Opinions

Of course, it depends a lot on what you interests are? Art, history, etc.? All good guidebooks lists the top option for each city. Or check your public library.

Interested in History; walking around old towns etc. I've checked the guidebooks but wanted an opinion from those that have been there, not book writers.

Thanks,
Jean

Not trying to be snarky but the book writers have been there. Check out Steves' recommendation. We know for sure he has been there. It is such an open ended question that is difficult for a adequate response. I liked the castle in Praque. A better question might be -- What did you enjoy the most - the castle or the Jewish quarter? But maybe it was Wenceslas Square or the Old Town Square. What do you think you would enjoy the most?

You are being snarky and I know it's a difficult question but as I'm only going to be there on a two night Coach tour I would have liked individual opinions... Writers write from a different perspective...
Thanks anyway...

Hey, Frank. Nice replies. Not snarky in the least!

for Prague it would have to be the Municiple House, just a stunning building, but I am in Prague several times a year and have had a chance to see so much of it. second would be Charles Bridge and visting one of the towers on the bridge.
Favourite thing for me to do in Prague is to sit in Letna park Beer garden sinking a few with friends whilst enjoying the view over the city,something I have done on numerous times.
I also don't think frank was being snarky.
Vienna, been a long time since I was there and not a place I really care for.

Thank you, this is what I was asking for; and Frank I apologize if I took you the wrong way!
Jean

I take it you will be getting guided tours when in each city or will you be on your own for things to do.
https://livingprague.com/prague-tourism/
this is a great website for info on Prague,I am good friends with Jason who runs the website and he also does small group tours, his info is great and his tours excellent, his tours have a 99% 5 star rating on Trip advisor and the other 1% is 4 stars.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g274707-d10155172-Reviews-Livingprague-Prague_Bohemia.html

I enjoyed walking the trails down Petrin Hill and stopping midway at an outdoor cafe overlooking Prague. From there we headed to the Lennon Wall.

Hi Jean, I like your name! ; )

For Vienna, I enjoyed the gardens at the Schloss Schinbrunn and walking through the Rose Garden, etc. at the Ringstrasse. Loved attending a ballet at the Opera House and seeing the jewels of the Habsburgs. Be sure to stop into a coffee house for a special dessert. Lots of elegance in this city.

Vysehrad park has a lovely view of Prague. Tram to area and explore. The church was having a wedding, thus we saw the beautiful bride and handsome groom, but not the church. I believe we had lunch at a RS recommendation and I would recommend it too! I am not a beer drinker but we did have a couple in honor of RS. We missed the Jewish Quarter exhibition due to lack of time but walked the area. Guess I will return. I liked the castle too. Oh, heck Prague is one of my favorite cities. See and experience everything you possibly can in the time you have. I have read many historical fiction books regarding Prague and that adds to my experience of the city.

Wow, that's a hard one. .So many beautiful things to see in Budapest but I particularly loved the Great Market Hall! Probably just walking the old town center in Vienna and haven't been to Prague but going in November.

By the way, I hired a guide in Budapest and saw pretty much all the highlights in one full day!

By the way, I hired a guide in Budapest and saw pretty much all the highlights in one full day!

If you want to see just one thing in Prague - get up early to avoid crowds and walk from Wenceslas Square via Old Town Square across Charles Bridge to the Castle. You will se quite more than just one thing. That's what everybody wants to see, that's why this route is so incredibly crowded but people are lazy to get up early. After 9 to 10 am forget it.

Fair Question

Budapest:

FIRST: Service in a shul or synagogue followed by shabbat afternoon meal (I'm Baptist by the way)
Option: A bottle of wine from the little park on Gellert Hill from which you can have the most spectacular view of a life time.

Prague:

FIRST: The old Jewish neighborhood. (the appearance of a trend here is unintentional)
Options: Secession Building

Vienna:

FIRST: A trip to Melk
Options: The inside of a train leaving Vienna for Budapest. (sorry,not a great fan of Vienna)

Prague: Walking tour on your own to include old town, Charles Bridge, Little Quarter. You could easily also fit in the castle hill sites and walk down in the opposite direction, in a single full day.
Budapest: Rick Steves walking tour, include castle hill. With a day and a half you could also easily add the Terror Museum and a visit to one of the baths. I have only been to Gellert (twice) but go early because it my experience things can get grungy at the end of the day.
Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Shoenbrunn Palace.

Of these three, Budapest is my favorite, Prague second, Vienna third. All are great, just sharing my preferences.

Any extra time in the evening in Budapest can be used taking the waterfront tram up on side and down the other, walking across the Liberty Bridge and the Chain Bridge in between.

I recommend Rick's books for all of this stops.

I suggest...

Prague: the square with the astronomical clock, walk across Charles Bridge, Prague Castle complex

Vienna: either of the Hapsbug palaces - Hofburf in town or Schonbrunn, sit down and have a slice of Sacher torte at a coffee house, St. Stephens Cathedral or swing by to see the Lippizaner stallions/Spanish riding school (depending on timing)

Budapest: the Market Hall: Castle Hill

Hi,

I'll comment on Vienna since you are interested in history. Any particular aspect or focus? For the one or two things to see given your limited time, I recommend the Hofburg area, Maria Theresien Platz, Staatsoper, Albertina, etc all within walking distance which you could do in the morning, then in the early afternoon go to Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace).

Between that and the Gloriette (on the hill opposite of the Schloss) that will occupy the rest of the afternoon. Schönbrunn was the palace for the Habsburg dynasty until the end of WW1. Or, spend the entire time at Schönbrunn, skipping the Hofburg and the rest. Schönbrunn is fascinating if you take one of the tours, some of it is only open to tours.

We just returned from a trip including Vienna and Prague. You have great suggestions above, so I'll just hitchhike on a few.

Prague: We followed the frequent suggestions for an early visit to Charles Bridge, arriving around 8:30 a.m. on a weekday. It wasn't at all crowded, but was starting to fill up an hour or so later when we'd finished. No doubt the summer months are busier. You can then catch the tram (#22?) on the Little Quarter side of the bridge for a ride up to the Castle (which was quite crowded, but manageable, mid-morning).

Vienna: Schonbrunn -- arrived early and beat the crowds into the gardens. (We weren't interested in the interiors.) The maze in the gardens was a hoot, even for a couple in their 70s without a grandchild with us as an excuse. It's a few extra Euros, but we thought it was a value. My wife greatly enjoyed the show at the Spanish Riding School. (I enjoyed watching her watch the horses.) If interested, advance ticketing recommended; and arrive early enough to convert the internet "confirmation" into a real ticket for admission. (Ticket office is a different location within the sprawling Hofburg complex than the entrance to the SRS.)

Finally, spending some time on the Forum reading everything "Unclegus" has posted on Prague is a great investment. We enjoyed a couple of his restaurant tips, and would have hit the Letna gardens for dinner but for rain on the night we'd hoped to do so.

In Vienna, I recommend the New Palace. It houses the armor and old musical instrument collections. We expected to just walk quickly through the exhibit of armor as we have seen armor before in the Tower of London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but we came to a quick stop at the very first exhibit. The amount of armor and the very interesting displays were truly fascinating. And the different musical instruments stunned us. On top of that, we had the place almost to ourselves! Great fun!

Budapest - cruise on the river after dark. Vienna - Schonbrunn Palace. Prague - spend the day on Castle Hill.