In May, with the planner's pick for each leg; you can switch any leg in the plan. Flying into Germany and home from Czechia; the legs that cross a border are marked.
Delhi → MunichFlight · 12h 30m · Lufthansa (daily non-stop, A380) · cheaper one stop via the Gulf or Istanbul
Munich → SalzburgTrain · 1h 48m · ÖBB Railjet, München Hbf–Salzburg Hbf (direct)Into Austria
Budapest → PragueTrain · 7h 6m · EuroCity, Praha hl.n.–Budapest-Keleti via Brno and Bratislava (direct)Into Czechia
Prague → DelhiFlight · 15h · One stop via the Gulf, Istanbul, Baku or a European hub (Emirates / Qatar / Etihad / Turkish / AZAL / Air India and partners) (one stop)
About this circuit
Five cities in four countries, every leg between them by train: two days in Munich for Marienplatz, the Residenz and the English Garden; the Railjet to Salzburg for the fortress, Mozart's birthplace and the Mirabell Gardens; on to Vienna for Schönbrunn, the Hofburg and Klimt's The Kiss; east to Budapest for the Parliament on the Danube, the Castle District and the thermal baths; and the EuroCity north to Prague for the castle, Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square. Fly into Munich, which has non-stop flights from India, and home from Prague.
Why it matters
Vienna was the Habsburgs' imperial city, Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace and the setting of The Sound of Music, Budapest's Danube banks are a UNESCO site, and Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral stand above the Vltava. Indian restaurants are plentiful in Vienna and Prague, and Budapest and Prague have Govinda's vegetarian restaurants, run by the Hare Krishna movement.
Stop by stop
How the 12 days split across the 5 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
Bavaria's capital and the second airport with non-stop flights from India (Lufthansa from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru). Marienplatz and its Glockenspiel, the Frauenkirche, the Residenz palace, the Viktualienmarkt, the English Garden with surfers on the Eisbach, the Deutsches Museum, BMW Welt and Museum, Nymphenburg Palace and the Olympic Park. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial is 45 minutes away and free. The base for Neuschwanstein, Garmisch and Salzburg. Oktoberfest (late September to the first Sunday in October) fills the city and roughly doubles hotel prices. Bavaria has no city hotel tax.
Don't miss: Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel · Residenz palace and treasury.
How long: 2 days here; on its own Munich is worth 3 — add a day if you can.
Munich Airport (MUC), 38 km
2 days for two from ₹34,401 · ₹70,697 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
A baroque city on the Salzach under the Hohensalzburg fortress, Mozart's birthplace and the setting of The Sound of Music: the cathedral and the Residenz squares, Getreidegasse, the Mirabell Gardens and the view from the Mönchsberg. The Salzburg Festival fills it in July and August, and the Christmas market from late November. Railjets reach Vienna in about 2.5 hours and Innsbruck in under 2; buses run to the Salzkammergut lakes and trains south to Werfen, Bad Gastein and Zell am See. Its airport has flights from Europe but none from India.
Don't miss: Hohensalzburg Fortress and its view over the city · Mozart's Birthplace on Getreidegasse.
How long: 1 day here; on its own Salzburg is worth 2 — add a day if you can.
Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart (SZG), 4 km
1 day for two from ₹13,840 · ₹26,616 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
Austria's capital and its only airport with flights from India (all one-stop in the 2026-27 winter). The imperial city of the Habsburgs: Schönbrunn and the Hofburg with the Sisi Museum, the Belvedere with Klimt's The Kiss, St Stephen's Cathedral, the Ringstrasse and the museum quarter, plus coffee houses, the Naschmarkt and concerts every night (the State Opera sells cheap standing places, but has no performances in July and August). The trams and U-Bahn are easy, and the CAT and S-Bahn trains run from the airport. Vegetarian food is easy and Indian restaurants are plentiful. Vienna's hotel tax rose to 5% in July 2026 and goes to 8% in July 2027.
Don't miss: Schönbrunn Palace state rooms and gardens · Hofburg, the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi Museum.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Vienna International Airport (VIE), 18 km
3 days for two from ₹60,874 · ₹1,17,606 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
Hungary's capital, split by the Danube into hilly Buda (the Castle District with Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church and the Royal Palace, and Gellért Hill) and flat Pest (the neo-Gothic Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica, Andrássy Avenue to Heroes' Square, and the old Jewish Quarter with the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe). The city sits on more than a hundred thermal springs: the neo-baroque Széchenyi Baths in City Park and the Turkish-era Rudas and Király baths are open, while the Art Nouveau Gellért Baths closed in October 2025 for a renovation expected to run to about 2028. The Danube banks between the bridges are a UNESCO site, best seen from a river boat at dusk. Flights from India land with one stop at Ferenc Liszt Airport, about 16 km south-east; there is no rail link, so the 100E airport bus or a taxi takes you in. There are several Indian restaurants, and Govinda vegetarian restaurants run by the Hare Krishna movement.
Don't miss: The Parliament lit up on the Danube at night · Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church in the Castle District.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), 22 km
3 days for two from ₹50,462 · ₹99,380 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The capital of Czechia (also called the Czech Republic), and where the flights from India land, with one stop on the way. Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral stand above the Vltava; below are Charles Bridge and its statues, the Old Town Square with its astronomical clock, the synagogues and old cemetery of the Jewish Quarter, and the baroque lanes of Malá Strana, all walkable, with trams and a metro for the rest. Indian restaurants are plentiful, Govinda's serves Hare Krishna vegetarian food in the centre, and ISKCON's temple is at Lužce near Karlštejn. Trains reach Kutná Hora in under an hour and Brno in about 2 h 40.
Don't miss: Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral · Charles Bridge at dawn.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG), 17 km
3 days for two from ₹41,382 · ₹83,902 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹1,76,825 a person
The whole 12-day trip as the planner prices it in May, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops and across the borders, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
The visa for an Indian passport, about ₹12,289 a person, is on top.
When to go
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May, June, September and October suit all five, and in December the Christmas markets fill Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest and Prague (and their hotels at weekends); July and August bring heatwaves of 30-35 °C and more, and the Salzburg Festival fills its hotels
Entry rules
Schengen visa: Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechia
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹12,289
One visa covers all 4: apply to Austria, where the route spends the most days, under its rules; the days allowed count across them.
Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Austria centre in India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune or Ahmedabad), 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for April to September (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Austria if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (₹9,810 at VFS; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge of about ₹2,500, and neither is refunded if the visa is refused.
·Indian passports need one Schengen visa for all four countries: apply to Austria, the longest stay, at least 6 weeks ahead for April to September, with travel insurance from an insurer the Austrian Embassy accepts
·Munich to Salzburg is the Railjet, about 1 h 30; Salzburg to Vienna about 2 h 30; Vienna to Budapest about 2 h 30; and Budapest to Prague the direct EuroCity, 6 h 30 to 7 hours, or the Metropol night train
·Works on the line through Rosenheim (the "Deutsches Eck") lengthen Munich–Salzburg journeys in late 2026 and were reported to close it in the first half of 2027: check the ÖBB or DB timetable for your dates
·Budapest's Gellért Baths are closed for renovation until about 2028; the Széchenyi, Rudas and Király baths are open
·Oktoberfest (18 September to 3 October in 2027) roughly doubles Munich's hotel prices, and December is Prague's dearest month for rooms: book early for either
