01/
Arrive in Vienna, Austria
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Evening arrival
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Check-in at lodging and/or drop bags
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Grocery shop in neighborhood
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Rest
02/
Vienna, Austria (Day 1)
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Morning to Early Afternoon:
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Schönbrunn Palace
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Late Afternoon:
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St. Stephen's Cathedral
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Stoll Historic Central Vienna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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03/
Vienna, Austria (Day 2)
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Hofburg Palace
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Hofburg Treasury
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Demel - famous pastry shop
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United Nations, Vienna
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Classical Concert
04/
Travel to Prague, Czech Republic +
1/2 Day Prague
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Travel by train to Prague
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Check-in at lodging & grocery shop in local market
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Old Town Square
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Prague Astronomical Clock
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Charles Bridge
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Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral
TIP: Stock your AirBnB with breakfast, coffee, and "to-go" lunch items like sandwich fixings.
TIP: Schönbrunn Palace will take the better part of a day. St. Stephen's can be busy; we went in the late afternoon/early evening and it was fine.
05/
Day Trip Prague to Karlštejn Castle + Hiking in Bohemian Karst
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Morning: Travel by train to Karlštejn Castle
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Explore Karlštejn Castle grounds
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Packed lunch just outside castle grounds
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Afternoon: Hike beautiful countryside
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Evening: Train back to Prague, dinner in Prague
06/
Day Trip Prague, Czech Re to Dresden, Germany
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Travel by train to Dresden, Germany
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Holy Cross Church
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Frauenkirche
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Dresden City Museum
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Zwinger
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Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments
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Augustus Bridge
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Dinner in Dresden, travel back to Prague on evening train
07/
Prague, Czech Republic (Day 2)
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Morning: Free Walking (history) tour
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Lunch out
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Afternoon: Jewish Museum
08/
Travel from Prague to Salzburg, Austria + 1/2 Day Salzburg
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Morning: Travel by train to Salzburg, Austria. Check-in lodging + grocery shop
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Afternoon:
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Makartsteg Footbridge
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Augustiner Bräu (brewery est. 1621)
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Hike Kapuzinerberg Hill
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TIP: This tiny town does not have a lot of amenities. We suggest packing a lunch and plan on returning to Prague before dinner. If you are hiking, pack plenty of water and snacks as well.
TIP: Our second day full day in Prague was fairly light after two long day trips in a row. It gave us a chance to rest up before the long travel day on Day 8.
TIP: This is the longest stretch on train. Bring snacks and a book or kindle.
09/
Day Trip to Hallstatt, Austria
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Travel by train to Hallstatt, Austria
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Walk the town take in the picturesque town
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Take a funicular to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Skywalk
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Salt Mines Tour
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Rent a boat on Lake Hallstatt
10/
Salzburg, Austria (Day 2)
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Mirabell Palace
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Mozart’s residence
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Salzburg Residenz (palace)
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Salzburg Cathedral & Saint Peter's Abbey
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Hohensalzburg Castle
11/
Travel from Salzburg to Vienna, Austria
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"Rest day." Travel from Salzburg to Vienna by train. Relax. Stroll in neighborhood; dinner out.
12/
Day Trip to Bratislava, Slovakia + Travel to Budapest, Hungary
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Travel by train to Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Use luggage lockers at train station.
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Morning: Free walking (history) tour
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Shop craft market and food market
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Stroll downtown.
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Travel by train (don't forget your bags!) to Budapest, check-in at lodging and grocery shop.
TIP: Hallstatt stood out as our favorite day on this trip. It is gorgeous and we highly recommend taking the time to visit this town.
TIP: Salzburg is an expensive City. We cooked breakfast at the AirBnB and ate our packed lunch at the shaded benches outside the Abbey.
TIP: We suggest skipping the stop in Vienna and instead making the long haul to Budapest. The day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia could have happened just the same from Budapest.
13/
Budapest, Hungary
(Day 1)
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St. Stephen’s Basilica
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Hungarian State Opera House
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Heroes’ Square
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Parliament Building
14/
Budapest, Hungary
(Day 2) + Travel to Vienna, Austria
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Free Walking (history) Tour
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Széchenyi Chain Bridge
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Take Budapest Castle Hill Funicular
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Sweet treat at Ruszwurm patisserie
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The Military History Museum
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The Szentháromság Square & Mátyás Church
15/
Travel Day - Vienna, Austria to Home
TIP: Use a luggage locker service to store your luggage after check-out until your evening train to Vienna.
TIP: We flew Swiss Air, roundtrip to Vienna. We recommend looking into a flight from Budapest back to the U.S. if you want to avoid this last leg back to Vienna.
BLOGS - CENTRAL EUROPE
