Prague or Budapest
Nov 5th, 2011, 02:10 PM
#1
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Prague or Budapest
We are planning a 10 day trip to the area. We will rent a car (if advisable), so we can move around. Can anyone recommend an itinerary.? We are not committed to a town, but we prefer a base in Budapest or Prague. We will likely go in June.
Nov 5th, 2011, 02:28 PM
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You won't go wrong in either city. I prefer Prague simply because it is so beautiful. I would suggest that you plan it so you are there during the week rather than the weekend(s).
Prague gets very crowded and I believe that the weekends are even more crowded than the weekdays. If you choose Prague, be sure to drive down to Ceske Krumlov for a couple days-charming town complete with the remains of an old castle.
There are other nice town in the Czech republic and I suggest that you research thoroughly so you can plan your road trip.
If you choose Budapest, try to find out when the beautiful Parliament building will be open to visitors. I believe it is closed when the legislature is in session. We took a train up to Eger which is a small city about 2.5 hours away by train from Budapest. It also has the remains of an important castle with an amazing history. I know that there are other interesting towns in Hungary but I did not get a chance to visit them.
We visited Prague and Budapest on separate trips. Both visits were combined with stays in Vienna. Vienna is a great town to
visit, also and has good transportation to Prague and Budapest. Enjoy it all!
Pat
Prague gets very crowded and I believe that the weekends are even more crowded than the weekdays. If you choose Prague, be sure to drive down to Ceske Krumlov for a couple days-charming town complete with the remains of an old castle.
There are other nice town in the Czech republic and I suggest that you research thoroughly so you can plan your road trip.
If you choose Budapest, try to find out when the beautiful Parliament building will be open to visitors. I believe it is closed when the legislature is in session. We took a train up to Eger which is a small city about 2.5 hours away by train from Budapest. It also has the remains of an important castle with an amazing history. I know that there are other interesting towns in Hungary but I did not get a chance to visit them.
We visited Prague and Budapest on separate trips. Both visits were combined with stays in Vienna. Vienna is a great town to
visit, also and has good transportation to Prague and Budapest. Enjoy it all!
Pat
Nov 5th, 2011, 02:36 PM
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Well - this is what we did last year.
- Prague 4 nights
- Picked up a car & drove to Cesky Krumlov. Stopped in Konopiste castle on the way. Stayed 2 nights in CK with a day-trip to Trebon.
- Drove to Passau Germany where we stayed 2 nights & visited Regensburg
- Drove along the Danube & stayed 5 nights in Melk. Lots of castle visiting.
- Drove to Sopron & stayed 1 night
- Drove into Budapest, dropped off car, and stayed 5 nights.
Driving into Budapest was a nightmare - going wrong way on a one-way street, U-turn of a freeway, getting lost, etc.
You have half as many days as we had.
If I only had 10 days, I would stay 5 nights in Prague, with a "guided" day-trip to Cesky Krumlov. Then take a train or fly to Budapest & stay there for 5 nights. Prague, Budapest, and CK were the highlights of our trip.
We spend 2 months vacationing in Europe most years - mainly France 75%, Italy 10%, and "others" the remaining 15%.
Stu Dudley
- Prague 4 nights
- Picked up a car & drove to Cesky Krumlov. Stopped in Konopiste castle on the way. Stayed 2 nights in CK with a day-trip to Trebon.
- Drove to Passau Germany where we stayed 2 nights & visited Regensburg
- Drove along the Danube & stayed 5 nights in Melk. Lots of castle visiting.
- Drove to Sopron & stayed 1 night
- Drove into Budapest, dropped off car, and stayed 5 nights.
Driving into Budapest was a nightmare - going wrong way on a one-way street, U-turn of a freeway, getting lost, etc.
You have half as many days as we had.
If I only had 10 days, I would stay 5 nights in Prague, with a "guided" day-trip to Cesky Krumlov. Then take a train or fly to Budapest & stay there for 5 nights. Prague, Budapest, and CK were the highlights of our trip.
We spend 2 months vacationing in Europe most years - mainly France 75%, Italy 10%, and "others" the remaining 15%.
Stu Dudley
Nov 5th, 2011, 10:14 PM
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First of all, Budapest is not in the Czech Republic. Second, it's not in the "area" of Prague unless you consider Richmond in the area of New York City - it's about 6-7 hours' drive. Budapest is fairly close to Vienna and Bratislava but Prague is an additional distance.
Third, you should not have a car in Prague nor should you drop a car in Budapest that you rent in Prague unless you know and are willing to swallow the drop charge, which will likely be a couple of hundred dollars. Consider flying between the two - google for discount European airlines.
Third, you should not have a car in Prague nor should you drop a car in Budapest that you rent in Prague unless you know and are willing to swallow the drop charge, which will likely be a couple of hundred dollars. Consider flying between the two - google for discount European airlines.
Nov 6th, 2011, 04:55 AM
#5
I'd look at the train systems as well, certainly getting in and out of Budapest by train is very easy. I could find 10 days of entertainment in Budapest and Hungary. Prague would begin to boor and apart from Kumlov and Pilsen 10 days almost too many and too crowded in Prague
Nov 6th, 2011, 06:08 AM
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>>nor should you drop a car in Budapest that you rent in Prague unless you know and are willing to swallow the drop charge, which will likely be a couple of hundred dollars<<
Our drop-off fee was 150 Euros. For only 10 days, I would figure out a way to not have a car.
Stu Dudley
Our drop-off fee was 150 Euros. For only 10 days, I would figure out a way to not have a car.
Stu Dudley
Nov 6th, 2011, 09:51 AM
#7
Fly into Prague and out of Budapest.
4 nights in Prague
2 nights in Cesky Krumlov
4 nights in Budapest
You can take a bus, train, or shuttle service from Prague to CK.
You can take a shuttle service from CK to Vienna and a train to Budapest.
4 nights in Prague
2 nights in Cesky Krumlov
4 nights in Budapest
You can take a bus, train, or shuttle service from Prague to CK.
You can take a shuttle service from CK to Vienna and a train to Budapest.
Nov 6th, 2011, 05:11 PM
#8
If you think Stu Dudley's recount of Budapest (or Prague) traffic is, well, no different than Chicago or New York, think again.
Think about if ALL the traffic signs were in Hungarian (or Czech). No one word looks familiar. Heck, no one SYLLABLE looks familiar. It couldn't be less intelligible if it were Chinese.
Luckily, the mass transit is terrific
Think about if ALL the traffic signs were in Hungarian (or Czech). No one word looks familiar. Heck, no one SYLLABLE looks familiar. It couldn't be less intelligible if it were Chinese.
Luckily, the mass transit is terrific
