Vienna or Budapest for a long weekend?
 

I have a chance to go to either Vienna or Budapest with my 22 year old daughter at the end of the month and was wondering which city would offer the most to us in such a short trip. We would probably have no more than 3 days there without our traveling days. We both love history,shopping and eating along with the typical "mother/daughter" bondings.(We both have traveled alot but these are two cities that neither one of us have been to.) Thanks for your imput!

Difficult one If I had to choose I would say Budapest. If you do a search on heer for either city you will find lots of info from previous trips. That might help you choose. There are also guides on this site under destinations. I loved the differnt types of architectura the Parliament is really beautiful. The the nice evening walks by the Danube, the castle area lots to see and do in with it's culture and history. Sevral musems, art galleries. Lots of coffe houses and cake shops for you and your daughter to stop off at while out shopping. Budapest, which is famous for its health and thermal spas, so why not try one with your daughhter.

Sorry my typing is really bad.
One other thing I forgot to add you will get more for your money in Budapest than Vienna as things cost more in Vienna.

I was in both last summer and I would definitly say Budapest. Just a beautiful city. Be sure to take a cruise on the river at night.

I prefer Budapest but my guess is that you would probably be happy with either, as both cities offer plenty.

I suggest you check out what deals you can get, and go with whichever looks best from the point of view of cost, timing of flights, and such variables.

Thanks everyone-I will hit the library tomorrow and get some books as this is only a week and a half away!!!! Anything that you think an "old broad and young broad" would love seeing or doing there before I hit the guidebooks for my research?

Budapest has a stunning setting -- in Vienna you are scarcely aware of the Danube.

Most of Vienna is flat, whereas Budapest has one major cliff-face and many, many hills.

Despite the contrasting topography, they are very alike in other ways: Both cities are mid-19th century creations and many streets in the 2 cities are astonishingly similar.

However:

Choose Vienna if you like neat, safe, well-tended, orderly, affluent, pricey.

Choose Budapest if you like dishevelled, edgy, decrepit, unpredictable, inexpensive.

I loved the restaurants in which we ate in Budapest. Great food at great prices.

I love the way you compared the two. I was trying to find the right words and to do just that but I could not seem to find them.

"Choose Vienna if you like neat, safe, well-tended, orderly, affluent, pricey.

Choose Budapest if you like dishevelled, edgy, decrepit, unpredictable, inexpensive."

I know now why I preferred Budapest.

Help-I have a problem getting to Budapest on the day that my daughter and I want to leave. However, the Vienna flight operates on that day. So.........could we fly into Vienna and spend a day and THEN take a train to Budapest where we would leave out of on the day we want to depart? Anything going on in Budapest on Sundays or is everything shut like alot of Europe? Anyone ever shuttled between the two cities easily? Thanks!

I said already that I prefer Budapest but, in the circumstance you describe, I think you should refocus on Vienna. There is plenty there to keep you engaged for three days.

Anyone ever done the 3 hour train ride from Vienna to Budapest? How was it-scenic?

Not especially scenic. Not bad. It goes quickly -- some trains are 2h45.

NOTE; not all trains use the same station in Vienna ie may be Sudbahnhof or Westbahnhof.

It may also be -- I am doing this from memory -- that the Budapest station also varies.

I've gone from Keleti -- though the train via Bratislava uses Nygati station.