Hello!
My husband and I are in our 40's, have traveled much of Europe and like to explore by car. Our most recent trip was in Ireland and we did the whole southern coast round trip from Dublin in 8 days so even though I know it's not the best way to experience a place, we're used to "speed visiting" cities and towns. We like to walk the towns,sight-see and shop, have some local food and drink and find a cozy spot to listen to live music and meet the locals.

We are planning another 8 night driving trip round-trip from Budapest the first week in September and this is our itinerary. We are cramming a lot into it, so I'm looking for suggestions or feedback on what we should skip or something shouldn't miss, and hotels, castles, things to see along the way, etc....

Day 1: Arrive Budapest 12:30pm, get the car and drive right to Bratislava. Overnight there.
Day 2. Explore Bratislava a little and head out to Prague, seeing Brno or ? along the way. Spend 2 nights in Prague.
Day 4: Go to Karlovy Vary. Spend 1 night there.
Day 5: Go to Cesky Krumlov. Spend 1 night there.
Day 6: Go to Halstatt. Spend 1 night there...
Day 7: Go back to Budapest. Spend the last 2 nights there.

Thanks for any feedback!!

I forgot to mention that we opted to skip Vienna for Bratslava. We figured it was more manageable for just an overnight stay.

We just got back from Prague and we went with the family.3 days 2 nights is fine for Prague. Definitely see the Cesky castle. Driving is very easy. I parked the car on the street and fed the meter. We went to the Fortress/Concentration Camp at Terezin. Food and drink are very inexpensive. Nice walks around the river and the square is very nice. The Hotel we stayed at was very nice inexpensive and a great breakfast. Walkable to the square. Any questions let me know.

Why don't you do your 2 days in Budapest when you first arrive and then fly home from last city so you don't have to back track to Budapest.

We did a really interesting free [tips only] walking tour in Bratislava:

www.befreetours.com

We did several in Budapest as well with:

www.triptobudapest.hu

Frankdaddy, what was the name of the hotel that you stayed at near the square?

DebitNM, thanks for the info on the walking tours! We already booked round trip in and out of Budapest. It's typically cheaper than flying into one city and out of the other. Plus with the rental car.

A little off topic, but would someone be able to help me with a little genealogy? My husbands family is from what is listed as Petersdorf, Moravia, Austria. We'd like to visit there, but where would that be today? I'm trying to research it, but it's so confusing! There are a few old Petersdorfs and I'm not sure which one would have been in what was Moravia Austria. Thanks for any help on that!

First and foremost, if there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. There is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. (And please don’t say you’ve done it before without problem – honestly, that just means that you – and anyone else on the road – were lucky.)

No time for Prague? I thought it worth at least 3 full days.

Only a day or so for Budapest itself? Obviously, it depends on YOUR interests, but FWIW, I thought Budapest easily worth at least 3 full days.

If you can re-route so you are flying into one city and out of another, that will, at least, save you ½ day….

To be honest, the itinerary you suggest sounds to me rather nightmarish -- SOoooo much time in transit, so little time to actually see anything. But it's your trip, your call!

<i> "It's typically cheaper than flying into one city and out of the other. Plus with the rental car."
</i>
Actually, for airfare, that isn't always the case. More often than not, the airfare [know as multi-city or open jaw] is the same price for two "1 way" tickets as is a round trip ticket in and out of same city; especially when you factor in the lost time going back to original city and gas etc.

It may be true for car rental - in so far as there may be a drop off fee or may not be feasible between countries, I don't know that with any certainty.

"It may be true for car rental - in so far as there may be a drop off fee or may not be feasible between countries"

Yes, drops in other countries are expensive. This is why car trips are more manageable in a loop.

That said, (1) her whole trip could be done by train, (2) driving in European cities (especially old ones like the ones in Central Europe) can be a nightmare, (3) she needs to have a full understanding of the vignette system, (4) she needs to read whatever rental contract she gets CAREFULLY because cross-border travels may not be allowed OR certain cities may not excluded, (5) Prague is known for auto crime like break-ins and theft.

Agreed, BigRuss -- I too, would (and did) opt for trains rather than a car in traveling in that part of the world. Price, convenience are just 2 reasons.

We did a similar but longer trip several years ago. I found there was little to no drop fee by flying into Prague and out of Budapest.

But we needed a rental car because we drove to places that were difficult to reach by public transport - Olomouc, Telc and Levoca, in Slovakia. We like castles and small towns. For the destinations you have in mind, the train may be easier

Thanks everyone. We already purchased the roundtrip flight Budapest, so it's too late to change that. We have done many trips like this and prefer the flexibility of driving ourselves to train travel. So that is locked in. I guess I'm just asking that knowing we have to fly in and out of Budapest, and we want to see Prague, does anyone have any suggestions or comments on our itinerary for along the way. Thanks!

ALSO... That was a great point about taking a rental into another country, so if you have any info about taking a rental car across borders in that area, please let me know! Thanks

Do check with the agency you've booked your car with. There was a thread recently, which I can't find, that was discussing problems with taking a car across a border though it was not apparently allowed according to the agreement. I think it's important and your rental agency is the one to ask.

" I guess I'm just asking that knowing we have to fly in and out of Budapest, and we want to see Prague, does anyone have any suggestions or comments on our itinerary for along the way. "

I provided my input upthread.

And if you don't let the car agency know you are going out of Hungary and you have car issues in another country...not good.

Do you need hotel recommendations?

For Prague:
We stayed twice at the Pension Dientzenhofer in Mala Strana.
Address is Nosticova 2.
www.dientzenhofer.cz
Mala Strana is quieter than Old town; it's on the same side of the bridge as the castle. Price includes breakfast buffet.

Cesky Krumlov:
Hotel Zlaty Andel, Namesti Svornosti 10-11
www.hotelzlatyandel.cz
Price includes hot and cold breakfast buffet.

Karlovy Vary:
Hotel Romance Puskin - excellent central location
www.hotelromance.cz
Price includes hot and cold breakfast buffet, with hot egg dishes, hot and cold meats, cheeses, fruits, salads, herring, marinated salmon, & great pastries. Best breakfast on our trip.
Address: trziste 37