Budapest to Prague

Most go by train between those cities. With Vienna in between, it's another city to make a stop.

We're going the end of March, and taking in Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague in our 15 day trip. It's nice to have such great cities within short proximity of each other.

Direct train from Budapest to Prague takes about 7 hours. It does not go via Vienna. But it goes via Bratislava and Brno if you want to divide that long stretch into two. It is also possible if you want to see Vienna to go by direct train from Budapest to Vienna and then from Vienna to Prague also by direct train. There is also option to fly but I don't think it will be much faster (get to the airport, from the airport, to be there two hours ahead and all that hassle). Bus takes little longer but could get stuck in traffic jam and then it takes much longer. Go by train.

This question came up a while ago and I ran the numbers. Flying will save you about an hour and a half and cost you about $300 more; each. Doesn't seem worth it. But then taking a 7 hour train ride is sort of more than I would enjoy too. I guess you aren't interested in spending a night or two in Vienna? I believe there is a night train but my problem with night trains is you arrive at your destination city at some ridiculous hour of the morning smelling like you slept on a train and there is nothing you can do about it because check in time at your hotel is 2pm.

Hello from Wisconsin,
My wife and I did our own "Orient Express" trip a couple years ago. We went from Istanbul to Prague stopping off at cities along the way. Budapest to Brataslava, to Brno, to Prague. Brataslava is worthy of a stop over. Much of old Brataslava was destroyed when the 'new' bridge was built way back when under Communism. But I really enjoyed Brno. It is small enough to be cozy, big enough to house tens of thousands of college students. No tourists, a big plus. Home of Gregor Mendel's monastery where he did his pea and bee experiments. And the food!!! Real Czech food, not the fluffy, modern, cutesy, healthy stuff found in so many places. Real pork and duck with multiple types of dumplings and sour kraut. I ordered duck, and got a whole duck, not a half. And the pork meal consisted of, honestly, several pounds of pork.

wayne iNWI