Hi...I am planning to fly next year from April 14 to May 5. I am using Aeroplan points so have some limitations but am open to recommendations anywhere. I have already been to Paris/Venice/Florence and Amsterdam so those are out. Our interests are beautiful cities, culture and good food.

My original plan included Switzerland but removed it due to not ideal time of year. So I am thinking this:

Copenhagen - 1 night
Prague - 4 nights
Vienna - 5 nights
Salsburg - 2 nights
Rome 5 nights
Brugge - 3 nights

I am willing to add and remove days and destinations. Do the number of nights seem good per destination? Should I replace one destination with another? What would you recommend?

Thank you!

Three nights in Brugge? I'd go nuts. You don't need three nights there, the maximum you might need is 2 nights. Many people visit it as a day trip. Where are you fling out of? I'm assuming you fly into Copenhagen.

Be aware that you could spend much more time in Rome and not run out of things to see and do, but your plan of four days/five nights is a good introduction.

I would add a night to Copenhagen.
I would deduct a night [or 2] from Bruges [we were just there for 2 nights and 1 was really sufficient.]
I woulds deduct a night from Vienna.
I would add on to Rome.

Fly into one city and home from another so you don't have to double back. Called "multi-city" ticket; it usually isn't more expensive than RT. It is NOT 2 one way tickets.

I think 2 nights is perfect for Bruges. Vienna could get by w/ 3 or 4 nights. The two extra nights from cutting back on Bruges and Vienna I;d add to Rome.

I might deduct a night or two, as well from Bruges, depending on your interests and travel logistics. I would also deduct at least one night from Vienna unless you plan to take a couple of day trips.

How are you traveling between points? Some long distances... to/from Rome in particular.

Copenhagen deserves more than 1 night. I'll cut 1 night out of Bruges (2 nights are enough for it, it's a small peaceful town) and add it to Copenhagen.

All your destinations have compelling sights to see, but if food is a big priority, then you might want to keep all 3 nights in Brugge or substitute another Belgian destination (like Antwerp) and see Brugge as a daytrip from there. Belgium is probably going to be the gastronomic high point of your trip. For food, I would pick Napoli over Rome, and it'sa great Italian city, filled with interest. Spring is a good time to see it. Of course, if you want to go to Rome, then go to Rome! There is of course good food there (and Napoli is just an hour away if you want to take a day trip)

I don't know the answer to this question but is late April a good time for Salzburg? Austrian cuisine is not one of my favorites, although I do think Viennese cakes are truly wonderful, although if you are used to cakes with a lot of butter & sugar, you might end up disagreeing. But I would say leave off trying streudel & Sacher first and make sure you taste other cakes that never make it beyond Vienna, like those made with poppy seeds, chestnuts, walnuts , etc. Worth studying up.

Even if you are going to Copenhagen primarily for Noma then I would suggest adding a night all the same so you have time to enjoy your meal.

Never been to Prague so can't comment on food or attractions, but in general I would say I have never found other people's, or even guidebooks ideas about "how long" to stay in a place useful for me. I've found it much better to look up what the attractions are, count up the number I personally want to see, and count up the number of meals I want to have in that cuisine, and figure out for myself how long I'll probably enjoy being there. Brugge can get swamped with tourists, so even though it has more than one destination-worthy place to eat, I'd still probably stay elsewhere.

Hi--four nights is good for Prague. Prague is a jewel of a city. I went in 2015. The castle complex and Strahov Monastery together will take most of a day, and the synagogues were incredibly moving. We also loved the medieval art museum, but mostly we loved walking around and especially at night. We went up the less famous St. Nicholas tower in Mala Strana for the views. If absolutely necessary for a first trip, three days would also work for you, because really, Rome has so much to see.

We also liked Vienna but only had a day and a half, which was definitely too short. If you love classical music, you may want the original time you have planned. Be aware there are tourist style classical concerts in Vienna. Avoid those and go to a real one. If you love classical choral music and are there on a Sunday, go to a great sung Mass at the Jesuit church. Art museum was phenomenal. We did not make it to Melk for a day trip but we did drive to Klosterneuburg.

Can't believe I missed the OP's interest in food, my favorite topic. That's what I get for typing before coffee.

Vienna is our home, and even we aren't terribly fond of Viennese cuisine. Austrian cuisine is a different matter. Skip the Schnitzel and Tafelspitz unless you want the high end experience at Plachutta. Styrian Backhendl Salat (a type of fried chicken) with Kürbiskeröl (pumpkin seed oil) is an unexpected wonder. Far and away, though, the Tirolean dishes are our favorites: Gröstl, similar to what is known in America as "Hash;" Speckknödel (bacon-flecked dumplings); the Brettljause (a wooden board piled with Tirolean bacon, pickles, cheese, and so forth); and Kasspatzln, like macaroni and cheese but yet not at all like macaroni and cheese because of the Bergkäse used. Don't forget the Grüner Veltliner wines, the premier grape of Austria, as well as the Blaufrankisch of Burgenland. As for desserts, DH loves, loves, loves the dry Sachertorte, while I give the nod to the Gerstner Torte (at their cafes) and pretty much any slice of Esterhazytorte I've encountered. A Wiener Melange is the requisite pairing.

Prague is another of our favorite places for food. Restaurants "Deer" and "Casserol" have modernized Czech cuisine, and the many meals we have eaten at these restaurants are delicious memories. While we can't find the love for Czech white wines, we are head over heels with every Frankovka (the Czech version of the Blaufrankisch) we open.

I hope this is helpful.

Thank you all for the helpful comments...especially the food related ones. A few things:

1) we are using a business class Aeroplan ticket that allows us up to 3 stops, including 1 open jaw, and 10 layovers. Stop is defined as anything more than 24 hours (Prague, Rome and Brussels) and 1 layover at Coppenhagen which is more a necessity due to flight availability (Aeroplan has airlines that charge additional charges that I am trying to avoid). Coppenhagen is my only layover.

2) This is my flight plan:
- Toronto to Chicago
- Chicago to Coppenhagen - 1 night
- Coppenhagen to Prague - 4 nights
- Prague to Vienna by train - 5 nights
- Vienna to Salzburg by train - 2 nights
- Salzburg to Munich or Vienna by train and flight to Rome 5 nights - not part of Aeroplan ticket
- Rome to Brussels - 3 nights
- Brussels to Toronto probably via Chicago again.

3) I know Brugge is a small city but heard it is amazing at night so planning to sleep there and day trip it to Gent and maybe Brussels.

Some more questions I have.

1) Someone had a concern about Salsburge. Is it too cold in end of April? Would it be better to skip it and fly from Vienna to Rome?

2) Another response said that 5 days in Vienna maybe too long? I am a bit shocked at that...i thought given its history and importance, it would have plenty to see over 5 nights.

3) should I stay 1 night in Gent? Is it as beautiful as Brugge at night?

Thank you.

Not sure Austria and Prague will be much better weather wise than Switzerland in April.

If you want the best chance for good sunny weather, head south.

But certainly there are things to do inside in Vienna and Prague.

Seems like the best attractions in Salzburg would be outside.

But since Vienna and Prague are not up by the Alps they should be warmer no? I am ok as long as the weather is 15+ degrees.

Over the course of a couple of trips I've spent 9 days in Vienna, without doing any day trips, and would gladly go back to do more sightseeing (even if I didn't eat cake). I spent all my time there visiting art museums and sights of history, culture and architecture -- which means I did NOT tour anything having to do with music, Freud or horses. And I never got to the Prater amusement park. I am very much interested in the Secessionist movement, the Hapsburg empire, the architecture of the Empire, the concept of urban planning in Vienna, and many things having to do with recent but also Roman history in Vienna.

So if you are interested in some of things that I didn't tour, and maybe a few or all of the places I did, you can very very very easily spend many days in Vienna and end up leaving having only seen a fraction of what the city offers.

>>I am ok as long as the weather is 15+ degrees.<<

Assuming you mean 15C -- none of your destinations are guaranteed to be over 15C in April. Some daytime temps could be 19 or 20 . . . but 8 or 10 is also possible.

Vienna being our home city for the past five years, I can write that we have experienced everything from sun to snow in April. I have photos of our family "enjoying" the Easter markets in the city while wearing parkas, alongside photos where we are in light clothing from the year before. This past April, in fact, we had snow into the second week of the month, prompting us to head to the Slovenian coast for its sunshine and warm temperatures during the school spring holiday.

April is an unpredictable month, weather-wise, across Central Europe.

As for the time needed in Vienna (and all of your destinations), you need to decide what is important for you to see and do. What are your interests, and how do the offers in each destination support that?

Temperature is something you can adapt to. In any event, it can't be worse than anything the OP encounters in Toronto.

What would be nice is to avoid rain as much as possible, perhaps even get some sun.

But Salzburg and Switzerland get a lot of rain.

I'd rather deal with dry snow than rain.

You are right while I would prefer milder temperatures, I am ok with low teens as long as no rain.

Is Salzbug closer to Alps and therefore more prone to rain? Should I just skip it?

Definitely chances of rain in April in Northern Europe!

I'm not sure how high Salzburg is. It really depends on your interests.

I once visited in January/February and there was some snow and sunny days. You can get to some of the mountain areas near where the Sound of Music was filmed.

It really depends on your interests. I didn't go to any museums there.

I also visited a couple of years ago in early April. Actually I visited Munich but took a day trip with a coach operator that took us into Salzburg for a couple of hours. It was dry but hazy, not bright brilliant sunshine. However it was still pleasant enough to walk around. I didn't have time to walk up to the fort overlooking the city. I opted instead to have lunch.

Then they drove us to Gilgen and St. Wolfgansee. Beautiful lake but again, it would have looked better in bright sun rather than the haze/overcast that day.

I'm going to visit again in late August and early September, but I'm visiting the Tyrol, Innsbruck, Salzburg and the Salzkammergut region, including Hallstatt and St. Wolfgang.

Supposedly this area gets the least amount of rain in late August and September.