

We ended up with an additional free night that can be spent in Lucerne, Prague, Salzburg or Vienna (we're already staying 2 nights in each but do any warrant an extra night? Planning this itinerary is wearing me out!

Have not been to Prague, but without a doubt I would pick Salzburg. Have been there 3 times for 10 days total and hope to go back at least one more time. <BR> <BR>Take a trip to the Ice Caves at Werfen <BR>

I have not visited Lucerne or Prague (I hear that Prague is outstanding). However, I have been to both Vienna and Salzburg. Although Salzburg is beautiful and as a singer, I loved the Mozart connection, Vienna offers so much more. We spent 4 days in Vienna and it was still not enough time to see everything. We went in June and there were many concerts, some free such as Sunday mornings in the churches. There are also nice side trips outside of Vienna to consider. Have a great trip.

<BR>Agree with above that Vienna has the most to offer, so that would be the choice if you want to keep busy.

Hi Marcie, I cannot speak for Prague, yet. But I have visited the other 3. All are charming and fun. But if I had to pick just one, my choice is Vienna. <BR>We were there 3 days last year and it was not enough time for all we wanted to do. Of course I spend time at musical events, which ultimately takes time away from other attractions. But that is my choice and I love every concert I attend, unless it is really bad. <BR>If you like any opera at all, mostly popular ones are done at the Volksoper in true Vienna style by first class singers. We enjoyed Die Fledermaus there last year. If you ever have a chance to see/hear Althea-Maria Papoulias as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, go. She is terrific as an actress and as a singer. I haven't seen her in the role of Hanna in The Merry Widow, but she is well suited to the role. <BR>

I have been to all but Salzburg of the four you mentioned. I would say use the extra night for Vienna because there is just so much to see there. Prague would be my second choice, and you can easily find more than enough to occupy you for three days. I love Lucerne, but Prague and Vienna are my second and third favorite European cities so far, in that order.

<BR>Can you keep it open in case you run into some people along the way that say "You've got to visit XXX"? <BR> <BR>How many times do you do a day trip -- and love it so much that you wish you could stay the night?

Hi Steve. You indeed raise a good point. I do that type of travel in the United States when I know I can do it without fear of being "hung out to dry" when trying to find a motel. <BR>But in Europe, I feel less certain of myself and my ability to find suitable hotel accommodations. Usually I have the whole trip set up, so that cancelling one reservation has a domino effect. Once I start the progression, I might then miss something I had on my agenda that I really wanted to see. <BR>So usually I stick with my plan. <BR> <BR>What I have done in Europe is to take a hub and spoke approach. I can base myself at my hub and travel the area, but I come back to the same hotel each night. <BR>For example, there are a few places I want to visit in the Salzburg area. So this summer we will base ourselves in Salzburg as our hub at a hotel on the outskirts of the city so we can get in and out easily. <BR>From there we plan on several day trips over that part of Austria. <BR>If we have to drive back to our hotel at night, well I intend to rent a car with headlights. <BR>Last year we hit a situation where I could have tarried a bit longer at two places. We took a bus day tour to Vaux le Vicomte and Fontainebleau. Had we not been on the bus, I would have stayed at Vaux le Vicomte for another 3 or 4 hours, or until it was closing time. <BR>And I would have stayed longer at Fontainebleau. <BR> <BR>So I can understand fully what you mean. <BR> <BR>I have one friend who likes to go on "flip" trips. When she and her friend get to a route decision, they make a random choice and take off down the road. Often they don't know where they are going, they just go!! At some point they will haul out a map and try to decide where they are. It is like the famous Yogi Berra statement: "When you get to a fork in the road, take it." <BR> <BR>[Actually, the remark is taken out of context. Yogi was giving a friend directions to a specific place. The road, which he knew well, divided. But, it made no difference which fork you traveled because both forks came out at the same place. Well, if you don't take one fork or the other, you will never get anywhere. ] <BR>

Marcie, I love Salzburg, but I would take the extra night in Prague. You really can't go wrong in Prague, Salzburg or Vienna, but I would choose eithor Prague or Salzburg. <BR>Regards <BR>Art <BR>

My vote would be for Vienna or Prague. You might check nethotels.com to see which one has the best events on the dates you are there.

I note the majority view is for Vienna, and that was my first reaction too, as I am a great fan of Vienna. <BR>However, it really depends on what you want to do. I am not a great supporter of Lucerne, largely because I feel the hoteliers etc. are too hard headed, and are constantly trying to pad your bill - I once got charged there for asking reception to look up a couple of 'phone numbers for me, when there was no directory in the room. A big plus for Lucerne though is the great variety of spectacular half day or day trips you can take by any combinations of lake steamers, rack railways, cable cars, trolley busses, and ordinary trains. The possibilities are almost endless, and all extremely rewarding scenically, given clear weather, which unfortunately is not always the case. <BR>For this reason alone I would give serious thought to Lucerne.

The three are beautiful , I would choose Prague.

You won't go wrong with any of them. My personal preference is Vienna, especially in the summertime (this is a summertime trip, right?). Enjoy!

I've been to all three. I souldn't take another night in Salzburg. Prague would probably be my choice. There is so much to see and another reason is because Prague is an incredibly inexpensive city compared to Vienna! With one more day you could do more, eat better and if you're inclined buy more than an extra day in Vienna. If you choose Vienna take one of the 3 nights to go out to the wine gardens on the edge of the city. The tram ends in there and once you're there you'll be in village Austria with a variety of restaurants to choose from. All have outdoor seating. Look for the one locals are at and if you drink wine, enjoy the new wine with your dinner. <BR>Have Fun!

VIENNA---My choice--WITHOUT ANY HESITATION

Thank you for so many wonderful suggestions. I really appreciate all the input.