Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oh help me! I cannot decide. I have a trip planned to Prague in a few weeks. We cannot decide whether we should do a side trip to Vienna or Budapest. It is not possible to do both.
Budapest is much more fun and friendly than Vienna. People in Vienna can be tools. The best thing about that city is Kasekrainer.
Budapest has fun markets, public baths, and a wacky grotto (visit at night). Vienna is more physically beautiful and is a more elevated cultural experience. Budapest is much cheaper than Vienna.
I recommend you lengthen your trip so you can see both.
Both cities are gorgeous, but in different ways. To me, Vienna feels more sophisticated and cultured but also somehow colder, while Budapest feels both more lively and more gritty. Both have enough sights to offer to keep you busy for several days. Vienna has the Spanish Riding School and more memorable museums, but Budapest has the thermal baths (tons of fun!) and scenic Danube cruises, as well as what may be the most beautiful opera house anywhere in Europe.
So what are you in the mood for? You can't really go wrong with either pick.
I'm a huge fan of Vienna, and the first time I was there, I did pair it with a trip to Prague. In Vienna, I love the culture there, and since we are a huge fan of museums, we spend a lot of time seeing different exhibits. We happen to have an uncle that lives in Vienna, so he has always helped make it a nice trip. Budapest certainly has a different feel so if you could make it to both, you should try!
I was just in Budapest for several hours. It was a lot more grandiose and populous than I expected, actually. Along the Danube is a lot more striking than it looks in photos. Very vast and pretty, with the hills in Buda offering a great vantage point of it all. I've never been to Wien, but as I normally go for the grittier and cheaper, I would've chosen Budapest.
How much time do you have? There's an overnight train to Belgrade for 15€ from Budapest, and Belgrade is one of my very favourite cities.
Vienna was an imperial city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire for centuries. It still retains that imperial flavor with palaces just about everywhere you look. The art museums are stellar. The food is wonderful and the wines excellent. The coffee houses are superb. Pastries are fabulous. Much of it has to do with that Austria never became Communist and the Soviets retreated after WWII, so Vienna was able to retain large elements of its pre-war grandeur and lifestyle. Vienna has a smug, self-satisfied and affluent bourgeoisie atmosphere, and I say this as someone who loves Vienna. The physical layout of Vienna is also much tighter than Budapest, with a small inner-stadt that is very walkable and the Danube is not a focal point for the city. I've been to Vienna perhaps half a dozen times and I don't think I've ever bothered to see the Danube.
Budapest was a secondary city to Vienna. Although it has its own long history, Budapest really came into its own in the 19th century and is one of the great 19th century cities of Europe. It has marvelous Victorian, Beaux Arts, Secessionist and Art Deco architecture, which is different from the baroque flavor of Vienna. The museums are not as interesting. The food is not as good, thanks to 50 years of communist rule (although it is getting better). Budapest is decidedly cheaper and despite much restoration the city still retains a slight nitty gritty environment that is part of its charm. Despite having the same population size, Budapest also feels much bigger than Vienna because it's more spread out and the Danube and Castle Hill exaggerates the city's sense of size.
They are quite different cities and I enjoy both equally but for different reasons. A first time visitor may prefer Vienna because it's initially more navigable and the palaces and art museums offer more of interest to tourist and the food and pastries are excellent. Budapest will require a little more compromise but at a much lower price. For people less interested in gilded palaces and art, Budapest does have the baths and grottos and what seems like a much larger drinking scene.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
