Prague or Budapest?
 

Hi!

I am planning a 14 days trip to Europe, via Munich.

My original plan was Munich, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, then back to Munich. 3 nights each, night train from budapest to Munich.

However, i realise that this maybe a little bit too rush so i was thinking if i should remove either prague or budapest till the next visit?

Budapest with the thermal bath would make the cold winter alot more tolerable and I could also combine Prague with a Poland/Czech visit.

However, i have been told that Prague is really wonderful and i should visit soon and budapest is quite over rated?

Any comments? or should i just visit both cities?

PRG has a lot more to see and do than Budapest. [For a good chunk of history, Prague was Europe's third largest city; and the result of that history provides for plenty more to do and enjoy in and around the immediate vicinity of Prague than is the case for Budapest.]

If you hit up Vienna, consider a visit to Bratislava too. It's only an hour or so from Vienna.

I think your current plan is quite reasonable though other may say it's a bit much.

My big issue with Prague is that it seems to be overrun with tourists though it is beautiful. Personally I found plenty to do in Budapest for three days. I don't think it's a bad idea to drop one of them (maybe in favour of more time in Vienna including a day trip to Bratislava) but I wouldn't like to say which. The one thing I would say about Budapest is that it is quickly becoming Westernised/homogenised so there's something to be said for going now rather than leaving it.

a vote for PRG
 

Buda & Pest are wonderful, no doubt, with easy access to both Vienna and Bratislava (via Danube). I would avoid it now because Hungary violates basic human rights - a situation which is deteriorating as a result of the rise of the fascist Jobbik party:

http://budapestbeacon.com/news-in-br...cizes-hungary/

My vote would be for Prague - the Charles River, architecture undisturbed by WW II and the best public transit.

So it's possible to complete all places within the 13 days?

I'm a guy who typically chides people for trying to accomplish too much in a short amount of time, but I think 3 nights per city is doable. You won't "complete" big cities like Munich in 3 days (or 3 weeks), but it will let you see the highlights of cities without being too rushed.

That said, if you did want to skip one, I'd recommend cutting Budapest. That would allow you to add an extra night to Vienna for a daytrip to Bratislava, and a couple extra nights in Munich that would allow you to explore more of Bavaria.

Personally, I hated Budapest, so Prague would be hands down my choice, but tastes are a very personal thing.

In all cases, if you opt for Prague you can skip the day trip to Bratislava, the feel is kind of samey but in a much smaller scale in Bratislava's case.

Personally, I adored both Prague and Budapest but would skip Vienna. All depends on what you like to do. The food in Budapest is awesome!

But yes 3 nights per city is fine if you don't want to cut any of them

It's a tough call, they're both great cities and I enjoyed them both almost equally. If I had to give one an edge it would be Prague, but only slightly. Look at it this way, either one you pick is going to be a good choice.

I echo others who say Vienna is skippable or can be seen quickly.

ok thanks for the advice!

can i visit Neuschwanstein Castle on my own without a tour in winter? is it worth a visit or i should just stick to the castle in munich itself?

is there an option of Vienna-Bratislava (Stop over for about 6 hours to visit the city)-Budapest train fare option?

Can i store my luggage at the train station or i should just skip bratislava?

Only if you book as two separate tickets. You can buy the Vienna-Budapest leg online from the Austrian Railway(ÖBB) before you leave, but Slovakrail doesn't sell tickets online yet, so you'd need to buy those the day of. The walk-up price shouldn't be more than €35 for the whole thing, so I'd probably just do it at the train station before leaving Vienna.

There is a left luggage office in Bratislava for you to leave your bags at. €1/bag/day, IIRC.

I think you're getting some awful advice about Bratislava. While, I love travelling in Slovakia, Bratislava is not worth the time or effort. It's an industrial city, whose primary selling point is it's located between Vienna and Budapest. If you want to build side trip into your itinerary, stop in Salzburg or visit Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic.

I'm confused. The OP is asking about taking a 6 hour detour to go through Bratislava while traveling between Vienna and Budapest -- where's the harm? I agree that it isn't anything particularly special, but it's like the clock tower in Prague: there's no harm in seeing it once for yourself.

I second the recommendation to visit Salzburg if there's an extra day available in Munich, as it's out of the way if the routing is Munich-Prague-Vienna-Budapest-Munich. I've never been to České Budějovice in the winter, but my suspicion is that it would be better enjoyed on a future summer visit.

Salzburg is definitely more interesting than Bratislava and CB is better too; but I still found Bratislava's old town and history interesting enough for a day or even for two nights. [The cheap award nights using Club Carlson points makes staying in Bratislava for a night or two a very good deal relative to staying elsewhere -- and it has lots of cruise/tour bus traffic in the summer from people who are visiting it for reasons that aren't limited to its proximity to Vienna.]

If I were the OP, bratislava works out well enough given there are well timed trains at least every two hours from Prague to Bratislava (with a c 4 hour trip time) and 1-2 trains an hour from Bratislava to Vienna (with a c 1 hour trip time). Given how Bratislava is a cheaper place to stay and to drink/eat and it's old town has a charm of its own, I wouldn't rule it out on a trip that covers Prague and Vienna.