We are travelling with another couple to Budapest-Vienna-Prague this fall. When we travel from Budapest to Vienna, we will take the boat down the Danube. When we travel from Vienna to Prague, we will take the train. We obviously have passports - do we need visas? Where can I get this information?

Hi annika,

My wife and I are US citizens. When we did the same thing a few years ago we did not need visas.

Consult the respective consulates for best information.

You can stay up to 90 days without securing a visa. This applies to most (not all) eastern and western european countries for citizens of the US.

We visited the same three cities in May. We are US citizens and only needed our passports. Canadian citizens apparently need a visa to visit Prague.

Although we were not asked by customs in Prague, we were told to have proof of medical coverage in case they did ask.

You might rethink taking the hydrofoil from Budapest to Vienna. Our trip was the reverse of yours, but I researched taking the hydrofoil (do a search here and you should get some info) vs. the train and most felt the hydrofoil was overpriced and not very scenic. In addition, apparently smoking is permitted in the enclosed seating area, if that makes any difference to you (it did us). I'm not trying to tell you how to arrange your trip, just thought I would mention the fact that at first we thought it would be a great idea, but after checking into it decided to take the train.

We did take a hydrofoil from Szentendre back to Budapest and it was a very pleasant trip. We also took a night cruise in Budapest and it was beautiful, with all the lights on many of the buildings and bridges.

Hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did.

I'd second Giovanna's comments. Although I've not taken the hydrofoil from Vienna (we used the train) I've heard that same comments about the experience from some, though not all others. ALSO, be sure the hydrofoil will be running at the time you will be there -- it is not a 12-month operation.