Clau

Hello everyone! I am in the preliminary stages of planning a trip to the above cities. I would like feedback from people who have recently been there as far as the prices. Is it really expensive? We will not be paying for accommodations (we are redeeming points), so it will be mainly food, sightseeing and shopping (if here is anything worthwile to buy).

Thanks,

Clau

isabel

I would say they are all "average". I was in Prague 4 years ago, and Vienna and Budapest this summer. For some reason I had the impression that Vienna was one of the more expensive cities in Europe, and that Budapest and Prague were among the less expensive cities. Wrong, they were all pretty much the same. I felt things were a bit more expensive than Italy and France, definitely more expensive than Spain and Portugal, not quite as bad as the UK and Scandinavia. Does that help.

A few examples, entrance to major sites were around 10€. Churches were almost all free. As far as shopping - a little on the high side. Example - ceramics, about twice as much as the same size/type items would be in Italy or Spain or Portugal.

gregeva1

We were in Budapest this summer and food was as expensive as it is here in the CHicago area. If just depends where you go. Shopping was a little more expensive because the dollar was so low...it has been evening out but the markets are definely uncertain at the moment.
Vienna was more expensive than either Prague or Budapest but it seemed sort of like any major city as soon as we moved into the more suburban areas it was just like home, price wise.

bratsandbeer

We will be in those cities starting next week. Our friends who live in Budapest have said that food prices have increased 25% - much as the same increase we have here in the U.S.
They say times are not good in Hungary right now.
I don't think it will be cheap like it used to be.

There seem to be good restaurants in all 3 cities and the prices didn't seem to be out of line for dinners. This info was from checking out their menus online so the prices may very well have increased.

lucy_d

In general, I found Budapest to be the least expensive of the three, and Vienna the most expensive.

Yes, there are worthwhile items to buy. I liked the Hungarian and Czech handcrafted items.

Budapest and Prague are my two favorite cities. You'll have a wonderful time.

traveler_99

Both Prague and Budapest had enjoyable restaurants with great food, and we found them less expensive than Italy. We didn't really buy much while there. You should try Unicum, the national drink of Budapest, while you're there. It's sort of icky at first but in the way that you want to keep sipping it. We ate lunch one day at the tiled-roof, 2-story market and had some kind of sausage & bread. There are vendors of all kinds of foods. It was funny because there was seating near the vendor stand, and it looked like what (in the US) would just be "sit wherever," but the vendor pointed out exactly what barstools we needed to sit at. It's cool to be somewhere else and realize it's quite different than your own home.

Christina

I haven't been to Budapest or Vienna in years, but last time I did go, I would have said Vienna was "average" for western Europe, not nearly as bad as all the hype I had heard about how expensive it was. It was cheaper than Paris or London in terms of the places I stayed and what I ate (and I eat in regular budget to mid-level restaurants).

I've been in Prague more, several times over the last decade, and I definitely would say it was cheaper than places like Paris or London, and probably Vienna, and Germany. Not dirt cheap, but no reason it should be. Hotels were not as cheap as other things, which surprised me a little (comparing to Paris, for example, where I know rates a lot) but for you, the hotel costs don't matter so much. Food etc and entertainment were definitely cheaper in Prague than Paris and London. Maybe about the same as Spain.

I don't really do shopping anywhere to speak of, but that really depends what you plan to buy. Some things are real cheap in Prague compared to other places, if they are known for it and it is local (quality garnet jewelry and crystal is definitely cheaper there). Other things obviously would not be (designer clothes from other countries) or could even be more expensive.

derekmorg

HI! check out http://www.apartmentsinbudapest.com/ to get an idea of the price range of apartments and hotel rooms, on the site you will also find many tips on the city....

nytraveler

It depends on what you're used to. We found Vienna slightly more expensive the NYC and Prague and Budapest less - esp in terms of food.

If you're comparing to a small town all will seem expensive.

gruezi

Clau,

Here is my subjective and very opinionated and unscientific comparison of what things cost in Europe after living in Switzerland for 2 years and traveling pretty extensively. I come from the NYC area originally to give a point of reference.

Switzerland - extremely expensive but decent quality for what you pay - except for electronics. (Boy they cannot get anything decent here that has a plug on it for less than a bazillion dollars. Everything breaks or burns out. Christmas lights last less than one season and cost a bar of gold.) But even a 2 star hotel will be clean and comfortable. Food quality is decent - perhaps not too exciting but never bad. Dining out is expensive but the tip is included for the most part.

Italy - always feel like I'm being ripped off here for some reason. Quality never great for price IMO. Esp. hotel rooms - have stayed in many a dusty room with pilly sheets. I hate that they don't give students a discount at the museums and that there is a charge to walk into churches. Really bugs me.

Budapest - relatively a bargain. Can't beat the foie gras. Had it at every meal. Loved the food here and the price was right. The museums weren't so great, but the price wasn't too high.

German - downright wonderful price wise. Even in Berlin or Munich. And they have great beer and desserts. Plus, in Berlin, almost everything you do is FREE or at least Free for students. Checkpoint Charlie is a bit of a ripoff price wise, but most other things were very reasonable. Anything related to the Holocaust was free. Our hotel gave us a special deal as it was summer - the slow season for Berlin apparently.

Prague - just returned last week. Loved this city and found food and lodging much cheaper than say Paris or London. Quality was decent and in some cases excellent. Our hotel threw in an extra night for free and breakfast for all four of us. It was a very nice hotel in a lovely location - Mandarin Oriental - but the food was very mediocre. Not a cheap city, but certainly good bargains to be found. Wonderful steak frites dinner for 13 bucks at the Cafe du Paris. Wonderful glass here for good prices. Bring bubble wrap. Museums not too wonderful but decent art inside. Go for the music and the architecture and the energy of this city.

Vienna - Some of the ripoff feeling here as well, but not as bad as Italy. Well, I didn't love Vienna anyway. That Sacher Torte is way overrated

Paris - Well, it's darn expensive but you can still get a charming, conveniently located room there for a lot less than you can in NYC. And, well, it's Paris. You don't need a 4-star to have a fabulous time. I think the museum prices are fair and they let students in for a song. Sometimes the museums have free admission. The quality of the museums is unparalleled IMO. Well, Berlin is darn good in that area too.

Salzburg - pricey, but not over the top. We negotiated a great price at the Hotel Sacher last spring. I think you could find something extremely reasonable outside the city - it is gorgeous there in the hills. Would love to go back just to hike.

Stockholm - Nowhere as bad as I expected. Hit it on a good weekend just when the dollar peaked about a month ago. Decent value for the price, but no bargain on lodgings or food. Still, we thought it would be a lot more expensive than it was. Nice museums - not too pricey entrance fees.

London - We went in July before the pound fell. It was expensive but not as bad as Switzerland. And the Imperial War Museum is FREE and you could spend days there.

When you book your rooms, do negotiate a little. We have been offered some great deals lately without even asking. Definitely ask for breakfast and say, "is that the best you can do for that room?"

Well, probably way more information than you need or want. Thanks for letting me rant about this.

gruezi

bratsandbeer

We had a wonderful time in Prague, Vienna and Budapest. We thought things were cheaper in Prague and Budapest. Beer was great and cheaper than Coke and sometimes coffee.

We ate at The Spoon - a restaurant on the Danube in Budapest. It was expensive compared to the other restaurants where we went. But has an elegant bathroom.

We enjoyed The Market in Budapest for shopping. It is in a large building and a permanent everyday market. First floor is food and second floor is hand made things or machine made. Pretty much the same things around town but was fun to look anyway.