Hi! I am planning to travel to Prague, Vienna and Budapest this summer--probably mid/end of August. We are in the initial stages of planning and was hoping to hear some suggestions. We are active people in our 30's who are intersted in visiting all the important tourist spots but also hope to find some special non-touristy spots. I am especially interested in visiting something by the water, maybe take a boat, or stay by a lake (if possible). We plan to stay in Hilton Hotels, since we have points to use up and expect to rent a car unless someone can convince me to use the train. Thanks so much!

I don't know about Budapest, but we found driving in Vienna, Telc, Prague, the Czech-Poland border, Cesky Krumlov and Graz to be quite enjoyable. Graz, by the way, is a great little <i>affordable</i> airport for entering or leaving Austria (thanks to Ryanair).

Telc is on a lake, but we were barely there long enough for me to tell you about any recreational possibilities there.

And while driving <i>between</i> all these places is/was enjoyable, beware that parking in Prague is difficult and expensive. We stayed in apartments (Zatec, from www.athos.cz) and the apartment(s) owner/manager arranged our parking for us, and we never used our car IN Prague (though it was not difficult to drive into or out of). the parking she arranged was affordable (about $10 per 24 hrs), but it was not at all close to the apartment (5 miles away; a very convoluted route that she took us to/from).

Best wishes,

Rex

There are 2 Hiltons in Budapest, I would recommend the one on Castle Hill,get a river view,you won't be disappointed.

What a wonderful trip. We got back from Prague-Vienna-Budapest early this month. Driving in big cities is a major nightmare IMO and I love to drive. We took the train from Prague to Vienna. It was easy and took only 4 1/2 hours. A friend met us with her car in Vienna and the parking bill was astronomical.
Our group split up when it was time to go to Budapest. Some took a boat, and they loved it. The cruise took appx 4 hours and stopped off at a scenic little town along the way.
We took the train because we couldn't wait to get to the baths in Budapest. The train was 2 hours and we met some charming locals along the way.
Either way you go, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

thank you so much for your input!
If anyone else has any information about any special spots in Vienna/Prague/Budapest I would appreciate it!

Hi
You don't say how many days you will have, so it's hard to prioritize suggestions on how to spend your time since you want to include the important tourist spots and others besides.

I do have files on Vienna and Prague; if you'd like to see them, email me at
[email protected]
There's also a lot of good info if you click at the top of this screen on Destinations.

rex,
How was driving in/out of Vienna? I'm evaluating the merits of travel by rail or car from Vienna to Salzburg. There will be 3 of us. We will want a car to tour Bavaria, and must ultimately end up in Munich. YOur suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks for the info on this thread!

Hi aniab,

I'll be in Budapest next week - will post some suggestions for you when I get back, if you like.

How much time will you have in Vienna?

aniab72 may not be checking this posting anymore, original was last month

&lt;&lt;How was driving in/out of Vienna? I'm evaluating the merits of travel by rail or car from Vienna to Salzburg. There will be 3 of us. We will want a car to tour Bavaria, and must ultimately end up in Munich.&gt;&gt;

I don't remember any difficulties driving out of Vienna. An easy city to negotiate, like Munich.

I have never driven west from Vienna - - but a car is a plus/minus benefit IN Salzburg (the &quot;plus&quot; is for the hills and Alps up above Salzburg).

The biggest negative is likely to be the probability of a hefty surcharge to leave an Austrian car in Germany.

Beware the surcharges for car rentals. First, there are HUGE surcharges in Europe for dropping off a car in a city other than the one you rented (hired for the Brits) it in. Second, Prague is a car-thief haven and many rental companies will charge you extra for driving to Prague (this is true as of last year when we went). Third, local transport is pretty to very good in all three cities so your need for a car while in each city should be minimal unless you're staying in the sticks in each one (and that is unlikely b/c you'll be in Hiltons).

If you want to do day trips by car from those cities, that may be easier to work out.

One thought on Vienna to Budapest (or vice versa) is to go by hydrofoil down (or up) the Danube. Depending on the schedule, you may be able to have lunch in Bratislava on the way. Check Timeout Budapest or Timeout Vienna (www.timeout.com) and their links to get some travel information for each city and you can find out about the Danube cruises.