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I have now visited "The Big Three - and a Half" - Vienna, Prague, and Budapest have become a very popular holiday for Americans, with a quick stop in Bratislava for at least some. Here are my verdicts on some things important to tourists.

Best train station: No clear winners here, but some are better than others.

Bratislava: Although the station is rather dreary, signage and station announcements are in Slovak, English, and German, a huge help for befuddled visitors. Clerks speak English and take credit cards. My only complaint is the necessity of dragging luggage up and down stairs to reach the platforms. It's possible to go outside and cross the tracks on a sidewalk to avoid the steps, but you don't figure that out until it's too late, and it's dicey with six busy sets of tracks.

Vienna: Those escalators are a welcome site at the South Station when you get off your train. Information counters with English-speaking clerks are on the lower level, but I was sent out of my way to a subway stop when the D tram outside the station would have gotten me to my destination much more easily.

Budapest: All signage and announcements are only in Hungarian, not a language many non-Hungarians understand. You can decipher the sign of platform listings and international symbols help with some things, but I'm surprised this city is not more tourist-friendly, for EU visitors, if not Americans. I also was disappointed that the station management allowed all those taxi drivers to pounce on passengers getting off the train. Here's a picture of the Budapest station taken as I was departing.

Prague: Ramps for the disabled (and your luggage) are appreciated. But the pickpocket/scam problem is the worst here. One of the younger Fulbrighters here to teach English in the schools was picked clean of wallet and passport in September in the Prague station, even though she was a seasoned traveler taking reasonable precautions.

Best public transportation: All have excellent networks of trams and busses, and all but Bratislava have good subway systems. But some cities run them better than others.

Vienna: The clear winner. The system has several tourist-friendly lines for sightseeing. The #1/#2 trams make complete loops around the inner ring, a great sightseeing option. They also have three wonderful mini-bus lines (1A, 2A, 3A) which crawl through the central sights, clearly designed for tourists, not commuters. They take credit cards at the stations for passes and one-trip tickets. They also will give you a very readable free map, with the subway system on one side and the trams on the other, for the central city. For 1.5 Euros, you can buy an extremely detailed map of the entire system for the metropolitan area.

Budapest: The clear loser. You must have Hungarian currency to buy passes and tickets, a real problem for international visitors just arriving in town. You cannot even buy your own map for the tram/bus system, let alone get a free one. The signage and announcements are only in Hungarian. It is often difficult to figure out which direction to take on the subways, given the cryptic signage in many stations.

Bratislava: Honorable mention for the most polite riders anywhere. Younger riders routinely stand to offer their seats to older riders, male or female. I never saw that anywhere else. You can buy a pass at transit offices with a credit card. The maps of the system are free, but not easy to decipher until you are familiar with the street lay-out.

Best Christmas Bazaar: These are very popular in central Europe and all the cities have them.

Bratislava: I liked this market the best. It is less commercial, with lots of crafts and a variety of foods. With locations in two adjoining squares, it is large without being overwhelming.

Vienna: This was the most disappointing. Too many stands (especially at the Old City Hall) seemed like little more than mass-produced junk available in any souvenir store.

Most tourist friendly: There is plenty to see and do in all four cities, although Bratislava is one-third the size of the others and not really on the tourist map yet.

Bratislava: Perhaps because it is trying harder, it is very tourist-friendly. Signage is typically in English, along with Slovak. English-speakers are easy to find when you need help. And Slovaks seem genuinely delighted to welcome you to their city and help you with questions.

Least tourist friendly:

Budapest: I could find English-speakers to help in stores, hotels, and restaurants, but I was surprised at the near-absence of dual-language signs anywhere to help. I've already noted the problems with the public transportation system. The city is definitely worth a visit, with so much history, museums, and beautiful architecture. But I did not leave wishing I could stay a bit longer, as I did with Vienna and Prague.

I would be interested in the perceptions of others who have visited several of these cities. Comments welcome!