Yes, from Vienna to Rome it’s best to fly. It’s a long way for car / train. I don’t know about the glass ceiling trains in Austria, but you could just hike. If it’s Alps you’re seeking, then look for good scenic day hikes. There are lots of spectacular areas in Austria.

Day trip from Vienna puts you smack in middle of Alps.

Thank you all for your helpful info and answers.

Zurich was really just because I’d hoped to see the alps. Are there trains similar in Austria to the Swiss glass ceiling trains?

Would you recommend flying from Vienna to Rome to cut travel time?

Work conference in Budapest - bringing kids as it’s a big anniversary year for our family and one of the kids will be a senior and really wants to see Rome.

Why Zurich though? That is a heck of a detour, rather than let's say Lake Bled in Slovenia and then Venice.

Why? Why do you need to use a travel company?

Agree with others this is a disjointed itinerary that makes no sense. Go back to the drawing board and start again. Ask yourself why these places?

Either pick Italy or focus on the Austro-Hungarian region. Not both. You could have a Vienna-Prague-Budapest circuit, with visits to smaller cities in Czechia. Or Vienna - Salzburg - Zurich for the Alps. Romania is a fascinating country and well worth visiting and could do Vienna -Budapest-Transylvania loop. Or go to Rome and spend two weeks in Italy. Many itineraries possible.

Re airfare, prices are very high now but are unlikely to get higher and more likely to fall. I booked tickets for travel to Germany in early December back in August and just glanced at flights and noticed tickets for the same dates are now 10-15% lower despite being only three weeks away.

I just booked tickets for our family to Europe for August next year. $2,500/person round trip in business class. Great price given the time of year, and on a decent airline to (Lufthansa).

Last year, we paid $2,200 on the same routing in premium economy (currently $1,800).

Way too much distance to cover. Suggest Budapest, Vienna and Prague as three hour train rides make it easy. #2 would be Venice, Milan, Florence and Rome. Don’t burn yourself out so relax and enjoy the trip. $14k should work.

I don’t like the itinerary either. 2 weeks i would just do one, two or three countries. Like Austria, Hungary, and either Czechia, Slovakia or Slovenia. Max.

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s realistic for what travel costs these days. I would cut Zurich. It’s the most expensive and least interesting of the itinerary.

+1. I think Vienna is one of the best cities in Europe. I'd stay there an extra day before I'd hit Zurich (boring). And I think I would switch Prague for Budapest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes apologies - it includes train transport between the cities as well.

My budget was $10k

I haven’t even booked airfare yet and thought I could get tickets for $1k each but they are coming in at $1600 each. When did everything get SO expensive?!

Just saw an article that said airfare to most of Europe (Paris during the Olympics excluded) is likely to come down for next summer, so to wait a bit to book. Airlines are adding flights and demand is dropping.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/cheap-flights-europe-spring-summer-2024-4aebb1e9?page=1

Knowing when to book your ticket is key to scoring a deal. Booking summer travel now may not be ideal.

“Airlines know that travelers booking that far in advance are either anxious or not flexible,” Berg says. She expects prices for spring and summer international flights to drop in the months ahead.

She suggests booking in January for spring trips and March for summer trips. Don’t wait too long, though—people who purchase summer flights to Europe in May likely will have to pay more, Berg says.

If travelers are agnostic about where they visit, open-ended searches for flights on sites such as Kayak or Google could turn up bargains. Otherwise, travelers should set up price alerts to track where prices are headed.

Knowing when to visit, and which places to avoid, also helps.

The Paris Olympics in late July and early August could have widespread spillover effects. Travelers may choose to visit France earlier in the year or go to other destinations to save money. Complicating matters is the fact that Paris is a major hub for connecting flights to destinations across the continent.

The influx of travelers to France for the Olympics could limit the options for people traveling to further-flung European destinations, says Kevin R. Williams, an associate professor of economics at Yale School of Management. Nonstop flights to Paris from the U.S. in late July currently cost anywhere from $600 to $1,000.

“That is going to be a more expensive ticket,” Williams says.

Anonymous wrote:Yes apologies - it includes train transport between the cities as well.

My budget was $10k

I haven’t even booked airfare yet and thought I could get tickets for $1k each but they are coming in at $1600 each. When did everything get SO expensive?!

Just saw an article that said airfare to most of Europe (Paris during the Olympics excluded) is likely to come down for next summer, so to wait a bit to book. Airlines are adding flights and demand is dropping.

Flights are going to be even more expensive than usual next summer with the Paris Olympics.

I agree that's too many cities for 14 days- it really depends what your priorities are but I'd cut two and add some daytrips from the other cities.

Anonymous wrote:14k without airfare is crazy expensive.

For perspective: We spent about 10k (maybe a bit more) on a 2-week trip to Florence, eastern Italian coast, Split, Mostar, Dubrovnik, Munich, and Copenhagan. We have younger kids so we squeezed into one hotel room, but did splurge for some of the AirBnb's/rentals. 10k inclusive of airfare, lodging, excursions.

As for 5 cities in 14 days? Total doable. It just depends on your travel style. I would get bored doing 5 days in one city.

Europe is more compact than the US. So while spending 5 days in Vienna, one can easily do day trips to Salzburg and Bratislava (that’s 3 days Vienna & 2 day trips). So instead of 5 cities, OP can do Vienna, Budapest and Rome with day trips added from each. This way, there are also less packing/ unpacking & check in - check outs which makes it more pleasant.

I agree with others, this set of cities is too much and too far for one 14-day trip. I’ve been to all of these cities except Vienna, and I agree with others you can skip Zurich entirely. I think you can do 5 stops, but I’d either do only Italy or only other places around Budapest, Vienna, etc. You could do Prague or you could instead loop down to Dubrovnik and Split.
As for the budget, I have no idea. Prices have changed so much even in the last 5 years, as you saw with flights. You just have to price it out.