Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest
 

As part of a 3 week trip we are considering giving Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest 2 weeks. Any opinions on how to break this up or is this too long a time for the three.

If you have 3 weeks you must do Prague.
It is the best of the 4. In 2 weeks I would do Salzburg 3, Vienna 3, Budapest 3, and Prague 5.

Rick:

I'd have to agree with Bob, but that also depends on your pace. This past March we had a week & spent 3 days in Budapest & 3 days in Vienna. Saw everything we wanted to see but didn't linger long at most sites. Would have been hard to have filled in the time to have spent 5-6 days per city. So with 3 weeks you many want to add at least Prague.

Z

Rick, so much depends on your interests. I could spend a week in Vienna alone with its many fine museums/palaces, parks and cafes/restaurants. Will you be traveling by car or train? You may also want to explore the Wachau area along the Danube River including Krems, Durnstein and Melk as well as a side trip to one of the wine growing areas such as Grinzing or Kahlenburg.

Salzburg can be done in a day but 2 would give you time to explore more of her lovely Old Town. With 3 days you could take a side trip to Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut.

I haven't been to Budapest or Prague but imagine you could spend 3 or 4 days in each.

All depends on how in depth you wish to explore these lovely cities.

I think also that Vienna could be worth 4 to 7 days depending on your interests, likes, and dislikes.
If and this is of course a big IF you like opera you have two opera houses in Vienna to select from. I went to 3 performances at Die Voksoper in 4 days and loved all of it.

But that is a preference of mine, and I know it does not apply to others.
Salzburg is a place that is actually fairly limited despite the throngs of tourists who go there. The old town is neat, but the major attractions can be seen in a day or a day and a half. The pleasure palace of the prince/archbishops at Schloss Heilbrunn is worth perhaps a half day, and the fortress on the hill is worth about half a day for a visit. Other than that, I soon run out of building to go to. The redeeming feature is the ambience of the old town, which has neat places to eat and shops to poke around in.


And I must cite the Marionetten Theater as a fun place to visit. The people who manipulate those marionettes are magicians.

I agree wtih other posters. If you are interested in art, Vienna in 4 days is way too short. It is a very impressive city culturally. I would have gladly given away a day of our Budapest stay for another in Vienna.
Do add Prague, everything you read about how lovely it is will be true.
We were there Sept 03, so impressions are fresh. Budapest is a bigger city feel, lacks in the architectural beauty of Vienna and Prague.

I think it is always helpful when folks give you the reasons why they feel the way they do about places. That said, i would certainly agree that Prague is worth several days IF you enjoy being in areas that still look and seem medieval (just take away the cars and tramsd and you will quickly see why so many period piece film exteriors have been done in the old part of Pargue. Also, if you enjoy baroque adornment, particularly gold leaf, the churches are magnificent. The Castle is very impressive as is the Loretto (if you of a religious bent and want to see some of the most equisite religious monstrances, etc., ever made go to the vault room there). Of course, the Charles Bridge is a real visitor magnet, and for good reason. Lots of Marionette theatres to choose from, too.

I would second the recommendation for the Wasserspiele at the Heilbrunn in Salzburg, the cathedral, and the marrionettes there, too...also agree that there isn't as much to see in Salzburg as in any of the other three.

Vienna I would say is much more opulent than Budapest (a city I also like especially seeing the changes this past summer compared to when I first visited in 1970) and Prague..more palaces and "great" art works on view.

I hope you get to them all and I hope you enjoy them so much you'll want to go back. Enjoy your trip.

I can't speak to Salzburg, though others have, but can speak to Vienna, Budapest and the unasked (but others reasonably answered) Prague.

All depends on your personal interests, but in general Vienna surely is worth at least 4 days, with more capable of being filled delightfully. Budapest is also worth 4 days, and 5-6 would be even better as it would allow excellent trips outside the capital: the all-day "Danube Bend" tour covering Visegrad, Esztergom and Szentendre is one recommendation; Eger is absolutely delightful for a day or two, inclusive of some time in the wine caves (stay overnight?). Prague is pretty but for all the physical attraction I found the other two cities to offer more -- but that's just my experience/opinion.

Many years ago a gentleman on an aieplane said he regarded 2 weeks as necessary to get a feel/understanding of a country (state, if the US), and I must agree. However most of us don't get that much time when travelling longer distances. I think one can do OK with 4-5 days -- so long as you take time to just poke around some without a tight schedule, away from main tourist spots if still sights of interest.

So, 2 weeks is not to long for three cities. TravelMaster did not "linger long at most sites", which is a shame. Clearly he did not get away from the main tourist route either, also unfortunate. It is often the thing not previously scheduled that brings the greatest insight and pleasure.

You are considering great places -- and it should be a great trip.

I too agree you should add Prague but I wouldn't stay more than 3 days there as you can see a lot in that time.

Add extra time to Budapest and go to Gellert Baths and Spa every day, it's very nice!

Intrepid and I seem to be the most captivated by Prague (not only on this thread). It is an absolutely wonderful city. How many days to spend there? As many as you can. There is something interesting around every corner.

We visited Prague, Vienna and Budapest this last spring and are anxious to return. Interestingly, Vienna was my least favorite of the three cities, but in all fairness we spent the least amount of time there. Perhaps I didn't have time to really get acquainted with the city.

Budapest, while true is not as beautiful in terms of overall architecture, etc. as others have noted, has much to offer. We were sorry not to have as much time to spend there as we did in Prague.

Traveling to the three cities is a wonderful experience (we've never been to Salzburg) and best of all easy train trips from one city to the next.

Whatever you decide Rick, I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose Prague and Budapest in particular.