In which neighborhood/area to stay?

"Convenient" depends to a considerable degree on what particular sights you want to see in each city.

I meant convenient as an area that I should avoid because it might be "not tourist friendly". I was reading that Haarlem in AMS is nice and center, no idea in Prague, in Vienna I was told around Naschmarkt and in Munich anything around downtown.

Haarlem isn't actually in Amsterdam. It's a neighboring town often recommended as an attractive and less-expensive alternative to Amsterdam. Google Maps shows that it's about 12 miles from the center of Amsterdam, so very close. There are frequent trains, taking 15 to 18 minutes one-way. If I were staying in Haarlem, I'd want to be quite close to the train station.

can only speak for Prague, I stay in the dejvice area of the city, easy to get to city centre bu tram or metro,great bars and restaurants and a good vibe to the place,this is also the area where the main university is based so lots of younger folk around in term time.Zizkov area is more "gritty" but an area I have stayed in and do like,Vinohrady is also a great area, many ex-pats living there, great bars etc and easy to reach the tourist sites, not really a wrong area in Prague

Just wondering but is Amsterdam not having a crack down or airbnb lettings

In Prague most tourists stay in 2 medieval neighborhoods: Old Town and Mala Strana. Because of prices very few locals live there. Then you can consider Nove Mesto (New Town), also in the center. Vinohrady is very nice neighborhood. You can either walk or take a tram or subway to the center. And also it's cheaper there than in the center and you can sleep better there because there are fewer loud drunkards outside your window than in the tourist center.

My criteria is usually close to public transportation. In Amsterdam, definitely stay inside the Singelgracht or at least adjacent to it if outside. BTW, I was just in Haarlem for an afternoon to go to the Franz Hals Museum, which has a great collection of Dutch Masters and is a lot more compact than the sprawling Rijksmuseum.

in Vienna I was told around Naschmarkt

Yes, that is a fine area. But note that Vienna is a very safe city--there are no 'no go zones'. And there are many other nice neighborhoods.

In terms of convenience, Vienna is quite compact and there is transit everywhere. But the Ubahn is perhaps easier to use and faster usually. So I would recommend most anywhere close to an U-bahn stop is perfectly workable, although the U6 line is less convenient for tourist areas of the city.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions, specially the ones for Prague and Vienna. In regards of Amsterdam, is there a nice area you guys recommend closer to town? Also, any suggestions for Munich? All my travel is going to be by train and some planes (AMS > PRG, MUC > BRN) and while in the city we are planning to use public transportation (trams, bus, subway, city train, etc). We plan to tour the cities during the day and explore the vibe during the night (bar, food, etc.. nothing crazy though).

Thanks again,

I really like De Pijp/Vondelpark areas in Amsterdam. It's a bit farther out than the Jordaan or the Leidesplein, but it's still very easy to get to the center. Plenty of great restaurants and you also get to see the Cuyp market when it opens.

Hubby and I got an airbnb in the De Pipj area of Ams - not to far from the Heineken Experience and Albert Cuyp Market. But it's a month before we go - we have five nights, so if I remember and can find this post - I'll let you know how it goes! It's about $100 Canadian a night (so prob about $70-75 USD) and he has great reviews.

For the record, it's not a whole apartment, but a private room, so I'm not worried about it being 'shut down'

If interested, I can post a link...

In addition to these areas of Amsterdam, anything inside the Singelgracht. Rembrandtplein and Red Light Light district might be a bit noisy at night.