Planning Budapest, Prague & Vienna in December - Route, Days, Christmas Markets & Day Trips?

If I were going to do the three cities and didnt have time for the stops inbetween (you dont), then I would fly from Budapest to Prague. There are discount airlines that make the trip non-stop. Then use the train back to Vienna. Its really the most time efficient way to get to all three.

So to visit all three, this might work.

1. Thur 11 December arrive Budapest mid-afternoon (?) (this is the largest of the tourist zones you will visit)
2. Fri 12 December Budapest Jewish quarter in the morning (a lot closes mid day for the sabbath and is closed on Saturday).
3. Sat 13 December Budapest
4. Sun 14 December 3:30 to 4:45 flight on RyanAir to Prague
5. Monday 15 Prague (this is the smallest of the tourist zones you will visit)
6. Tuesday 17 December 16:42–20:49 Train to Vienna. This gives you the morning in Prague.
7. Wednesday 18 December Vienna
8. Thursday 19 December Vienna
9. Friday 20 December Fly Home

Having offered that to you, I will also say that I wouldnt do it. You are missing too much. Prague is a stretch and you can do Prague in the future as part of Germany. You wont get bored if you just make it Budapest and Vienna. If you do want to stretch out a bit more then day trips to Szentendre from Budapest https://youtu.be/KHTrW5AUs9E?si=yYY8rbEGDjsFwZ8_ and Melk from Vienna.

1. Thur 11 December arrive Budapest mid-afternoon (?) (this is the largest of the tourist zones you will visit)
2. Fri 12 December Budapest Jewish quarter in the morning (a lot closes mid day for the sabbath and is closed on Saturday).
3. Sat 13 December Budapest
4. Sun 14 December Budapest
5. Monday 15 there are a couple of options here, one that comes to mind is Train: Budapest to Gyor https://youtu.be/fYFdE68kzWE?si=l3uSBV5Ju1aqRNxy and the Archabbey at Pannonhalma https://youtu.be/kBYsexwEbPc?si=yu_r8wjf7W_2tzYR to Vienna or you could just do the train direct to Vienna (I would do a later train, maybe leave about 17:00)
6. Tuesday 17 December Vienna
7. Wednesday 18 December Vienna
8. Thursday 19 December Vienna
9. Friday 20 December Fly Home

Here are some Budapest resources:

1. Christmas Markets: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/budapest-christmas-markets-d26f8ab1-2048-4160-bfb3-bf13b096683e
2. Restaurants: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/restaurants-in-budapest-revisited
3. Hotels: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/rs-forum-favorite-hotels-and-their-cost

Thank you Mr. E these are some valuable insights. Just by reading about the day trips gave me stress, I will stick with just these three and make the most out of it.

Considering its winter, we are coming from tropical region plus shorter days will make things difficult already.

I did consider taking flight to Prague but the time taken to go airport early for security check, check-in and travel between hotel and airport I thought it will take more or less the same amount of time. Would you still suggest i take flight? At least in India we have to be at aiport at least 2 hours in advance and takes an hour to reach airport then additonal flying time.

Thank you Mr. E these are some valuable insights. Just by reading
about the day trips gave me stress, I will stick with just these three
and make the most out of it.

The trip to Szentendre is as easy as 1,2,3. The Melk you might feel more comfortable on a package trip. Plenty available and not expensive. Making the stop at Gyor and the Archabbey a bit more involved, but we have had a few here who have done it recently and can walk you through it. But I only offered the suggestion to give you things to think about. You aren’t going to regret spending all of the time in Vienna and Budapest.

Considering its winter, we are coming from tropical region plus
shorter days will make things difficult already.

No, not at all. Do you think life stops here at sunset in the Winter? The city goes on like every other day of the year. The only significant difference is the beauty of the lights. I love winter evenings. It’s also when culture comes alive with concerts and theater. And I am from Texas.

I did consider taking flight to Prague, but the time taken to go
airport early for security check, check-in and travel between hotel
and airport I thought it will take more or less the same amount of
time.

That’s internet “conventional wisdom” (say it enough and it becomes true). Door to door by plane will be less than 5 hours. Door to door by train right at 8 hours (6:45 ride plus 45min at the front end and 30 minutes at the back end). These aren’t major airports like London and Paris; these are both close to town (30 to 40 minutes) and quick to get in and out of (90 minute pre-flight and 45 minute post flight). This is a Schengen flight, no passport control. And the idea that the train station is in the center of town so time from the station to your hotel doesn’t count is wrong. In Budapest the train station in transportation time is about 15 minutes faster than reaching the airport. Pre-arrival time is about a 60 minute difference.

But sure, the train works too and its cheaper. Just a matter of preference.

But I only offered the suggestion to give you things to think about. You aren’t going to regret spending all of the time in Vienna and Budapest.

If you were to suggest one day trip which would that be? Considering its winter and Christmas we want to feel the festive snow ambiance - it will be our first time experiencing snow.

No, not at all. Do you think life stops here at sunset in the Winter? The city goes on like every other day of the year. The only significant difference is the beauty of the lights. I love winter evenings. It’s also when culture comes alive with concerts and theater. And I am from Texas.

Not at all. I meant it would be difficult for us to adjust coming from tropical region the winter is going to be tough for us to bare it. Have you been you any of the concerts and theaters? Would you recommend any for me? This is just to experience the music and architecture we do not have much preference here.

Thank you I will consider the flight option, whichever helps save time that would be preferred considering I am running on a tight scheudle.

Thank you for sharing the list of restaurants and hotels they are amazingly curated by the community.

I know you had given me list of hotels to chose from but I stick with Accor group due to points which I have been accumulating, do you think you can give a quick glance at these hotels and give me your review?

Pullman Budapest
Mama Shelter Praha
Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier Wien

Not at all. I meant it would be difficult for us to adjust coming from
tropical region the winter is going to be tough for us to bare it.

A hat and a scarf make a world of difference. Then when you see tge locals out enjoying the day and evening without commenting on the temperature, for some reason, you forget to be cold.

Have you been you any of the concerts and theaters? Would you
recommend any for me? This is just to experience the music and
architecture we do not have much preference here.

I live in Budapest and its part of the culture, so yes. Look and see what is at the Hungarian State Opera and at the Budapest Operett Theater. When you have dates I can look for one-off concerts, church concerts, etc.

The Pullmann use to be the Hard Rock until early this year. I knew thr bar well before the renovation that came with the name change.

The location is pretty good, close to the Opera, Andrássy ut and the M1 Metro.

Hi Sidd
We spent almost a week in Prague in the fall of 2023. We loved the city. Per a recommendation by several people who posted on this forum we stayed at the Hotel Anna in Prague. A lovely small boutique hotel that was very close to the metro, great bars and restaurants and walking distance to many of the major sites. Would definitely recommend it.

I agree that limiting the trip to just Budapest and Vienna would result in a better experience overall.

Considering its winter and Christmas we want to feel the festive snow ambiance - it will be our first time experiencing snow.

Just to manage your expectations: I was in Budapest from Dec 9 last year - I saw snow fall late one afternoon/evening when up at the Buda castle. A small amount accumulated on the ground in a few places, but was gone within a few hours. That was the only significant precipitation I encountered over ten days in Budapest and Vienna. The massive skating rink in the park in Pest was open, so that could be as close as you would come to frozen water. Or perhaps some of the Xmas markets might have small skating areas.

In Vienna I stayed at the Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier - I liked it very much. It is a bit outside the touristic center in Landstrasse, and I found that to be an advantage, as you're mingling with primarily locals rather than tourists out on the street, so a more authentic experience. Excellent breakfast, if a bit pricey. It's a quick Metro ride to the Ring, although could be a pleasant walk as well. And you're just a block or two from Wien Mitte, which offers an easy trip to the airport on the S7 train.

On the subject of snow. In Pest it snows heavy enough to stick to the ground maybe four days in the year. You might see 3 inches on the ground for a day or two. In the upper parts of Buda it probably snows twice as often and the snow gets twice as deep. The old movies about snow locked Eastern Europe never were very accurate. The closest guranteed snow will be the mountains in Austria and Slovakia. The snow fall in Vienna might be a tiny bit greater and in Prague maybe a bit greater than Vienna. But none of these cities gets covered in snow for weeks at a time. We got more snow in South Texas a few years back than Budapest saw.

You were also concerned about the cold.
15 December
Budapest High Temperature: You have a 90% chance of the high temperature being between 0C and 6C. The average is about 3C
Budapest Low Temperature: You have a 90% chance of the low temperature being between -3C and 3C. The average is about 0C
So odds are that during your awake time the temperatures will be above freezing.

Prague will be about 1C cooler than Budapest. Vienna in the middle someplace.

As for rain, in Budapest, and I suspect in Vienna and Prague, December, January, February, March and April are among the driest months of year. So the internet coventional wisdom that Eastern Europe is cold, wet and gloomy in the winter really doesnt hold up to well. Okay, maybe a bit overcast as the winter months are the cloudiest. But with sunset at 4pm do clouds matter? LOL

(Source: WeatherSpark.com)

You asked about theater above and I gave you a quick answer.

Puccini's Bohemian Life is playing on the 13th at the Opera. This is a Friday evening, all of the boxes are sold so I am going to suspect that it’s a season ticket night so the audience will be mostly Hungarian. https://www.opera.hu/hu/musor/2025-2026/bohemelet/magyar-allami-operahaz-2025-12-13-1830/

The Budapest Operett is showing János vitéz (John the Brave) on the 12th and the 13th. A ornate theater, but not the splendor of the Opera House. Again, it being Thursday and Friday and given the nature of the program (sort of a unique Hungarian piece) I would suspect that the majority of the audience would be Hungarian. https://operett.hu/repertoar/janos-vitez

At both, dress that will be in keeping with the Hungarians in the audience is a sports coat or better.

If you just want to sit with the local population and listen to music and have a good meal, the Opus Jazz Club might interest you. There are performances on the 12th and 13th. https://opusjazzclub.hu/koncertek/3-x-jazz-verena-zeiner-ziv-ravitz-atil For this “Smart Casual” or better will suffice.