considering trip to Europe in late August/early September

Vienna will be very nice during this time...usually hot, but nice evenings. During this time you can sample Sturm there. It is an Austrian specialty...lightly fermented new wine that is only available during the time you are thinking of going.

well that sounds nice! one mark in the point column for itinerary #2.

Likelihood that it will be more rainy or cold is obviously in Belgium and Netherland. At that time of year weather is usually mild even there. But of course you never know. I was in Budapest early September and it was raining and raining and cold. One has to be also lucky.

Nice time to rent a bike from Pedalpower and do a little ride up the Danube to Klosterneuburg. Maybe take the train to Melk and take a boat down the Danube to Durnstein and do an overnight at the Stockingerhof...great wines, wonderful scenery.

One thing you might do is check out the happenings available in the various destinations. You might see something that interests you and makes one a better trip than the other. Here is what is currently listed for Budapest: http://visitbudapest.travel/budapest-events/ But I would check back now and then because it is a little early for posting events for August and September. You should be able to book everything (flights and hotels, etc) as late as May without any problem. If you are looking for classical concerts, opera, ballet and operetta; most of the (non tourist) venues are closed in July, August and the first half of September. August is pretty warm in Western and Central Europe and feels more so because they dont really appreciate air conditioning the way I did when I was growing up in Houston. September is a little milder and mid September through mid October is perfect; cooler and the outdoor cafes, ruin pubs, etc are still open. You are talking about the end of August first of September so If the averages hold true in Budapest you can expect a high of maybe 80 worst case and a low of 55 and in Prague mabye a little under 75 to 50 with Vienna somewhere in between. These are some of the driest months of the year throughout the region so its really a pretty nice time to travel.

good info, james!

Then it also depneds on who you are and what you are going for. For instance there are things you can do in Amsterdam that are very difficult to do any place else. The beer is good in belgium but much better in Prague. If you want your money to go further then spend more time in Prague and especially in Budapest.

It won't be cold in either region, unless your defintion of cold starts at about 15 ° C, which is the absolute lowest temperature you could reasonably expect to encounter. But more than likely, you can expect temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. I would expect a bigger chance of uncomfortably hot weather in central Europe, however. Whether or not one region is more likely to experience rain is unpredictable, other than to say you will likely see rain in both. The types of businesses that close in August are not the sort a tourist will need to use, like building contractors, insurance agencies, law firms, etc. Base your decision on which region interests you more.

i've no doubt that the beer is excellent in prague, but no beer afficionado would claim the beer in prague is better than the beer in belgium. beligian beer is held as some of the if not the best in the world.

Beer? Yup, I knew tht would light some fuses. As for the weather, I just extrapolated the averages at Weather.com. But that really doesn't take into account the massive global warming tragedy. Personally I worry more about rain.

In Germany, the wine fests start in late August and September, so that can be a fun time to visit. It's my favorite time of year, weatherwise, as it's likely to be warm to hot and less rainy than other times.

"The beer is good in belgium but much better in Prague." THUD Need.beer.quick.Never.too.early.for.a.tripel ;-) Matthew, who is 'we'? What are your interests - museums, outdoor pursuits, architecture?

"we" is my wife and i. we enjoy most all aspects and sights, just not real big hiking/back packing types. full disclosure, it looks like we'll be postponing this europe trip indefinitely. we'll go as soon as we can, but we've decided to make a trip to San Francisco instead. we'll have enough miles for both plane tickets, so that was that (plus a good friend will be moving there in may)! if you want some closure, i was leaning toward the eastern european trip. the rick steve's eastern europe book i borrowed from the library even had me intrigued in krakow, and reserving vienna for a separate trip. maybe then we'd do austria and bavaria in one or something. NL and belgium sounded great, but the book on that region suggested a week would be more than enough time, so we might have had to find some filler. or not, who knows.

Well, if you want any travel advice for San Francisco, let me know. I miss my former adopted home!

i'm always interested in restaurant recommendations. i'll probably get a guide book, as well as taking suggestions from friends that live/lived there, but i always like to see what places continually come up as well liked. i've been twice before, once in high school, and once for business, but neither visit gave me much opportunity for an in depth visit. my wife has never been, and in fact, has never been to california, period. i'd like to visit a thomas keller restuarant. likely ad hoc, but french laundry would be a fun splurge as well.

Well, getting reservations at French Laundry is quite the ordeal, but good luck if you can get it! I'd love to eat there. While SF certainly has an abundance of fine dining, and I would certainly recommend a splurge, don't forget about the quality of our "lower end" food. Being a city of immigrants, San Francisco has some of the nation's best Asian food. And then there's the Mexican and Central American food! Don't forget Indian. It's also a good time to sample the food truck trend that's been going strong for over 5 years now. Chowhound.com has lots of lively discussion about what's best to eat in SF right now, on both ends of the spectrum, by some serious foodies. Better quality reviews than Yelp, IMO. I also wouldn't neglect the fact that SF is perfect for day tripping out of - the Marin coast, Redwoods -assuming you're outdoorsy types, get off the beaten path of the tourist-clogged Muir Woods and look into other redwood hikes around Mt. Tamalpais - coast (Marin headlands, Muir beach) or even Pt. Reyes. It's all stunningly beautiful. And great food can be found all over the bay area, not just in San Francisco. A fun trip if you enjoy alcohol is taking the Ferry from SF (checking out the ferry building while you're at it) to the island of Alameda where on a former naval base you can taste great wine at Rosenblum cellars and great vodkas, whiskeys, and other artisinal liquors at Hangar 1. A lot closer and better than Napa imo. In fact I'd recommend skipping Napa entirely - if you want to visit wine country, pick somewhere in Sonoma County instead.

i've utilized chowhounds in the past, they have good stuff. i'll definitely be looking for the hole-in-the-wall types as well. being from houston, that's some of our best food, so i certainly understand the hidden gems that can be found.

Awesome! I hate to give specific recommendations, since I've been gone two years (and in the year before I left I was unemployed so I wasn't eating out as much as I used to) and the restaurant scene has such a high turnover rate. I will suggest if you like Asian food to try to get out to the "second Chinatown" in the inner Sunset district, which has some of the best Chinese dim sum and Vietnamese food (including my favorite sandwich of all time, a Bahn Mi) and see what's getting the buzz over there right now. As a Texan I'm sure you're used to good Mexican food, but the Mission district burritos at El Farrolito are a SF institution for good reason. If you like Indian food, the mission district is also home to Udupi Palace, which specializes in South Indian foods like dosas, idllyi, and other things that can be hard to get elsewhere and are super delicious. Depending on how much time you have, a half day trip to Oakland might be worthwhile, particularly if you happen to be there during a "first Friday" of the month when right by the 19th street BART station there is a giant gathering of hipsters visiting various galleries. Lots of food trucks there, too. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger reportedly. Just like Rick Steves advises visiting markets in Europe, I think the bay area has some that are not to be missed. The Ferry Building Farmers Market (Saturdays and one other weekday, I don't remember which one) is super high end but has some amazing food. My "Home" market was the Saturday market in the Grand Lake district of Oakland with great crafts and is wonderful in conjunction with a matinee at the Grand Lake movie theater, a fully restored 1920s movie palace. Best falafel in NorCal around the corner at Holy Land. Writing this is making me so homesick!

Matthew, if you like seafood you should try Scoma's at Fisherman's Wharf. It's at 47 Pier #1. You have to really look for it as it's not something you just pass by walking down the street. Also, dim sum in China Town (or another area) is excellent. I consider myself to be somewhat of a dim sum aficionado. I try to have it wherever I travel. In Europe I've only had it in London and Paris, but I've had it also in NYC, Boston, S.F. & Oakland (many times), Seattle, Honolulu, and Vancouver B.C. Not to mention right here in Sacramento where I have it once or twice a month. I was in Houston for a couple of weeks in September and wanted to try it there, but it never happened. Dim sum is economical and a real experience. Definitely go to a place with carts. Another fun thing to do in San Francisco is to rent a bike at Fisherman's Wharf and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sauselito. Take the ferry back to S.F. from there. My German cousin wanted to do that during one of her visits and we had a lot of fun. Enjoy your trip!!

great info, everyone! i love banh mi, and will definitely look for some good chinese, as well. i've heard about scoma's so that will merit further investigation.

Renting bikes, like Andrea mentioned, is very fun. You can also take the ferry to Angel Island, rent bikes there, and ride. Very fun. Angel Island was the Ellis Island of the west coast and the history is fascinating. They also have a fun place to eat there. If you don't want to ride a bike to Sausalito, taking the ferry over is fun and Sausalito is a charming, fun town. You can also rent bikes in Sausalito and ride to Mill Valley, another charming town. Or, a ferry to Tiburon from SF... more charm. As for French Laundry and Thomas Keller, another option is a restaurant also in Yountville, called "Bouchon", also owned by Thomas Keller. Less expensive, although still pricey. Wonderful food and atmosphere. They also have a great bakery. Great Sushi... Tataki at the corner of Divisidero and California. I'm addicted to this place. Favorite Pizza.. Tony's in North Beach... especially love sitting outside with a view of Washington Square and great people-watching. We use Yelp to find good places to eat. Another great thing to do... San Francisco City Guides (sfguides.org). They have free 2 hr walking tours all over SF. They ask for a donation but it's not required. We do their walks all the time and love them. Go to their website and see what's offered for the dates you'll be here. There's an open top HOHO bus in SF that has more than one route, one includes Sausalito and Muir Woods. Have fun!

i know about bouchon, i got the bouchon bakery cookbook for christmas! the biking across the bridge and taking the ferry back sounds great. we loved doing bike tours in paris, so this sounds like a lot of fun. i imagine it will involve a bit more cardio, however.

It's actually a fairly easy ride from SF. Going the opposite direction is tougher. After crossing the bridge, but before you ride into Sausalito, you could stop in at Cavallo Point (at the base of the bridge). Used to be an Army base that was restored and now open to the public - they have a wonderful restaurant (Michelin star) and a very fun bar - you can sit outside for drinks or bar food w/a view of SF and the GG Bridge. And don't miss Crissy Field at the Presidio... there's also a wonderful Disney Museum at the Presidio. It's more for adults and is fascinating. The Ferry Building is, in itself, a great place to check out. Lots of fun shops and good food. If you go, be sure to get a Blue Bottle coffee there! So good. I could go on and on!