Vienna, Prague, Budapest trip

All of these cities have extensive green areas nearby. I will mention "Prague's most scenic walk." Find it on BBQboy.net: go to Destinations, then Czech Republic, and scroll down until you find it.

We spent a couple of days in Bratislava--39 miles south of Vienna. It is close but so far away. Lovely place.

Salzburg might fit the bill for that.

Squeeze in as in while you are in these cities or in route between the cities or day trips out of the cities? And you are using the train between cities?

Does it have to be by train? You can take Flixbus that’s direct from Prague to Cesky Krumlov (2h 30m). In Vienna you can take a direct train to Bratislava (1h 15m) or Salzburg (2h 30m).

Thanks everyone for the responses. I was thinking we might stay for a couple of days in a smaller town, perhaps with some nice hikes. So yeah not a day trip, perhaps 3-4 days in each city (Vienna, Prague, Budapest in that order) and a couple of days in a small picturesque town. Yeah we are planning to take a train between the cities. And no buses as I get a bit carsick in buses.

( Vienna, Prague, Budapest in that order) Not a good plan . By starting in Vienna you will be doing a fair amount of backtracking and extra unnecessary travel . Four hours between Prague and Vienna , three hours between Vienna and Budapest . Better to go in a straight line . Either start in Budapest or Prague, and go in one direction

1) If you mean 3 full days without travel; I would break it down 4 nights in Vienna, 4 nights in Prague and 4 nights in Budapest; but do look at the size of the cities and the number of activities and sights you are interested in.
2) Of a two week trip that should leave you with at least 2 nights in your small town (if you have less first take a night from Prague - just my bias)
3) I suspect others will have better ideas but Salzburg comes to mind for the weather and you can split your time in Vienna with a side trip to Salzburg (about 4 degrees cooler than either Vienna or Budapest).
4) Between Vienna and Prague you could stop in Cesky Krumlov for a few nights, but it will be pretty crowded in July but I suspect others here can offer some other equally interesting stops between Vienna and Prague that aren't too far out of the way.
5) I would suggest flying from Prague to Budapest instead of the train it will save you 3 to 4 hours of travel time and overcomes the lost time back tracking ( https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/czech/prague-to-budapest-transportation-options )
6) Okay, I will make a Hungary plug and suggest getting an airbnb in Budapest, and dropping your bags, and taking a side trip for a few days in Lillafured, Hungary: https://www.thecommonwanderer.com/blog/lillafured-guide (I doubt you will see many American tourists wich can be a plus)

SORRY FOR ALL OF THE EDITS

I would suggest Telc or Olomouc in Czech Republic, or you could do Salzburg/Salzkammergut, as mentioned.

We chose Vienna as a starting point as we have a non stop flight from DC. And these days flying is so stressful, I prefer the ease of trains. Also I quite enjoy the train trips, so it is not a hardship at all.

Thanks for the side trip suggestions! We have been to Salzburg before when we were in Munich but definitely don't mind going again. I will check out Lillafured, Telc, Olomouc as well.

If you've been to Salzburg already, then maybe look at Sopron or Rust, both near the Neusiedlersee.

We recently came across this company that provides sightseeing while transporting you from cities like the ones on your itinerary.
https://www.sidetriptours.com/