We are considering the following itinerary via train and bus in late September-mid October and would appreciate feedback from those who have traveled to these locations as to how it might best be tweaked. We can add a day but would like to stay within 21 days. We’ve chosen these locations to provide a mix of big cities where we can see some of the major sights,and smaller towns where we can just wander. (We have visited MANY castles, stately homes, museums, and cathedrals and no longer feel the need to visit them all.) We always enjoy pretty scenery and picturesque small towns. Weatherwise, would it make much difference to travel Budapest to Prague vs. Prague to Budapest given that temperatures may be falling during the trip?
Specifically, is it worth the time to go out of the way to spend the night in Hallstatt vs going straight from Vienna to Salzburg (2 ½ hours)?
Thanks in advance for sharing your insights.
Day 1 Fly Washington DC to Budapest; arrive early morning
Days 2-5 Sightsee in Budapest
Day 6 Budapest to Vienna (2 hrs 45 min; arrive late morning)
Day 7 Sightsee in Vienna
Day 8 Day trip Vienna to Bratislava (1 hour each way)
Day 9 Vienna to Hallstatt; spend night there (3-4 hours)
Day 10 Hallstatt to Salzburg (2 ½ hours)
Day 11-12 Sightsee in Salzburg
Day 13 Salzburg to Cesky Krumlov (3 hours)
Day 14 Day trip Cesky Krumlov to Ceske Budejovice (25 minutes each way)
Day 15 Cesky Krumlov to Prague (2 ½ -3 ½ hours)
Days 17-19 Sightsee in Prague
Day 20 Fly Prague to Washington DC