Seeking Itinerary Advice for a 3-Week European Trip in September 2025

We are nervous about the Jubilee so could skip Florence and go
straight to Southern Italy if best

I wouldn’t be. I think it might just make it a more memorable experience and you really aren’t traveling at peak season so things should be reasonable. Find a calendar of events and see if you can make the Jubilee part of the experience.

Prague, Czech Republic (3 days)

Since your style seems to be swoop in see the highlights and move on, then I would suggest that Prague can be done in 2 full days (wake and sleep in the Prague twice each)

Budapest, Hungary (2 days): Is this enough time to experience the
city’s highlights?

Of Prague, Vienna and Budapest the areas of interest are the largest of the three, so, no, not really, but with 3 days you could pull it off if you move at a steady pace. Again, full days from breakfast to bed time. But I am very biased and whatever time you give it is going to be time you will remember well. So when you get to the detail, post on the Hungary forum arrival and departure dates and where you are staying. For a 2-day stay I would suggest the Marriott or the Intercontinental. For 3 days I would say move up Andrassy ut.

Vienna, Austria (2 days): We’ll end our trip here and fly home from
Vienna. Is 2 days enough to see Vienna,

If you had 2 full days. Again, breakfast to bed in Vienna, then you might be able to hit the top 10.

and are there other sights to include while in Austria?

Yes, you could spend your entire holiday and not get bored.

We’ll be flying into Geneva and out of Vienna, departing from our home
in North Carolina. Any advice on transportation options (trains vs.
flights), pacing, or must-see places is greatly appreciated.

If you travel first to Prague then fly to Budapest and then take the train to Vienna you save a few hours of travel time. Given the pace of your holiday, it might be worth it.

Italy (5–6 days): Starting in Florence, we’d like to explore the
Amalfi Coast and Southern Italy. What’s realistic to include in this
timeframe?

Strictly the Amalfi Coast, or are you thinking of the Naples/Pompeii region as well? Travelling in the region is slow, frustrating, and at times, confusing. And you'll lose a day at both ends for travel to and from. We spent 2 weeks in Sorrento and made day trips to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii/Naples, and I'd consider 5-6 days the bare minimum just for this area, without even considering Florence.

What Mr. É said.

I think it will help you to count nights. But it sounds like you re experienced travelers who know better than to include moving from one destination to the next as part of days in the second destination, since you don’t actually have “2 days” there but 1 1/2. So from your post, you’d be looking at
Geneva: 4 or 5 nights
Italy: 6-7 nights
Prague: 4 nights
Budapest: 3 nights
Vienna: 3 nights.
which is about 21 nights.

I don’t know if you have flexibility with Geneva but I might cut that to your lower number of 4 nights and give that night to Budapest. I would keep Italy to the full 7 nights, since you plan to try for 2 areas not particularly close to each other. And yes, apparently the Jubilee will make Italy more crowded this year but no one actually knows how it will go. You will have to make your own decision about crowd tolerance - and maybe do some lodging research before you decide.

And obviously, if you have an extra couple of days, you could extend without having to cut. Lol.

Tammy,
Texas Travel Mom's suggestion to cut time from Geneva is a good one. To me, 2 full days would suffice, but maybe another full day for a day trip in the area? Mr. E's suggestions for travel direction/order is also good. Try to avoid backtracking. Vienna deserves lots of time. Minimum 3 full days, IMO. And Italy needs 7 days, for sure.
Have a wonderful trip, whatever you decide.

Thanks so all of these suggestions!
We like this itinerary best so far. Texas Travel Mom and Alan are on point and thanks Mr E for your insight as well, and everyone else!

Geneva: 4 nights/ 
Italy: 7 nights
/ fly to Prague: 3 nights/
fly to Budapest: 3 nights
/train to Vienna: 3 nights.
= approx 21 nights.