The Trip: Prague, Austria and Italy by train

NAME: Catherine Evans and Margaret White, sisters, country Victoria.

THE TRIP: 24 days in Prague, Austria and Italy using train travel.

ITINERARY: Starting in Prague we walked up the steps to Prague Castle and its gardens, explored Wenceslas Square and the Jewish Quarter and visited the slightly disturbing Bone Church at Kutna Hora.

Using the hop on/hop off bus in Vienna we travelled from Schonbrunn Palace with its expansive gardens to the Danube river and the sand-covered concrete beside the canal that the locals have claimed as a beach. On through the stunning countryside to Innsbruck where the snow-capped mountains were at our fingertips and Venice where Doge's Palace, the museum and every side street amazed us. Stunning churches in Florence and a one night trip to the Cinque Terra towns showed us the beauty of Italy and the hospitality of their restaurants.

We walked the steep streets of Siena and spent hours in the cathedral and Santa Maria della Scala where the grandeur of the buildings was enhanced by artifacts and paintings. In Rome, guided tours of the Vatican and Colosseum gave us insight into history.

BEST BITS: In Vienna the green parks and blue sky contrasted with the white buildings and marble statues; everything shone of music and grandeur. Monterosso and Vernazza sparkled against the sea and the oranges and blues of the buildings – the wonderful gelato added to the magic. Getting lost in the alleyways of Venice and looking over the Roman Forum from Palatine Hill gave us a sense of amazement that we were actually there.

WORST BITS: Having the train door shut with us on either side, leaving Catherine stranded in Monterosso without a phone and me heading off to Siena. Luckily the train, which we thought was express, soon stopped and we reconnected.

BEST TIP: Booking the train tickets online using the actual providers e.g. Trenitalia and Czech Railways which saved us half the cost of using a provider such as Eurail. The websites The Man in Seat Sixty-One (seat61.com) and rome2rio.com were invaluable.

WHERE TO NEXT: Four days in Sydney next month.