European Trip June 2026 - Thoughts Please

[Russet Grange]

Hello all.

I hope nobody minds me asking but wife and I (62/61) are keen to do a European trip next June and advice/thoughts would be most welcome. We like a bit of culture/sightseeing/local cuisine etc... the typical touristy stuff for 60-somethings.

We've been to a reasonable number of European cities, but none of the ones on this itinerary (well we've been to Munich but only to collect a hire car).

Current thinking is to fly London to Prague, train to Vienna, day trip on the Danube to Bratislava, train to Munich, train to Cologne, train to Brussels, Eurostar back to London.

Looking at two or three nights in each location, thoughts certainly welcome on this, and hopefully the train rides will be scenic and be enjoyable too.

Thanks for helping.

[Gargamel]

Skip Brussels as it’s a dump. Eurostar from Amsterdam and have a couple of nights in Amsterdam, far more civilized. Easy to walk round too.

Rest of the trip sounds fun. Prague is super fun city, easy on the wallet too outside the main tourist areas.

[Russet Grange]

Gargamel said:

Skip Brussels as it s a dump. Eurostar from Amsterdam and have a couple of nights in Amsterdam, far more civilized. Easy to walk round too.

Rest of the trip sounds fun. Prague is super fun city, easy on the wallet too outside the main tourist areas.

Ah good shout, Amsterdam it is.

[bennno]

Russet Grange said:

Hello all.

I hope nobody minds me asking but wife and I (62/61) are keen to do a European trip next June and advice/thoughts would be most welcome. We like a bit of culture/sightseeing/local cuisine etc... the typical touristy stuff for 60-somethings.

We've been to a reasonable number of European cities, but none of the ones on this itinerary (well we've been to Munich but only to collect a hire car).

Current thinking is to fly London to Prague, train to Vienna, day trip on the Danube to Bratislava, train to Munich, train to Cologne, train to Brussels, Eurostar back to London.

Looking at two or three nights in each location, thoughts certainly welcome on this, and hopefully the train rides will be scenic and be enjoyable too.

Thanks for helping.

Vienna to Budapest on the train alongside the Danube is better…..

[Russet Grange]

bennno said:

Vienna to Budapest on the train alongside the Danube is better ..

Yes, did consider going that far. Maybe Vienna to Bratislava on the river and then train to Budapest? Makes it a six country trip, so might need to add another day or two.

Cheers

[Ted Maul]

And then a train to Zagreb and an overnight train a day or so later to Venice. I can thoroughly recommend a stay in the Hotel Esplanade, built specifically for the railway and the Orient Express.

[omniflow]

We did Prague, Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest earlier this year. We went by car from Prague to Bratislava, by boat from Bratislava to Vienna which was great, and then by train from Vienna to Budapest which was very crowded and not much fun.

Prague was ok, but we won't bother returning
Bratislava is pretty small, but it's a nice relaxing place. Food and drink are good. As it's quite small, the tour parties from the boats can have a significant impact on how crowded the place feels.
Wasn't really keen on Vienna - it's quite a stuffy place. The buildings are pretty spectacular but we didn't really like the feel of the place.
Budapest was a great place to visit - lots of fun, lots to see, good food. Would definitely go back.

Also, don't rule out buses. We used Flixbus to get from Budapest back to a city in Slovakia and it was far better than the train journey.

[InitialDave]

If you find a way to incorporate Graz into your trip, I was quite taken with the place. When I went, I visited Vienna first, then took the train to Graz, and flew from there to Zurich.

[Palmela]

omniflow said:

...
Also, don't rule out buses. We used Flixbus to get from Budapest back to a city in Slovakia and it was far better than the train journey.

Just quoting this to reinforce the point that sometimes the unexpected or 'less smart' option can be the right one. Coach travel on the continent can be a very sensible alternative, and it's often really cheap.

[mikef]

Having lived and/or worked in most of these cities and having family connections with all the others, I would rate them as

	Prague	Vienna	Bratislava	Munich	Cologne	Brussels	London
Culture	* *	* * *	*	* *	* *	* *	* * *
Sightseeing	* * *	* *	*	* * *	*	* *	* *
Cuisine	*	* *	*	* *	*	* * *	* *
Bars	* *	*	* *	* * *	* *	* * *	* *

Definitely Budapest over Bratislava if that’s an option

[Palmela]

mikef said:

Having lived and/or worked in most of these cities and having family connections with all the others, I would rate them as

	Prague	Vienna	Bratislava	Munich	Cologne	Brussels	London
Culture	* *	* * *	*	* *	* *	* *	* * *
Sightseeing	* * *	* *	*	* * *	*	* *	* *
Cuisine	*	* *	*	* *	*	* * *	* *
Bars	* *	*	* *	* * *	* *	* * *	* *

Definitely Budapest over Bratislava if that s an option

London 2* for sightseeing and bars?

You've been going to the wrong places!

[LunarOne]

bennno said:

Vienna to Budapest on the train alongside the Danube is better ..

Seems like something of an unnecessary risk if you ask me. Surely a murder on such a journey is almost a certainty! If you see a man with an unusual moustache who looks like he might want to solve a mystery, take my advice and RUN!

[RichFN2]

You really need to squeeze Budapest into your itinerary, such a fantastic city. I thought Brussels was average at best and that was with a friend living there to show us the best areas. You can use it as a transport base for the Eurostar and spend more time in other places.

From Prague check out Brno, its the 2nd biggest city in the Czech Republic and you will be passing through it on your journey.

[numtumfutunch]

My own experience:

Prague - hell, yes
Vienna - deffo
Munich - beer, pork/chicken to XS and BMW Welt - c'mon
Cologne - was OK but Bonn was much better

The others - dunno