Itinerary between Prague, Vienna and Budapest

There are some interesting sites inbetween, but when traveling by train, especially the Vienna to Budapest leg, i am not certain how practical it is to lay over. A couple of good examples you can look up would be Cesky Krumlov and the Archabbey of Pannonhalma http://www.360cities.net/area/cesky-krumlov http://www.360cities.net/image/archabbey-of-pannonhalma-sanctuary-hungary#-219.24,-71.42,70.0 Hire a car or hire a guide. I do know one that will come to Vienna and get you and take you to Budapest and show you the sites along the way.

From Prague, I did round trips to Olomouc and to Czesky Krumlov, each with a 1 night stay, and enjoyed them. I did CK by bus, but you can also take a train. I haven't been to Kutna Hora, but my sister enjoyed her daytrip there from Prague (I want to see it on my next Prague trip). From Budapest, I did round trips to Eger and Pecs, each with a 1 night stay. I enjoyed Pecs, but was not as taken with Eger (perhaps because it was raining for much of my visit). From Budapest, I also did daytrips to Szentendre and Vac. Szentendre was nice, albeit a bit crowded. Vac was very interesting, and I was one of the few visitors that day. All of the above are detailed in Rick's books, except Vac; I got that excellent recommendation from Frommer's Budapest, which I highly recommend. I think you're asking about logical overnight stops between the cities you listed. I'd have to check the train routes and schedules, but I don't think any of my cities fall into that category.

A town I can't recommend highly enough is Brno, Czech Republic. It's right on the train line between Prague and Vienna and could not be more convenient for a stop over. I believe it is CR's second largest town (behind Prague) and it has a castle (complete with casemates), a creepy crypt (Capuchin), cathedral, town square, great beer, etc. I don't think it gets very much tourist traffic, as most people make a beeline for Prague and/or Cesky Krumlov. We loved everything about it and wished we had more than just 2 nights. Here are a few websites to give you more of a feel: http://www.brno.me/ http://www.ticbrno.cz/uvod

Not entirely on topic, but I cannot overemphasize how important it is to pay an extra 3 euros for seat reservations, if you take the train. We travelled from Prague to Vienna last week, with reservations. Those who didn't have reservations spent the five hour trip in a VERY crowded, narrow train corridor; apparently, anyone who buys a ticket can board, regardless of whether there are seats or room enough.