Vet my itinerary
 

We are planning to spend 30 days in Europe as follows:
Prague 4 days
Vienna 4 days
Bratislava 3 days
Budapest 3 days
Salzburg 2 days
Innsbruck 3 days
Switzerland 10 days

Do the number of days seem too many or too few or just right?
Are we leaving out some great place in and around these places?

Feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ten days in Switzerland seems like a lot.

Without knowing who and how many you are - and what your interests are - and WHEN you will be traveling it's really impossible to tell you if the list/times makes sense.

I agree: far too little info to be very helpful. And I can easily see fewer days in Switzerland but that depends on where you are there and what you want to see and do.

Hi
Thank you for your replies.
We are 2 of us - me and my husband.
Both of us are in our mid to late 50s.
We love places of natural scenic beauty, museums and would be interested in places of general tourist interest.
This would be our first and probably last visit to all the above-mentioned places.
Thanks for your help.
Sonal

PS
We are both vegetarians by choice, so any tips regarding availability of vegetarian food would be appreciated.

Oh shucks.............just read on another post that May is not a good time for Switzerland.
We are planning a May visit too :(
I think all Indian visitors choose May because that is vacation time in Indian schools.
Anyway, cannot change our dates, so we will be going to all above places in May.

Depending upon where you go in Switzerland you can expect to see a lot of visitors from other countries and not just from India. Please be aware now there is a reason people crowd into certain areas, particularly the Berner Oberland and they certainly are not all from India.

IMO May is a great time to be in Switzerland, and after all, two of "all those visitors" are going to be YOU.

Aside from the Switzerland itinerary, which is preference, the number of days in the other cities seems about right to me.

We spent 3 days in Brataslavia in November 2014. Honestly, not a lot to see or do. I would make it a day trip from Vienna and add days to Budapest.

Your days seem fine -- IF that is what you actually have. How long is your trip in total?

To get say 4 days in Prague, you need to stay 5 nights, 3 days in Bratislava = 4 nights, and so on.

Are you going by train - I would - especially in Switzerland where in some key Alpine areas cars are banned. If doing the first part all by train investigate the Eastern European Railpass that lets you hop on most trains in Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary - you have enough days of trains if going by train to make that pass be a good deal and again fully unfettered flexibility to hop any train anytime.

Ditto for Switzerland in ten days - trains are a great way to go. check www.swisstravelsystem.com for lots on Swiss trains and for trains in both countries check www.ricksteves.com; wwwseat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Think the Eastern European Railpass must be bought outside of Austria but not totally sure of that.

Are we leaving out some great place in and around these places?>

In Vienna you can do a day trip to the nearby Wachau Valley - take a train to Melk, tour the famous Abbey there - hop a boat to Durnstein, cute wine town and bus to nearby Krens and return to Vienna by train.

Vineyard-laced Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wach...w=1920&bih=955

From what I've heard and seen of Bratislava (haven't been myself though), I would personally add more time to Budapest or Vienna. We were in Budapest for the 3 full days without leaving the city, and still haven't done everything we wanted to. You'll get a chance to visit one or two Thermal spas and that takes a few hours at least.

I second the idea of taking the boat to Wachau Valley (Melk, Durnstein) perhaps you could do that one the way to Salzburg as we did. That was a great day trip/transfer. And in Salzburg you'll need one day for the city itself, and at least 1-2 days for Salzkammergut region . Halstatt and St. Wolfgang with its Mountain Train (if opened this time of year). The train is featured in the Sound of Music, and if the weather is favourable, you'll have some marvellous views from the top. Or as in our case, complete fog and 50cm visibility ;)) Which we still thought was a great experience!

Around Prague, you might be interested in seeing Kutna Hora with its cathedral. Not crowded at all, unlike Prague itself. And between Vienna and Prague, try to stop overnight at Cesky Krumlov. We liked it a lot, but even more so we loved visiting the Hluboka Castle. Absolutely beautiful inside.

Can't comment regarding other places on your itinerary, but these I do recommend highly.

Enjoy your trip!

I would certainly take a day from Bratislava and move it to Budapest.

My favorite thing to do in Bratislava is to bike, perhaps to the vineyards of eastern Austria or along the Danube out to the modern art museum (far, but flat). If you don't bike, I'd take a second day from Bratislava and put it anywhere. (Of course, I'd put it in Budapest). If you like museums, maybe move it to Vienna.

Personally, I would spend a night in Bratislava (which for me means 2 nights, as I never spend just one night anywhere). I love the old town at night after the cruise people leave. See if you can get a reasonable room at the Marroll or the Arcadia.

Bratislava is not the best place to be a vegetarian, although Slovaks eat a lot of sheeps cheese. For a day or two, you'll survive.

I'm in Budapest for the month of May. If I can help you, scream.

Budapest is a great music city. A few weeks ago, I bought tickets to a few things. Most were getting quite picked over. Bratislava has a wonderful second tier music scene also. You may be able to get a ticket at the Reduta in Bratislava on the same day. If so, do it (the ticket office is in the same building as the music hall.... Just to the left of the main doors). The concerts there are short; the hall is lovely.

Bratislava -

We did this walking tour and found it a great way to learn about the city:
http://www.befreetours.com/

We stayed at Marrols via Hotwire and it was really top notch.

http://www.hotelmarrols.sk/

Bratislava for 3 days - I did a day trip there from Vienna -just an hour by train and though I may have liked a full day for the city but the compact old town does not have nearly the more substantial sights as say a Vienna has - consider doing a day trip from Vienna IMO and spending more days in Vienna perhaps - less relocating saves time and stress.

I'd add a day to Salzburg and snatch one away from Innsbruck - for one thing a day in the Sound of Music Country just west of Salzburg is wonderful - A K A The Austrian Lake District - head to St Wolfgang,perhaps take the train up a mountain there for fab views - postal buses go regulary from Salzburg to the lakes in about an hour or so.

A warm thank you to everyone who replied.
Much appreciated :)