I'm going to be in Vienna next month and can tag on an extra two days. As the topic suggests, I'm trying to decide which of the two cities would be the winner from the contributors.
Thanks

Although I liked both... between the two, I'll have to vote for Prague!

I have been to both Prague and Budapest. If I could return to one it would be Prague even though I spent 10 days there and only a couple in Budapest. Prague is certainly a favorite with me BUT you will not be disappointed in either one.

I have been to Prague twice and absolutely love it. It is the most beautiful city I have seen. I haven't been to Budapest yet. My daughter has been to both and she likes Prague better but she is partial to Prague because she studied there. She likes Budapest, too, but Prague is her favorite.
Hope this helps.

Tough decision - but a fun one to make! Have been to both - the architecture in Prague is magnificent, but in Budapest, you're getting 2 cities (Buda and Pest) in one. You're smart to make a 2 day visit to one place rather than split your days into 2 different cities. We found Prague much more touristed (expensive) than Budapest and actually enjoyed the food a bit more in Budapest. Can't go wrong with the beer in Prague though! If you decide to visit Budapest, would recommend a stop at the Terror museum.

We would revisit both in a hearbeat, but 1st preference would actually be Prague.

I loved both Prague and Budapest, but to be honest, I'm not sure I would tag either on if all you have is 2 days. IMO, each of them deserves more than that. Have you considered a smaller city closer to Vienna - something like Graz (which I haven't visited, but would like to)?

Hi; We love Prague, but for only two days, Budapest is much closer. You could go by high speed boat or train. I think the train takes a little over two hours. If you went to Prague, it would take more than five hours by train. Richard

<If you went to Prague, it would take more than five hours by train.>

We went Prague to Vienna by bus - it was 3 1/2 hours and returned to Prague by train. The train was 3 1/4 hours.

Between the two, I would choose Prague.

I just checked Austrian Rail's website.

Fastest train Vienna -> Prague is 4hr30mins
Fastest train Vienna -> Budapest is 3hrs

If you want to save money, you can buy a SparSchiene ticket via oebb.at in advance. Tickets for either destination are €19 one-way in 2nd class. Once purchased, they are non-refundable and only good for the specific trains you had booked.
http://www.oebb.at/pv/en/Travel_with...e/SparSchiene/

I liked both, but to pick just one, especially for the first time, Prague.

They are both beautiful cities - you can't go wrong either way. If you want to shop, I thought Budapest was less expensive than Prague, and agree that the food was better - the Goulash soup was fantastic!
We took the hydrofoil from Vienna to Budapest, and although it is not the fastest way to get there,5 1/2 hours, it was very relaxing and comfortable.

Bud makes more sense for 2 days and its probably cheaper

I have been to Prague 3 times- (1993, 1999 and 2009) and Budapest twice (1993 and 2005). Prague has an atmosphere not unlike Paris to me- it's a very livable charming city. It seems to have developed much more rapidly than Budapest since I saw them both first in 1993, and for me has lost some of its initial innocence. They are both interesting see whichever fits best into your schedule.

Rick

This is a tough one and as you can see by the responses, it is a personal decision.
We just returned from 16 days in Prague, Budapest and Dubrovnik. Budapest, to my group of 5, had more history, was more interesting, and not as "perfect" as Prague. Everything in Prague is in pristine condition. Budapest has much more diversity.
A side note: We found people in both places to be very somber, stern, and unhappy. Both places are expensive and we had difficulty finding good food at reasonable prices in both places. We ate a lot of pizza and pasta.
You won't go wrong visiting either place.

We were in the Czech Republic in August for almost 2 weeks, and while some people seem unfriendly & somber, certainly not everyone is. We met many hotel people, wait staff, sales people, who were pleasant, polite & seemed happy.


Regarding prices, we didn't think prices in Prague were that bad. We were there in 2003 & prices increased somewhat since then, but they weren't exorbitant. Beer near the castle was high but we found reasonable prices most other places. We really enjoyed Cervena Sedma on Kampa Island. Food was delicious and reasonable. We didn't have any meals in Old Town Square, just drinks. If you read my trip report, I give names & addresses of other restaurants we ate at. One was near Vysherhad - again, very good food & reasonable.

There are a lot of us who have just returned. We were just in Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Never noticed the somber unhappy people. Chatted with some delightful people in shops and rode with a happy tour driver in an old car around Prague. Truth be told - you will not make a wrong decision here as both cities are stunning. We had some great meals and after Vienna pricing, either city will seem like a bargain. Budapest 3 hours by train, Prague 4 hours. Prague is more crowded and many people speak English, very few will speak German. In Budapest there is enough English but lots of German and as we had a German speaker with us and that helped. Americans and Brits everywhere. let us know what you decide.

I think Prague is more 'Grand' and picturesque. Bud has a lower 'wow factor' compared to Prague. Both are quite beautiful nonetheless, just Prague is more so.

GoSox - Why would people speak German in Prague or Budapest? I was in Budapest and they speak Hungarian (duh)! Some still speak Russian, too.

I'd vote for Budapest. I went to both Prague and Budapest in November '07. While Prague does have beautiful architecture, we found the people to be very somber and unfriendly. We had a much more enjoyable trip to Budapest.

> we found the people to be very somber and unfriendly.

I travelled to Prague 7 times in last 5 years. Before I started travelling to Prague again ( "again" because I had travelled there a few times in the beginning of 1990's too) my expectation was not that high, I thought I would just enjoy the beautiful town, not expecting a lots of interactions with locals because I was not going far out of my "tourist" way to meet locals. Perhaps because my expectation was not that high, I was often pleasantly surprised by the smiles, kind behavior of the people I met. Hotel, restaurant and café staff and others. Ok I don't even know if they are czeck people, they can be slovakian as well. They may not be openly and overly friendly but I am not looking for that so I am fine with it. However if someone prefer Budapest because he/she happened to meet friendlier people there, I undertsand that too.