Seniors planning an European trip

At the conclusion of the cruise we will remain in Budapest for 3
nights then travel to Vienna for 2 nights before flying home.

Excellent

We have accommodations and flights booked. We are asking for help
planning the interior trips: Munich-Prague and Budapest- Vienna.

Its sometimes easier to help with this sort of thing if the dates are known and the accommodations are known. Then its easier to get into details.

We don’t drive in Europe and would prefer a one way motorcar tour
(rather than train) allowing us to see sights outside of our home
base.

Budapest to Vienna is an easy train trip in 2.5 hours. Buy your tickets from MAV: https://jegy.mav.hu/ Be sure and get the seat assignment. Its not hard, but if you need help, PM me. Also download the phone app from MAV, makes things easier on the train.

In Budapest there is no need for a car. You said seniors, so if you are 65 or older know that public transportation is free. Just carry a photo ID with your birthdate on it and show if you are asked. If you are under 65 a travelcard is cheap and convenient. Depending on when you arrive (time and day) and when you depart (time and day) it will be a 72 hour card or a 15 day card (which only costs a few dollars more than the 72 hour card).

We are looking at Sidetrip tours, but they not mentioned in Rick’s
guidebooks- anyone have recommendations for Sidetrip tours or other
tour groups or even private drivers?

You really don’t have time for much. With dates I might find something unique that is worth the effort, otherwise if this is a warm weather trip maybe Szentendre. Free train trip for seniors and a few dollars if you are not 65.

If you have any favorite places or restaurants in the cites that we
are visiting, I would love to hear about them!

I will send you a pm with a list.

Kathy,
Your trip sounds great! In Munich, which I loved visiting, I recommend: The Deutsches museum (fantastic science collections), the Residenz (the Treasury!), Marienplatz (glockenspiel at the rathaus), Viktualen Market (yummy lunch), a brewery tour (we did Lowenbrau some years ago), dinner and a beer at a beer hall (enjoy the music and table-sharing), asamkirche (opulent and beautiful), a day trip to Dachau (to never forget). We didn't take any organized tours, but walked and used the local public transportation to get around. For Dachau, we drove our own car.
In Vienna you really have only one full day, so you could wander around Volkspark, attend a concert somewhere, go to the Kunsthistorisches art museum, with a beautiful staircase and many Breugel paintings (one of my favorites), ride the giant ferris wheel at Prater Park, listen to music and enjoy a white wine at a cafe or restaurant in Grinzing.....Lots of choices! And don't forget to have a Sacher Torte.
Prague has lots of Jewish history. We visited the Pinkas synagogue and the cemetery next to it (very moving), the Old/New synagogue, and the Spanish synagogue. We also enjoyed the Mucha art museum, and seeing the astronomical clock, and attending one of the many concerts around town.

I have to say, I prefer Munich and Vienna over Prague as far as the amount of things to see and do. Prague is less costly. Vienna and Prague offer lots of concerts, Munich and Vienna feel more lively. All three cities will offer you a lot of opportunities to create wonderful memories!
Amusez-vous bien!

flying into Munich on 9/19 & staying for 5 nights. Then we will travel
to Prague for a 3 night stay before embarking on a 7 night Danube
river cruise. At the conclusion of the cruise we will remain in
Budapest for 3 nights then travel to Vienna for 2 nights before flying
home.

I didnt comment on this because you said you had the flight tickets.

Munich on 9/19 & staying for 5 nights

I dont know enough about Munich to comment. You are going for Oktoberfest, so maybe 5 nights is right. But I would look for some things to see and do outside of the city, cause based on the comments and visits of others it seems a bit long relative to the rest of the trip.

travel to Prague for a 3 night stay

This gets you part of a day plus 2 full days which I think is okay for Prague. The tourist area is about 1.5 square miles in size. Doesnt take long. The beer is excellent (better than the German beer).

At the conclusion of the cruise we will remain in Budapest for 3
nights

Budapest is the largest of your cities outside of the cruise. You will use every bit of the time there. If your hotel is in Buda, please reconsider. Otherwise ..... have fun.

Vienna for 2 nights before flying home.

While its bit sort for Vienna, I suspect your cruise stopped in Vienna too? That makes this a bit better. Get an early train out of Budapest so you get the maximum time there.

I really like this palace much more than ones you have to take a whole day trip to see. This was a real palace! A 10 minute tram ride from Central Station in Munich.
https://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/

Oktoberfest is fun, but the festival grounds are extremely crowded. Good for you for having your lodging all in place.

Here is a link to you tube video about a day trip to Garmisch -Partenkirchen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6gSZl7NkpU

Oktoberfest is happening while we visit! Is it worthwhile to take a
tour there ( Radius tours or fat tire bike tours or…?). Or should we
explore Oktoberfest on our own?

Oktoberfest opens Saturday, September 20, 2025. Opening weekend is very busy. There are parades through Munich to the grounds on 20th & 21st. You can easily spend a full day visiting the grounds and stopping by a tent or two on your own. You may want to go on Monday as the crowds will thin down a bit. Or, plan your day of choice based upon the weather.

As for a tour, it depends on what you want to see and do. First, be aware that Oktoberfest entry is free. Entry into all of the tents is free. You only pay for what you eat and drink or for your carnival rides. Be aware of what you are getting if a tour is advertising "tent admission incluided". How much beer and food you are you prepaying as part of your tour. Also, which tent as each tent is somewhat unique--some family friendly, some loud and very party oriented. Will you have time to vist the gounds during the tour? The tour can be worth it if you want to ensure the have a seat at a tent you want to visit.

We are looking at Sidetrip tours

So that I am clear, you are lookiing at Sidetrip to take you from Budapest to Vienna? You are cruising from Prague to Budapest and then on your own to Vienna. Also, your cruise stops in Vienna for a day & night?

According to Sidetrip's site, you spend a full day on the road, visiting smaller and less visited sites. Do you want to see these place more than what you want to see sites in Budapest or Vienna? As stated by others, the train is only about 2.5 hours, giving more time to spend in either city.

Also, if your cruise offers a visit to Melk, go!

Sidetrip Tours from Budapest to Vienna is a 10 hour day. So you will miss a day in Vienna. It takes in Szentendre and Esztergom and Bratislava. Bratislava i can live without, Szentendre is an easy half day day trip out of Budapest and Esztergom deserves a lot more time. Price is about $220 in a group or $500 private.

Another option is Daytrip.com. For a little less than $300 you can stop at the Archabby in Pannonhalma for 90 minutes with a private car. Pannonhalma being pretty much on the way to Vienna it doesnt add much time to reach Vienna. Because this is door to door service you dont have to get to and from the train stations plus a little early arrival time so, essentially the amount of time getting to Vienna is going to be very close (maybe 30 or 45 minutes more) to if you had just taken the train. They have other options for stops too, including Esztergom and Bratislava but then you loose the entire day.

I have tried to be balanced about this. No one knows what they will enjoy until they try. If I am correct and your cruise stops in Vienna on the way down and if while in Vienna you are not just blown away, then think about taking a later train out of Budapest. If Vienna did thrill you take an earlier train. But either way, take the train. These two cities are good enough to be worth skipping Bratislava or Pannonhalma for.

Thanks to all for your thoughtful advice. I will try to answer questions that my original statement did not. We arrive in Munich at 7:30 am on Friday 10/19. We are fortunate to have enough reward points with Hyatt to book all of our accommodations. In Munich we are at The Andaz for 5 nights. We depart Wednesday 9/24 for Prague and are staying at the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle for 3 nights. On Saturday 9/27 at 8 am we meet our cruise group to shuttle to Schofweg for lunch and a hike. Then a short shuttle will bring us to the boat in Vilshofen. The 8 day cruise includes a half day in Bratislava and full days in Vienna and Budapest. We will remain in Budapest for 3 nights, Saturday 10/5 - Tuesday 10/7, at The Parisi Udvar Hotel in Pest. From there we return to Vienna where we will stay at The Lindner Hotel AM Belvedere from 10/7 - Thursday 10/9. We fly home 10/9 at 4:55 pm.

We are in our 70's now and no longer feel up to train travel with our carryons. So I am hoping to book 2 motor car tours/transport for our interior trips: 1. Munich to Prague 2. Budapest to Vienna. I was considering "Sidetrip" tours but Mr E pointed out that we will be spending a lot of time in the vehicle & suggested exploring daytrip.com. Any other recommendations for tours or drivers that could meet our needs?
We are in Munich for the longest stretch because we hope to enjoy a daytrip, or two while using Munich as our home base.

We are considering Salzburg for one day and possibly The King's Castles for another. Carol suggested a half day at nearby Nymphenburg Palace and also Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Any other recommendations?
We will definitely be enjoying Rick's city walk, 1/2 day to Dachau, market, brewery, museums & Oktoberfest!
While on the River cruise in Vienna we will kayak in the morning then have a walking tour in the afternoon. There is an optional excursion to Schonbrunn Palace - debating this vs wandering around Vienna on our own - Thoughts?
Thank so much for reading and sharing your sage travel advice, Kathy

Drive or train the trip Budapest to Vienna is about 2.5 hours. Both are fine. I have used DayTrip a couple of times now and they have done a good job. The basic fare for two is 219 euro from Budapest to Vienna. From Budapest to Vienna they offer a few different stops.

• Esztergom: 60 minutes. Not really enough time to do it right. Town deserves exploring. Maybe if you got a late start out of Budapest and just stopped for lunch. 41 euro
• Pannonhalma Archabbey: 90 minutes is more than enough time and its pretty much on the way (a very slight detour). Interesting if you are into old churhces and more interesting if you read the history before you leave or if you enjoy wine (there is a winery on the site). 31 euro.
• Gyor: A perfect stop in the old town square for lunch on the way to Vienna. Lovely place, sort of like Bratislava but without the tourist infrastructure. 27 euro for 60 minutes.
• Bratislava: 52 euro for 2 hours which is enough time to see the Old Town and have lunch.
• Liechtenstein castle: 35 euro for an hour. I dont know much about it, but looks facinating.

Do keep in mind that first, the drivers are not tour guides so you have to do your research in advance, buy tickets or schedule to arrive at the right time. Second, the driver will take you to any address at the stop. So if its Gyor for lunch, you need to find a good plance on Google and give the driver the address. Third, I listed the stock stops, but you can customize the trip with anthing you want.

Parisi Udvar Hotel: Freeking stunning hotel. But, because of the location do take the time to learn the routes of the trams. You will benefit by using them; and they are fun and easy and have big windows like the the HOHO busses; and because of your age, its all free.

And I sent you a PM with links.

Its a beautiful sunny morning so I headed out to my favorite outside Cafe with strudel and coffee. On the way I passed your hotel and was reminded that earlier this week I had a very special celebratory dinner at a place close to your hotel that you might enjoy. It's close and it's of the same "quality" as your hotel, and very Austro-Hungarian in atmosphere. The menu is excellent as well. Be sure to note the stairs behind the glass in the building courtyard entrance. This was obviously a mansion of a rich family at one time. As was not uncommon for the period the mansion was also an apartment block with ground floor retail. So you really get a sense of a time now past. The lights of the buildings on the short walk are also amazing. https://maps.app.goo.gl/fQkA8R2nc5xvdwmF8

I did the Oktoberfest three times when we lived in Germany.

Go just before lunch, so you can lunch (suggest roasted chicken) and take in a couple of beers. Remember, Germany beer is stronger than American. It will be less crowded early. By dinner time it is packed.

Don't miss Salzburg. You need more than a day there. You may be able to go there from your river cruise ship. We did a Danube cruise similar to yours and they had an excursion to Salzburg.

Still, you need more time than a day trip in Salzburg.

Here is another place you might enjoy. You know if I am recommending a Spanish wine bar in a city with such good local wine, this must be good. Very civilized place. La Nube. Worth the effort.