Itinerary Suggestion (Salzburg, Vienna & Prague)
 

We are 2 adults with one 5 year old flying in and out of Frankfurt. Tickets are already booked. I have tentative plan. Please let me know if this is doable. We are not keen on Museums.
We are staying 3 nights at Prague. Is it better to stay 3 nights at Salzburg or Vienna?
I am planning to travel by Train for the entire trip.

Day 1: Thursday, May 27, 2010 (Frankfurt Am Main, Germany)
Arriving Frankfurt @10AM
Leaving Frankfurt @1PM (5 hrs) to Salzburg

Day 2: Friday, May 28, 2010 (Salzburg)
Site seeing Salzburg

Day 3: Saturday, May 29, 2010 (Salzburg)
Site seeing Salzburg
Leaving @5 PM (5 hrs) to Vienna

Day 4: Sunday, May 30, 2010 (Vienna)
Site seeing Vienna

Day 5: Monday, May 31, 2010 (Vienna)
Site seeing Vienna
Leaving @4 PM (5 hrs) to Prague

Day 6: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague

Day 7: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague

Day 8: Thursday, June 3, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague
Leaving @2 PM (7 hrs) to Frankfurt

Day 9: Friday, June 4, 2010 (Frankfurt)
Rhine River Cruise

Day 10: Saturday
Flying out of Frankfurt @11 AM

This may not be the answer you want. I'd skip either Vienna or Prague. Your time in Vienna is almost equal to the time it's taking you to get there and continue on to Prague.

Even if you forego all of Vienna's museums (which I don't recommend even to non-museum types), you don't have enough time to see the many other interesting sights of Vienna and some things may be more crowded because it'sa Sunday. What few things were on your list for your time there?

Although you could see a lot of Prague in two full days plus a couple of hours, additional days would provide for a much more comfortable pace, especially with a 5-year-old.

Whatever you decide, you have a lot of long train rides in 10 days. At a minimum, I'd look into budget flights from Prague to Frankfurt.

For all that rail travel i would certainly investigate the Eurail Select Railpass - a 3-country pass good in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic - especially since you are returning to Frankfurt.
The pass comes only in first-class if over 25 yrs old and if i were traveling with a 5 yr old i would opt for first class - lots more empty seats to spread out on - more room for luggage - all in all more leisurely than the much much more IME crowded 2nd class cars - so this pass, first class, i think would be a boon for you. Especially nice is that in these countries you can just hop on any train anytime - just show up - no reservations needed - they are possible but in first class in several hundred train trips in these countries i have never not seen empty seats in first class and often quite a few. But the flexibility is a key - any train anytime - the kid pays 50% of what the adults pay - look for a Saver Pass - two or more names on one pass and cheaper than individual passes which you do not need because, hopefully, you will all travel together all the time. For loads on train travel in these countries i always spotlight these info-laden sites - www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com - on the latter download their free (and IME superb) European Planning & Rail Guide with a chapter on each country with rail maps, travel times, etc. The best site for schedules to me is the German Rail web site - www.bahn.de- good for schedules for all of Europe - i like to print out expected schedules just to have along and you can see whether the train is on time, etc -the budgeteuropetravel.com site on its home page has a link to the English schedule page of the Wunderbar www.bahn.de site and gives you some valuable tips on fully using the site - indeed in many cases for your trains it will even note the exact platform your train will be on. IME traveling with a young child, knowing exactly where to go is really nice - like in a large station typical of those in Germany - say just head to track 31 and find your train waiting. the railpass is also 100% valid on the K-D Rhine River cruises you are planning to take. www.k-d.com for schedules. the tyke should love the boat ride!

Jean makes sense to me but i would just cut a day off Prague and put it in Vienna, a much bigger city where sights are farther removed - not scrub one or the other

If you cut one day from Prague, you'll burn 12 hours getting there and moving on to Frankfurt for just a day and a half to see all of Prague. Prague is smaller than Vienna, but not that small.

I agree too many places in too few days. Vienna and Prague each need at lest 3 days. Salzburg can be done in one if necessary. But - you are traveling with a 5 year old which will limit what you can see each day - and make a lot of train travel really boring. I would simplify your itinerary and leave some time for your kid to just be a kid.

Thanks every one.
I have modified my itinerary as follows. Hopefully this is relatively better than previous one.

Day 1: Thursday, May 27, 2010 (Frankfurt Am Main, Germany)
Arriving Frankfurt @10AM
Leaving Frankfurt @1PM (5 hrs) to Salzburg

Day 2: Friday, May 28, 2010 (Salzburg)
Site seeing Salzburg

Day 3: Saturday, May 29, 2010 (Salzburg)
Site seeing Salzburg
Leaving @4 PM (3 hrs) to Vienna

Day 4: Sunday, May 30, 2010 (Vienna)
Site seeing Vienna

Day 5: Monday, May 31, 2010 (Vienna)
Site seeing Vienna

Day 6: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 (Vienna)
Site seeing Vienna
Leaving @4 PM (5 hrs) to Prague

Day 7: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague

Day 8: Thursday, June 3, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague

Day 9: Friday, June 4, 2010 (Prague)
Site seeing Prague
Leaving @2 PM (7 hrs) to Frankfurt

Day 10: Sat, June 5, 2010 (Frankfurt)
Flying out of Frankfurt

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Thanks

Sounds like a wrap to me - really nice plan - and do not forget there are overnight trains Prague to Frankfurt if you do not want to spend 7 hours in the day on a train.

Vienna - Budapest - Prague - Vienna $157.00 child-$79.00
Vienna - Salzburg - Prague - Vienna $157.00 child-$79.00
Well those are the prices of the new Central European Triangle Railpass - good for three individual train trips in a one-month period -so not like a pass in that you get 3 days of unlimited rail travel

So like $52-53 per train trip - probably stacks up fairly well with ordinary tickets - at least Rick Steves site says so and you can just hop on any train for the most part.

Paleng you are talking rubbish about train prices - stop flogging these passes, what is it in it for you! You haven't a clue.

You cannot judge a railpass in terms of cost - the ability to just show up at the station and hop on any train to me, and others, is priceless

What is it about me and railpasses - well that is my way of travel - i've used literally hundreds of passes and always found them a great deal - and again the ability to just go to a station and hop on any train. I find the Fodor's mantra that you espouse - that railpasses are always a bad deal to be misinformation - yes i strive to point out appropriate railpasses that one can consider and i often also point out online discounts, etc. And i will continue to do so - specially in light of the Fodor's mantra 'railpasses are always a bad idea' - well of course it depends on the plans. You are a veteran traveler but i have heard from folks who in say Prague had to wait in long lines and then got the wrong ticket, etc. Put yourself in the shoes of a first-time traveler who wants to make it as easy as possible. And i also advocate first-class for novice travelers (anyone really) and in first class the passes even stack up better.

I do have a clue - having been a professional travel writer specializing in Europe trains for decades before retiring.

And yes i will continue to flog railpasses, thank you!

hi vsvlsv,

you've got 10 days and with a 5 year old you are planning on staying in 4 cities. well, it's your trip, but it's not my idea of a holiday.

given that you are locked into flying into and out of Frankfurt, I would by all means go to Salzburg for a night or two, but I would then go to the Salzkammergut and stay by a lake [wolfgangersee is as good as any] and enjoy the family oriented delights of the lake. [boat trips, a rail-trip to the top of the mountain, walking, swimming, cycling]. From there, I would either go to Prague [though there's not much there to interest a 5 year old, IMHO] or to munich and use it as a base for exploring castles like Neuschwanstein.

then it's quite a quick hop back to Frankfurt for your trip home.

just my two penn'oth after 22 years of travelling with kids.