Side trip from Prague

Prague and Vienna make for a good trip. I’ll be spending time in both in March. I do have more time than you though. You could do 2 days Prague (that would be 3 nights) and 3 days Vienna (that would be 4 nights).

Yes, i would try to do both cities, both great cities but different. Do some research to see what attractions appeal to you, then decide timing. Have a great trip!

For me, Vienna wins the museum sweepstakes, especially for art lovers. Prague wins the gorgeous-architecture award. That's not to say Vienna isn't beautiful or that Prague has no museums.

I must say that with five days I'd be delighted to spend all my time in just one of those places. You'll spend about 4-1/2 hours sitting on a train between them, and that doesn't include the business of packing up, checking in and out of hotels and traveling between the hotels and the train stations. Realistically, you'll lose a major chunk of one day if you switch cities. It does help a lot that you don't expect to have to return to Prague after visiting Vienna.

Note that there are some sights in Vienna for which you'll want to buy tickets ahead of time, if they are of interest to you.

Although I live in Prague I worked in Vienna for two years so I think you'd go for option 3. As pointed out, Vienna has some of the finest arts culture in Europe so if that interests you then you'll need 2 days. Prague has a lot of museums but they are smaller and cater to a wide variety of tastes. Your teenager might appreciate the "Bohemian" laid back Prague style as opposed to the more regimented Vienna.

I vote for spending 2 full days in Prague instead and travel on day 3 to Vienna and have 2.5 days in Vienna? Get an early train.

Your teenager might appreciate the "Bohemian" laid back Prague style as opposed to the more regimented Vienna.

I agree with Jason's characterization of Vienna, and unless your teen is into art history, the natural history museum could be the most viable choice. You might consider a visit to the Prater amusement park to liven up the time in Vienna.