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Vienna as Budapest-Prague Stopover

Posted by (Atlanta, GA, USA) on

Hello, I've been posting in the Czech Republic and General Europe forums, but thought I would also post here for the Austrian bias.

I'm transiting from Budapest to Prague on either Mar 30 or 31, and deciding between plane and train. If train, then I'd like to break up the trip, more likely with a 4-6 hour look-around-town than an overnight. (The sleeper train is surprisingly expensive for a single--much more than a hotel.)

I was thinking of a stop in either Bratislava or Brno, but it feels weird to not see one of Europe's great cities on the way. I know Vienna demands a few days, but between logistics and the concentration of sights, can Vienna be sampled in 4-6 hours? (I'm not opposed to an overnight, but would prefer to just be on my way to Prague at night.)

I don't need to tour any sights; just want get a flavor of the city for a potential return trip. I've heard it's very quiet on Sunday, so that could play a role.

Posted by
8304 posts

Take the earliest train from Budapest to Vienna. put your bag in a locker tour the city for 4-6 hours on a hop on hop bus. Go back to the train station retrieve bag from locker take the train to Prague.

Posted by
2354 posts

As said, take the train at 5:40am from Budapest to Vienna, have a nap during the ride.
Take the train at 3:10pm (5:10pm) to Prague.
That will give you about 6 hours to walk around in Vienna.

This little folder is suggesting two walks in the city center which might appeal to you. (Ignore the very last page which is not up to date, as this folder is out of print for more than 5 years.)

https://bit.ly/Vienna_in_3_days

Posted by
1353 posts

... tour the city [Vienna] for 4-6 hours on a hop on hop bus

For a short visit, you will most likely want to stay within or adjacent to the Ringstrasse, so the hop-on bus doesn't really help you. Trams circle the Old Town in both directions on the Ringstrasse. and the U-Bahn line #1 will take you from Vienna HauptBahnof directly to Stephansplatz, the touristic center. Stop in a cafe for a coffee and a slice of cake, and perhaps a wurst from one of the many stands - or find a restaurant if you want schnitzel for lunch. Work your way down to the Opera. If you have time, you could jump on a tram to see the Museum District and/or Hofburg. Then tram back to Karlsplatz to catch the U-1 back to Hauptbahnof and your train to Prague.

Load the WienMobil app on your phone so you can buy a transit day pass upon arrival - thus the U-Bahn and trams become hop on/off.

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