Planning a summer trip to Prague,Vienna and Budapest.What are the must see sights in these 3 cities and can use recommendation for best tours out there.

If you are in the early planning stage, the internet is actually not a very good substitute for what you really need: books, books and more books.

But this will last you until morning, when you should get thee hence to yon public library or large bookstore or both.

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30004

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ion=prague@122

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...on=budapest@37

Best wishes,

Rex

Polite question? What are your interests? Art, History, Sports, Eating? Prague is now a must weekend destination for English 'pubbers'. Some think the Czech brew the best beer in the world! Vienna is a music lovers city. Budapest should be considered the most 'Eastern European city'. Maybe the churches should be considered 'the must see'.

To Rex s useful list I shall add for Prague and Budapest the sites at http://www.imyourpocket.com/.

May I warn against using the term Eastern Europe in your cities ? These three cities pride themselves upon their place in the centre of Europe, and to them eastern Europe is the former Soviet empire. When you Americans brought about the end of the Curtain you returned geography to former terms.

[email protected]

Excellent reminders Ben! That inyourpocket.com website (note: "N", not "M&quot is one I learned from you, and forget it from time to time. Truly superb.

A cross-planetary comparison o the matter of "central Europe". My daughter goes to school in California, and we lived there 1980-82. Then, as now, Californians would ask about our plans to go "back east" - - in reference to our travels to ... INDIANA!

So good to have you back online...

I'm planning a trip in April for these cities. I agree with rex, without reading "books, books and more books", everything you see will just be another building or castle.
All of these cities have exciting histories, don't limit yourself to what a tour guide will tell you. If you are informed then your time with the tour guide will be much more interesting.

The polish Pope may have had a hand in bringing down the Iron Curtain. Is Poland in central europe?

I would say that Poland is indeed in central Europe. There are numerous countries east of it. And I'd have to get something to measure, but I bet that the western edge of Poland is nearer to the Atlantic coast (for example, at Biarritz) than the eastern edge is to the continental (Urals) divide.