12 days to quickly cover Prague, Vienna and Budapest.

Why return to Amsterdam to fly back ? Open jaw into Amsterdam , and back from Budapest

We have to return to Amsterdam because my daughter is spending a year there for work and I will spend my last few vacation days with her there before returning to Canada.

We did a similar route last year. We flew to AMS for layover then spent 5N in Budapest, 5N in Vienna, 2N in Cesky Krumlov, 6N in Prague and 5N in Amsterdam, then home.

Do you have 12 full days? With limited time you may need to prioritize what your interests are and then decide how you can divide your time. We particularly enjoyed the history and culture of Budapest and Prague the most. We loved Amsterdam.

Prague 3 days
Vienna 3 days
Salzburg 2 days
Budapest 4 days
Fly back to Amsterdam

Where to stay in Budapest? Since it's such a fast trip and those "days" include travel time I suggest you stay on the river. Check out the Marriott and the Intercontinental. Or up Andrassy ut. Check out the Hotel Moments and the K&K Opera. All reasonable and safe.

Janis, we have 12 full days to do this fast trip, including travel time in between cities.This is due to the limit of time my daughter can take off from work. But I will be spending a week in the Netherlands prior to our 12-days , 4 city-trip. Thanks.

James, that looks like what I had imagined in terms of time distribution.Thanks for the tip about Budapest.

Since you have the RS books, you definitely dont need these

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Budapest-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide/dp/0241364698/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=eyewitness+travel+budapest+top+10&qid=1580525123&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Prague-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide/dp/0241364914/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=eyewitness+travel+budapest+top+10&qid=1580525123&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Vienna-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide/dp/1465468986/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=eyewitness+travel+budapest+top+10&qid=1580525275&sr=8-5

Evelyne,
I would agree with Sir James E. itinerary. I think that looks very doable. We found the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Budapest Guidebook very helpful. Enjoy your planning!

Prague we have stayed in Hotel Anna in Vinohrady twice - it was recommended by the NY Times 36 hours in Prague a few years ago. Vinohrady is a few stops on the underground metro from the tourist area and is a very safe neighbourhood at night.
Budapest we stayed in Bohem Art Hotel. Best breakfast we have ever had in a hotel. It’s one street back off the river and close to the Great Market Hall. Closest underground stop is Fovam Ter. Easy walk across to the castle, art gallery etc.

Thanks Janis. The planning is part of the fun for me!!

Dear AussieNomad, thanks for the advice. I will definitely check those places out!

Thanks James, it is always fun to cross-reference! Appreciate it.

In all seriousness, the RS books are treasure troves of encyclopedic data and lists and names. The Eyewitness Guides I found more useful on the street as they are more graphic and you can reference the big ticket info quickly. The maps are brilliant.

Evelyne, I would gladly recommend the folowing accommodations:
AMS: Collector B&B. the-collector.nl
Prague: Hotel Hastal hotelhastalprague.com
Vienna: Hotel Austria hotelaustria-wien.at
Budapest: Paty's Place or other available apartments with Budapest Apartment Service. [email protected] (Manager Andy) A pleasure to work with him!

All accommodations were highly recommended, centrally located, & middle of the road budget. As far as "safe places" we felt comfortable in all areas & cities.

I would be happy to provide restaurant recommendations. Feel free to PM me.

This sounds like a great trip! I've been to these places, some more times than others, but can only give hotel recommendations for Vienna; I stayed in hostels or apartments (or, in the case of Salzburg, a pension that I believe is - deservedly - no longer in operation) in Prague and Budapest.

Hotel Pension Corvinus and Hotel Pension Mariahilf are both on Mariahilfer Strasse. They are both fine hotels, although I'd give the edge to Corvinus, which had nicer rooms and a totally bizarre picture of Michael Jackson I think with the owner's kids? I guess he stayed there once? Either way, both are clean and safe; they are near an U-Bahn station, but we always just walked; it's not long to the Ring. I also stayed in Pension Suzanne, which is right by the opera. It was also very nice; the furniture was old, but more antique-y old, not cheap-1960's old, if that makes sense.

Only you can answer what you want to see, but here were my personal highlights:

PRAGUE
St. Vitus Cathedral (the castle is interesting, but the Cathedral is the main draw here)
Old Town Square
Mucha Museum
Museum of Communism (so quirky, I love it)
Kafka Museum (so weird, I did not love it, the hallway with the filing cabinets freaked me out, definitely see it because it is exactly what a Kafka museum should be)
Jewish Quarter
WISH I'D SEEN: Strahov Library

VIENNA
Hofburg Imperial Apartments
Schönbrunn Palace (some say see one or the other. I say, SEE ALL THE PALACES. Seriously, though, I think they are different enough to justify seeing both)
Kunsthistorisches Museum
World Museum Vienna (Did this used to be called something different? Either way, your mileage may vary here. My sister loved the Ephesus statues; I loved the old oboes; if these things don't make you excited maybe skip it?)
Kaisergruft (Dead Habsburgs!)
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Haus der Musik (fun, interactive museum, open late)
WISH I'D SEEN: Naschmarkt; The Secession; Belvedere Palace; Imperial Treasury (I have no idea how I've managed to miss this each time; I think it's because it's a separate ticket from the Apartments?)

SALZBURG
Bob's Sound of Music Tour
WISH I'D SEEN: NOTHING!!!
Okay, that is harsh, as Salzburg is really quite nice. I've just had - not terrible, but not great experiences there, and I'm not a huge Mozart fan. But I love Bob's Sound of Music Tour, because it gets you up into the hills, which are beautiful. I also loved the two nights my sister and I spent in Hallstatt.

BUDAPEST
Great Market Hall
Great Synagogue (especially the garden and Tree of Life)
Hungarian State Opera House
Hospital in the Rock (really interesting underground hospital)
WISH I'D SEEN: House of Terror; Holocaust Memorial Center; Memento Park (I went with family, including a teen, who weren't as interested in these places as I was). My sister-in-law enjoyed the baths, although they aren't really something I'd like.

Have a wonderful trip!!

Thanks Janis...just pm'ed you.

Thanks Allison for taking the time to write this extensive list of what to see and do...it will simplify my life for sure ! I greatly appreciate all your input fellow travellers! This forum is just great!!

James, I will check the books out, thanks.

In Prague I stayed at the Hotel Ventana. ONe of the best hotel experience of all my trips. The location is brilliant. Walk out the door and turn a corner and you are "there". But a bit pricey.... Still I would do it again.

I stayed in the Hotel Corinthia in Budapest a couple of weeks ago, and they knocked it out of the park too. Amazing place with spectacular service and it is simply gorgeous. Location is about an 8 out of 10. It has a reputation of being expensive but I got reservation for a standard room for $120 which they upgraded when I checked in .... because they had some nicer rooms available. No charge, just being nice.....

Generally speaking on all but the shortest trips the best idea is to stay along the M1 Metro Line / Andrassy ut corridor, or someplace just across the loop road from the Deak Ferenc ter metro station (across means in District VI or VII but not in District V). It sounds from that description that you will rely heavily on metros in Budapest. Not really the case. Its just that its an easy way to describe the zones. You will rely heavily on the Tram lines and that's a good thing. The trams are the best HOHO "buses" one can imagine (at a fraction of the cost). I've stayed at the K&K a few times over the years. When I recommend it, people have said it worked well for them. But there are a lot of great hotels in all cost categories in the area I suggest.

Do book early for high season. The town is selling very well. If you do an AirBnb or similar, do make sure its a legal operation and has AC if in the Summer. Also remember that the First Floor is our Second Floor and a lot of the apartment houses do not have elevators. The floor to floor height on the first floors can be as much as 20 feet (because ground floors quite often are retail) which is almost a 2 story walk up the stairs just to get up one floor. So an apartment on the "Second" floor can be the equivalent to climbing to the fourth floor in the US.

AND, this has nothing to do with your trip (its about $200 from Budapest), but I loved this place so much I plug it every chance I get: http://hotelkraljevac.com/bs/home/

If you like opera or music, the opera at Budapest is a very good value. Note that it has supertitles, in Hungarian (you are in Hungary). So, if you don't read Hungarian or know the language of the opera, you may not be able to follow. So, best thing is to pick a familiar opera. The prices are reasonable, and the shows sell out quickly. Check their website now and buy tickets ASAP. We saw "MacBeth" in 2011 and the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" in 2019. The Sleeping beauty was fun, light, very Disneyfied, and there were a lot of children with their parents. Fun. The opera house itself is closed (I think), but you go to another venue near the Kalady Train station.

We stayed in the Isis Hotel near Hősök tere. The breakfast was fabulous. It's near several museums, including the usually overlooked Hungarian Agricultural Museum. Also near the baths.

Thank you James and Paul for great advice.
James, that place looks incredible...I will keep it in mind for a future trip!

Evelyne, it will set you back 30 euro a night.

That is incredible!!

If you like opera or music, the opera at Budapest is a very good
value.

If you like classical music and want to see very good performances in a culturally relevant environment, go to Budapest.
If you like classical music and want to hear and see the very best in the world, go to Vienna.

Evelyne,
Our favorite chamber classical concert in Prague was at the beautiful Klememtinum Mirror Chapel. We enjoyed Vivaldi Four Seasons. We purchased our tickets online. It's a 65 minute concert. PragueClassicalconcerts.com.

Following the concert we walked across the St. Charles Bridge for a wonderful dinner at Hergetova Cihelna. Located on the river. The view was stunning looking towards the bridge. The Mediterranean cuisine was excellent. Magical experience. We booked reservations well in advance online.

Evelyne,

When you get your hotel reservation in Budapest, let me know and I have some other information that might help.

If you can arrange it so that you are in Budapest on May Day (May 1) its always a celebration and lots of fun. Among other things they have car races in the city and shut down Andrassy ut except for pedestrians and food and music. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr39QYc59fI oooops, wrong year. nvm

Thanks to both of you , James and Janis, for your recommendations. I will definitely book cultural performances in all 3 cities.
I am now planning the order in which we will tour the cities , including a sidetrip to Salzburg. Originally, I was going to go Prague-Vienna ( with a return day trip and overnight to Salzburg) -Budapest. But looking at the map, It came to me that it would make more sense and eliminate any backtracking to go Prague-Salzburg-Vienna ( including a small cruise on the Danube from Melk to Krems on the way to Vienna if possible)-Budapest. I have not looked into the trains versus planes transportation efficiency yet, but about to. Do you have any opinion on that plan?

For the time being at least, classical music, theater and ballet is still very much a cultural thing in Budapest. Outside of the balcony, most of those there will be Hungarian.

The Hungarian State Opera House is still closed for renovations. Tours are still available though: http://www.opera.hu/v/7445

Shows are taking place at the Erkel theater which reflects its original mission of being the common man's theater in Budapest http://www.opera.hu/building/erkel-theatre and thats not bad as it makes it a more "Hungarian" experience. Get seats in the zone called Erkely Kozeppaholy. They will set you back 3.900 to maybe 7.900 forints.

But, performances are also taking place at the Eiffel Art Studios. Once one of the largest railroad maintenance facilities in Europe it has been re-purposed to support theater arts in Budapest. I would love to see the place! http://www.opera.hu/v/eiffel-art-studios/ (play the video).

Another great venue is Budapest Operett Theater. http://www.operett.hu/index.php?inc=musor&menuId=3&ev=2020&honap=4&helyszin=&repertoar= which for me is a lot more fun. Beautiful venue, excellent shows (most with English "subtitles"). The secret here is to purchase a box seat (1 through 5 either right or left) and at intermission you will be invited to the parlor for champagne and hors d'oeuvres at a shared table where you get to meet and talk with those in your box. Tickets will set you back 6.600 to 11.500 forints.

For both the opera and the operett, the good seats for the rest of the season will be gone in the next couple of weeks.
If you want to enjoy the performance and be among Hungarians buy good seats. Men, a sports coat and tie at a minimum. Women, what ever is the equivalent of a sports coat and tie.

In Prague my favorite venue was the Rudolfinum; but the Municipal House was a lot grander and lot more like what tourist expect to see. Actually there are so many spectacular venues in Prague, pick what you want to see and hear, and you cant really go wrong.

The classic trip is Prague - Vienna - Budapest.
When people expand on this they often do
Prague - Cesky Krumlov - Vienna - Bratislava or Pannonhalma/Gyor - Budapest

Been to Vienna and Prague a few times, but not my speciality. So I will leave that to someone else. Vienna to Budapest is definitely a train ride.

Another option that some are doing is Prague to Budapest ($125 on Czech Air) then to Vienna which is split with an overnight in Salzburg (all by train).

thanks again James...all very useful.