James_P

Hi
We are taking a trip in the last half of September, 2014. We have 10 complete days excluding the days flying in and out. Any input would be helpful. The following is the itinerary. Sorry about all the Caps.
Fri 9/19/2014 DAY 1 – ARRIVE BUDAPEST
Sat 9/20/2014 DAY 2 – BUDAPEST
Sun 9/21/2014 DAY 3 – BUDAPEST
Mon 9/22/2014 DAY 4 – BUDAPEST
Tue 9/23/2014 DAY 5 – ARRIVE VIENNA
Wed 9/24/2014 DAY 6 – VIENNA
Thu 9/25/2014 DAY 7 – VIENNA
Thu 9/25/2014 DAY 7 – DAY TRIP TO MELK
TRAIN TO MELK
BOAT TO DURNSTEIN
BUS TO KREMS?
TRAIN FROM KREMS BACK TO VIENNA
QUESTION – I SEE YOU CAN BUY A COMBI TICKET WHICH INCLUDES THE TRAIN AND TICKETS TO THE ABBEY AND THEN A BOAT TRIP BACK TO KREMS AND I THINK THE TRAIN RIDE BACK TO VIENNA. I WANT TO STOP IN DURNSTEIN. DO I GET A BOAT TICKET TO DURNSTEIN AND THEN A BUS TO KREMS ON MY OWN OR CAN YOU ADJUST THE COMBI TICKET. HOW WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO SET THIS UP TO INCLUDE DURNSTEIN.
Fri 9/26/2014 DAY 8 – VIENNA TO CESKY KRUMLOV
Sat 9/27/2014 DAY 9 – CESKY KRUMLOV to PRAGUE
Sun 9/28/2014 DAY 10 PRAGUE
Mon 9/29/2014 DAY 11 – PRAGUE
Tue 9/30/2014 DAY 12 – Fly out of PRAGUE in the AM to home
THEN HOME
SO 4 NIGHTS BUDAPEST; 3 NIGHTS VIENNA; 1 NIGHT CESKY KRUMLOV AND 3 NIGHTS PRAGUE.

nytraveler

Sorry - find the way you have laid it out very confusing. Why are there 12 days when you really have 10? and why 2 days # 7.

You really have

Budapest 3 days
Vienna 2 days plus one day Melk
Cesky Krumlov - part day
Prague - 2.5 days (or 2 depending on what time you get there)

IMHO doable but king of rushed and I would want more time in Prague - which I prefer to Vienna (find the latter sort of triste).

Melk is lovely - but can't help with transit details - perhaps your Vienna hotel can give you more info.

James_P

Thanks for the response.
Melk is a day trip from Vienna.
This is my wife's plan. She asked me if i thought it was doable. I thought I would post on Fodor's to get some feedback. Originally she had 2 nights in Cesky Krumlov and only 1 full day in Prague.I told her that we are going quite a bit north to Prague and flying out of there so she changed it to 2 days in Prague.

BigRuss

More Prague.

What are you interested in?

James_P

We are not that interested in museums. My wife is very interested in castles. We try to see the main sights and do alot of walking. I think that we are probably pretty set. My wife is set on taking these 2 side trips.

If anyone could recommend hotels or apartments in Budapest, Vienna or Prague, that would be helpful. We usually stay in lower price accomodations in the best tourist area in town. If fodorites could recommend the best areas, I could find the rooms.
Thanks

nytraveler

In Prague stay in the Old Town - most coenvenient for sightseeing.

In Vienna stay within or on the Ringstrasse - not outside.

In Budapest stay near the river in the center.

BigRuss

<<lower price accomodations in the best tourist area in town>>

Uh, yeah, that's not going to do it.

State nightly lodging budget in dollars.

The Old Town in Prague is the largest "tourist area."

Budapest has two sides, staying "near the river in the center" isn't much help. Pest is far livelier than Buda. The real center of the city is Deak Ter, but it's not the tourist center. Walking distance to St. Istvan's Cathedral on the Pest side is probably more what you're looking for.

Too bad you're so set. Terezin would be a good (didn't say "pleasant") day trip from Prague.

James_P

Hi
As far as budgets go, I will pay on the low end of what it takes to stay in a good area. In Rome we stayed in place near the Spanish steps where you could stand in the center of the room and fall over and hit the wall. It was more expensive than the places near the train station, but it had a good location. So we are looking for a place that is near most of the tourist attractions.

As I mentioned, I tend to look into these trips to a greater extent than my wife. This is her trip and she tends to make up her mind quickly which is good in alot of applications. I started looking at different lodging in Budapest an it seems likes there are alot of choices and I was unsure if they were close enough that it would not be a slog to get to the sights.

maxima

you nightly stays are too short to stay in an apartment as rentals are generally for a week

what exactly do you consider the low end for accommodations? you need to give a dollar or euro amount you are willing to spend in order to get any hotel recommendations

you can do a day trip from Vienna to Melk (train) the Abbey tour is about an hour) boat to Durnstein and go Krems before returning to Vienna. there was a long thread about this on Fodors site back in 2012 that you can read

James_P

I am flexible . I have spent $200 in NY City and $100 in Athens. I guess I am looking for a good Area to stay in that is near the major sights. Thanks.

leuk2

Have you guys been reading my mind? Planing trip in opposite direction. our plan:
4Nights prague,
4 nights Budapest, (train Prague- Budapest)
6-7 nights Vienna, with day trips to Bratislova, and Melk

joannyc

Leuk2,' your cities are not arranged in the best order....makes more sense to do Prague > Vienna > Budapest or vice versa.

fourfortravel

James, would you consider renting a car for the day to tour Melk, Durnstein and the Wachau Valley? There are several advantages to this option, chief among them being you would not be tied to the cruise schedule and you could arrive at Melk before the first wave of cruise boaters and enjoy the abbey, then head to Durnstein for a picnic lunch (rather than overpriced onboard schnitzel or equally touristy food in town) before exploring the ruins, and then toward Krems and Vienna. The time of year for your visit should offer beautiful colors and opportunities to stop for photos, as well, and even dinner in one of the Wachau heurigen or gasthaus. The drive from Vienna to Melk is just under an hour (and very straightforward), so you can really have a full day in the Wachau.

As regarding the Vienna to Cesky Krumlov to Prague route, presumably you're doing this by train? You may want to note the train travel times to see if Cesky Krumlov is worth the travel, or if you would prefer more time in Prague. Living in Vienna, I have been to Prague four times, and each visit affords me something new to explore; while Cesky Krumlov is a pretty town, you may find having a longer stay in Prague more to your liking (even without museums).

BigRuss

<<I am flexible . I have spent $200 in NY City and $100 in Athens. I guess I am looking for a good Area to stay in that is near the major sights.>>

You say that as if ponying up $200 per in NYC is a big spend. It's not. Just state a real dollar amount per night and you'll get better recommendations. Or go here and pick one for Prague: http://www.avehotels.cz/

And there is no one area in Prague or Budapest that is near all the major sites.

Budapest: The Castle and Gellert Hill are on the opposite side of the Danube from the Parliament, St. Istvan's, Deak Ter and the Jewish Quarter.

Prague: Hradcany and Mala Strana are on the opposite side of the Vltava from Josefov and the Old Town. The architectural curiosities in Vinohrady are on the same side of the river, but not really walking distance from Old Town.

James_P

I was thinking about renting a car for that day trip to Melk. Maybe we will do that. As far as my budget, I am cheap but not poor.I usually figure out where I want to stay and then look for the most acceptable. In any case we can take public transportation

Big Russ, you are right, $200 is not much for NYC and $100 is not much for Athens, but I was able to stay in a convenient area.

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

maxima

In Budapest stay on the Pest side, even if you are not near the river you can take public transit,,, the Pest side is livelier too

In Prague, stay in or near Old Town. I stayed at the Maximilian, you can walk to most sites in Old Town, and take public transit across to the Castle ..if you book ahead it will be under $200 a night with breakfast.

You can find lots of hotels within the Ringstrasse, under $200 a night with breakfast.

James_P

Thanks for the tip Maxima

James_P

Hi
We booked our rooms. My wife wanted to stay at the Hotel Gellert in Budapest. It is another $200 over the place I booked. Has anyone stayed there? The following are the rooms I booked.

Hotel Budapest Museum CentralMuzeum korut 39, II/5 $325 4 nights

Ferienwohnung Marie
Herminengasse 5
02. Leopoldstadt
Wien, 1020, Austria 3 nights 207 euros + 30 euro cleaning fee 1 bedroom apartment

Penzion Delanta Vencova 393
Cesky Krumlov 1 night 44 euros

Hotel U 3 Pstrosu Dražického náměstí 12
Prague 01 3 nights 320 euros

fourfortravel

Your Vienna apartment is in a good location; you're just a couple of blocks from the 31 tram which will connect you easily to the 1 tram (one of the major tourist trams running along the Ringstraße). The Karmelitermarkt is also close by; hopefully you'll have time to explore and maybe even have lunch there. Nearby along Praterstraße are also a couple of my favorite restaurants to meet DH for lunch: Mochi (sushi) and Osteria Strandina (Italian).

Leopoldstadt is one of my favorite districts to explore. The district is home to many of Vienna's Jewish population. Throughout you may see "Stolpersteine," small, cobblestone-sized memorials on the sidewalks, commemorating the life of an individual victim of the Nazis. The stones are usually placed outside of the building (or former building) where the victim lived. Further up Taborstraße are Russian and other eastern grocers; at Mexicoplatz is the enormous St. Francis of Assisi church; and at Augarten are two remaining flak towers amidst the green space. Enjoy Vienna!

Percy

Your 3 nights in Prague is actually 2 days in Prague.

Reduce a day in Budapest.

I assume you want to go to Durnstein to see the Blue Church and the Castle ruins... after that you just walk about this quaint town.

Not that much to see in Stein- Krems, but you want to see it and that is okay.

I thin after you pass under the Kremser Railway Bridge then the main Square is in Stein.
There is
1. City Hall...very nice building
2. In square in front of city hall is the Trinity Column, you will want to take a picture of this.

3.The then St. Nicholas Church (across from City Hall) and the Fraunenberg Church, almost next to the St. Nicholas Church.

Oh yes look up --way up , across the Danube River from Krems and perched on a hilltop is the very lovely Goettweig Abby.