8 Days Vienna, Budapest, Prague $500 spending money??

Depends. I normally figure, per day, 15€ for all transportation (including train tickets), 20€ for food/drinks/tips, 5€ for admissions, and about 5€ for misc. That would be a little over $400 for 8 days. But that's just me. I only spend about 15% of my time inside big cities, where cost are higher, and the things I like to see are generally free, so I don't spend a lot on admissions. On the other hand, I usually eat at least one, usually two, sit-down meals a day. If you have picnic lunches from grocery stores or buy from street vendors, you could spend less on food. I found food to be a little less expensive in Prague than in, say, Munich.

Don't just go into the first restaurant you see. Shop around a little. Restaurants post their menus outside. Compare prices.

I think that if you watch your meal expenses, that should be enough, but it would be nice to have a little extra, in case.

With a budget of $62 per day, you'll have to watch your food spending very carefully. You can get a pretty substantial breakfast in most hotels in these areas and might find a budget restaurant for dinner, or picnic. I would rather have $100 per day (since I'm always deciding to treat myself). In Prague, you can have a simple meal at the "Czech Kitchen" restaurant for about $10, but prices can also go much higher at other establishments. If you have a guidebook, it will give a price range for any restaurant listed. Restaurants also have menus posted outside; if not, then move on. (Many don't have prices on their web sites, if they have web sites.) See more budget tips at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sleeping-eating.

Hi,

I am solo traveler in Vienna also. You'll find that eating in restaurants outside of the tourist areas is definitely cheaper than doing the same where are the sites are located, say from the Staatsoper to the Stephandom. As regards to accommodations, they tend to be cheaper in July and August, if you don't mind being there during peak season. I was told that specifically at this hotel which I was checking out. How picky are you on accommodations? The more amenities you want, ie, air conditioning, 24 hr. reception, etc the more you can expect to pay. I can keep my expense on accommodations down since I don't need those amenities. If you want to reduce you spending in Vienna, eat lunch at the Mensa, the university cafeteria, (open to the public), where good, cheap food in all food groups is available. There is one down the block from Karlsplatz.

Ideally I stay in a place that gives me some sort of breakfast. Then for lunch I admit to ducking into a fast food place (McD's everywhere) or maybe grab a packaged sandwich in a Spar, Lidl or some such shop. That leaves the money for a nice authentic meal in a local restaurant.

I find the best breakfasts at eastern European hotels. I stay at a place called the Hotel Opera in Prague because it has parking and is still only a one mile walk from the Charles Bridge. They have tremendous breakfasts so you can really fill up and maybe even skip lunch.

Budapest for $60 a day? Sure no problem and you can probably do it pretty good. A couple of 24 hour travel cards will cost you ft3200 or about $6 a day. Maybe you can get by on one with a little planning. With the travel card you can head outside the 4/6 Tram line loop and find cheap food in the upper areas of Districts 6, 7 and 8. You say you have lodging or I would suggest an apartment and a few home cooked meals.

It could be done if you are diligent in your choices - for me I would want a little more flexibility. I like the freedom to stopping for a meal or a beverage whenever and not feel like I have to go somewhere special that will fit my budget. But if that is what you have to work with don't let it stop you.

Agree with Kaeleku - With a budget you need more to go to the local supermarket, but also the bakery and greengrocer to keep the food decent. If your hotel allows you to use a microwave, a pizza from the supermarket costs about 2€ to 3€ and pre-cooked meals a bit more. There must be enough restaurants selling take-away meals, so no need to sit everyday down in a more costly restaurant, you can vary ofcourse.

The advantage of living on a budget is that you have ofcourse to do more, but also meet more people and get more involved in the local atmosphere, so having a better emerging experience. Lonely Planet guides have also good info about budget travel. I think your budget is doable for the 8 days, but it’s more how you feel about it.

I think the problem is likely to be the museums/attractions. We found the museums in Vienna a bit pricy and if you try to do two things in a day, it's going to cut into your "food money." 10 Euro per museum or more was not uncommon. You can look up the prices for admissions online and judge for yourself whether you will have money for food and for admissions.

The best way to save money will be to spend less time in Vienna and Prague and more in Budapest where cost are significantly lower and where there are more free things to do.

It could be done if you are diligent in your choices - for me I would
want a little more flexibility. I like the freedom to stopping for a
meal or a beverage whenever and not feel like I have to go somewhere
special that will fit my budget.

Budapest has some tourist hot zones but "THE" tourist zone encompasses a very large portion of the city making proximity to something other than tourist food simple. For instance if you spend any time at all in Budapest you will pass this place once or twice: http://www.fricipapa.hu/eng/menu.php and its a good example of a restaurant with Typical Hungarian food, well within the tourist zone. Note the exchange rate is about 270 to the dollar so Chicken Paprika, fries and a beer will set you back about $6.00 with a tip. You can do this all over town and you are not sacrificing time or experience.

The two must see "museums" are the House of Terror (ft 2000 or about $7) and the "Great" Synagogue (ft2500 or about $9). These are among the most expensive things you can walk into. For instance the Hungarian National Museum is ft 1600.

Thank you all so much!! I have noticed that Vienna's attractions are a bit pricey. I love eating great food and budget to do at least one tasting course meal when I'm on a trip. I will most likely up my budget an extra $100-$150 for cushion in case I want to splurge on meals while still seeing the attractions.

Again THANK YOU!!

We found food in Prague to be very cheap compared to other cities. I believe our most expensive meal was $45 for two people, with drinks, an appetizer, soups, two main courses, and dessert.

Our two favorite restaurants were U Tri Ruzi (the most amazing sauerkraut I've ever had), which for dinner, 2 beers, and water was $26. Our other favorite was Restaurace Pod Věží for lunch. They had an amazing lunch menu, for $15. My lunch was a potato soup (a staple in Czech), a sous vide steak and fries, and a beautiful panna cotta. It was a perfect stop after visiting Prague Castle. There are lots of deals out there, you just have to look around for them!

One reason for going to Budapest, aside from the pertinent intellectual focus and interests, is the food, ie where good cheap food can be had. The value for the money (what you get in return for what you paid) is accurately to be found in Budapest. I spend the time in Vienna, knowing that I am going to have to chip out the cash, but in BP I know I will be chipping out less, relative to the buying power. If you set aside a specific amount for Vienna, the same amount for BP, in which place will the buying power last longer?

Statistically Prague and Budapest have about the same food prices. Budapest being a little more expansive in the restaurants and groceries being a little cheaper in Budapest. But that doesn't take into account what is available along the tourism routes. I think you will have better luck finding low cost restaurants in Budapest than you will in Prague. Either is going to be less than Austria or Germany or most of Western Europe.

If $500 is all the money you have in the world, you don't have a choice, but then you probably wouldn't be using it on a trip to Europe. You've already spent thousands just to get to and be in these great cities. What is the point to it if you are not going to see the sights and have a few good meals? Spend another $200 and skimp on something else when you get home. Your days are going to fly by with half-days gone just getting from city to city, more if you aren't flying open-jaw and seeing Vienna between the other two. Don't waste a precious hour getting somewhere with 2 buses if a taxi can do it in 15 minutes. Sure, eat breakfast as cheaply as you can, stick with supermarkets or cheap street food for lunch, but have at least one nice dinner in each city.

In Vienna you can get a cheap, filling fish/seafood lunch at Nordsee (herring sandwich was €2.49 a year ago). I had very good dinners, 3 courses (a la carte) with wine, at two different restaurants for €34 and €28 (incl 10% tip), and the pleasure of chatting with people at the next table for much of the time.