Vienna, Budapest, Prague: a 10-day Central Europe train itinerary

If you're seeing more than one city for the first time, Central Europe is the most forgiving corner of the continent. Vienna, Budapest and Prague are two to four hours apart by train; all three have walkable centres, reliable public transport, and they are noticeably cheaper than Western Europe. You only get on a plane twice: outbound and home.

This itinerary is built for 10 days, but it can be squeezed into 8 or stretched to 14. Below you'll find both the day split and the decision that actually shapes the trip — which city you fly into and which you fly home from.

The logic of the route: why these three cities?

The three cities are different enough that the trip doesn't feel repetitive, but close enough that you aren't spending your days on trains. Vienna is imperial palaces, museums and classical music; Budapest is thermal baths, ruin bars and both banks of the Danube; Prague is an Old Town you explore on foot and one of Europe's cheapest big-city centres.

Which city should you fly into, and which should you leave from?

Don't try to close the route into a loop. Flying return from the same city and then spending your last day on a 7-hour train back to where you started is throwing a day away. Book an open-jaw (multi-city) ticket instead: fly into one city and home from another. More often than not the price difference is nothing, or very little.

• Fly into Vienna, home from Prague: the most balanced option. The trains run one way; no backtracking.
• Fly into Prague, home from Budapest: Prague flights are sometimes cheaper, and the route works just as well in reverse.
• Fly into and out of Budapest: only makes sense if the fare gap is huge; in that case drop Prague and add Bratislava.

Day-by-day 10-day plan

Days 1-3: Vienna

Spend the first day walking the Innere Stadt: St Stephen's Cathedral, Graben, the Hofburg. On day two go to Schönbrunn Palace first thing, then see Klimt's The Kiss at the Belvedere in the afternoon. Make day three a museum or concert day — almost every evening in Vienna there is something on in the halls, and standing tickets are surprisingly cheap.

Days 4-6: Budapest

Take the morning train and you'll be in Budapest by the afternoon. One day on the Buda side (Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Chain Bridge), one day on the Pest side (Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica, the Jewish Quarter and the ruin bars). Give the first half of day three to Széchenyi or Gellért baths; weekday mornings are much quieter.

Days 7-10: Prague

The Budapest-Prague train is a long one; don't mind getting on early, because you gain the afternoon in Prague. One day for the Old Town and Charles Bridge, one day for Prague Castle and Malá Strana, and one day for neighbourhoods with fewer tourists such as Vyšehrad or Žižkov. If you have time, add a day trip to Kutná Hora or Český Krumlov.

Budget: what does 10 days actually cost?

The figures below are per person, for a mid-range plan: a 3-star hotel or a decent apartment near the centre, one sit-down meal a day, public transport and a few museums. Not luxury, but not hostel-and-backpack either.

When should you go?

• May and September: the most balanced window. Good weather, fewer crowds than summer, reasonable prices.
• June-August: the busiest and most expensive period, but also when the festival calendar is richest.
• Late November-December: Vienna and Prague's Christmas markets turn this itinerary into a different trip entirely; hotels fill up early.
• January-February: the cheapest window. Cold, and the days are short, but museums and baths are indoors anyway.

Three common mistakes

1. Giving every city two nights. Arrival and departure days are half-days; two nights is really one full day, and you won't remember the city.
2. Leaving intercity travel until the last minute. If you don't buy trains while they're cheap, the most pointless cost on a three-city trip shows up here.
3. Tying the return to the same airport. An open-jaw ticket is often the same price and gives you a full extra day.