nicolos1

Hello,
I will have a car rental in May for Vienna and Budapest. I understand parking is difficult in both cities. I will not need my car while visiting both cities. I understand there are some garages that I might use. Any suggestions?
Nick

bettyk

Are you staying in a hotel or with friends? Some hotels have car parking for guests. It is probably cheaper than using a garage. We are staying at the Hotel Admiral behind the Museum District and they have parking for guests for 10E per night.

This website might help or google for garage parking in Vienna:

http://www.parkeninwien.at/index.asp?menuID=1001

nicolos1

Hello bettyk,
Yes I'm staying at a hotel. Thank you for the information.
Nick

iris1745

Hi; I don't want to discourage you from renting a car for those two cities. But for us, it was an easy train ride, perhaps three hours, Vienna to Budapest. We didn't need a car in either city as there are many tours one can take outside of and in each city. We did have a car when leaving Vienna and it was easy for us to get to the highway. Best advise is to have a GPS.

Alec

You don't need a car for either city, as both have excellent public transport system, and quite cheap in Budapest. I did have a hired car in Budapest last August, and it wasn't too difficult to find somewhre to park, and the cost was reasonable - around 300 forint an hour or $1.50. Hotels typically charge around 3000 forint a day.

nytraveler

If you are using the car to tour the countryside it may well make sense to keep it while in Vienna and Budapest. Just ask the hotels you're staying where the nearest reasonable garage is - and make sure you get into about pedestrian areas where you are not allowed to drive.

We always download driving maps - indicating one-way streets, etc - in smallest details for the cities you will be driving into and take them with you. Much better than a GPS.

iris1745

Actually

iris1745

Actually if you are driving in an old city, a GPS works best for us. Talks to you. Next left or next right. However, if there are many new roads, a GPS will be confused by new construction. Maps can be great, but I allow my thoughts to stand on their own, without contradiction other thoughts. Decide for yourself. Richard

farago

In Budapest parking is generally not included in the cost of staying in a hotel in the center city. Parking is comparatively costly (€25-30 per day, there are some weekly discounts), and driving is a pretty serious mistake within the city. For suggestions about specific parking garages, it would be best to have the area you are staying in or the hotel. Street parking in the center city is either prohibited or metered and limited to a couple of hours during business hours, but metered areas are free at nights and on weekends.

Miklos_Philips

I would drop the car in a relatively close are to the "inner city" on the street near a Metro station such as the Western Railway Station (West-End Shopping Centre) - which is 2-3 Metro stops away from the heart of Budapest. The streets have free parking and are only have weekly "alternate side cleaning schedules" like a lot of major cities. Just be sure to be able to read the street parking signs - or get a local Hungarian help. Can't beat free. The Metro will take you anywhere.