To me 4 full days in Prague would be too much - but I would take day trips to any of several neat places - Csecky Krumlov, Marienbad, Karlsbad, etc.

In Vienna I would day trip to the Wachau Valley - train to Melk - boat thru the gorgeous valley to say Durnstein - famous ruined castle once was the prison of Richard-the-Lionhearted when kidnapped on his return from some Crusade and a lovely lovely wine town and I would consider hitting Salzburg too and perhaps going from there to Prague, via perhaps Csesky Krumlov.

Trains are a great way to get around - for lots on trains in eastern Europe check out these fantastic IMO sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

I would also weight it in favour of Vienna - say 4 nights in Prague, 5 in Vienna.

I'd do the opposite, I think Prague is more low-key and interesting to walk around and cheaper and less formal. And smaller (at least seems that way in the central area). Also, if you want to go to the opera and concerts, they are a heck of a lot cheaper in Prague and they are excellent there. I found Prague a lot more fun and interesting than Vienna.

I would do day trips from Prague, though, although Kutna Hora would be more one of my top picks.

I would also spend more time in Vienna because I have heard that Prague is so very crowded, even in the off season. Now, I have not yet been to Prague (we will be going in May) but I have been to Vienna a number of times (I even lived there in the early 1980's).

There is so much to do in and around Vienna and the weather should be good in September.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I guess in the end it does not matter much whether it is 4 days Prague/5 days Vienna, or 5 days
Prague/4 days Vienna. As long as it is not suggested that we do 6 days Prague/3 days Vienna or 8 days Vienna/1 day Prague etc. etc.

My only concern about Vienna is that it is expensive. I think a daily food budget of about 30 euros (a light lunch and dinner) is more realistic in Prague than in Vienna?!

Since your interests include museums, you might want to skew your time toward Vienna, which has some outstanding ones. And if you are there at the right time of year, you might be able to attend an opera or other concert.

3 nights i Prague, 4 in Vienna - spend the rest in between..a night in Cesky Krumlov is fun. See my trip report from a few years ago for ideas. http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/prague-to-cesky-krumlov-to-vienna---dark-beer-and-dumplings.cfm

A great short day trip from Vienna goes to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, the poorer part of the former Czechoslovakia.

4 in both Vienna and Prague (although I like Prague more) and 1 night in C. Krumlov.

I took a look at Chesky Krumlov and lıke ıt a lot, seems lıke a perfect place for a stop over from Prague to Vıenna.

So 4 days Prague (side trip to Kutna Hora) + 1 day Chesky Krumlov + 4 days Vienna would be perfect.

Thanks for all the advices.

Good choice!

Do try to get tickets for the baroque theater tour at the castle in C. Krumlov. Only a handful of tours each day with limited number of people in each tour. It is one of the few remaining baroque theaters in the world and is a very interesting tour!

Have a great time!

Although I don't think you will find yourself with free time in Prague since there is so much to see, if time permits, you might find a trip to Terezin interesting... Not fun, but very sobering and interesting.

We live in Vienna, and have visited Prague twice; I think the plan to spend 4 days in each, plus the overnight in Cesky Krumlov is fine.

Vienna is expensive. An ordinary plate of "Wiener Schnitzel" will average between 10 and 20 Euros in a sit-down restaurant, depending on the restaurant. The stands offering wurst, kebabs, and noodles are very affordable (3-5 Euros) and mostly tasty (wurst stands are my favorite), if less glamorous. Sandwiches from the grocery stores are fresh made with a great variety of breads and are the most economical, just a couple of Euros each.

A main course in Vienna, let's say 15 euros is not too bad. Lunch at the stands (5 euros) + dinner (25 euros) looks achievable for our budget of 30 euros a day for food. Besides, it may be cheaper in Prague so the average cost will even out.

Right now I am checking out getting to Cesky Krumlov from Prague. Knowing that there is no direct train, for a group of 4-5 people I am looking into some leads of getting a private van/car, which cost about $40-50 per person. That will ensure that we are there in less than 3 hours from Prague. With train (3.5 hours) and all the time going to and from the train station etc. it may take us up to 5-6 hours.

Try loboshuttle.com for transportation from Vienna to CK. Or search this site for other suggestions, it's been brought up a number of times.

So I presume you never eat or drink anything the rest of the day aside from lunch and dinner? I didn't think Vienna was as expensive as people say, seemed moderate to me, but more expensive than Prague.

I just did a day tour company from Prague to CK, it was convenient and saved time, but I was staying in Prague so wanted to go back the same day. If you can hire a private car for a group, that sounds like a good idea. Here is a page of various shuttle/van companies from CK to wherever http://www.ckrumlov.info/php/katalog/kpr/sestava_taxi.php?&lang=en

coffees in Vienna will be €2 ish, beers/wine probably €3 or so, it all builds up.

I don't know how you can randomly assign a certain number of days in a place unless/until you figure out what you want to see/do in each place, which things have higher priority to you, etc. Have made your list for each city, estimated how much time is needed, how much time is needed to get around, etc?

Johnmango, Prague is less expensive than Vienna, but not that much. Your food estimates for Vienna are still low.

The lure of coffees and ice cream, the desire to sit down for a meal, and holiday impulsivity can add up. Case in point: DH and I headed out to Naschmarkt last weekend to collect a favorite soy sauce and some curry pastes. The weather was nice and we paused for coffee, 7Euros. We wandered around a bit more, and decided to stop in a favorite little Italian restaurant, ordinary and off the tourist path, for lunch rather than waiting until we returned home to eat. Two main courses, with a glass of wine each (no coffee, dessert, or cheese) hit 25 Euros. Dinner was at home. We had the luxury of eating both meals wherever, but your budget may leave you hungry.

Annhig: yes I know the cost builds up. We are not "jet-setters" but we have done enough traveling and know how to spend economically

> I very very seldom, in Italy, Turkey, Spain, Portugal sit down in a cafe and do people-watching like many tourists do. In Italy we drank al banco where an espresso costs 1 euro instead of paying for 3-4euros at a table. There was really not a temptation for me/us to sit in outdoor cafe. For me, an outdoor cafe is sitting with the locals in Istanbul on wooden stools outside a local coffee shop.

> we rent apartments rather than hotels so generally there is more space and a kitchen to have a coffee. Breakfast is just pastries, coffee, juice and cereals. We shop at local markets to make 1-2 meals in a city. In Venice we rented an apartment in Arsenale and went to the fish market and shops to get white asparagus, huge shrimps and fresh-made pasta to make dinner. If we don't feel like cooking we would get some ready-made food from the deli.

> we are also not big eaters. Many people when they have ice-cream ask for 2-3 scoops. For us usually one scoop is enough. Most things I just want a taste rather than to fill hunger. Many times I don't even finish one scoop of gelato.

> I usually do a lot of research and look for restaurants outside the tourist areas where locals eat. Usually they are hole-in-the wall eateries with good food. I remember last November one of the greatest pleasure is finding a soup kitchen in Fez, Morocco where 20 people sat around a table sharing bread and the only thing they sell was lentil soup (with lots of olive oil on top).

> At dinner we order table wine which is generally as cheap as bottled/mineral water. A 1-liter carafe of red table wine in Sicily would cost 3-4 euros and they are totally drinkable. Occasionally I enjoy a Sassicaia or Ornellaia or a E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. But we are perfectly happy with ordinary local table wine.

> at every city I sometimes manage to go to a fancier Michelin Star restaurant, or one highly recommended in Travel Sites, or a private kitchen. But generally I find that the more money you pay and the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment in the end.

We have adhered to this ~30 euros a day for quite a few years. In recent (last 4-5) years we have gone to Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho-Chi-Ming City, Hanoi, Budapest, Rome, Fez and Marrakech in Morocco, and seldom go over an average of 30 euros a day.

Sorry, gave you the wrong URL for Lobo Shuttle, try http://www.shuttlelobo.cz/

You might checkout my trip reports on Prague and Vienna. It mentions eating places as well as where we stayed and what we did.
http://www.rimerson.com/
Rob

Thanks Robin for the nice trip report. The train to Vienna looks nice in your photo but we will likely do the private car from Prague to Cesky Krumlov, and then the shuttle, as recommended by Joannyc, from CK to Vienna.

Thanks Joan for the info. If the shuttle can pick us up from the hotel in CK it certainly beats taking the bus.

Since we really like trains, we will however still do the train from Zagreb to Prague. .

I do not like Prague or Vienna... So I would not spend 9 days across the two (and lots of people will disagree with me , that 's fine)... I do like the idea of Bratislava as I just lived there for 18 months... I have blogged about this area extensively I during that time.

Www.worldinbetween.wordpress.com

That said, I would not spend more than a day there.

I find a three day weekend in these cities more than enough.

And while Prague should be cheap.... Any place near The square will be a complete rip off.

I would go see these cities....as it does not matter what I think... They are worth forming your own opinion about .... But I would keep open the option of third city... I love our current home (Budapest)

Another direct shuttle from Vienna to CK or reverse, is www.shuttlebus.cz

Splitting the time between Vienna and Prague works. We have been to Prague three times and would go again. Vienna a few times. Love both cities.

Prague being the easier city to just walk everwhere.

www.livingprague.com www.inyourpocket.com/czech_republic/prague

Enjoy you visit.