Budapest, Prague and Vienna travel
 

We are planning a trip to these countries in the beginning of September. We are trying to decide if we should go on a tour our plan our own travel. Does anyone have an itinerary that they would suggest. How long in each country? Should we fly to each city or do the train?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated as well as hotels and not to miss sites.

The places you mention are cities, not countries. Do you just want to see these 3 cities or do you want to see more? How much time do you have to do this trip?

I did those three cities in September 2005, by train, self-guided. I am a seasoned train traveler and found the trains easy enough (though I was so complacent I got off at the wrong train station in Budapest - doh! - should have written down the actual station name). Doing it again, I'd most certainly do it the same way - but I was alone. if you are going as a group it gets cheaper to rent a car. I probably wouldn't fly, can't see how it would save you all that much time, what with airport security and shuttles to the airports and all.

Pick up a Rick Steves Eastern Europe book and see what appeals to you about each city/country and go from there. I loved Prague, found Budapest challenging but very interesting, was not excited about Vienna (but many others love Vienna). Going back, I'd love to see Prague again and maybe Budepest. Prague is just a fun city to wander around and absorb everything. Whatever you put on your agenda, be sure to put some "wander around and do nothing" time in there.

At this time we want to see these 3 cities and possibly Saltzburg. We are planning 2 weeks.

My wife and I made the "tri-city" trip in July 2006. We flew into Budapest (five nights, four days), travled by rail to Prague (six nights, five days), and, finally, by rail to Vienna (six nights, five days). The longer rail trip was about five hours, from Budapest to Prague (but not unpleasant), the shorter (about 3.5) from Prague to Vienna. We found good things to see in each of the three cities. Budapest gave us a nice walking tour along Andrassy, which generally runs southwest to northeast through the center of Pest, with a bit of strudel and iced coffee on the way and great swimming in the public baths at the northeast end. The great indoor Central Market was also an enjoyable attraction.

Prague is generally very charming (I'd suggest a compass to supplement your maps and help decipher travels along some of the streets which are inclined to change their names with some frequency). A wonderful tour of the Jewish Quarter; a performance (they happen every day, I think) of Dvorak's New World Symphony and Smetana's Ma Vlast at the Munipal House, an impressive musical venue with five concert halls); Wenceslas Square; the Mucha Museum and the Communist Museum; and, of course, Pilsner Urquell and the real Budweiser fresh and cold at the source were highlights.

Vienna seems(and the Viennese I'm sure would be offended by this) to be the San Francisco of Central Europe: sophisticated, arty, and full of gustatory wonders. We particularly enjoyed the "The Third Man" tour (for film buffs like us), the Prater amusement Park with the Die Riesenrad (the large wheel) ferris wheel that plays a part in The Third Man, and our side trip (about an hour) by train from a downtown underground station to Baden where we took in an Austrian tradition, the performance of an operetta (fine singing, dancing and humor that transcended language differences) in Baden's Kurpark.

I am a bit of a World War II, and its pre- and post-war eras so these three cities offered many cultural and historic connections.

A little correction of the final sentence, above: I am a bit of a World War II student, amateur variety

Hi; We did this 'independant' tour that was very nice. You can pick the level of hotels. All train tickets between cities are arranged. Includes half day tours of each city. Breakfast daily. www.tradescotours.com/tours/budapest_express.php Dick

Hi, I just visited Vienna and Budapest less than 1 month ago. We were there for 13 days (including travel days), and could easily have spent more time in both. Therefore, 2 weeks for these 3 cities may be a bit rushed, but I guess it depends on your interests. I love art museums so I can easily spend 2 weeks in Vienna alone for those.

Train travel is very easy between Vienna and Budapest. You may want to check out my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...pring-2009.cfm

Have visited those 3 cities several times each and they will easily take up 2 weeks between then (plus travel between). By adding a couple of days to Salzburg you're making quite a crowded itinerary.

I would do it independstly - but then that's all I ever do. There's no reason not to, since all the cities have very well-developed tourist infrastructures and English is very widely spoken.

Thank you all for your very helpful advice and websites. I do agree with nytraveler that I would rather do it independently but I was concerned about how widely English was spoken. For those of you that have gone can you please provide me with suggestions for hotels, sights not to miss and restaurant suggestions.

Hi; In Prague, our hotel was www.hotel-pariz.cz/ and in a good location. In Vienna this hotel is in a great location, just behind St. Stephen's Cathedral, perhaps 100 yards from the old town square. . www.kvu.at/ In Vienna there are nice hotels within walking distance from the train station. Our first trip there, it was very easy getting off the train and walking to the hotel. Dick

bookmarking

Agree with nytraveler, adding in Salzburg would crowd an otherwise not too hectic plan to do the three cities in two weeks.

I did the same trip with three friends about 5 years ago. Budapest-Vienna-Prague in that order or reverse, minimizes the train travel which is easy in any case. You can certainly do the arrangements yourself.

We were gone 15 days so actually spent 4 days in Budapest, 5 in Vienna and 4 in Prague. I felt we shorted Prague a bit because on day 1 we didn't arrive from Vienna until around 3:00 in the afternoon.

We hired private guides for a day and half day respectively in Budapest and Prague, which were excellent investments in time and funds as they gave us such a good grounding and we saw things we wouldn't have been likely to see on our own. While in Vienna we spent a day touring Melk followed by a boat trip on the Danube, through the Wachau Valley, to Durnstein.

We're moving house and I just came across all the photos and scrapbook materials, still disassembled, from that trip. One of the best two weeks I've spent in Europe. Do check out yk's trip report, excellent recommendations and generally "good stuff."

We went slightly upscale on hotels (AH, points) staying at the Hilton Buda, the Hotel Konig von Ungaren in Vienna and the InterContinental in Prague. I recommend all of them, particularly for their excellent locations, but the Viennese hotel was very special because it was, well, so Viennese.

Happy to help with other questions and wishing you a great trip.

I second iris1745's recommendation for the Hotel Pariz in Prague. Not only is an exquisite example of art nouveau decor the buffet breakfast is by far the greatest treat I've ever experienced, including my own home (well, especially including my own home). I don't know how close our Vienna hotel was from the railway station--we just grabbed a taxi when we emerged from the Prague-Vienna train, but we stayed at the--believe it or don't--Hotel Austria, a nice, quiet (on a cul de sac) *** hotel within a couple streets of the Schwedenplatz underground station and the Danube canal near the northern inner ring road, and about four or five streets north of St. Stephensplatz.

For a hotel in Prague, I would highly recommend Residence Retezova. It's less expensive than the Hotel Pariz and you get an apartment on a quiet street near the Charles Bridge in Old Town. Next door (and connected to the small hotel lobby) is a wonderful cafe with the best coffee I've ever tasted! If you like music, you can buy tickets online for a symphony performance at Dvorak Hall. We were there last September, and went on opening night. They put up a large screen and xtra chairs outside the hall for people who don't have tickets. I wish they did that here in San Francisco! I also recommend a tour of the old Jewish quarter with Wittman Tours.

I'll also recommend the Wittman Tours for the Jewish Quarter.

Last year we were in Prague and Budapest. We had apartments which for us is the only way to go. In Prague we stayed in Mala Strana in a small flat between the US and German Embassies. Super location and quiet too. The website is www.arcadiaresidence.com. In Budapest we stayed on the Pest side (where all the action is) in a beautiful apartment owned by an American. The website for that is http://budapestvacationrentals.com.

hi mohun,

we are booked into the austria in Vienna for our 4 night stay in 2 weeks' time. Good choice?

we are planning to spend most of our time in central Vienna, with a trip out to Schonbrun and grinzing/doebling. have you got an yother ideas /tips to pass on?

regards, ann

Hi; Take a 'day' trip' on the Danube to Melk and Krems. I think you take a tour bus first to Krems and then a cruise boat to Melk. All part of a package 'tour' given by a number of companies. Dick

hi, iris, thanks for the tip, if it was meant for me!

in fact, once we leave Vienna, we are going to drive to the Salzkammergut via Melk and Krems. so I've planned to spend our precious 3 1/2 days in vienna doing other stuff.

nice idea though!

regards, ann

Hi Ann; You probably know of this town too, but Durnstein is another great little town on the Danube. If you are pressed for time, for us, I would select Durnstein before Krems. Dick

Annhig,

We stayed for five nights at the Austria in 2006. It's a fairly small, family-run hotel on a nice, quiet cul-de-sac. The hotel folks are very helpful and the location is excellent, close to the Schwedenplatz underground station and just a few streets from St. Stephens. Every three or four months we get a chatty newsletter with info on what's going on in Vienna, where the young staff are going to school or from where they've graduated, the new colors that have been added to the breakfast room, the rooms that have been redecorated, etc. It's a modest, but charming place and we'd definitely stay there again.

hi mohun,

that's very helpful, and confirms my feelings about the place from my dealings so far. also, it is convenient for our arrival in Vienna as we hope to travel by hydrofoil from Bratislava; so far as I can tell, the hydrofoil stops about 10 mins walk away from the austria. and I like the fact [I hope] that being in a cul de sac, it's quiet.

Glad to have had your feed-back

regards, ann

PS - did you try hiring a bike in Vienna?

We didn't try bikes, but it could be a good idea if you were touring smaller neighborhoods. Within the inner ring road, Vienna is a big city traffic could be a bit dense in places. Kartnerstrasse is a major pedrian-only shopping street that runs south southwest from St. Stephens all the way to the Staatsoper on the southern border of the inner ring road. I've copied the Hotel Austria June newsletter and attempted to paste it to the end of this post. There's so many great places for strudel, if you're so inclined; I think there's one on Fleishmarkt just around the corner from the hotel. The Shakespeare and Company English bookstore is a couple of blocks awayand the Jewish Museum is also very close to the hotel, as is also quite a beautiful Orhtodox Church. Sites that we greatly enjoyed were the Prater amusement park which has the famous ferris wheel which plays an important part in the film The Third Man. I'm a film buff so I must also mention the Third Man walking tour, complete with zither. Finally, we made a delightful day trip south to Baden (about an hour by train) to see an example of that special Austrian art form, the operetta (in this case die Zirkusprinseen); you don't have to speak the language to enjoy the music and humor in an operetta. Alkso, you should know, if you haven't discovered it already, that "iced coffee" in Central EWurope is not anything like the Starbucks variety--it's cold coffee iced with ice cream and some chocolate at the bo9ttom of the glass with whipped heavy cream on top, a fun indulgence on a warm day. Have a great trip and don't hestitate to write again if you have any questions.
Hotel Austria - Wien, Vienna
Am Fleischmarkt 20
1010 Vienna
Austria

Tel.: +43 1 515 23
Fax: +43 1 515 23 /506
Email: [email protected]
Skype Hotel Austria

» Imprint
» Vienna info

» unsubscribe newsletter
» view online





Our Literary Corner



Who does not at times feel too much
and too tenderly,
certainly always feels too little.

Jean Paul











The slowest, who never
loses sight of his goal,
is still faster than the one
who goes about without a goal.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing










A love that does not find harmony
with reality is not love.
Then it is the privilege of noble hearts not to be able to love.

Albert Camus






















________________________________________
HOTEL AUSTRIA
Fleischmarkt 20/Wolfengasse 3
1010 Vienna,

Security advice:
This message is intended only for the above recipient and is sent without encoding or digital signature. We do not exclude the possibility that third parties will have unauthorized access to this document or that the message has been changed. Hotel AUSTRIA does not accept any liability.
Experience Vienna in its most personal ambience!
Dear Mr. MOHUNDRO!
• THIRD (!) place for us – from among 354 competitors – through your enthusiastic reviews!
• Our first-ever, brand-new Hotel AUSTRIA VIDEO on our homepage!
• Discover our flower-decorated SUMMER TERRACE on our new deck-chairs
• “Vienna – up close and personal!” - Tromp l’oeil (Optical Illusion Art) at the Jesuit Church
• “Don’t miss out on these!” – Current happenings in Vienna
• Our NEW trivia contest - a truly extraordinary human being
________________________________________

THIRD (!) place for us – from among 354 competitors – through your enthusiastic reviews!
Many thanks to our WONDERFUL guests!

Through YOUR ratings and reviews, we are presently fourth place among all of the hotels in Vienna on the hotel review web platform tripadvisor.com! We actually read your reviews and comments daily on our guest questionnaires as well.

For “our” guests – that’s YOU – we strive with GREAT PLEASURE everyday for you to also experience Vienna – “in its most personal ambience” – at Hotel AUSTRIA…
________________________________________

Our first-ever, brand-new Hotel AUSTRIA VIDEO on our homepage!
“A picture says more than a thousand words.”

What would our “hot-off-the-press” Hotel AUSTRIA VIDEO show you?
Pastries – the Donnerbrunnen – Wolfengasse – Reception – Lounges / waiting areas – breakfast-buffet and dining room – our terrace and some guestrooms…

Do you feel the personal ambience already?
Make your own VIDEO and get to see our Hotel AUSTRIA team in action “live”!
See for yourself and be astonished at how intense REALITY can be…

________________________________________

Discover our flower-decorated SUMMER TERRACE on our new deck-chairs

Fragrant rose blossoms right within Vienna?
Peace and quiet and a cool shade under bay leaves?

And while you do a “review” of past events and the bygone hours or are just about to plan the next few days on our brand-new comfortable deck-chairs – allow yourself to feel inspired by our unique, premier wines from the Karner Vineyard in Donnerskirchen, Burgenland.

We offer you 12 excellent wine varieties from this multi-awarded prize winner of the “Austrian Wines’ Salon”. All you have to do now is enjoy…
________________________________________

“Vienna – up close and personal!” – Tromp l’oeil (Optical Illusion Art) at the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche)

This time let’s take a closer look at the Jesuit Church – formerly University Church (Universitätskirche).

The church was founded by Emperor Ferdinand II as he entrusted the University to the Jesuits and was built between 1623 and 1631 by a yet unknown architect in the early Baroque style. The church was blessed by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Unlike other churches, it is not built facing the east but rather the north. Because of this, there are remarkably not-so-ideal lighting conditions.

In the rear third of the middle aisle, a light-colored stone slab can be found on the floor. This is the spot that should be captured by every enthusiast of Tromp l’oeil (Optical Illusion Art). One directs his gaze upward and the illusion is perfect. Though this is actually a barrel vault, the master-builder Pozzo has successfully made it appear to the observer as a cupola instead…
________________________________________

Current Happenings in Vienna in June 2009

Interested in music, theatre, the opera, museums or exhibits?
We know all the schedules and gladly look forward to your reservations at your HOTEL AUSTRIA!
o Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller at the Belvedere
o Fashions of the Ringstrasse Era

o The mythology of Cy Twombly

o 34th International Music Festival dedicated to Haydn and Schubert

o Vienna Danube Island Festival 2009

________________________________________

Our NEW trivia contest - a truly extraordinary human being!
Which Jesuit priest – who by now is probably known throughout the world – has been active for nearly 20 years in an absolutely incomparable and personal commitment to help street children in Romania?
Send us your answers by June 20th through postal mail or electronically at mailto:[email protected] and get a chance to participate in a raffle draw for a HOTEL AUSTRIA gift certificate worth € 100! The gift certificate will be awarded to the sender of the entry drawn from all correct entries; the winning entry will be considered final and official under the rules of the contest.
The Johann Strauss memorial at the Wiener Stadtpark (Vienna City Park) was the answer we were looking for in our last newsletter. We are pleased to congratulate Mr. Vladimir Aus from St. Petersburg, Russia for winning the €100 gift certificate!


Best regards from Vienna,
Your Hotel AUSTRIA Team




__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4124 (20090602) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com

I can also add my recommendation of the Hotel Austria.
You probably already have it but their website

www.hotelaustria-wien.at

I have have friends visiting me who stayed there and enjoyed it.

I hope you arrange boat transfer from Bratislava on the Twin City Liner.

www.twincityliner.com

This is the best series of boats and is a catamaran. Some hydrofoils travel on the Danube. These are old boats , soviet era, and relatively slow and smelly.
They also dock well out of the city center.
The Twin City liner docks in Vienna at Schwedenplatz. Perhaps a 5 minute walk slightly uphill to the hotel.

A nice cafe in the area near to the hotel is Cafe Diglas- excelent pastry.

Nearby also is the restaurant Griechenbeisl also on Fleischmarkt. While many like it , I find it overpriced for quality received. Just my opinion.

mohun,

thanks for the link. in fact I too am a subscriber to the hotel austria newsletter which has already given me some entertainment and useful information. it's one of the things that attracted me to them, that and the excellent position that you refer to. unfortunately, the "third man" tour takes place at 4pm on Friday, when we will only just have arrived in Bratislava, and Monday, when we have tickets for the opera that starts at 7pm. so a two hour tour is not really on, unfortunately. but thanks for the thought.

molker - it's always encouraging when locals recommend somewhere. the twincity liner is the one I'm intending to use - do I understand that you are suggesting that we book? if so, I suppose that I ought to do that soon. we get to Bratislava about 3pm so I suspect that ny midday on sat we'l' have had enough. i will use your link to check the times, thanks.

we will look out for the Diglas [I'm looking forward to Eiskaffee which I've had on trips to Germany previously] and the Griechenbeisl, which we will avoid. do you have any tips for good reasonbly priced eating spots?

regards, ann

molker,

thanks so much for prompting me to book the catamaran. i went on the website and the 14.30 is almost full. in fact we we've decided that half a day will probably be enough for Bratislava, we've decided to take the earlier 10.30 boat, which will get us to Vienna at about midday. if we can't get into our room, at least we'll be able to dump the bags and go and get lunch. anywhere you'd recommend for our first wienermittagessen?

regards, ann