Feb 2024 3 week trip advice needed. Prague, Vienna & Budapest

That's not a part of Europe I'd go to in the winter, so I don't have much helpful advice for you, but I'd definitely fly from Barcelona to the first stop. Consult Skyscanner for schedules then go to the airline's website to buy your tickets. Be sure you understand the luggage rules and other fine print, and make certain you aren't signing up to fly out of or into an airport not in the city you expect. For example, some of RyanAir's "Barcelona" flights actually depart from Girona.

Rick's top sightseeing tips for many major cities, including Prague, Vienna and Budapest, are available on this website. Click on Explore Europe on the left side of the screen, then on the country, then on the city, then on At a Glance.

Recommendations on where to stay would be Hotel Residence Agnes in Prague and Casati Hotel in Budapest. We had excellent stays and stellar service in both of those hotels. Looking forward to return trips to both places. In looking at Casati's website it appears they are running some promotions for this time of year. If you are interested in WWII history, I can also recommend a day trip from Prague to Terezin with Pavel Batel, who is a fabulous guide. We also took the Jewish Quarter tour with one of his colleagues and it was also great. https://jewish-prague-tours.com/

I do know that many people take a day trip from Prague to Cesky Krumlov. I may be in the minority, but we were not fans of that. It was mobbed with day trippers and too many souvenir shops for our liking.

My choice for time: 30% Prague mostly because the first time visit things are in a compact area. 30% Vienna because I am not a museum hound. 40% Budapest due to the size and scope of things to do in the city. Day trips change everything.

Look at Ryan and Wizz, I think one flies Barcelona to Budapest and/or Prague. That's what I would do. Three weeks means a lot of things, so for you maybe have exact dates you want to leave Barcelona and the date you want to be on a flight home?

If you love trains then you head in a straight line B to V to P or reverse. If you are like me and you crawl the walls after 3 hours on a train then you look at flying to Vienna, train to Budapest and fly to Prague or fly to Prague and fly to Budapest and train to Vienna. Those two options save a few hours of travel time.

If you can be in Budapest any day between 8 and 13 February .,.... Google Mohács Busójárás. You will never forget it and I can give you some advice on getting to it ...

In Budapest, stay in Pest. A lot of good options depending on your preferences and budget. Pest puts you in the center of about 90% of what people want to see on a first time visit. It's the only thing that makes sense.

Off the beaten path? Depends on your interests.

In Budapest we enjoyed Gerloczy hotel (we saw a RS tour group had a big table in the restaurant for dinner when we were there). I would also recommend the museum hospital in the rock. https://www.sziklakorhaz.eu/en Not so easy to find although is just over behind the castle. And also a wine tasting Hungarian wine is not well known outside the country but a wide variety and very high quality. Here are some ideas. https://usebounce.com/guides/budapest/wine-tasting-in-budapest. Finally for a good look at they very unique history of the country The National History Museum https://mnm.hu/en

In Vienna I don't remember our hotel but we especially enjoyed the music museum with lots of interactive exhibits. https://www.hausdermusik.com/en/

We flew from Frankfurt to Vienna then trained to Budapest and flew home from Budapest.

Have fun planning!

For time, the quick and easy answer is about a week in each. A week in Prague gives you time for a day or 2 out of the city. A week in Vienna gives you time to actually spend 2-3 nights of that week in Salzburg. And a week in Budapest gives you time to stay busy and yet see what all you are having to leave for next time.

I think the order depends on your flight options from Barcelona. And if you fly any leg between these 3 cities, exactly how many days in each may depend on your exact dates. Most budget airlines don’t fly every day.

Booking.com will have lodging options for you - especially since you are short on time to research.

Dress warm because it will be cold.
Q2: Ryanair and Wizz has nonstop flights from Barcelona’s BCN airport to Budapest. Take a direct train from Prague to Vienna (4h 15m) and a direct train from Vienna to Budapest (2h 45m).
Q3: Hotel Julian is located outside of Prague’s old town and is a 20m walk to Charles Bridge (old town).
Q4: Prague: St. Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and Jewish Quarter. Vienna: Hofburg Imperial Apartments, Hofburg Treasury, Vienna State Opera since it will be in full swing in Feb. St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Kunsthistorisches Museum and Schönbrunn Palace. Day trip to Bratislava’s old town by direct train (1h).
Budapest: Széchenyi Baths so pack a swimsuit.

If you have no particular interest in any of the three and no particular draw to one or the other than I suggest 30% Prague because of the size and number of the 1st time visitor tourist attractions (Old Town is about the size of DisneyLand), and 30% Vienna unless you are a museum hound (i am not) and 40% Budapest due to the sheer size of the city and number of attractions. ,

Barcelona to Budapest Arrive about noon on either Ryan or Wizz. ($50 to $100 a ticket)
Taxi to Hotel (about $30).

Hotel: Gee so many to choose from. Look them up and pick. There is only one in town I wouldn’t send my worst enemy to. But to be fair, I have only stayed in 4 in Budapest. So I don’t recommend any of these beyond the location is good and reviews seem good.

K+K Opera https://www.kkhotels.com/products/kk-hotel-opera-budapest/?utm_source=GoogleMyBusiness&utm_medium=ButtonWebsite&utm_campaign=GoogleMyBusinessReferral
Hotel Moments http://www.hotelmomentsbudapest.hu/
Hotel Alice https://alicehotel.hu/
Hilton Garden Inn https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/budccgi-hilton-garden-inn-budapest-city-centre/?SEO_id=GMB-EMEA-GI-BUDCCGI
Astoria https://www.danubiushotels.com/en/our-hotels-budapest/danubius-hotel-astoria
Matild Plaza https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/budlc-matild-palace-a-luxury-collection-hotel-budapest/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0
Hotel W https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/budwh-w-budapest/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0
Budapest Marriott (River Front) https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/budhu-budapest-marriott-hotel/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0
Cortile http://www.cortilebudapesthotel.com/
Eurostar Ambassador https://www.eurostarsambassador.com/szolgaltatasok.html?referer_code=lb0gg00yx
Hotel Oktogon https://hoteloktogon.hu/
And I could add a dozen more. Really depends on what you want to pay and enjoy. Some these are a little better located than others, but none are in bad locations.

ACTIVITY:
I am not saying you group things like this, but it gives you an idea of the time required. So you mix and match from each category for the best flow and interest.
FULL DAYS (other than arrival and departure day)
1. Spend the day at Castle Hill in Buda
2. RIVER FRONT PEST FROM PARLIAMENT TO VACI UTCA TO GREAT MARKET HALL
3. JEWISH BUDAPEST DISTRICT VII AND VIII
4. RIVER FRONT BUDA from FROM CASTLE GARDENS TO SZENTENDRE
5. BASILICA DISTRICT
6. ANDRASSY UT and BATH HOUSE
7 MOHACS FESTIVAL or Day trip to Eger or Pecs.
8 MUSEUMS (ART, MILITARY, WWII, COLD WAR, HISTORY, EMPIRE, TRAINS, ETC)
9 SPECIALTY DAY. EVERYONE HAS A SUBJECT THEY WANT TO FERRET OUT.

Here is my favorite weather source: https://weatherspark.com/m/84771/2/Average-Weather-in-February-in-Budapest-Hungary

By February temperatures are on the rise. December has varied from 27 to 54F (two days ago) so who knows what Feb will bring.

Thank you so much to everyone for all of the information, just what I needed to get me going on the right track.

Has anyone ever used any of the Prague -Vienna- Budapest custom trip websites/businesses like tripmasters.com?

I have used Tripmasters several times in the past and they were fine. But you don’t really gain anything in particular. It’s possible to adjust flights, comb through the many lodging options, and pick train times to a degree. But basically it doesn’t gain you anything - and then Tripmasters has your money. I would just buy flights, reserve your own lodging, and decide if you want to train or fly between cities. You have to make all those decisions anyway. So you might as well be in control. If something happens, you will not get your money back from Tripmasters.

Use Google Flights to find flight options and booking.com to find lodging options. Once you decide train or plane between cities, we can help with the best way to do that.

Back to Hotels.
Stay out of District V without a really good excuse. District V is so thick with tourist and high prices and to be honest, very little to see. And what there is to see is well connected by tram or metro to the other districts. A few of the hotels I listed are in District V but those are exceptions because they have something special to offer.

So my list above did not include evenings.

EVENTS
1. Opera
2. Classical Concert
3. Church Concert
4. Jazz Club or Jazz Club with Dinner
5. Gypsy Band with Dinner
6 Broadway (type) Musical
7. Ballet
8. Local Bands
9. Klezmer Band or Klezmer Band with Dinner
10 Wine tasting at tourist venue (where you pay for the experience) or Wine tasting at a local wine bar (where you can sample 2, 3 or 4 before you buy a glass and relax with the locals)
11 Walking the river front for the spectacular views and the lights
12 Dance Club
13 River Boat ride with or without dinner to see the lights
14 Ferris Wheel for the view of the city
15 Balloon ride for the view of the city
16 Roof top bar for view of the city (yes some are open in February)
17 Dinner

DINNER (there are a couple of lists floating around in the Hungary Forum)
1. Hungarian with the locals
2. Hungarian with the tourists (anything in District V)
3. Georgian, Steak, Burger, Greek, French, Italian, Iranian, Thai, Chinese you choose its here. This is a city of 2 million so much to choose from.
4. Michelin Star 1 or 2
5. Take out
6. Stand and Eat
7. Famous (like Wolfgang Puck)

OMG. Thank you so much, excellent information on activities.

I will definitely not use another agency, I thought that is what it was but wanted to make sure.

I have been reviewing all the information on this site and it just gets overwhelming since we are going to 3 new places. But we have the time right now and really need it so I'm not stressing but getting very excited.

All of your personal recommendations are so helpful. This was my first time on the forum but will definitely start helping out with other locations. We live in Barcelona so can help out with questions re the area.

Thanks again for so much detailed information

Melissa

LOL, Melissa, be careful or we’ll start showing up to have coffee with you in Barcelona. 🤣

Yes, these are three lovely cities with plenty to see and do and easy to visit with last minute planning.:) Time to be excited!

Well Wizz does start at about $40 BUD to Barcelona...... Coffee does sound nice.....

Here is a bit more on Budapest: https://youtu.be/1nd5AtZIrTk?feature=shared
And my favorite guide book is https://www.amazon.de/s?k=eyewitness+travel+guide+budapest&crid=18A677P9HPK2E&sprefix=eyewitness+travel+guide+budapest%2Caps%2C101&ref=nb_sb_noss The full version has more in it, but mostly things like hotels and the like which you can research online. The Top Ten is a great resource to stick in your pocket when you are out for a walk. (its small).

And here are some restaurant ideas
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/restaurant-alternatives

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/restaurants-in-budapest-october-2022

My husband loves to talk about Barcelona and we love coffee 😀