My parents, in their late 60's, and I are going to Vienna and either Budapest or Prague for 10 days in October. My dad has been having some medical issues resulting in restricting his ability to walk. He is mobile, but must go at a slow pace. Vienna is set, and I had been leaning towards Prague, but have some concerns about it being somewhat hilly and the cobblestones (warned by a recent traveler). We will be staying at centrally located hotels. My parents are just happy to go somewhere, so it is a toss-up for them. We expect to go to Warsaw and Krakow next year; they have traveled to the U.K., Paris and Innsbruck in the past.

Prague does have hilly parts, which is part of its beauty. However, you won't encounter hills if you stay right around Old Town Square, it's flat there. YOu could visit around that area and the Jewish quarter without it being hilly. Most cities aren't completely flat (Budapest sure isn't, it's got a big hill also). Vienna is pretty flat, I agree. I think in most cities, there are flatter areas, and perhaps some hills but you don't have to go there. If you want to, you can take a cab or something. Most European older cities have cobblestones, also, I don't see how that's very different in many of them -- Krakow certainly does.

I don't see the difference in Budapest and Prague in terms of the mobility thing. They both have hills and cobblestones, so choose the one you want, and plan accordingly. I'd choose Prague. I have trouble knowning what to advise when the description is so vague. If your father can't really walk very far at all (and I mean more than a block), that will affect any travel to any city. You aren't going to be walking up the hill in Prague anyway (I didn't, and I have no mobility problems). If you don't walk up/down the main hill with the castle in Prague, it isn't really that hilly.

Thanks Christina. Sorry for the vagueness, but this is relatively new and he tries not to make a big deal of it, so communication is not always forthcoming. Up until a year ago, my dad would walk 2-3 miles daily as exercise. Walking around Paris for hours 2 years ago was no problem. Now, he can still walk, but if he goes too fast or tries to go a few miles, he experiences some pain. They were recently on the east coast and visited a number of cities. By going slower than the rest of the group, he experienced less pain. Other factors, such as safety, costs, interesting things to do, etc., seem level no matter which city we choose, so I just want to do what is best for my dad.

Thank you!

MY SIL has ahip problem and managed just fine. The Old Town is basically flat - and can be done in managemable bits.

The Castle/Cathedral are on top of a hill. But you can always cab up and then walk down (and pick up a cab at the bottom). There is also a tourist tram from Old Town Square that provides a tour of the hilly area below the castle - and then leaves you off there.

Budapest has one flat side and one hilly side. Again - you can take a cab onto the hilly side - and back if you want.

I wouldn;t worry about the cobblestones - every city in europe has them in places.

Hi Hayf -

Go with Pague and don't worry about the mobility issue. Most of the city is flat, except for the castle area, oh - and the area where the ruins are (Vyzhrad???), down the river.

The great exception is the castle area, which is up a pretty tough hill. However, there is, or at least used to be, a tram that goes around the hill and drops you off behind the castle. A good map with tram lines and numbers will be helpful.

Make sure you see the Strahov Monastery and the Loreto while you're up there near the castle. Also, there's a place for drinks within the castle compound, in the Lobkowicz Palace, with a really excellent view of the city.

Go with Budapest and don't worry about the mobility issue. Most of the city is flat, except for the castle area - oh and the Buda Hills which, for most visitors, is a marginal area.

The area of interest to most visitors in Prague is fairly concentrated, while visitors' Budapest is more extensive.

Public transport is good and easy to use in both cities, but I think Budapest is marginally better on that score -- but it needs to be, because of the larger area you might want to cover.

Prague has more cobblestones, but Budapest has plenty of uneven pavements -- a draw.

Budapest is less thronged along the main tourist drag, largely because it doesn't have a main tourist drag.

I think, overall, it is a tie. So I would go to Budapest just because I like it better.

Thanks for the great feedback. If we go to Prague and stay in Old Town, does that area still have issues with stag parties? We will be there over a weekend. I was also considering Mala Strana, which seems like it would be a bit quieter but still a good location.

There were stag parties all through the night outside our Prague hotel (Grand Hotel Bohemia), but I don't think you and your parents will be out and about at 3 a.m., and your windows will probably be closed in October.

Good for you for investigating all this ahead of time. It's my new reality, also. My father is having mobility problems, and I am currently looking at every city through their eyes.

I'm going to take mine to Amsterdam after our scouting visit there this summer: easy and cheap transportation, very "workable" city, flat, not too expensive for food, etc. They will be able to explore on their own without me, something I know that's important when one hits 80.