Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest which to choose?
 

I would really appreciate some help from those who have traveled to eastern Europe. I have a conference in Rome this June and since I have been there I wanted to spend my vacation time after it touring some of eastern Europe. My family is from the Czech Republic so Prague is a must for me. I will be leaving Rome on June 11th and will need to leave Europe on June 20th (could maybe push it to the 21st). Is it possible to hit Prague, Vienna, and Budapest in that time? I originally only planned on Prague and Vienna with a day trip to Bratislava via the Danube but so many people told me that Budapest was an absolute MUST. I would really appreciate some advice. I am in love with castles, cathedrals, crypts, and history. I do not need to visit gardens and parks.

You can certainly do it, but it may feel a bit rushed depending on your travel style. Only a day or two per city. I did something roughly similar a few years ago (four nights in Prague, two in Vienna, three in Budapest) but did not visit Bratislava. I probably could have stopped there pretty easily. I got city to city by train.

Just check out direct flights between Rome and Prague - Budapest and Rome to make sure they would be available. You might have only eight nights total if you must leave Rome early enough the final day that you can't fly in same day from Budapest (so the last night back in Rome).

I liked Prague the best even though the center is very small. It's a charming walking city, but in June expect it to be mobbed with tourists. Budapest is much bigger - interesting but a bit more challenging. I didn't fall in love with Vienna but am glad I stopped. Some people like it more than I did.

Trying to do all 3 is going to be quite rushed based on the time needed to travel between the 3. (Prague to Budapest is more than 8 hour on the train - or you can fly but not cheap when we were there).

If I had to drop one it would be Vienna (but probably because I have already been there 5 times). IMHO Prague is the most fascinating if, as I am, you are partly of Czech descent. We found the jewish quarter especially moving and looked through all of the names to find that of our Czech ancestor, although our family was Catholic. Prague was very unusual (until the Nazis go there) in that the population was divided almost evenly between catholics, protestants and jew - with apparently quite a few families mixed.

I hope I don't upset anyone by suggesting that we found Prague and Budapest pretty similar, so I would suggest Prague and Vienna, with a day trip to Bratislava if you have time. [which you can decide when you are there - the hydrofoil trip is quite nice but you don't see as much as you might think].

given your background, another thought might be to concentrate on the Czech republic and spend all your time there, perhaps just dropping over the border into Austria for a night or two before you fly back to Rome.

Easyjet flies from Rome to both Prague and Vienna so those flights would be relatively easy to organise but not to Budapest. [other airlines are available, obviously].

This seems feasible, if fast paced. You definitely want to start in either Prague or Budapest, to avoid the long train connection nytraveler is mentioning, and keep Vienna in the middle.

Say you started in Budapest (Ryanair and Wizz Air definitely fly the Rome-Budapest route on 6/11, and you can check if Alitalia does). And if you push it to leaving on the 21st, your schedule could look like:

June 11 - depart Rome, land Budapest
June 12 - Budapest
June 13 - Budapest
June 14 - to Vienna (2 hr 38 min by train)
June 15 - Vienna
June 16 - Vienna
June 17 - to Prague (3 hr. 59 min by train)
June 18 - Prague
June 19 - Prague
June 20 - Prague
June 21 - fly home

I put your extra night in Prague for the family history / must nature. And if you don't find Vienna after two nights to be your cup of tea, you can take your daytrip to Bratislava on June 16.

Thank you so much for all your comments. Each one was very helpful and I am more excited than ever!

inspiredexplorer - Thank you for your itinerary. It actually was exactly what I was planning but in reverse. I know that it will be very fast paced to see everything but with your comments I feel like it is possible.

Last year I did EVERY major site (and some not major ones) in Beijing in 3 days so my feet are used to this! Lol

I cannot wait to see where my great grandparents before they came to the states!

inspire has it right in MY opinion. Very easy as we have done it, only in reverse order.

inyourpocket.com/prague

inyourpocket.com/Vienna

inyourpocket.com/budapest

check www.seat61.com for tips on discounted train tickets and for general info on trains in that area also these informative sites: www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Paying extra for first class IMO is often worth it - often lots of empty seats vs a fairly full or full 2nd class areas.

Prague and Budapest similar? Good gosh.

I'd vote Prague and Budapest if you're going to drop one. Plus if you're going day-tripping, Prague has Karlstejn Castle and Terezin in easy proximity.

If not, you can easily hit all three. Bratislava is small small small.

Prague and Budapest similar? Good gosh.>>

I said it was my opinion, Russ, and you are of course entitled to disagree with it.

I think you can do all 3. If you love one, go back. I can almost guarantee you will have a preference. I wish I could tell you what it will be!

Keep Bratislava in your pocket. I would go down by boat and back by bus (no. that's a lie. I'd go both ways by bus....if I wanted to take a boat, I'd go out to the Bratislava modern art museum from downtown Bratislava).

We flew Budapest/Rome on Wizzair. It was quite inexpensive.

I think inspired's itinerary is entirely possible; you'll have to select your sights carefully to maximize your sightseeing, but in the end you'll have a good sample of three major Hapsburg capitals.

Most European schools are still in session through the end of June, so crowds will not be as heavy as in the rest of the summer. For major sights (e.g. Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, etc.) buying your ticket online in advance is still suggested.

Friends and I have cycled from Vienna to Bratislava along the Danube. While it's a great workout, and there is good food and beer waiting for us in Slovakia, the scenery is rather uninspiring. If you must putter along the Danube, go in the other direction toward the Wachau Valley. (Even then, I would still take the train.) The boat travel time is the same as the train, but the boat ticket cost is four times that of the train. The train runs hourly and you can catch any of them; I believe that on the boat you are tied to a specific return time. With the train ticket you are also entitled to use the public transit in Bratislava for free, which makes catching the X13 bus from the train station to the Old City a snap.

annhig, I totally get what you are saying about Prague and Budapest being similar. They, like so many of the places to which we day trip on the weekends have common features, but they also have individual characters, as well. :)

annhig, I totally get what you are saying about Prague and Budapest being similar. They, like so many of the places to which we day trip on the weekends have common features, but they also have individual characters, as well.>>

fourfor - I absolutely agree, and of course they are not exactly the same, but we did find them quite similar, perhaps because we visited both of them between Christmas and New year when activities are somewhat limited.

whereas IME, [perhaps because we went in the summer and we able to get outside a lot more] Vienna was a completely different experience.

Budapest is great; a lively city.
In Budapest, we GREATLY enjoyed the Hungarian Ethnology Museum.
I've never heard of anyone going to it, but it's packed with history, folk costumes from long ago, etc. A beautiful building as well.

If you face the Parliament building as if to go on a tour, it's across the street behind you, over your right shoulder, on the corner. From your interests written above, I'd recommend it.

We didn't really enjoy Bratislava.

Rachelum-what's your conference about; e.g., what are your interests? And how are you traveling from Rome to whatever...car, train, plane, bus?

We were delighted with Vienna's Kunsthistoriche Art Museum; one of the best I've been to. Also the Schoenbrunn castle. Otherwise, it's more staid than the other two.

I have never thought of Prague and Budapest as similar, they have completely different languages and histories and origins. I mean Hungary isn't Slavic, I might think of the CR and Poland as more similar. But I can see that Vienna is really a contrast to both of them, so I sort of get that idea.

There is only 9 days, so the first idea wasn't that bad, actually, if anything I'd only do Prague and Vienna in that time. Since the family history is Czech and I gather this is a new experience, it would make more sense to me to explore more of the CR, say on the train line in-between Prague and Vienna than simply ignoring all of the CR and going to Bratislava (or Budapest). If one really wants to see Budapest, I'd simply save that for another trip when it fits in better and there is more time. This can't be the only time you will go to Europe.

I don't even know what it means to say that one particular city is a must. Many cities are enjoyable and if it doesn't fit into the itinerary well, you can do it another time. To be honest, I enjoyed Prague and Vienna more than Budapest. But others really like it, obviously. I still think it makes more sense to spend more time in the CR since you are there to begin with. The train from Prague to Vienna is only 4 hours, after all. It does go through Brno, if you wanted to see it. A lot of people want to see Cesky Krumlov, which isn't that easy logistically when going to Vienna, though.

<< A lot of people want to see Cesky Krumlov, which isn't that easy logistically when going to Vienna, though.>>

There are shuttle services that go between Cesky Krumlov and Vienna, e.g., Lobo Shutle, among others.

As much as I loved CK, I don't think the OP has enough time for it.

I know Prague is a definite for you. I'm another person who prefers Prague to Budapest. We visited Prague, Vienna and Budapest on our honeymoon back in 1991 and Budapest was the one we liked least. Apart from the shared history in the Austro-Hungarian empire (and Prague's and Budapest's in the Eastern Bloc)I didn't see them as being all that similar. I'd say Prague is definitely the prettiest, Vienna probably has the best museums.
We have been back to Vienna once and Prague twice and will have to give Budapest a second go, to see if we succumb to its charms on a second visit.

I won't debate Prague vs Vienna vs Budapest. It's like debating ice cream flavors. That said, today's Budapest looks nothing like 1991's Budapest (nor even 2010's Budapest). This region has changed so much in the last 10 years it's not a relevant comparison.

That said, if my goal was predominately family, I would spend all my time in the Czech Republic and branch out to other locations. Or even put some of Slovakia in play.

Wow I didn't expect such great responses! This is my first time on this forum and it is great to see that so many people read them and respond.

Tomboy - My conference is an International Standards Organization meeting for their Traditional Chinese Medicine Standards Technical Committee. I love history and learning about the experiences that happened in an area/site. I particularly love medieval history. From Rome I plan on flying. The train might be nice to see the country side but for the sake of time I will fly. From there though I plan on taking the train.

Christina - You are right this is not likely going to be my last trip to Europe. I still need to see Greece yet!

fourfortravel - You stated that the train runs hourly. I have been trying to locate a train schedule but I have not had any luck. Do you suggest buying our tickets in advance or waiting until we are there?

PalenQ - Thank you for those websites! I was having a difficult time finding specifics on train schedules, bookings, and cost. These are very helpful!