Hi,

We are heading to Prague the first week of April. My daughter will already be there studying and we will be joining her for six days (husband, myself and 15 yo). We will have Friday through Wednesday night and will be leaving on Thursday morning to go to either Vienna or Budapest through Sunday. Right now, we have a flight to Budapest (frequent flyer miles - but could possibly still go to Vienna). I have read some of the forum topics and get the feeling that either Vienna or Budapest would be wonderful. Any strong reactions on which way to go with our well travelled, sophisticated 15 year old.

Also, if anyone has any "must do's" in any of these cities, we would love to hear about them. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Sandy

I would choose training to Vienna over flying to Budapest. Less change of delays and you have endless choices of times that work for you. I also just enjoy the experience of using European trains.

Both will be great but Budapest does have more varying reviews (seems people either love it or hate it).

I took the train from Prague to Vienna. It was a comfortable, easy ride. I loved Vienna and thought it was a nice combination with Prague. I found Prague to be beautiful and quite a bit of fun. In contrast, Vienna was more subdued, not the same party atmosphere. I found the people to be friendly and very polite in Vienna. The museums, architecture and music were lovely. Oh, and don't get me started on the cake. Best I've ever had.

For that matter, you could even take a bus to Vienna. It takes not much longer than the train and costs about one fourth as much.

Rootcher,

That's a very tough question! You're right; I don't think you'd be sorry choosing either one.

We were in Budapest a few months ago and it's been a while since we've spent significant time in Vienna, but in my opinion, Vienna has more of a Western European feel than Budapest. Both are very walkable cities. The architecture in both is wonderful, but I was blown away by it in Budapest. I don't think I've ever taken more pictures of buildings! Also, we were so impressed with how well Budapest recovered from the war, then the Soviet occupation until 1989.

The Terror Museum in Budapest was excellent and although most of the exhibits are not in English (there are sheets in each room in English which give some history and explain the displays), we learned quite a bit about what the country endured.

If you do decide to go to Budapest and haven't settled on a hotel yet, I'm happy to recommend the Gerloczy; it was our home away from home and we hated to leave it!

Good luck making your decision!

Ellen

Sandy,
Sightseeing suggestion for Prague: go to Vysehrad area of Prague. it is where Prague began. It is located on a hill overlooking the river. There is a lovely church, Sts Peter & Paul, and the beautiful national cemetery. There are also remains of an old fortress. I love this area because it is not on everyone's radar so it is quiet & not filled with tourists.

My daughter studied in Prague in 2003, which is the first time we visited. Her classroom was in Vysehrad, so she took us there to see her classroom & we just loved the area. It was peaceful & far from the maddening crowd! We returned in August 2009 with our other daughter & re-visited Vysehrad & loved it just as much.

You can click on my name to read my trip report from 2009 if you wish. I give names of restaurants we ate at.

I would take a day trip to Cesky Krumlov from Prague. I would prefer to spend a night there, but it is, in my opinion, worth visiting for a day. It is a charming town/village with an interesting castle on the hill above the town.