Vienna or Budapest?
Sep 7th, 2013, 11:04 PM
#21
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IMO, only with regards to museums you can objectively put Vienna ahead of Budapest.
The rest is more or less a matter of taste.
Vienna (at least the tourists' Vienna, old town and Ringstrasse) is a picture-perfect ensemble of architecture.
You can find that "perfect" or "sterile".
Budapest is more a mix of restored old buildings, buildings still undergoing reconstruction, leftovers from the Soviet era (which are, by the way, as much history as Schönbrunn palace), and new buildings. You can find that "not perfect" or "more diverse/ more interesting"
The rest is more or less a matter of taste.
Vienna (at least the tourists' Vienna, old town and Ringstrasse) is a picture-perfect ensemble of architecture.
You can find that "perfect" or "sterile".
Budapest is more a mix of restored old buildings, buildings still undergoing reconstruction, leftovers from the Soviet era (which are, by the way, as much history as Schönbrunn palace), and new buildings. You can find that "not perfect" or "more diverse/ more interesting"
Sep 8th, 2013, 07:46 AM
#22
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I wonder just where PetrosB3 was walking when he was un Budapest!!!~
I walked around everywhere for three days and never saw or smelled anything that seemed to have drifted across PetrosB3's nostril !!!
It is much easier walking around Budapest than Vienna.
If you just saw the sites on each side of the Danube in Budapest...you will have seen lots.
And you do not have to walk up to the Budapest Castle..there is a funicular on the Buda side of the Chain Bridge where Kilometer Zero is.
I walked around everywhere for three days and never saw or smelled anything that seemed to have drifted across PetrosB3's nostril !!!
It is much easier walking around Budapest than Vienna.
If you just saw the sites on each side of the Danube in Budapest...you will have seen lots.
And you do not have to walk up to the Budapest Castle..there is a funicular on the Buda side of the Chain Bridge where Kilometer Zero is.
Sep 8th, 2013, 08:30 AM
#23
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That really is something only you can decide.
I didn't care for Vienna but loved Budapest. One of my travel companions felt exactly the opposite and our other travel companions liked both.
Go to each city's website and see what you'd want to do.
Then come back and get opinions on those specific things. It would serve you much better.
I didn't care for Vienna but loved Budapest. One of my travel companions felt exactly the opposite and our other travel companions liked both.
Go to each city's website and see what you'd want to do.
Then come back and get opinions on those specific things. It would serve you much better.
Sep 8th, 2013, 09:54 AM
#25
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You are getting excellent information here. I agree with Bedar about dumping Munich in favor of both. IME I find them both more interesting than Munich. I wonder if Petros B3 wasn't in Budapest quite some time ago. We were there a while ago and found it still quite Soviet era, then returned more recently and found it as beautiful as it was meant to be. If you must choose between the two cities instead of doing both and dumping Munich, I think for so many of the stated reasons you would do well to select Vienna. I also find it a greater contrast with Prague than Budapest which would broaden your experiences somewhat.
Sep 8th, 2013, 10:52 AM
#27
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>>Wow, PetrosB3, that was certainly NOT my experience of Budapest!<<
>>I wonder just where PetrosB3 was walking when he was un Budapest!!!~<<
>>>I wonder if Petros B3 wasn't in Budapest quite some time ago<<
We really loved Budapest & didn't experience anything like what Petros experienced.
In '10 we were in Prague for 4 nights and Budapest for 5 nights. We preferred Budapest - although Prague was quite picturesque, but perhaps a little too "pristine/staid/sterile". Budapest felt very cosmopolitan to us - with all the young people dressed nicely and heading off or returning from work. It kind of reminded us of Paris to a certain degree. There were many buildings going through renovation - but that made Budapest more interesting. We spent quite a bit of time at the Museum of Terror, which explained the Nazi & Soviet occupation.
In '02 we were in Vienna for 2 nights - and it really didn't do too much for us. It was our second visit.
Stu Dudley
>>I wonder just where PetrosB3 was walking when he was un Budapest!!!~<<
>>>I wonder if Petros B3 wasn't in Budapest quite some time ago<<
We really loved Budapest & didn't experience anything like what Petros experienced.
In '10 we were in Prague for 4 nights and Budapest for 5 nights. We preferred Budapest - although Prague was quite picturesque, but perhaps a little too "pristine/staid/sterile". Budapest felt very cosmopolitan to us - with all the young people dressed nicely and heading off or returning from work. It kind of reminded us of Paris to a certain degree. There were many buildings going through renovation - but that made Budapest more interesting. We spent quite a bit of time at the Museum of Terror, which explained the Nazi & Soviet occupation.
In '02 we were in Vienna for 2 nights - and it really didn't do too much for us. It was our second visit.
Stu Dudley
Sep 8th, 2013, 11:19 AM
#28
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Evelyn,
I have a question: how long is your trip being planned for? How many days in Munich and how many days in either Vienna or Budapest?
It *may* be possible to do all three depending on your estimated itinerary.
I'm sort of surprised no one has asked that question!
I have a question: how long is your trip being planned for? How many days in Munich and how many days in either Vienna or Budapest?
It *may* be possible to do all three depending on your estimated itinerary.
I'm sort of surprised no one has asked that question!
Sep 8th, 2013, 11:39 AM
#29
Just got back from Vienna June 15th , my 3rd visit for 3-4 days .
Personlly I would give the edge to Budapest.
Where in Vienna can you get views like the ones you will have:
1. When taking the Funicular up to Buda Castle...looking back down as you ride up gives terrific views.
2. From the Citadella Hill where the Liberty Freedom Statue is offers breathing views down to both Buda and Pest.
also ...go up here at night when all the bridge lights are on as well as the hotels and churchs on the Pest side.
3. Go the the Statue of St. Gellert which overlooks Elizabeth Bridge.
( Elizabeth Bridge is named for Franz Josef I 's wife who was assassinated while in Geneva in 1898, the reaction to her death then was like when Lady Dianna was killed)
4. From Mathias Church, Trinity Square and then Fishermans Bastion , you get superb views down below to the Buda side and then across the Danube to perhaps the nicest Parliament Building in all of Europe.
( Take a tour of the Parliament if you can...I did)
5. When you are at the top of Buda Castle , the most photographed site is the Mathias Fountain... wait till you see it then you will see why.
6. No trip to Budapest is complete ( in my opinion ) unless you walk across the Chain Bridge.
7. On the Buda side of the Chain Bridge is :
Adam Clark Squae
Kilometer Zero statue
Funicular to go up to the Buda Castle
On the Pest side of the Chain Bridge is:
Roosevelt Square in front of..
..Gresham Palace which is now the Four Seasons Hotel
8. St.Stephan's Basilca is 2 blocks right behind the Gresham Palace....don't worry you will not miss it as it's massive dome can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
9. The Opera House now is 2 block right back of St. Stepehen's Cathedral.
10. Now walk along the Pest side to the Parliament Builings, and as you walk...look across the Danube to the Buda side....
..pretty nice isn't it
11. Since you are walking to the Parliament Buildings , take in the lovely Freedom Square which is only a block out of your way.
12. The only place you cannot walk to is alll the way down Andrassy Street to the:
Heroes Square, and this is a must see place.
with it's very lovely statue monument at the centre ,flanked by...
Museum of Fine Arts and Place of Arts
A block from here is The Time Wheel, The 1956 Memeorial and the Vajadhunday Castle inside the City Park.
Now go and enjoy Budapest !!!
Personlly I would give the edge to Budapest.
Where in Vienna can you get views like the ones you will have:
1. When taking the Funicular up to Buda Castle...looking back down as you ride up gives terrific views.
2. From the Citadella Hill where the Liberty Freedom Statue is offers breathing views down to both Buda and Pest.
also ...go up here at night when all the bridge lights are on as well as the hotels and churchs on the Pest side.
3. Go the the Statue of St. Gellert which overlooks Elizabeth Bridge.
( Elizabeth Bridge is named for Franz Josef I 's wife who was assassinated while in Geneva in 1898, the reaction to her death then was like when Lady Dianna was killed)
4. From Mathias Church, Trinity Square and then Fishermans Bastion , you get superb views down below to the Buda side and then across the Danube to perhaps the nicest Parliament Building in all of Europe.
( Take a tour of the Parliament if you can...I did)
5. When you are at the top of Buda Castle , the most photographed site is the Mathias Fountain... wait till you see it then you will see why.
6. No trip to Budapest is complete ( in my opinion ) unless you walk across the Chain Bridge.
7. On the Buda side of the Chain Bridge is :
Adam Clark Squae
Kilometer Zero statue
Funicular to go up to the Buda Castle
On the Pest side of the Chain Bridge is:
Roosevelt Square in front of..
..Gresham Palace which is now the Four Seasons Hotel
8. St.Stephan's Basilca is 2 blocks right behind the Gresham Palace....don't worry you will not miss it as it's massive dome can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
9. The Opera House now is 2 block right back of St. Stepehen's Cathedral.
10. Now walk along the Pest side to the Parliament Builings, and as you walk...look across the Danube to the Buda side....
..pretty nice isn't it
11. Since you are walking to the Parliament Buildings , take in the lovely Freedom Square which is only a block out of your way.
12. The only place you cannot walk to is alll the way down Andrassy Street to the:
Heroes Square, and this is a must see place.
with it's very lovely statue monument at the centre ,flanked by...
Museum of Fine Arts and Place of Arts
A block from here is The Time Wheel, The 1956 Memeorial and the Vajadhunday Castle inside the City Park.
Now go and enjoy Budapest !!!
Sep 8th, 2013, 02:42 PM
#30
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Percy, thanks for your beautiful descriptions and highlights. I will be in Budapest in about two weeks and only hope I can see all these beautiful sights.
I've been to Vienna and it just didn't grab me enough to make me want to return.
I've been to Vienna and it just didn't grab me enough to make me want to return.
Sep 8th, 2013, 03:35 PM
#31
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I'm gonna pick Budapest (full disclosure, I live here - but I always preferred Budapest)... Vienna leaves me a bit cold. But it does have world class museums and opera if that is your thing.
I like Burnie's description. Budapest surely has a post communist crust. I find that interesting.
My favorite synagogue is Rumbach....it is closed - vacated after the war and never refurbished. But you can sense how grand it must have been. It is not always open, but if it is - stop by. It is very inexpensive to peek inside.
I like Burnie's description. Budapest surely has a post communist crust. I find that interesting.
My favorite synagogue is Rumbach....it is closed - vacated after the war and never refurbished. But you can sense how grand it must have been. It is not always open, but if it is - stop by. It is very inexpensive to peek inside.
Sep 8th, 2013, 04:56 PM
#33
I did not mention any Synagogues but I did visit them both.
They are only a few blocks apart.
I had to stop somewhere because if I had said visit the Dohany Synagogue,
then I would say you might as well go a few more blocks toward the Danube( south) and see the lovely Hungarian National Museum.
this is a nice building with Corinthian capped columns.
Well... if you are at the National Museum...then you might as well walk down to the corner to the Calvin Square ( named for the Reformist John Calvin)
Well...if you are at Calvin Square you might as well walk 4 blocks straight down to the Danube and the Liberty Bridge.
But wait !!! since you are here , just before the Liberty Bridge is the Great Market Square....
What a lovely building, you will have to cross the street to take a decent pictures of this Market Hall.
Across the street from the Great Market hall is the Fovam Square...stand here and take a picture of the Market Hall.
Now right next to the Great Market Hall is the Corvinus University of Budapest...it is a large building that runs along the Danube.
Finally look across the Liberty Bridge , that gorgeous building is the Gellert Hotel ( known for its Thermal Baths)....walk in there and have a look.
The other side of the hotel facing Gellert Hill is nicer than the front !!
See what I mean you have to stop somewhere...
Okay, one more...since you are at the Gellert Hotel... to half way up the hill to the `Rock Church``
You will not get this in Vienna.
( yes I like Vienna, but sightseeing is nicer here )
They are only a few blocks apart.
I had to stop somewhere because if I had said visit the Dohany Synagogue,
then I would say you might as well go a few more blocks toward the Danube( south) and see the lovely Hungarian National Museum.
this is a nice building with Corinthian capped columns.
Well... if you are at the National Museum...then you might as well walk down to the corner to the Calvin Square ( named for the Reformist John Calvin)
Well...if you are at Calvin Square you might as well walk 4 blocks straight down to the Danube and the Liberty Bridge.
But wait !!! since you are here , just before the Liberty Bridge is the Great Market Square....
What a lovely building, you will have to cross the street to take a decent pictures of this Market Hall.
Across the street from the Great Market hall is the Fovam Square...stand here and take a picture of the Market Hall.
Now right next to the Great Market Hall is the Corvinus University of Budapest...it is a large building that runs along the Danube.
Finally look across the Liberty Bridge , that gorgeous building is the Gellert Hotel ( known for its Thermal Baths)....walk in there and have a look.
The other side of the hotel facing Gellert Hill is nicer than the front !!
See what I mean you have to stop somewhere...
Okay, one more...since you are at the Gellert Hotel... to half way up the hill to the `Rock Church``
You will not get this in Vienna.
( yes I like Vienna, but sightseeing is nicer here )
Sep 8th, 2013, 10:40 PM
#35
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BTW, given your stated interest in museums, I don't understand why so many people are telling you to skip Munich. IMO, Munich has some wonderful museums.
Given your interests, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of your options (Munich, Vienna, or Budapest). You are "just" faced with the difficult task of choosing which places offer the best match to your aspirations for this particular trip.
Given your interests, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of your options (Munich, Vienna, or Budapest). You are "just" faced with the difficult task of choosing which places offer the best match to your aspirations for this particular trip.
Sep 9th, 2013, 06:06 AM
#36
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well.. .it is a very hard compare... Dohany is a fully restored synagogue. When I go into it, it doesn't do much for me (the weaping willow in the back courtyard is fantastic - you can see it thru the fence from the side street).
Rumback makes me cry. The walls are vibrant red and blue. the floor tiles neatly stacked to the sides. It is a total relic. But you can envision how lovely it was. It smacks you across the face with the heartbreak of the Jewish history in Budapest. It is also quite small. But it is like 4 dollars (or maybe less, I forget) to go in. They just don't always open it.
I included a picture of Rumbach (and the weeping willow) in this blog:
http://theworldinbetween.com/2013/08...ul-wallenberg/
Rumback makes me cry. The walls are vibrant red and blue. the floor tiles neatly stacked to the sides. It is a total relic. But you can envision how lovely it was. It smacks you across the face with the heartbreak of the Jewish history in Budapest. It is also quite small. But it is like 4 dollars (or maybe less, I forget) to go in. They just don't always open it.
I included a picture of Rumbach (and the weeping willow) in this blog:
http://theworldinbetween.com/2013/08...ul-wallenberg/
Sep 9th, 2013, 08:51 AM
#37
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CentralEurope, I'm glad you posted this link. I do get your blog and I remember reading this a few weeks ago and I was struck by the beauty of each but I forgot that the synagogue in ruins was Rumbach.
Sep 9th, 2013, 11:11 AM
#39
centraleurope
Thanks for the posting and the history about the Synagogues.
Enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for the posting and the history about the Synagogues.
Enjoyed it very much.
