Well, it will be hard to cover a lot in Budapest in two days, but if the weather is nice, go up to the Castle and look for the "Halasz Bastja" area. The view down to the city is wonderful. Also, I would recommend going up to the hill called "Gellert". It is the one with the Statue of Liberty. Food is much better than Vienna but not much cheaper. I also recommend an evening boat tour with Folklor dance and Gipsy band. It is around $20 per person, for about two hours with dinner included. The boat leavs from the Pest side of the Danube. Look for MAHART boat company
take care
Endre
These posts are one of the most valuable parts of TA, where you get to see many perspectives. With all due respect, our opinion could not be more different than epekarik. As Classical Music Enthusiasts, we think Vienna is an amazing place, with more to do then we could fit in. We also thought the food in WIen was superb. Not just good, but outstanding. The elegance and attention to detail in how coffee/dessert is served, for example, is unparalled in our experience. On the other hand, we didn't enjoy Prague. Despite being a beautiful place, it felt very unsafe to us and we felt like there was not much to do. We didn't enjoy tthe food in Prague. Meat was tough, some entrees were served cold, and extra charges were put on some bills.
We are planning a day trip to Budapest when we come to Vienna this fall. The purpose will be to see if Budapest is a place we want to return to and spend several days.
I mean no disrespect to any of these locations or to anyone who shares their opinion. I live in CA and there are many parts where no one would want to live, let alone visit. Others that we really like are often disliked by visitors.
Hi, travellingmother. If you liked Vienna, you will probably like Budapest as well. Lots of places to visit, good food and friendly people. The sites are spread well apart over the city, unlike Prague, so we did not find a concentration of tourists in one spot. We were there in the early part of just last June and it was not crowded at all. A day in Budapest would not be enough to have a good appreciation of the city. We had two full days there, which was adequate but hectic. If we are to do it again, we would go for 3 days for a more relaxing visit. Like Vienna, it also has very good transportation system, which makes it easy to see on your own. We just bought a 3-day pass which got us to the subway, trams and buses. Having said that, consider going on the Absolute Walking Tour (that's the name of the business) for your Day 1. It is reasonably priced and gives you a good idea of the lay of the land.
It would not be fair to compare the two cities, really. They are more complementary places to visit. I'll wait to read about your impressions of Budapest on your return.
Thank you Carlo2006 for your good advice and suggestions. We don't go until October, but I will certainly post a review.
If you are first time visitor to Vienna and Budapest, then you need a minimum of 7 days, say 3 for Vienna and 4 for Budapest. As some posts pointed out, Budapest has a lot to offer. I agree. We visted Budapest last year. We packed everything in 3.5 days, and that was not enough. What the heck, we will be back again sometime.
So if you only have only 4 days. Why not skip Budapest this time and concentrate in Vienna for 3 days, and 1 day for Schonbrunn Palace? You spend a great deal of time just getting to and from V and B (about 7 hours RT on train; plus time from hotel to station, both cities). Don't water down the limited time that you have, enjoy it all in Vienna.
Whatever you decision, have a great one!
We just returned from Vienna, Budapest, and Romania. We hit Romania to visit our son who is there for the US Peace Corps. My husband and I are in our early 50s and the son and girlfriend in early 20s and all four of us enjoyed Budapest more then Vienna. I am not saying Vienna was not wonderful but we found more to see in Budapest. Don't miss going; it is a wonderful city.
I live in Budapest and went to Vienna around 10 times since last september so I know quite well both places. Both are worth to visit but I would say that in total Vienna has more places to visit that Budapest so plan more days in Vienna than Budapest. I would say 2 days in Budapest and 4 days in Vienna as planned. Train ticket is cheap (around 40 USD for a return), and the trains are very clean and nice, but watch out only for thieves. I have some Japanese friends that have been robbed Herend porcelain bought a couple of hours earlier in Budapest. Please do visit Budapest as it is so close to Vienna and worth the detour!
Visited Vienna and Budapest numerous times when I lived in Germany and had a Hungarian friend. Love both cities for the food, the culture and sights.
Having just returned a week ago from yet another visit to Vienna, I would recommend sticking to one city. We spent five days in Vienna and it wasn't enough time.
The travelling around can wear you out, especially in the hot and AC-less summer. (We also had the bad luck of having two of our three train trips experience serious delays and ended up having to take a taxi to our final destination. Also, I was surprised at how full the trains were this visit and we were so lucky we had reservations. People were sitting in the aisles.)
If you are travelling to Vienna in the winter, when the ballet and opera are in season, that would be a great trip. Standing room tickets are incredibly cheap and the performances are fantastic. In the fall, the heurigen offer new wines. It all depends on what you want to do in each city. (Plus, give yourself ample kaffee und kuchen time.) That said, next time we are in that part of the world, we will visit Budapest.
Have fun wherever you go!