Prague, Vienna & Budapest Travel Advice

[manhn]

In April, I will be going to Prague, Vienna and Budapest! I will be in each city for 4-5 days. As you may have noticed, I am not one of those "So....what's fun to do in ________?" people. My questions are very precise and specific. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I have already received some wonderful and helpful suggestions from a FSUer or two. I normally do a good number of things suggested by posters.

Prague

1. Best Coffee in Prague: SOO important to me. I have noticed that third wave hipster coffeeshops in these cities are REALLY hipsterish, their coffee menus are so limited. I love me a mocha. But any coffeeshops you enjoyed, let me know.

2. Best Place for Local Czech Food: Particularly svíčková, except that I hate cranberries (well, any fruit especially touching meat). Sometimes, I see it served on the side or placed within the dish. Which is the norm? I suspect Prague and the other cities aren't particularly accommodating.

3. Best Places to run in Prague:

4. Best Day Trip from Prague: Pilsen? Kutna Hora? I think I would like Karlovy Vary, but it's the farthest away from Prague. If we do a day trip, it'd be on Easter Monday, so not sure if businesses are open that day or not.

5. Best Easter-Related Activities in Prague: We will be there during the Easter holidays. I know of the Easter Markets, anything else?

6. Best Vietnamese in Prague: Don't scoff. Vietnamese make up the third largest minority community in the Czech Republic. We will be going to Sapa (little Hanoi), but would like to try Vietnamese in the city centre too.

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it: My parents don't care for museums, so I can only limit it to one.

8. Best Place for Czech Desserts:

9. Best Place for Groceries in Old Town: That's where we are staying, any nearby decent grocery stores to stock up?

10. Best Bookstores in Prague:

Vienna

1. Best Traditional Coffeehouses in Vienna: With Vienna, I will be trying to attend as many concerts, symphonies, operas, ballets as possible and then finish the evening with a fancy coffeehouse. Give me your favourites

2. Best Coffee in Vienna: Not the fancy ones, the modern ones.

3. Best Place for Apple Strudel: Also, is raisins common in apple strudel? I hate raisins! A reason why I'm not going to try the sachertorte, as it has apricots.

4. Best Place for a Sausage:

5. Best Place for a Wiener Schnitzel:

6. Best Places to run in Vienna: I will be doing a marathon here. Unlike Prague and Budapest, we're not staying along the Danube. And just by Google Maps, Vienna is very much an urban place with not a whole lotta parks. Am I wrong in that? We're staying about 15 minute walk west from the Bergtheatre (where my marathon finishes).

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it:

8. Best Place to Shop: I'm confused with Kaerntner Strasse and Mariahilferstrasse. Are they two different districts or one and the same?

9. Best Bookstores in Vienna:

Budapest

1. Best Traditional Coffeehouses in Budapest:

2. Best Coffee in Budapest:

3. Best Goulash in Budapest:

4. Best Chimney Cake in Budapest

5. Best Vietnamese in Budapest: My folks claim that there is a large Vietnamese contingent in Hungary, but I haven't read anything about it, unlike with the Czech Republic. Are my folks right?

6. Best Places to Run in Budapest:

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it:

8. Best Thermal Bath:

9. Best Ruin Bar:

10. Best Bookstores in Budapest:

I always do further research on all of your suggestions, and try to do as many of them as I can. Thanks in advance!

 

[Deleted member 1204]

I've been to all 3 cities multiple times and I can't answer a single one of your questions! Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Erin]

I don't drink coffee, and I gave up on running on vacation a while ago, so I can only help with a few of these:

4. Best Day Trip from Prague: Pilsen? Kutna Hora? I think I would like Karlovy Vary, but it's the farthest away from Prague. If we do a day trip, it'd be on Easter Monday, so not sure if businesses are open that day or not.

I've only been to Kutna Hora, but I feel like the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora is a can't miss. One of the coolest/creepiest things I have ever seen.

1. Best Traditional Coffeehouses in Vienna: With Vienna, I will be trying to attend as many concerts, symphonies, operas, ballets as possible and then finish the evening with a fancy coffeehouse. Give me your favourites

I don't know if it qualifies as traditional, but Café Gerstner was my favourite fancy coffeehouse.

3. Best Place for Apple Strudel: Also, is raisins common in apple strudel? I hate raisins! A reason why I'm not going to try the sachertorte, as it has apricots.

I can't speak to where the best is, as they all seemed kind of the same to me, but I don't recall seeing a lot of raisins, if any, and I also hate them.

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it:

I would pick the Hofberg Palace - you can probably speed past the silver collection and then spend more time in either the Sisi Museum or Imperial Apartments. They are all on the same ticket. I would have preferred to spend more time in the Imperial Apartments but by the time we got there, we were getting a little tired of the place, having spent too much time in the silver collection.

3. Best Goulash in Budapest:

I don't have a recommendation for this as I think the only goulash I ate was in Eger, but I would suggest that it's worth trying goulash in both Czechia and in Hungary, as it's much thicker and more stew-like in Czechia (and comes in a bread bowl) versus the soup-like version in Hungary. It's probably sacrilege but I preferred the Czech version.

And you may not be interested but for my money the best Hungarian dish is chicken paprikash (or veal or vegetarian without meat). I loved it so much I had to teach myself how to make it, and I don't really cook.

8. Best Thermal Bath:

I liked Szechenyi best although probably only a bit more than Gellert. They are both good. Just be careful with Szechenyi if you are there late because the outdoor pool has different hours than the inside part and there may be difficulties with getting back to the locker room area where all your stuff is. My most amusing memory of my first trip to Budapest is my friend panicking that her iPad was in the locker without thinking through the bigger problem that our clothes and money were in there, and it would have been an unpleasant experience to presumably walk to our (not nearby) hotel in bathing suits in October. Fortunately, we were able to find some spa people to let us into the locker so it never came to that.

Unrelated to the questions, but the most valuable tip I was given for both Prague and Budapest was to be wary of cab drivers. This was pre-uber days, so you may never need one (I didn't on my last trip, especially as public transportation is excellent in both cities) but if you do ever use one - never hail one from the street, always either call or have your hotel call, and if possible, negotiate the cost up front.

 

[Deleted member 1204]

the most valuable tip I was given for both Prague and Budapest was to be wary of cab drivers.

Yes! I've been in cabs where the driver has a little button under the dashboard which, when pressed, speeds up the charges at a crazy pace. I avoid cabs.

 

[manhn]

I have been OBSESSED with Honest Guide for Prague on Youtube. Yes, we will avoid cabs. My airbnb from Prague will order a personal driver for us from the airport (we are arriving late so the airport shuttle will not be in operation). I'm confused where to exchange money because so many of them are so bad. And what ATMs to use (apparently, not Euronet, but even some of the Czech banks are bad).

 

[MsZem]

From a friend who lived in Prague for several years:

1. Coffee Lovers
Kaprova 16/9, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia
+420 733 116 690

3. Go down to the river at the end of Myslikova st. and head south 5K and then back.

4. Karlštejn Castle (by train), Bohemian Switzerland or Czeski Raj (by car). If skiing appeals, take a look at cityski.cz.

5. Markets: most toursity and central is in the old town square. Most fun is in Naplavka, Saturdays 8am-2pm.

6. Cố Đô - "yes it's right across from a bus stop but it's the best Vietnamese place".

====================================================

ETA: modern Czech bistro - https://next-door.cz/en/homepage-en/

Cafe for meals or dessert - http://cafesavoy.ambi.cz/en/menu?id=34442

Bookstore and hipster coffeeshop - https://globebookstore.cz/

 

[clairecloutier]

Vienna

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it:

If you like art, I would recommend the art museum (the Kunsthistoriches Museum Wien). The building itself is lovely and airy, and they have some beautiful paintings by Titian. Also a lot of Dutch art.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is right in the center of the city, and well worth seeing. Some interesting history there.

The other place I would recommend is Schonnbrun Palace. This was the summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty. It is a short ride from Vienna (maybe 15-20 min) via light rail. It is somewhat similar to Versailles, but in my opinion quite a bit nicer.


Other stuff

When we went (15 years ago), there was a very large cafe near St. Stephen's Cathedral that had a lot of outdoor seating. They had these wonderful desserts featuring gelato, fruit sauces, and whipped cream. Very light and sweet. We ate there quite a few times and personally preferred it to the more traditional strudel-type desserts. Gelato is, I think, popular in Vienna due to longstanding cultural links between Austria and northern Italy.

There is a place, also near St. Stephen, that had the biggest and best wiener schnitzels that we've ever had. My husband still talks about them. I'll see if he remembers the name of the place. If you're standing looking at St. Stephen's, it was somewhere to the left of it (that's all I remember!).

 

[mjb52]

If you can do a day trip to Salzburg from Vienna, it is well worth it. I absolutely loved it there.

 

[manhn]

Vienna


Other stuff

When we went (15 years ago), there was a very large cafe near St. Stephen's Cathedral that had a lot of outdoor seating. They had these wonderful desserts featuring gelato, fruit sauces, and whipped cream. Very light and sweet. We ate there quite a few times and personally preferred it to the more traditional strudel-type desserts. Gelato is, I think, popular in Vienna due to longstanding cultural links between Austria and northern Italy.

There is a place, also near St. Stephen, that had the biggest and best wiener schnitzels that we've ever had. My husband still talks about them. I'll see if he remembers the name of the place. If you're standing looking at St. Stephen's, it was somewhere to the left of it (that's all I remember!).

Fantastic! I am attending a Mozart concert that is taking place within St. Stephen's Cathedral, so I know where I will go to dinner beforehand!

If you can do a day trip to Salzburg from Vienna, it is well worth it. I absolutely loved it there.

Aww, I would love to visit, but the marathon is a two day thing (I have to go kinda faraway to pick up my race gear) and Schönbrunn Palace, I don't think there's time for a day trip from Vienna.

 

[quartz]

Best FSUer to take along with you: ME.

Prague has been on my must go to someday list for years. We almost went a few years ago but then something happened, I think it was a complication with the husband’s job and we couldn’t go, and we haven’t gotten around to putting it back at the top if the list again.

 

[manhn]

Best FSUer to take along with you: ME.

Prague has been on my must go to someday list for years. We almost went a few years ago but then something happened, I think it was a complication with the husband’s job and we couldn’t go, and we haven’t gotten around to putting it back at the top if the list again.

You are more than welcome!

 

[Rob]

Vienna

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it:

If you like art, I would recommend the art museum (the Kunsthistoriches Museum Wien). The building itself is lovely and airy, and they have some beautiful paintings by Titian. Also a lot of Dutch art.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is right in the center of the city, and well worth seeing. Some interesting history there.

The other place I would recommend is Schonnbrun Palace. This was the summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty. It is a short ride from Vienna (maybe 15-20 min) via light rail. It is somewhat similar to Versailles, but in my opinion quite a bit nicer.

Totally agree with all 3 of the above. And you can see the Gemma Augustea at the Kunsthistoriches Museum.

For schnitzel, I didn't have any bad schnitzel in Vienna.

Schonnbrun Palace is on the metro and not far at all.

 

[MsZem]

Aww, I would love to visit, but the marathon is a two day thing (I have to go kinda faraway to pick up my race gear) and Schönbrunn Palace, I don't think there's time for a day trip from Vienna.

That's too bad... we went to Melk Abbey and it was lovely. Maybe next time

There was this fabulous deep fried ice cream dessert; however, I'm pretty sure it involved apricots, so perhaps not for you. I wasn't wowed by the cakes but got some very nice chocolates from Oberlaa.

 

[allezfred]

I made the schoolboy error of going to Prague in the middle of summer last year.

Cannot contribute much, but probably the best thing I did in Prague was ride the paternoster lift in City Hall.

 

[manhn]

Honest Guide told me about the elevator! We will go to City Hall on the only non-Easter day that we are in Prague. Or maybe before we head to the train station from Prague to Vienna. Near City Hall is the Municipal Prague Library with the endless book tunnel!

 

[skategal]

FWIW the Sachertorte only has apricot jam/jelly and not any of the actual dried fruit in it.

it’s delicious. I’m an apricot and chocolate lover (but pieces of fruit in jam makes me gag.)

 

[Erin]

I'm confused where to exchange money because so many of them are so bad. And what ATMs to use (apparently, not Euronet, but even some of the Czech banks are bad).

I never exchange money (except for very small amounts), so I am no help with the first, but I didn't notice an issue with any ATMs in Czechia when I was there last spring. The one other one I would say never to use is Travelex.

 

[sk8girl]

I'm confused where to exchange money because so many of them are so bad. And what ATMs to use (apparently, not Euronet, but even some of the Czech banks are bad).

We were in Prague last summer and exchanged money at several different places in the old town. We had no problems, but we noticed that the rates varied signicantly from one place to the next, like from "pretty good" to "massive rip off". Just shop around a bit for the best rate for sure. At that time we did best with the ones down one of the side street to the right of the Tyn Church (if you're standing with the astronomical clock on your left).

Also, I'll add a +1 for Kutna Hora as a Prague side trip, assuming you're okay with human bones all around you! The bone church is creepy but so so unique and interesting. Definitely not something you're going to see anywhere else. We enjoyed St. Barbara's Cathedral too, while we were there. Nice views around there too.

 

[sk8girl]

We were in Prague last summer and exchanged money at several different places in the old town. We had no problems, but we noticed that the rates varied signicantly from one place to the next, like from "pretty good" to "massive rip off". Just shop around a bit for the best rate for sure. At that time we did best with the ones down one of the side street to the right of the Tyn Church (if you're standing with the astronomical clock on your left).

Oh, and my husband adds that there were also some decent rates at the places just off Wenceslas Square. (Not the ones right on the square, but nearby on side streets.)

Have fun!

 

[clairecloutier]

Other stuff

When we went (15 years ago), there was a very large cafe near St. Stephen's Cathedral that had a lot of outdoor seating. They had these wonderful desserts featuring gelato, fruit sauces, and whipped cream. Very light and sweet. We ate there quite a few times and personally preferred it to the more traditional strudel-type desserts. Gelato is, I think, popular in Vienna due to longstanding cultural links between Austria and northern Italy.

There is a place, also near St. Stephen, that had the biggest and best wiener schnitzels that we've ever had. My husband still talks about them. I'll see if he remembers the name of the place. If you're standing looking at St. Stephen's, it was somewhere to the left of it (that's all I remember!).

@manhn Here's the place with the Wiener schnitzel (it's called Figlmuller):

The world's largest schnitzel! - Review of Figlmuller, Vienna, Austria - Tripadvisor

Figlmuller: The world's largest schnitzel! - See 10,566 traveler reviews, 4,687 candid photos, and great deals for Vienna, Austria, at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[manhn]

Oh, I was already planning to go there after my marathon!

 

[mackiecat]

We went to Prague last summer and I will second the Honest Guide on youtube. We ate at some of his suggestions. He is great! I highly suggest watching some of their videos

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCt7oj318jVQi7vRbc1bNjJA

 

[mackiecat]

I have been OBSESSED with Honest Guide for Prague on Youtube. Yes, we will avoid cabs. My airbnb from Prague will order a personal driver for us from the airport (we are arriving late so the airport shuttle will not be in operation). I'm confused where to exchange money because so many of them are so bad. And what ATMs to use (apparently, not Euronet, but even some of the Czech banks are bad).

It is so easy to take transit from the airport to the centre of town. The Honest guide will show you how. He also shows you were to exchange money and not get ripped off. I found most places took credit card ( tapping)

 

[acraven]

Every year the ATM situation in Europe gets worse, in the sense that more ATMs are charging fees and more are pushing you to accept Dynamic Currency Conversion, the invidious process by which they "lock in" your withdrawal in dollars at a rate that is extremely poor. Always conduct ATM transactions in the local currency. As for the fees, I can only say you should cancel the transaction and try another ATM. However, that can kill a good bit of time, so you might decide it's not worth it. Unfortunately, you may encounter the DCC business when you use a credit card as well. Try to keep physical control of your card and the card-reading device so the clerk/server doesn't have the chance to choose dollars for you.

Prague 7 / Budapest 7: I don't think there's a single museum that's best for everyone; it all depends on your interests. I am interested in 20th-century history, so I liked the Museum of Communism in Prague and the House of Terror in Budapest. As the name suggests, the latter is more depressing than the former.

If your group is more interested in pretty stuff than in history, you might pretend Prague's Municipal House (Obecni Dum) is a museum and take the tour there; a tour is mandatory to see most of the building. It's probably the most beautiful Art Nouveau interior I've ever seen. There aren't too many English tours, so that's something you'd want to check on in advance rather than just showing up. Pay the modest extra fee to take photos.

A lot of people like the Hungarian Parliament Building, which I haven't seen. A tour is mandatory, and the English tours there sell out early. You might think of this as a sort of history museum. Tickets are expensive.

Budapest 4: I bought a chimney cake somewhere in Hungary, but it wasn't in Budapest. I think they don't vary a lot. Of course you'll want to buy one that is being freshly made right in front of you.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I would take out a mortgage to have a razor blade thin slice of Sachertorte and a thimbleful of coffee at the Hotel Sacher again. And I'd need to.

It was a long time ago, but my favorite art museum in Vienna was the Museum of the Twentieth Century, now called MUMOK. It's now in a spiffy looking building.

 

[kedrin]

Lots of good info here. If you like Art Nouveau, I can second the Municipal House tour in Prague, and also Gellert Thermal Baths. If you want to try a bath from Ottoman times, construction on Kiraly was begun in 1565. Also, it's not a coffee house, but Cafe New York in Budapest is stunning. Have a great trip- these are three beautiful cities!

 

[Deleted member 1204]

Have a great trip- these are three beautiful cities!

Yea but Vienna is pretty boring

 

[kedrin]

Yea but Vienna is pretty boring

Well, I didn't manage to come up with any recommendations for Vienna, come to think of it! Actually, I had a great time in Vienna- about a week before my trip, a figure skating friend in a different city that I don't get to see that often posted that he was there! We met up, and waltzed in the New Year together to a live orchestra right outside St. Stephens. If you can arrange that, I highly recommend it!

 

[manhn]

In many ways, my days in Vienna are booked solid with museums, churches, symphonies, etc. But I have to admit that in terms of planning my trip, Prague and Budapest have been more fun. A greater sense of discovery, I suppose.

 

[hanca]

Prague

1. Best Coffee in Prague: SOO important to me. I have noticed that third wave hipster coffeeshops in these cities are REALLY hipsterish, their coffee menus are so limited. I love me a mocha. But any coffeeshops you enjoyed, let me know.

Don’t know, I hate coffee so I don’t drink it.

2. Best Place for Local Czech Food: Particularly svíčková, except that I hate cranberries (well, any fruit especially touching meat). Sometimes, I see it served on the side or placed within the dish. Which is the norm? I suspect Prague and the other cities aren't particularly accommodating.

I don’t know about ‘the best’ restaurant, but my favourite is Restaurant U Pravdu. They cook pretty authentic food and I have always enjoyed my food. (That doesn’t mean that you will enjoy it because Czech cuisine may be quite different than what you are used to.)

Úvod | upravdu.com

upravdu.com

The cranberries in Svíčková are usually on a slice of lemon and a bit of whipped cream. The slice of lemon is placed on the meat. But I am sure you could ask to give it to you separately. If people can ask for a salad with dressing served separately, why couldn’t you get this separately?

3. Best Places to run in Prague:
I probably wouldn’t go running in Prague, because it is a bigger city and the air is not that healthy, but if you really want to go running, I would find some place where there is no traffic. Some park or something. Near ‘Petřínská rozhledna’ (Petrin Tower, on Petrin Hill) there is a lovely park, that could be a good place for running.

4. Best Day Trip from Prague: Pilsen? Kutna Hora? I think I would like Karlovy Vary, but it's the farthest away from Prague. If we do a day trip, it'd be on Easter Monday, so not sure if businesses are open that day or not.

I am not sure if Plzeň (Pilsen) would be the city I would want to visit... Nothing wrong with it, but not that great either.

In Kutna hora there is a lovely cathedral and a konstanz. As a child I found the decorations made all from bones a bit weird/morbit, but as an adult I would probably find it much more interesting. I also saw there my first mummies.

If you are interested in war things, there is a village Lidice (about 30 km from Prague) that was completely destroyed and most people killed (a few kids sent to Germany to become German children). There is a memorial now.

Lidice massacre - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

About 60 km from Prague there is a concentration camp Terezin.

Terezín - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Lovely! I just realised I recommended a village where everyone was killed, concentration camp and a place where they build decorations from bones...

5. Best Easter-Related Activities in Prague: We will be there during the Easter holidays. I know of the Easter Markets, anything else?

Easter is not that great for females in the Czech republic. Males make home made whips and they are whipping females. Females pay them off with decorated eggs. It is very easy to get carried away with the whipping, especially when the female doesn’t like it and doesn’t stay still. I have never seen any other country celebrating with domestic violence.

The Czech Easter tradition of whipping girls

The Czech Republic has a rather unusual tradition on Easter Monday. Boys get willow branches, braid them together into whips and decorate them with ribbons to whip girls…

www.radio.cz

6. Best Vietnamese in Prague: Don't scoff. Vietnamese make up the third largest minority community in the Czech Republic. We will be going to Sapa (little Hanoi), but would like to try Vietnamese in the city centre too.

I can’t really tell you what the best Vietnamese restaurant is, because I am not sure what is authentic. For example, the Indian dishes in the UK have not much in common with the ‘real’ Indian food (Chicken tikka masala and chicken korma), the Japanese sushi you get in the USA are often non recognisable for Japanese people (apparently Californian roll is not sushi you can get in Japan!)... So even if Vietnamese people cook in the Vietnamese restaurant, the dishes are very likely altered according to the population of the country where the restaurant is.

7. If there is one Museum to visit, which is it: My parents don't care for museums, so I can only limit it to one.

That’s hard to advise. If they don’t care for museums, it is best to find one that concentrates on topics or things that they are likely to enjoy. What are their hobbies? What things or activities they are interested in?

8. Best Place for Czech Desserts:

Any shop called cukrárna should have decent cakes.

9. Best Place for Groceries in Old Town: That's where we are staying, any nearby decent grocery stores to stock up?

you shouldn’t have a problem get grocery, no matter where you are staying.

10. Best Bookstores in Prague:

At Václavské náměstí, there are huge book shops (several floor bookshops)
Palác Knih Luxor
Books Dobrovský
Academia bookshop

ETA: you can try apple strudel in the Czechia too. It is not specifically Hungarian, it is Czech too. Raisins are often in there.