Budapest (less time here) more time in Prague
Apr 25th, 2009, 04:11 PM
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Budapest (less time here) more time in Prague
On this visit to central europe, I have confirguered three nights in prague, arriving in the evening of Thursday by car service, departing Sunday afternoon by plane to Budapest. My daughter who starts a conference the following Wednesday in Budapest wants to leave for Budapest the following Monday late morning by plane, giving only 1 1/2 day of full touring before her conference on Wednesdayl, ending Friday afternoon, departing for USA Saturday AM. I have a feeling two full days in Buda would probably be better, most interested in street life, buildings, rivers, gatherings, not too much for exploring the insides of museums. Your thughts appreciated. Thankyou, Jack
Apr 25th, 2009, 05:06 PM
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Having enjoyed a week in each, I have to agree with your daughter that two days in Prague would be way too short. (Even for an afternoon flight, you would have to leave mid-morning right?) With much more time, I didn't even get to the major museums in Prague.
Although Budapest is bigger and more spread out than Prague, and just as interesting, it's easier to see that in a hurry because it's more about specific sights (castle, Parliament, etc) whereas Prague is simply beautiful all over, and you'll want to be able to wander aimlessly around, like in Paris.
Although Budapest is bigger and more spread out than Prague, and just as interesting, it's easier to see that in a hurry because it's more about specific sights (castle, Parliament, etc) whereas Prague is simply beautiful all over, and you'll want to be able to wander aimlessly around, like in Paris.
Apr 25th, 2009, 06:08 PM
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IMHO Prague has more to see and do than Budapest - but you don;t really have enough time in either. I would do a minimum of 4 day sin Prague and 3 in Budapest - but I've been to the former 3 times and the latter 2 and sill have a lot more to see. Prague is really special is you like music - since it has ann incredible number of performances of every type in every imaginable venue - often for very minimal cost.
Apr 25th, 2009, 07:12 PM
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we arent into museums either
without studying the history of the country i cant seem to get further than a few plaques when it becomes too much - same with tours
it is all a bit haphazard and disjointed in my head so we avoid them - and palaces leave me cold too
churches i like
theyre more compact
so
in prague we avoided all the usual sights and simply walked the charles bridge and found petrin park
theres a mini eiffel tower there that you can climb and the views are wonderful
we also went into the grounds of the monastery round that area and then headed back to the astronomical clock
the next morning we trained it cesky krumlov
a day - a long day - got up at 4am to catch the 630 train and were home in the early evening having caught the 3pm
i liked cesky krumlov and was so pleased that we had a crack at it when we were told that it was not possible to do as a day trip
have a google of the pics of cesky- really interesting architecture and techniques for decorating their walls
enjoy whatever you decide to do!
without studying the history of the country i cant seem to get further than a few plaques when it becomes too much - same with tours
it is all a bit haphazard and disjointed in my head so we avoid them - and palaces leave me cold too
churches i like
theyre more compact
so
in prague we avoided all the usual sights and simply walked the charles bridge and found petrin park
theres a mini eiffel tower there that you can climb and the views are wonderful
we also went into the grounds of the monastery round that area and then headed back to the astronomical clock
the next morning we trained it cesky krumlov
a day - a long day - got up at 4am to catch the 630 train and were home in the early evening having caught the 3pm
i liked cesky krumlov and was so pleased that we had a crack at it when we were told that it was not possible to do as a day trip
have a google of the pics of cesky- really interesting architecture and techniques for decorating their walls
enjoy whatever you decide to do!
Apr 25th, 2009, 07:55 PM
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On our trip to the area, we spent 4 nights in each city. As day 1 in Prague was our arrival day, that really meant 3 full days. Between the two cities, I would spend more time in Prague.
Neither city is, to make a huge generalization, known highly for their museums (not compared to London, Paris, Rome or Barcelona, for example). But I would suggest that you consider the Museum of Communism in Prague and/or the Terror Museum in Budapest. Very interesting.
My son preferred Budapest because, he said, it's more like a big, sophisticated city. That's probably why my husband and I preferred Prague - it's a cute, smaller city. Both have plenty to do of the walking-around, looking at beautiful buildings sorts of thing.
I would say to look at guidebooks for each place, see how many things you put on a list of things you really want to do in each city, and see which city's list is longer.
Neither city is, to make a huge generalization, known highly for their museums (not compared to London, Paris, Rome or Barcelona, for example). But I would suggest that you consider the Museum of Communism in Prague and/or the Terror Museum in Budapest. Very interesting.
My son preferred Budapest because, he said, it's more like a big, sophisticated city. That's probably why my husband and I preferred Prague - it's a cute, smaller city. Both have plenty to do of the walking-around, looking at beautiful buildings sorts of thing.
I would say to look at guidebooks for each place, see how many things you put on a list of things you really want to do in each city, and see which city's list is longer.
Apr 27th, 2009, 12:09 PM
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I agree with the other posters and would recommend more time in Prague than in Budapest, although I did truly enjoy Budapest.
The Castle District in Budapest is very compact yet fits in a lot: the Castle, the Fishermen's Bastion, the Matthias Church and the Old Town area. Try the Ruszwurm Cukraszda (great, less expensive pastries, esp. the cremes, www.ruszwurm.hu, located at Szentháromság u. 7). That's the only area of Budapest where I really wanted to just "roam." You can also visit Heroes' Square, the Museum of Fine Arts (very nice and on the Square--if you like art), Cafe Gerbaud (if inclined),St. Stephen's Basilica (wonderful view from top of tower), Dohany Synagogue (very ornate) and possibly even Gellert Hill in one day. An evening Danube cruise is fun too as the bridges, monuments and buildings are all illuminated.
The Castle District in Budapest is very compact yet fits in a lot: the Castle, the Fishermen's Bastion, the Matthias Church and the Old Town area. Try the Ruszwurm Cukraszda (great, less expensive pastries, esp. the cremes, www.ruszwurm.hu, located at Szentháromság u. 7). That's the only area of Budapest where I really wanted to just "roam." You can also visit Heroes' Square, the Museum of Fine Arts (very nice and on the Square--if you like art), Cafe Gerbaud (if inclined),St. Stephen's Basilica (wonderful view from top of tower), Dohany Synagogue (very ornate) and possibly even Gellert Hill in one day. An evening Danube cruise is fun too as the bridges, monuments and buildings are all illuminated.
