Geneva to Vienna, Prague and Budapest early September
 

I will be flying from San Francisco into Geneva in early September for a long weekend with some European friends. After that I hope to head to Vienna, Prague and Budapest. Three locations I have always wanted to see. I might or might not be a solo traveler. In which order would you recommend traveling? I’ll be flying home from the last destination. I like train travel and don’t mind overnight trains. But flights are fine as well. I plan to take 10-14 days after leaving Geneva. Thank you!
​​​

play around with rome2rio to get some good ideas, I've visited all those cities multiple times but none from Geneva.
seat61.com for some train info and check final timetables on bahn.de

Thank you! I think first off I want to figure out in which order I should go to these three locations from Geneva to be able to use my time more efficiently and end up at the best airport for my flight home to San Francisco. I’ll definitely look at that website though. I’ve looked at it before. Thank you again!

There are overnight trains with sleeping cars from Switzerland to all 3 cities.
Tthere are flights too, of course!

Train journey times:
Praha - Vienna: 4 hrs
Praha - Budapest: 6 3/4 hrs (via Bratislava)
Vienna - Budapest: 2 3/4 hrs

Although it might not be as convenient, I adore Krakow much more than Budapest and its not even close. Is it a place you have ever considered?

Before deciding, you should check if any big meetings or events will be held about the same time as your travels. For example, a major medical conference with about 18,000 participants will take place in Vienna September 7-11. Many participants will arrive at least a day or two ahead of the meeting's official start and/or stay at least a day or two after its end. Another meeting with about 1000 participants will take place roughly the same time.

I am not sure how practical it is to avoid meetings in Europe. I mean, that is a ton of extra travel planning.

I was in Madrid during the Pope's visit. I tried to avoid it, but changing my plans didn't make sense. It didn't stop me from having a great time. And that is a much bigger deal.

Where specifically did I say to avoid traveling to these places? I just believe it helps to be aware and plan accordingly. I attended a large conference in Vienna annually for more than a decade and it had a significant impact on hotel space and restaurant availability.

Thanks everyone! It’s looking like maybe I’ll take a train from Geneva to Zürich, and then the overnight train from Zürich to Prague. At that point I’m not quite sure in which direction I’ll go. I just don’t want to spend all my time traveling.

I’m trying to use airline miles and it’s looking like the best deal flying back to San Francisco would be Budapest to San Francisco with a layover in Frankfurt which I’ve done many times before so I am familiar with that airport.

Today I thought about not going to one of the three cities. If I were to eliminate one of them, which one should I eliminate? And am I making a mistake not spending any time in Zürich? Thank you again so much! I really appreciate this.

Of Prague, Vienna,and Budapest I would skip Budapest.

"And am I making a mistake not spending any time in Zürich?"
Not at all!
BTW:Switzerland is my home country.

Despite the political scene in Budapest I would drop Zurich and go there. However, if it gets any worse in the next 12 months I'd backtrack.

Thank you! The more feedback I get, the better. Which areas in Prague and Vienna would be the best to stay for walking and general accessibility to restaurants, site-seeing, etc? Thank you again!

Vienna inside the tram ring
Prague I like between the Palace and the bridge (but not actually along the line between the twon but either one side or the other. Perhaps fewer restaurants than on the other side of the bridge but the hotels are smaller more real and the restaurants have fewer international feelings. Other prefer other spaces. I would still stay on a tram route.

Thank you! Great information!

In Prague I would stay on Kampa Island. Close to the Charles Bridge but peaceful. For example, Archibald at the Charles Bridge offers good value for fancy digs.

Thanks so much! I might end up being a solo senior traveler. Any further thoughts on traveling through Prague and Vienna?

In Prague I recommend seeing the Black Light Theater of Jiri Srnec. Small, intimate space makes it more fun than the bigger stages. Climbing the Powder Tower provides marvelous views.

In Vienna, the gardens at Schonbrunn Palace are like an entire city. And the gardens between upper and lower Belvedere are a unique vision you've almost certainly seen in movies. Kunsthaus Wien and all the art inside was designed by Hundertwasser, and is a unique treasure. In the same neighborhood, Gasthaus Wien provides the kind of food that you'd be hard pressed to find outside Vienna.

Both should be good places to visit as a senior solo. I believe the Uber equivalent app in Czechia is Liftago. You select the car by driver and price. That's what you should use.

Thank you!

Your plan to take the train from Zurich to Prague is a good one! Don't worry about missing Zurich - I found it to be pretty boring.

As you've probably figured out, your best bet will be to do Prague, then Vienna, then end up in Budapest. The train rides between those cities won't take much time at all. If budget is a concern, there are also extremely cheap buses from Prague to Vienna (but the train maximizes time.)

Staying in Prague: Depends a little bit on what vibe you're going for. If you'd like close proximity to the main tourist sites, you'll want to stay in either Old Town (most tourist sites) or closeby New Town. You can also stay up by the Castle (Hradcany neighborhood, or below the castle in mala strana) but you'll be a little bit of a hike away from "downtown" Prague (although the whole city is very walkable.)

If you'd like to have more a local vibe/feel, look into Vinohrady (which is very close to New Town, but more residential) or Zizkov, which is a little farther out but more hip and fun. If you're a solo travel, check out the Czech Inn - it's a hostel, but you don't have to stay there to go to the many events they hold in the evenings, and it's a great place to meet other travelers.

Wherever you stay, Prague is very walkable and has a great metro/tram system that makes it easy to get around. It's also fairly safe for a solo traveler - I used to live there as a single woman. (Do look out for pickpockets at the main tourist sites and on crowded trams, though)