Liz

Greetings, everyone -

I'm thinking about purchasing a package trip to these 2 cities that gives me 3 nights in each place. Would like to know if that is enough time to see all the important things, without feeling too pressed for time, or if I should try to extend my stay.

Also, has anyone ever been to these cities in March? How bad is the weather? Should I just save these cities for the Spring or Fall?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

otis

i was in prague and budapest in march
of 2000....the weather was pretty
comfortable for the most part...i
saw a thread a week or so ago that
listed a website or two that would
tell you the average temperature for
any city, any month of the year....
...maybe someone in the know will
post the address for ya

if you can extend your stay i think
that you should.....and don't miss statue park in budapest

xoxoxoxo
-otis

leslie

I was in Prague in November 2001, and Budapest in March 2002. If you have the opportunity to do it, I would add a day or two onto your time in Prague. Although Prague is a much smaller city than Budapest, there is a lot more to see. Also, you might consider a day trip or two outside of Prague to Kutna Hora, Terezin, Karlovy Vary, Telc, or Cesky Krumlov. Daytrips outside of Budapest could be to Szentendre, the Danube Bend and Godollo.

The daylight hours are going to be short, and the sun will set about 5pm. If you are from the northeast, you will find that the weather would be similar.

Rod

I don't think 3 nights is enough in either city, particularly when you consider travel time to, from and between. I'd recommend at least three full days in each city, excluding the day of arrival unless the trip to is short -- a couple of hours or so. Four days would be better, and might include a planned/guided trip outside each city to add immeasurably to your enjoyment.

You will appreciate the time to linger or return to what most interests you, rather than having to make sure you see all of what others regard as the important things. Do hit the tourist draws, but don't limit yourself to just them.

Rod

As I composed my reply, so did leslie. She thinks there is more to see in Prague than in Budapest, while I think the opposite, which is very much my point: allow yourself time to explore/enjoy/visit/revisit what you find most interesting. You won't run out of worthwhile things in either place even in full week.

Liz

Thank you, everyone, for all your responses. If I go, I will add an extra day to each city.

What's holding me back now, more so than the weather, is people telling me that Europe might not be a good place to be if war in Iraq breaks out. They fear that as an American, I could be a target for some anti-American sentiment.

Thanks again, everyone, and happy travelling!

Art

Hi Liz, I visited both cities in 1999 and loved both. Prague may have more easy side trips than Budapest and is good for at least 5 or 6 days, but I stayed in Budapest for 8 days and just scratched the serface Budapest is one of my 5 top cities in Europe. There are over 70 museums alone. The statue park is Szobor Park and you can visit the website at <http:www.szoborpark.com>.

Art

BTW, I found the Hungarians and Czechs very friendly and helpful. Have a great trip.

Rod

Liz,

I travelled to Europe during the Gulf War period when there were concerns about travel due to fighting in the same area. To be sure, I kept a low profile, but in the end had a wholly "routine" trip.

Certainly you need to be comfortable about your trip, but at the same time don't let "worrywarts" who may not have experienced significant travel outside their own country, or even region, to rule your life either.

Your concerns are legitimate, but I personally wouldn't let such maybe's stop me from a trip to Prague and Budapest, and I second Art's observation about those cities' citizens. So long as you take the usual prudent travel precautions (don't flash money around, keep personal valuables safe from pickpockets, etc), and remember that you are a guest in somebody else's homeland, you can have a wonderfully memorable trip. (Frankly, if safety were such a concern, you could well be as safe there as anywhere -- it is not like you were travelling into or next to a war zone.)

Liz

Thanks, again, everyone! I have decided to go ahead with this trip and am very excited.

Art, I agree, if I keep a low profile I should be safe. I was in Bali shortly after 9/11 and we just told everyone we were Canadian, as no one seems to ever have problems with them.

Cheers!

Bela

Hi!
Just a few examples of our winter weather:
On December 9th, 2002 I had a couple of red roses in full blossom and the temperature was around 65F. By mid December we had an inch of snow and temperatures around freezing. On Christmas Eve we had more snow and 23F. New Year brought temps around 40F. At the beginning of January we had a foot of snow and record braking colds with temps up to -13F. After that it was quite warm and nice and all of a sudden yesterday we had 15” of snow and the weather man promises another 5” for tomorrow.
As for March, it was very warm last year with temps up to 68F. In 2001 it was also very warm; however the last week of March was quite cool. All in all you don’t need a long coat. Just a regular spring/fall jacket and an umbrella. Even if we have snow in March it lasts only a couple of hours maybe a day, that’s all.
Regards,
Bela Lukacs

Bela

Sorry, in the above posted message I forgot to tell that I was talking about Budapest weather.