I'm flying to Paris for two weeks on 9/18, and while there, I'm going to take 10 days off for a trip to Prague, Vienna & Budapest. The current plan is to fly to Prague, take the train to Vienna and then Budapest, and then fly back to Paris from Budapest. A couple of questions for you seasoned "travelistas" to pick and choose from:

1. How would you portion your 10 days among these three cities? More days in Prague and Budapest, less in Vienna?
2. Is there any reason to start the trip in Budapest rather than in Prague, i.e., save the best for last?
2. What's on your "absolutely not to be missed" list(s) in one or more of these cities?
3. Is it really much less expensive to buy your train tickets after you get there (as opposed to buying online in the U.S.)?
4. I found a low airfare from Paris to Prague, but the flight (SkyEurope) from Budapest to Paris is pricey. Any suggestions?
5. Hotel recommendations would be much appreciated. I'm looking for clean, quiet, well-located and reasonably priced.

Thanks in advance for any info. you can provide. Much appreciated!

You are going to get a variety of answers, everyone has their favorites. We started in Prague, aboslutely loved it and walked everywhere, admiring the architecture. Vienna is an art lover's place to go with more museums than you can manage, and the city is beautiful. We ended in Budapest, and were a bit dissapointed after how much we loved the other 2.
Do buy train tickets once you arrive. I think we bought all of them in Prague, but I can't remember for sure. Take in consideration travel time between cities when you decide on how to divide the days. To me, 3 days Prague, 4 Vienna and 3 Budapest is a good balance.

What do you actually want to do? See museums? Go to spas? Sit in a pub and drink beer until you puke? You'll get good answers here but better answers if you're more specific of what you want out of your trip...

I pretty much agree with Aleta. Prague and Vienna are both wonderful cities, Prague for its architecture and Vienna for its baroque churches and its art. My wife and I didn't think much of Budapest when we went there in 1997, but maybe it's improved since then.

Psst! Don't listen to them, Budapest is fantastic too and there's no way to predict which you will like *the most.* Did you search the trip reports on this forum -- they make a good frame of reference,with many many specific things to do and eat. Did you compare flights on http://whichbudget.com (they list most airlines, not Ryanair). Some routes in Central Europe are not very competitive, but Malev sometimes has sales.

As far as days, toss a coin, it's not enough for any of them, so you will be forced to go back at a later date! lol

Thanks for your good advice. Yes, I know it's not enough time in any of them, but for my first trip to a new destination, I just like to check things out and find out if I want to go back. Re: what I like to do: great museums, good architure, walking tours, nice restaurants, stuff like that!

SkyEurope pricing may depend on the day of the flight. See if a day before or a day after changes the prices.

I had 4 days in Vienna, 1 in Bratislava and 2.5 in Budapest. I could have used an extra day in both Vienna and Budapest ... just tons of museums. You will have to prioritize. I'd say 4 Vienna, 3 Prague (never been, so don't know much about it) and 3 Budapest (or 3 Vienna, 4 Prague, 3 Budapest). Budapest does seem the most managable of the 3 to me.