how many days in each city

How refreshing to not see someone with 21 days asking if their choice of 15 or 16 stops is going to work.. lol

I think with 3 weeks you could add one more place easily. Where are you flying in and out of? Are you travelling by train?

Budapest is the most lad back of the three cities so I say you end the trip there and recover.

1. Depart the US
2. Arrive Amsterdam
3. Amsterdam
4. Amsterdam
5. Amsterdam
6. How are you getting to Prague?
7. There must be one good stop along the way, but this is a part of the world that I am not familiar with
8. Arrive Prague (now I am some place I know something about)
9. Prague
10. Prague
11. Prague
12. Prague to Cesky Krumlov
13. Cesky Krumlov to Vienna
14. Yes, you must see Vienna at least one day and two full days would be better.
15. Vienna to Gyor and the Archabbey at Pannonalma
16. Gyor to Budapest
17. Budapest https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/many-thanks
18. Budapest
19. Budapest
20. Budapest
21. Budapest Home

Pam,

If you just look at days into cities, you have about 7 days in each. Not counting travel between and getting into Europe.

For some, they would die of boredom for others, just right and probably for some too fast.

have you looked into what each place has to offer?

one other thing that by having more time, you can do some day side trips.

one last comment. If this is your first (of many?) trips, i would look at it as your test trip and see how you like the pace. Not that every other trip will be the same, but at least you can determine how it fits you and your soon to be travel style.

by the way, you will enjoy them.

happy trails.

If your 21 days includes travel time from US to Europe and return = 19 days Europe. Travel time between 3 places (checking in and out plus travel time) = 2 days. 19 - 2 = 17 days for 3 places = about 4 days each. I have been to all three of those places and 4 days in each is great timing unless you have been to any one of them for some period of time before. Enjoy and happy travels.

Okay, I'll give you some ideas. Stop for 2 nights in Vienna on the train route between Budapest and Prague. I haven't been to Cesky Krumlov, but others rave about it.

Are you planning to fly from Prague to Amsterdam? If you're taking trains, you could stop for a night or 2 at a couple of German cities along the way. I'd choose to skip Germany though and spend more time in the Netherlands.

Minimum stays:
3 days Amsterdam
1-3 days day trips from Amsterdam (or The Hague, equally convenient, cheaper)
3 days Prague, add a day to visit Teresin
1-2 days Cesky Krumlov (optional) - it's a detour from the straight Prague-Vienna-Budapest route
2 days Vienna
4 days minimum in Budapest. There are good day trips from Budapest. James may not agree with me (what are the odds?) but I think Budapest has more interesting sights than the others. And it's probably cheapest.

Allow 1/2 day for travel to each new destination. Do you have 21 days on the ground or does that include 1 day to Europe 1 day back to the U.S.?

With so many days in each city, put me in the bored spitless category. However, some posters are in high clover staying their entire time in one city. Since you are asking the question, it appears you may have some doubts about your current itinerary. Determine what's best for you.

If you arrive in Amsterdam, I would add 2 days in Brussels ( direct train connection) 1 day in Antwerp ( direct train connection from Amsterdam) (intersting jewish area, zoo and Rubens House) and 1 -2 days in Bruges, such a pretty town called the Venice of the North. Do take the opportunity of making a boat tour on the canals.
Visit also Vienna.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have given your suggestions great thought. I'm going by myself, flying into Amsterdam. I'll be taking trains to Prague and Budapest. I'll be flying home from Budapest. My theory is that I can take a few day trips from each city. I just hate packing so often. I will add Vienna to my trip since I'll be going by train to Budapest. I have been to Europe many times, mostly southern Europe, France, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Greece.

I want to be able to spend enough time in each city to really feel at home. I did plan to go to Cesky Krumlov and Trebon. A couple of questions. How early should I buy airline tickets to and from Europe? I tried to take a look at train schedules but I didn't get a good idea about that travel. I'm betting that just buying tickets as I go will work. Am I correct? Also, any suggestions about long train rides? Are overnight trains a good idea? I wanted to take trains to see the countryside so night trains wouldn't allow that.

How early should I buy airline tickets to and from Europe?

I buy my tickets as soon as i have my itinerary nailed down.

I tried to take a look at train schedules but I didn't get a good idea about that travel. I'm betting that just buying tickets as I go will work. Am I correct?

you can look at seat61.com, linkhere and get an idea on travel info. bahn.de/com is another one, link here too, but as far a buying, nada.

im not familiar with how crowded those trains/lines are during your stay, but i will guess that June will be busy.

I will usually buy my tickets in advance when i can since i know where I'm going. If i didnt, then i would wing it. I will usually have my hotels reserved ahead of time so again, i know where i need to be and so buying my tickets ahead of time is a no brainer.

Also, any suggestions about long train rides? Are overnight trains a good idea? I wanted to take trains to see the countryside so night trains wouldn't allow that.

Thats up to you. If you havent travel up till now, you will get a really fast idea on if you like sitting on a train for hours. I look it as TIME & $$$$. how much is it worth to you to spend 4+ hours on a train vs spending time in a cool place? Granted the train ride could be cool too, but will it be?

This is just me and how i travel, but if the train trip is 4+ hours long, i will also look at how long and $$$ for a plane ticket. Note that if i do a plane hop, i also add into that travel to/from airport to city and cost and also waiting in security.

I did all of my travels last Sept by train and i can tell you it wasnt more interesting than the people sitting next to me. I chatted with the locals more and have so far in all of my train travels.

With regards to an overnight train trip. you may want to ask if anyone has done them on whatever leg you are planning to do so. I did the overnight from Budapest to Krakow and i would not do it again due to the fact that i didnt get any sleep due to starts/stops, coupling/uncoupling of cars. Im not sure how other legs are, but if they are anything like the Buda/Krak i wouldn't do them anymore. but thats just me and how I'm wired. I think that overnight train travel is subject for everyone and you will need to figure out the hard way if its for you.

happy trails.

I pretty much agree with Ray. My tolerance on a train is a little longer a 5 hours but that's about it. Its one of the reasons I put so many stops in my suggestion above. It breaks things up and allows you to see more variety. Generally I think if you purchase your next train trip when you arrive from the previous one you should do fine with the tickets.

Overnight trains? Naaaaa, just doesn't do it for me. It works like this. You check out of your hotel at noon, then you trust your luggage with the front desk while you go sightseeing until 8 pm when you have to return to the hotel, get your bag and head for the train station. Then with all of the adventure of the train its midnight before you fall asleep. You wake at 5 am terrified that you overslept and ended up in Bulgaria by mistake (impossible), then you arrive at 6 am. Your next hotel has a 2pm check in but you go and trust the bags with the front desk and go sight seeing. At 2pm you return and check in and take your first shower in the last 40 hours (in June, in Europe with no air conditioning). I did it when younger, but then in the 1960's no one showered much.......

Hi,

Good trip planned based on these 3 cities. About taking night trains: it's a personal decision and preference depending on what you are willing to cope with or tolerate. I say both advantages and disadvantages are part of the decision when going for the night train option. You gain a day by arriving in the morning, save on the accommodations. But, you might not feel tip top upon arrival. That depends on you. I have no problems at all taking night trains provided it's a CNL. I do one or two every trip made since 2009.

The night train option I suggest is this: Amsterdam to Berlin by day, put the luggage at the Gepäck Center (next to the WC) at Berlin Hbf. This gives you time to visit Berlin for several hours. Take the Berlin-Budapest night train. That's the quickest route going through CZ. The entire ride takes ca 11 hrs. but it's direct.

The longer route on the CNL night train goes from Berlin-Munich Hbf. Arriving in Munich a bit after 0700 you can have breakfast at the Hbf or one of the hotels nearby (you need to be a guest at a hotel to have breakfast). Then take the RailJet train Munich-Budapest Keleti pu station. (direct). I've done most of this route, after 4+ hrs I got off at Wien Westbahnhof.

Depending on the air fare and schedule, you could choose to fly from Amsterdam to Budapest. Going by train (day) can be done but I would break it up after spending 10+ hrs going Amsterdam-Frankfurt, changing Frankfurt-Vienna. By the time you arrive in Vienna (Wien Westbahnhof), it's already past 19:00 hrs. Stay in Vienna a night, you've already spent all day on the train.

Your only long journey is from Amsterdam to Prague. You can get cheap flights on Easy Jet - I just looked and flights are from €45-60 in mid-June. You'll add €15 for a checked bag (they are strict and stingy about carry-on). These cheap flights go very quickly so the longer you wait the more you will pay. The flight is only 1.5 hours, so well worth the time saving even if a train ticket would cost more.

For the trains between Prague and Budapest, I don't think there will be huge savings by buying early. You can get an idea of prices by going to the official website for the country the trip starts in. The tickets for June won't be on sale yet, but if you look at prices for each upcoming month, you'll get a good idea of how much they are and if it's a lot cheaper to buy in advance or not.

If you were going to train from Amsterdam to Prague, Berlin would be the obvious stop to break the trip, worth a few days, and about half of the faster train connections go via Berlin, any way. However, I think it's valuable to add smaller towns for a better picture of each country, which can be done as daytrips. Amsterdam has lots of accommodations within an easy walk (or tram ride) of the train station. See www.skyscanner.com for flights from Amsterdam to Prague.