chrischeng40

Hi,

I will be traveling to Prague for a business trip in March. I will use the weekends before and after for traveling but need to be in Prague during the week.
I will have 3/20-3/23 and 3/27-29 to spend to do tourism. Although I will have the chance to do a little bit of tourism during the week (3/23-27), most of the time I will be working.

Budapest is top on my list. However, because I am flying from the US to Prague (I need to book it this way :/), the connecting flight from Prague to Budapest is limited and I will have to wait for 3 hours at the airport to go to Budapest and that will leave me 2.5 days to explore the city. My other option is to do a deep dive in Czech Republic, which consists of Prague, a day trip to Dresden, and a town in Prague (maybe Cesky Krumlov? open to recommendations).

What are your thoughts? Should I try hard to squeeze Budapest into my trip or give up the idea and go with the other option?
My personal interests are city sightseeing, museums, cultures, and bars. I thought of doing Vienna but I think I prefer Budapest more.

Thanks,
Chris

kja

I would want at least 3 -- preferably 4 or more -- full days for Budapest and at least 4 -- preferably 5 or even 6 or more -- full days for Vienna. JMO. For my interests, which might not be yours, the option for time in Prague, Dresden, and maybe Cesky Krumlov or some other option makes much more sense. But it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

They're all fascinating!

Ingo

Agree with kja. Leave Budapest for another trip. Dresden is very different from Prague and would be perfect for the first weekend. Why not staying overnight? There is more than enough to do in Dresden! For the other weekend I suggest Brno - vibrant, large enough to keep you busy. Cesky Krumlov might be a bit too quiet for you, especially in March.

neckervd

There is no need to go to Germany in order to see castles. There are tons of castles and fortresses in the Czech Republic. 130 of them can be found here:
https://www.czechtourism.com/a/castles-chateaux/
Many scenic cities are less than 3 hrs by train or bus from Prague, among them
Cesky Krumlow
Budejovice
Olomouc
Brno
Plzen
Decin
Dresden
Bautzen
Cieszin