More time in Vienna or Budapest
Jul 7th, 2006, 09:53 AM
#1
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More time in Vienna or Budapest
hello,
We are traveling to Vienna and Budapest around Thanksgiving and are trying to decide how to split up our time there. For business reasons, we are flying into one and out of the other. We wanted your opinions. In which city would you spend most of your time and why? Would you rather spend more time in Budapest or Vienna? We generally like to see a few of the major sites, maybe one museum, then just enjoy exporing a city leisurely. We plan to see the cathedral, the palace and wintermarket in Vienna, while we plan to see the Castle, explore the city, and take in an evening at the opera in Budapest. Are there day trips you preferred from one city over the other? Thanks for your help!
We are traveling to Vienna and Budapest around Thanksgiving and are trying to decide how to split up our time there. For business reasons, we are flying into one and out of the other. We wanted your opinions. In which city would you spend most of your time and why? Would you rather spend more time in Budapest or Vienna? We generally like to see a few of the major sites, maybe one museum, then just enjoy exporing a city leisurely. We plan to see the cathedral, the palace and wintermarket in Vienna, while we plan to see the Castle, explore the city, and take in an evening at the opera in Budapest. Are there day trips you preferred from one city over the other? Thanks for your help!
Jul 9th, 2006, 05:21 PM
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While Budapest is interesting, if you love art and music, I'd spend more time in Vienna. The Opera is fantastic, the art Museum is full of Breugels (among my favorite). There are several large and lovely palaces.
Jul 9th, 2006, 05:27 PM
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I haven't yet been to Budapest, but have been to Vienna three times in the winter. It is a big city with lots to offer, especially if you like art. The coffeehouses/pastry shops are also wonderful. The churches are beautiful, with the medieval cathedral of St. Stephen being the heart of the city. There are also tons of musical performances, from the tourist-y to churches and concert halls. The pedestrian streets of Graben and Kartnerstrasse have wonderful shopping.
At the same time, Vienna is very different from Salzburg or Prague (both of which I have been to more than once). These latter two are more uniformly picturesque and almost story-book-like, with a mixture of Baroque and Medieval architecture. Vienna has a lot of 18th century buildings and some lovely Art Nouveau sections, along with modern architecture and also some older styles - theres a beautiful little church from the 11th century, and of course, the catedral is medieval. Some of the street layouts are medieval as well, especially in the cathedral area. Vienna has the vibe of a bustling commercial working city with interesting sights to see, where in Prague and Salzburg it is more of a tourist feeling in the old town areas.
At the same time, Vienna is very different from Salzburg or Prague (both of which I have been to more than once). These latter two are more uniformly picturesque and almost story-book-like, with a mixture of Baroque and Medieval architecture. Vienna has a lot of 18th century buildings and some lovely Art Nouveau sections, along with modern architecture and also some older styles - theres a beautiful little church from the 11th century, and of course, the catedral is medieval. Some of the street layouts are medieval as well, especially in the cathedral area. Vienna has the vibe of a bustling commercial working city with interesting sights to see, where in Prague and Salzburg it is more of a tourist feeling in the old town areas.
Jul 9th, 2006, 05:47 PM
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Tough choice. I happened to have worked on both these cities and thus had a lot of time for sightseeing and excursions into the countryside. It seems true that Vienna has more art (as I also remember it), while Budapest has more nighttime fun, better food, different kind of wine. Somehow I remember Lipizzaners and cafes the most from Vienna: both the famous ones, and the small, modern ones, good to grab a quick sandwich for lunch - as opposing to celebrating Kaffe mit Sahne und Kuchen (coffe with cream and cakes) in the XIX century nostalgia style. From Budapest I remember best its dramatic panorama as seen from the Donau and ... don't laugh ... its Gellert baths.
