Vienna and Budapest - How Many Days For Each

[djh1959]

In October, hubby and I are going on our first river cruise, Scenic's Rhine Highlights from Amsterdam to Basel.  Originally we were going to book Amsterdam to Budapest, but for a number of reasons we changed our minds - the water issues last year, the fact we don't know yet if we will enjoy it, and the lack of time in Vienna on that trip.

 

We plan to arrive in Amsterdam three days before the cruise.  We have been there before so it is more about getting over the jetlag and relaxing and seeing a few things we missed last time.

 

At the end of the cruise we will have a further eleven nights.  We plan to spend one in Basel just to have a look.  We have already been to Lucerne and Zurich so not really interested in going back just yet.  The final ten nights we are going to split between Vienna and Budapest.  We will probably travel by train, or we might fly to Budapest, train back to Vienna and fly home from there.  That is still to be worked out.

 

I am after advice on how best to split the ten nights.  Does one city deserve more time than the other, or should it be five nights each.  We have never visited either city, so want to see as much as possible.

 

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

Deb

[Fletch1]

Hello fellow Melbournian!!!

 

I can answer half your question.......

 

We have stayed in Budapest pre cruise and visited Vienna as a port stop. We had a week in Budapest and that was about right for us. We really enjoyed it. Budapest is a fabulous city and we would go back there again tomorrow if we could. Lots to see and do, good shopping and reasonably cheap (food, accommodation, clothes and shoes.....my wife bought 4 pairs of shoes whilst we were there and she is not a shoe person). 

 

For what we saw of Vienna on our day out there, we would prefer Budapest. Vienna was lovely, but we felt there was more to see and do in Budapest. My choice would be 7/3 or 6/4 nights in each in favour of Budapest. 

 

This is obviously personal choice and I know some will disagree with me on this one.  

 

BTW, we have done both the cruises you are referring to (with Viking). We have done many ocean cruises and these two river cruises, and we really enjoyed both the river cruises. They are a whole different concept but the small ship feel and 160 or so passengers was really nice. We are looking at doing another one next year (the Blue Danube down to Romania).

 

I hope you enjoy it. 

 

 

[dogs4fun]

6 hours ago, djh1959 said:

I am after advice on how best to split the ten nights.  Does one city deserve more time than the other, or should it be five nights each.  We have never visited either city, so want to see as much as possible.

Oh, such a fortunate predicament – choosing which of two fabulous cities in which to spend more time. I love both cities for different reasons.

You say nothing of your own interests and the city in which you choose to spend more time would depend on your personal tastes. I am a music/literature junkie so, for me, Vienna is tops. However, I also love Budapest & have enjoyed several visits to this wonderful city.

I have included some of my favorite haunts in both cities – it might give you an idea as to which city you would be interested in spending the most time or, perhaps, an even division of time.

 

Vienna, Austria’s capital & the former Capital of the Austro Hungarian Empire has much to offer including stunning palaces, wonderful museums, a magnificent gothic cathedral and great cafes. Vienna offers a rich cultural experience & is known for its fabulous music venues.

There is so much to see in Vienna. Below I have listed (IMHO) must see sights & you can decide which interest you:

Performance of the Vienna Boys Choir - https://www.viennaboyschoir.org/

Schönbrunn Palace/Schonbrunn Gardens - Habsburgs' opulent summer palace (Unesco World Heritage site). Sisi ticket offers best value.

Hofburg Palace - home to the Habsburgs from 1273 to 1918.  Magnificent collection not to be missed.

Treasury - The Hofburg's Kaiserliche Schatzkammer contains secular and ecclesiastical treasures, including a 2680-carat Colombian emerald & the highlight of the treasury, the imperial crown.

The Spanish Riding School - world-famous Viennese institution truly reminiscent of the imperial Habsburg era. Equestrian show is performed by Lipizzaner stallions.

St Stephen’s Cathedral - Vienna’s Gothic masterpiece. A church has stood here since the 12th century – don’t miss the Gothic stone pulpit over the main nave (1515 by Anton Pilgrim).

Rathaus - impressive neo-gothic city hall

Belvedere Museum – magnificent baroque palace containing many art masterpieces (noted: Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka )

Vienna State Opera - the neo-Renaissance Staatsoper, Vienna's foremost opera and ballet venue. Definitely worth booking a performance as they are top notch. Additionally, tours (in English and German) generally depart on the hour between 10am and 4pm.

Kunsthistorisches Museum – art history museum brimming with works by Europe’s finest painters, sculptors and artisans.

Vienna Natural History Museum - time travel through Vienna's history, covers four billion years of natural history.

MuseumsQuartier - ensemble of museums, cafes, restaurants and bars housed in former imperial stables. Includes the Leopold Museum,  Architekturzentrum, MUMOK, Kunsthalle, and Zoom. 

Other noteworthy:

Naschmarkt - open-air market built in the 16th-century

Riesenrad Ferris wheel - at the entrance to Prater park, this wheel is to Vienna what the London Eye is to London.

The Palmenhaus – magnificent greenhouse in Burggarten park (this oasis in the city offers a great place for lunch). Also home to the Schmetterlinghaus, butterfly house

Café Central - Vienna’s most venerable cafe - opened in 1876 (queues)

Sigmund Freud Museum  - Freud lived here until Nazi persecution forced him to flee in 1938 -  his apartment is an interesting museum & you can check-out his consulting room whilst keeping an eye out for the famous couch

 

I could go on and on but you get the picture – there is much to see and do in Vienna.

Edited January 16, 2019 by dogs4fun

[dogs4fun]

Budapest – Hungary’s capital city is also full of great things to see and do, from historic monuments to architectural wonders. It is quite different from Vienna but has its own distinct charm.

Again, my must see sights from which to choose:

Castle Hill - towering above the Danube, this Unesco World Heritage Site contains some of Budapest’s most important medieval monuments and museums. Below it is a 28km-long network of caves formed by thermal springs.

The walled area consists of two parts: the Old Town to the north, where commoners once lived, and the Royal Palace to the south. Don’t miss Fisherman's Bastion &  Matthias Church. Recommend a ride on the funicular up to the Buda Castle.

Note: if you are interested in Hungarian wine, I highly recommend a visit to the Faust Wine Cellars.

Parliament  - simply amazing & huge – the most recognizable building in the city on the banks of the Danube. Recommend booking a tour as this is the only way to see sumptious the interior. Tours sell out so book well in advance.

Great Synagogue (Dohany Street Synagogue) - Budapest's stunning Moorish Synagogue (1859) is touted as the world's largest outside New York City. On the synagogue’s north side, the Holocaust Tree of Life presides over the mass graves of those murdered by the Nazis.

Thermal Baths – several from which to choose. Buildings are architectural masterpieces themselves.

Basilica of St Stephen - Budapest’s imposing neoclassical cathedral (if you are into music, lovely concerts are held here)

Hungarian National Gallery - collection of Hungarian art from the 11th century to the present day.

Hungarian National Museum - houses Hungary’s collection of historical relics

House of Terror - former headquarters of the dreaded ÁVH secret police focuses on the crimes and atrocities of Hungary's fascist and Stalinist regimes.

Hungarian State Opera House – gorgeous neo-Renaissance building - facade is decorated with statues of muses and opera greats such as Puccini, Mozart, Liszt and Verdi. Its interior is equally splendid sporting marble columns, gilded vaulted ceilings, chandeliers and near-perfect acoustics. Recommend attending a performance or taking one of the daily tours.

Liszt Academy of Music – stunning art nouveau concert hall and music conservatory - one of my favorite venues in the city. I’ve attended several outstanding performances here. English tours are offered daily as well.

Ruin Bars – there are many from which to choose. Note: you can visit Budapest's first romkocsma (ruin pub), Szimpla Kert during the day if you are not interested in an evening binge. Szimpla Kert is a 5 minute stroll from the Great Synagogue.

Great Market Hall - largest & oldest indoor market in Budapest.

Other noteworthy:

Aquincum - The most complete Roman town in Hungary, built around 100 AD. We explored the remains of houses, baths, courtyards, fountains and sophisticated underfloor heating systems, as well as a recreation of a Roman painter's dwelling and Symphorus Mithraeum.

Heroes Square – sports a lovely park behind it 
Citadella - fortification located atop Gellert Hill.
Liberation Monument (near the Citadella)  - erected by the Soviets' liberation of Hungary from the Nazi's.

Chain Bridge - first permanent bridge to link Buda and Pest – looks beautiful lit at night.

Gerbeaud Café – worth a visit to this iconic coffee house/cafe. Their Esterhazy Torte is to die for.

Chimney Cakes – delicious –sold at various places throughout the city.

[djh1959]

Thanks so much to both of you for the replies.

 

We may actually add an extra night (not sure yet), so will have 11 nights in total.

 

As to our interests, they are pretty eclectic.  Our main love is simply wandering and taking in the sights of a city, along with sitting in an outdoor restaurant, cafe or bar and people watching.

 

Needless to say, Paris is one of our favourite cities, and we just got back from our sixth visit, where we did just what I stated above and loved every second.

 

Having said that, we also like museums and art galleries, primarily impressionist art.  We both hate modern art (think Pompidou Centre in Paris).  Some of our favourite museums worldwide would be the Museums of Natural History in London and Washington DC, the British Museum, and the Pergamon in Berlin so anything like that is a plus.  We also love "House Museums" which show how people lived in the past.

 

As to music and so on, we both enjoy listening to music of all kinds, but have to say we are certainly not experts - more in the "we know what we like" kind of thing.  One of my favourite experiences was sitting in a cafe in St. Marks Square in Venice listening to the orchestras, so if there was something like that in either city we would love it, much more than going to an actual formal concert.

 

We definitely want to see the obvious attractions such as the Spanish Riding School, Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, and the baths and Castle in Budapest.  Would also like to do a tour of Parliament.

 

It seems to me that Vienna is much more expensive that Budapest - do I have that right?  I haven't decided where we will stay yet, but I really love a river view so have looked at Sofitel Chain Bridge in a Danube View room.  Comparing that to Sofitel Vienna, the Budapest one is a lot cheaper.  Of course we don't have to stay somewhere that expensive, it is just a starting point, but as we are Accor Plus members we get lots of extra points that we can use later.

 

I notice that you mentioned cheap shopping, Fletch1.  That would be of interest to my husband - we are a strange couple, I am not a shopper by hubby is a big one!  He loves markets and any form of shopping, and as we will end up in Budapest before flying home, the ability to shop would be a massive attraction for him lol.

 

Thanks again, both of you and please keep the ideas coming.  I have made a note of all the suggestions.

[JohnKen3]

3 hours ago, djh1959 said:

It seems to me that Vienna is much more expensive that Budapest - do I have that right?  

 

 

Yes.

Vienna is in  Austria uses the Euro which is stronger than the dollar and has always been part of the Western political and social world.  Being first world, it is expensive.

 

Budapest uses its own currency (it is not joined the Euro as yet) and is a former Soviet block country and still developing. That is why many Hungarians work in EU countries since the salary for the same job is higher. It is cheaper for the comparative equivalent; from food to accommodation.

 

Vienna is rich with history. Budapest has current experiences and sights. There are many things to do in both.

 

The Sofitel is in a splendid location and is right next to best located hotels, The Four Seasons and The intercontinental. Ideal for views, restaurants and shops. The centre of town is about a 10 min walk away. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by JohnKen3

[Fletch1]

4 hours ago, djh1959 said:

As to our interests, they are pretty eclectic.  Our main love is simply wandering and taking in the sights of a city, along with sitting in an outdoor restaurant, cafe or bar and people watching.Needless to say, Paris is one of our favourite cities, and we just got back from our sixth visit, where we did just what I stated above and loved every second. Having said that, we also like museums and art galleries, primarily impressionist art.  We both hate modern art (think Pompidou Centre in Paris). 

 

You sound very, very much like us and Paris is my favourite city (although not DW's!!) and we love just meandering through back streets and laneways of the cities we stay in. We try and book a walking tour in every city we visit to get a good feel for the place and get to know the area. Most guides are locals and are very passionate about their cities, giving us a really good introduction to the local area. They also give a good indication of the Must See's and Do's!!!

 

When we stay in cities for extended periods (2+ days), we book an apartment. They are usually cheaper than hotels and much bigger and we can also do our own cooking. This also allows us to shop like locals in delis, markets and supermarkets. We still go out for meals, but we still enjoy doing our own thing "at home". The apartment we stayed in in Budapest was HUGE. The bedroom was that big, it had two entrances, both with double doors. It was one street back from the river with just a view of the street, but central to everything. 

 

And yes, I would agree that Budapest is much cheaper than Vienna!

[dolllover]

On our Danube cruise we only had one day in Vienna but 3 days in Budapest. One day in Vienna was not enough! had a great time walking around and visiting the Belvedere. In the future we will spend at least 3 days in Vienna.

Budapest was fantastic. 3 days were fine but if work didn't get in the way more days would have been better.

[wheezedr]

Not to be a troublemaker but with the time you have allotted I might give 3-4 days to both Vienna and Budapest and then slip in Prague as a third city.  That would give you the classic Big3 of that part of the world.

[djh1959]

Thanks everyone.  At this stage we are still leaning to 6 nights Budapest and 5 Vienna.  Thanks wheezedr for your suggestion, but we have already spent 4 days in Prague on a previous Europe trip.
This is our first river cruise but we regularly visit Europe, but somehow we missed Vienna and Budapest!

[Coral]

On 1/17/2019 at 1:33 AM, JohnKen3 said:

 

The Sofitel is in a splendid location and is right next to best located hotels, The Four Seasons and The intercontinental. Ideal for views, restaurants and shops. The centre of town is about a 10 min walk away. 

I stayed at the Intercontinental in Vienna and absolutely loved the old hotel. It was so classy.  Rooms were spacious and service amazing. Unfortunately it will be torn down in the future to build a newer/smaller hotel. I don't remember what year it is closing - I think next year. Great location. So sad to hear that they are replacing her as she is one of my favorite hotels.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Coral