Prague, Vienna, Budapest: the best itinerary

You've heard dozens of times about the famous Vienna - Prague - Budapest tour and you've finally decided to do it - congratulations!

I assure you that you will enjoy this trip to the fullest. But... Do you know which is the best route,how much a tour of these citiescosts, the best way to move between the different places, how many days you should spend in each city, and the best time of the year to do this itinerary? Here's everything you need to know for your trip.

There are many options for discovering these three beautiful Eastern European cities. Because the full tour is usually more expensive due to the planning involved, most organised tours tend to take you from one city to the other in a round trip. Depending on where you stay, you can choose one destination or the other. Here are the most popular tours:

• Excursion to Budapest from Vienna, from CAD 203.
• Excursion to Vienna from Budapest, from CAD 256.

If you're unsure where to start your trip, start your itinerary in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. From there, head to Vienna, and round off a perfect itinerary in Hungary's capital, Budapest. Prague and Budapest are the farthest apart, so ideally start with one or the other and visit Vienna in between.

As for why to start with Prague and then go to Vienna and finally to Budapest and not the other way around, it is because of the price of the means of transport: the train, the most recommended means of transport, has better prices from Vienna to Budapest than from Budapest to Vienna. It's strange, as only the direction and not the route changes, but it does. Even so, the price difference is no more than €10-20.

• Distance from Prague to Vienna: 333 kilometres.
• Distancefrom Vienna to Budapest: 242 kilometres.

When travelling between the different cities, don't hesitate to choose the train as your means of transport. It is the cheapest and most comfortable way to travel. However, you can also opt for other options such as the bus, which is more uncomfortable but cheaper.

Train

The direct train from Prague to Vienna takes about four hours and the price depends on how far in advance you buy your ticket, but is around 15 - 25 euros. There is a high frequency from the first train in the morning, which leaves at around 4.30am, to the last train, which leaves at around 7pm.

You can check the timetables online on the Omio website. You can also look them up on the official website of the different companies that provide this service:

• OBB Railjet.
• RegioJet.
• České dráhy.

Similarly, to get from Vienna to Budapest, the best option is to take the train, which takes approximately two and a half hours and costs between €20-30 depending on how far in advance you buy it. Check all timetables and prices on the OBB Railjet website.

• Prague Central Station... Praha hlavní nádrazí.
• Vienna Central Station... Wien Hauptbahnhof.
• Budapest Central Station... Budapest-Keleti pályaudvar.

Bus

The bus route from Prague to Vienna is also very frequent, departing every hour from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. and lasts approximately four hours. The fare is between €10 - €20 per ticket.

Similarly, the price of a ticket from Vienna to Budapest is between 10 - 15 €. Buses depart from 5.00 am until after 11.00 pm and there are also some early morning services.

The companies operating both routes are:

• Eurolines.
• RegioJet.
• Flixbus.

The best time of the year to do the Prague - Vienna - Budapest tour is in spring and autumn, as the cold is not as extreme as in the winter months and these are times when the landscape and colours of these cities are more beautiful than ever. In addition, there are not many tourists, so you will be able to visit all the cities comfortably: their different monuments, parks and attractions.

Winter, on the other hand, is an option as long as the cold is not something that conditions you, as temperatures are quite extreme during these months of the year. Even so, Christmas is a time of great festivities, with markets, trees and all kinds of decorations. So if your trip coincides with Christmas, it could be an option

As for the summer, there are a lot of tourists, so I don't recommend these months of the year for your visit. However, the temperatures are more ideal than at other times of the year. Check the temperatures in Prague, Vienna and Budapest before you travel.

On your trip to Prague - Vienna - Budapest I recommend that you spend a total of 4 to 5 days visiting the city of Prague, as there are plenty of places to visit. You can also book an excursion to nearby places like Karlovy Vary or Terezin and, most importantly, it's a city to experience and soak up the atmosphere, so that number of days is ideal.

On the other hand, there are many monuments, palaces and sites to visit in Vienna. Therefore, I recommend a minimum of 3 days and up to a maximum of 5 days.

Finally, I would opt for between 3 and 5 days to visit the city of Budapest, depending on the plans you want to make in the capital of Hungary: if you want to visit the best spas in Budapest or book a cruise on the Danube.

• How many days to visit Prague... 4 - 5 days.
• How many days to visit Vienna... 3 - 5 days.
• How many days to visit Budapest... 3 - 5 days.

A trip to Prague can be very economical depending on how you plan it, both in terms of accommodation and day-to-day life: meals, attractions, etc.... From €25 - €70 you can cover all the costs of the day. In fact, you can stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel for as little as €40 per night. For meals, it's easy to find dining options for less than €10 per person.

As for Vienna, it is a city with very high prices. In my case, I opted to stay in a flat to save on the price of some meals and I was glad I did. Staying in a flat usually costs more than 50 € per night. As for meals, it depends on how you think about it, but they will start at around €15 per person.

Budapest also has very cheap prices, not as cheap as Prague, but quite similar. When looking for a hotel there are several options and the prices are cheap, approximately 40-60 € per person, as in the case of Prague. For meals, you can eat from €10 per person.

Prague, Vienna and Budapest have a large number of sights, monuments and places to discover. On the one hand, in Prague you have to: book a visit to the Prague Castle, stroll through the Jewish quarter of Prague, visit the Charles Bridge. But you have to start by visiting the Old Town Square, a place that will surprise you. You can also take a cruise on the Vltava River.

Vienna has many places to visit: Schönbrunn Palace, Beldevere Palace, St. Stephen's Cathedral Vienna, the Hofburg Palace where the Austrian National Library is located, the Vienna State Opera where you can queue to see a show. On my trip, after queuing for an hour and a half I managed to see The Barber of Seville at a price of 4 €. An unforgettable treat. And if you are a lover of architecture, don't miss the Mozart House and the Naschmarkt Market.

. As for Budapest, you should not miss one of its spas, but you should also visit the Buda Castle, visit the Gödöllo Palace, see the Hungarian Parliament or the Church of St. Matthias. You can also take a cruise on the Danube. If you're not sure where to start, start your trip with a tour of Budapest.

When making the Vienna - Prague - Budapest tour, I recommend that you take into account a series of tips that I will give you below so that you can make the most of your experience:

• Make the journey between the different cities by train.
• Don't forget your camera at any time. The best snapshots will be taken where you least expect them.
• Take a backpack and not too much luggage, as it's a trip where you'll have to move around, change rooms several times, take different forms of transport and it's always more comfortable to carry a backpack.
• If you have the opportunity, choose the spring and autumn seasons to travel, as there will be fewer tourists and the temperatures will not yet be too extreme.
• Define your travel itinerary well before you start your trip.
• All three are cities with a lot of history, so I recommend that you make sure you take the different sightseeing tours to get to know all the details.