Day trips from Vienna and Prague

Budapest is too far away for a day trip. It really deserves several days to enjoy and explore. From Vienna you can take the train to Melk Abbey which is definitely worth a visit. Depending on the time of year it is possible to go to Melk by boat. Just outside Vienna is a suburb called Grinzing where you can find the Heurigers to sample the local wines and enjoy local cuisine. We allowed three nights in Prague and there wasn't sufficient time to get outside the city to see Kutna Hora where the "bones church" is as well as a beautiful cathedral. Prague has much to see we regretted not adding another day for it. Have a great trip!

FYI- just checked my travel journal from our trip last September. We took the train from Melk into Vienna-round trip was 58 euros for 2. We thought it was worth it because it was our only chance to spend a day in Vienna (long story) but it was kinda pricey. You may keep in mind in case you have a day to fill. Be sure you visit Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. That will take 1/2 of day, but it was worth it. Have a great trip.

Greg- go to the thread in this forum "3 days in Vienna" Someone there talks about taking a day trip to Budapest from Vienna and you could probably pm them for more information. (how long did it take, how much did it cost, etc.)

You can indeed do a day trip to Budapest from Vienna. We did it on our last trip. You will only get a taste of Budapest, but we fet it was well worth it. The train leaves from the West Banhof. We left about 8:00am ish and returned around 7:00pmish. It was a wonderful day. Be sure to go to the main market.

A lot closer to Vienna, and easy for a day trip, is Bratislava; a city which I believe is highly underrated. The old town centre has been revitalized since the Velvet Revolution. The castle and adjacent abbey/cathedral overlooking both the city and the Danube are well worth a visit on their own. Budapest IMO is too far and too big to do on a daytrip; Brat from Vienna is about an hour by public transit. After the food/beverage prices in Vienna, you'll find Brat very wallet friendly.

Another option is to spend a day in the Wachau valley wine area, an hours drive from Vienna, by train or car:
http://www.wachau.at/donau/WN/default.asp?ln=EN

I remember Karlovy Vary as a lovely little town. We "took the waters" ,toodled all over, and had a great time. It was easy enough to visit for the day.

When I was in Vienna in 2001, I did day trips to Budapest and Bratislava. Budapest is approx. 3 hours each way (6 hours round trip). I enjoyed the day, saw some interesting sights, but it really does IMO require more time to see all the highlights. Bratislava is approx. 1 hour each way. It rained hard the whole day I was there, but I enjoyed my visit. I also did Salzburg in a day trip.

My fiancé and I lived in Vienna for three months last spring and I would suggest staying for longer if you can- Vienna is a wonderful city and packed with lots to do and will keep you happy and busy without setting foot outside the city limits- but there are also great day trips to be had- some of our favorites were Budapest (very worth getting up really early and taking the train- you only get a taste but it's worth it). The same could be said of Graz- beautiful and a gorgeous train ride south. Then there are the quicker trips to Melk, Grinzing, Klosterneuberg, Baden- many of these can be done on the S-Bahn for MUCH cheaper than on the trains. Regardless of what you decide- you'll have a wonderful time- it's a beautiful place.

Greg,
I really do agree with Samantha all the way around!
You might find that a few days in Vienna and/or Prague simply aren't even enough to scratch the surface of these incredible cities!
Whatever you decide, have a great time!