Budapest-Vienna-Munich itinerary input

Three full days in Budapest is probably sufficient, but I am going to suggest that (much to James' surprise - I'm sure he will chime in on this one) you add an extra day to Budapest and skip the night in Vienna. First of all, it's not enough time in Vienna to do very much, and the train trip from Budapest straight thru to Munich is not so horribly long that you need to break it up. I left Budapest around 0700 and was in Munich around 1500. Secondly, hotels in Vienna are not cheap (altho reasonable pensions and hostels can be found) and since you will stop for a while in the Vienna train station, you can still legally say that you've been there.
IMO, FWIW, you'd be better served by an extra day in Budapest.

Thank you Elaine! We're using hotel points, so price isn't a consideration, but time is. However, I do like your suggestion of the stop at the train station in Vienna - brilliant! My worry is that we'll spend more time shuffling around with our bags, checking in, etc. than we will seeing Vienna, only to turn around and pack up and head to Munich. Looking forward to James' reply. (and anyone else who'd like to chime in) :)

Vienna is one of my favorite cities. I'd tell you to cut a day out of Budapest to have time to take in the Schoenbrunn Palace and/or the Hapsburg Palace (downtown). K&T Boardinghouse is a great B&B, and they're in the best location in town. And the price is very right. If you look into their website links, Tina has friends that run an affordable B&B in Budapest that she highly recommends. Tina and Kaled are good friends of Rick Steves, too.

Elaine, I agree with you about Budapest, but I think she is trying to break up a long journey to Munich. I do this sort of thing too. SHe might consider an early morning train to Vienna on day 6 and a late afternoon train to Munich on day 8. That will give her enough time in Vienna to get some enjoyment out of it, and staying in just the right hotel in just the right location will be important to maximize the stay. The Imperial or something nearby would be my suggestion, but I have pretty limited experience in Vienna. If this is a repeat visit for her to Vienna then I would suggest breaking the trip in other ways. Elaine, I hope you were sitting when you read this! I'm a huge Budapest fan and my taste isn't really Vienna but to be so close and miss it, even if to just see the Lip. Horses would be worth the stop. Trains are much, much easier than planes and A cab from the train station to a hotel isn't real expensive. If you arrive too early or want to stay a little late the desk at most hotels will hold your luggage. Go, do it, have a blast!

Thank you, Elaine, David and James!
Your comments are very much appreciated. James, you are correct- i want to break up that 7-8h train ride with the bonus of being in Vienna. I've not been to Budapest (or Vienna) so I want to make sure we have enough days there. As for Vienna, I thought we could have a day to stretch our legs and walk around and then take the longer ride to Munich the next day. Not knowing the layout of the city, is it worth the hassle to get to hotel, check in, etc. If cab fares are relatively inexpensive, it sounds like it may be doable. I've hundreds of thousands of hotel points to use, so price is not a consideration. Once we are past Munich, we will stay with German relatives which will certainly be a true European experience. :)

Our relatives are in Bavaria and Westfalia region, so we need to plan for more travel (by car). Plus, those pesky jobs and kids that we have... We can leave them for too long. ;)

One of the things that for my preferences and taste has made my trips as enjoyable as they have been is to only go on trips I can really afford and to stay in as perfectly located a hotel as humanly possible. In San Antonio for instance, if given a choice between a free hotel on the north side of town or a hotel on the river (in season maybe $300 a night) I will either stay on the river or put off the trip until I can afford to. I don't know what your points will buy you but If it were me if I couldn't have a perfectly located hotel on such a short stay in Vienna I would skip Vienna. In Budapest you have a little more time and if you made the mistake of staying in Buda or in the boondocks of District VIII you can overcome with a little wasted time. I spend so much time in Central Europe in part because it is cheaper and I can have a much better experience within my limited budget. The other reason is the excitement and contrasts of a region in the middle of transitioning from the 19th century to the 21st century.

I can't believe I'm saying this, Christy, but I'd suggest taking a day from Budapest to give a bit more time to Vienna. Vienna is just too beautiful to pass up! I'm also a firm believer in hotels being right smack in the middle of the good stuff!

James- my hotel points are with Hilton and I travel enough to enjoy the perks that come with their top tier. I haven't booked rooms yet but was planning on staying at the Hilton on Castle Hill. It appears to be fairly easy to take the 16 bus to the Pest side. Your thoughts? The other option is Hilton West End, but I like the thought of going to sleep looking at the Danube. In Vienna, the Hilton is close to city center.
In addition, my husband is first generation American of Hungarian descent and has some family in Budapest so we may have some transportation assistance. This is the reason we are giving Vienna just one day.

I was in Vienna 2.5 years ago. It was €11 (+ tip) from the train to the hotel by taxi around 5.30 p.m. on a Sunday. I stayed across from the Stadtpark, sort of on the outskirts of the center. Going back to the station by taxi was €15.50 (+ tip) around 4 p.m. on a weekday. I enjoyed Budapest very much. There is a lot to see, the food and wine are very good and inexpensive, too. I only stopped in Vienna because it was on the way to Prague, and I fell in love with it. If you have time, visit the Schonbrunn Palace rather than the Hofburg.

If it has to be a Hilton then it has to be the one in Buda. The other is located in a shopping mall. Well to be honest while i have walked past the entrance of the one in Pest a hundred times (following my wife on shopping trips, its amazing what women realize they need after they arrive; but I'm digressing) but I have never actually been in the Pest Hilton, and never met anyone who has. I have been in the Hilton in Buda a number of times. It's a very, very nice hotel. One of the first western hotels behind the iron curtain. It is built around the naïve of a old Dominican monastery that was flattened during the war. The remains are used as an outdoor theater and there are some nice concerts and dance productions from time to time. Across the street from the main entrance, hidden in a little courtyard are some nice junk shops. Buda can be a full day visit and I guess I would suggest you do it the afternoon you arrive and maybe the next morning to some degree; then off to Pest. The bus is one solution, but I've walked down on number of times and always enjoy it. At least one trip back up has to be on the Funicular. You WILL get tired of the trek to Pest. That's just a fact. Oh, there are a few people that rave about staying in Buda but my guess is that they never stayed in Pest so they have nothing to compare it too. Just the same If you have to stay in Buda, or if you have to stay at a Hilton, then the Buda Hilton is the right hotel. Any part of the history of the region (recent or ancient) interest you? Let me know and I'll give you some suggestions. Do you like to read accounts of places before you go? Again, I have a pretty good list. Always make my traveling more intimate to touch the wall of a prison that held a person you read about, etc...... Budapest is full of relevant reminders of recent past and of ancient past as well. Roman anyone?

Since Chani brought up the cost of a taxi in Vienna, my suggestion for your arrival: I have tried almost every option and the only one that makes any sense to me is the airport contract taxi service. They do a fine job, it's a fixed rate, the cabs are clean and the drivers have always been very acceptable. Because you will be staying in Buda the rate is a little higher; 6000 ft. Pay in ft if possible because they stiff you a little on the exchange for euros or dollars. Get off the plane, go through passport control, pick up your bags, walk out the black door across the lobby about 40 feet and out the front door of the terminal and there you will see a Fotaxi kiosk. Tell the gentleman "Buda Hilton" take the receipt you are given and get in the first cab as he directs. Show the receipt to the driver. Since you are leaving by train there is no reason to keep the receipt but if you were returning by air the receipt would get you a discount back to the airport. Depending on the time of day 30 to 45 minutes later you will be at the Hilton. The trip from the Hilton to the train station will cost about half as much. Oh, tip. A couple of euros, dollars or a few hundred ft. http://www.bud.hu/english/passengers/access_and_parking/by_taxi Once in town get a 72 hour travel card and all of your local transportation is taken care of. http://www.bkv.hu/en/travel_cards What time of year do you go?
And there is more on the website I threw together for our guests. Feel free to mine it.

Thank you James!
I've just discovered your site - GREAT information! In fact, I'm in the process of working some of your recos into our itinerary. Thank you for taxi info - there is the possibility of the Hilton picking us up as well, but I haven't been able to confirm the fee yet. We'll be there in March - best we could schedule. I understand it will be cool, but we're Nebraskans - we can handle anything. Do you have recommendations for what to wear? Are jeans acceptable? We're not planning on the opera, but absolutely must have chicken paprikas one night - I need to make sure mine is comparable to the real thing. :)

Jeans are fine. You will look like a tourst, but then, well, .... you are.
Yup it can be cool in March but some of the absolute most beautiful days i have spent in Budapest were in March. I dont suppose you will be there on the 15th? That would be a real treat. And you should go to the Opera or the Operett or a concert. Just have the Mr. wear a sports coat (get one of those no wrinkle ones from one of the travel stores). Its a special part of being part of the Hungarian culture. Send me a PM and an email address and i will try to give you some more odds and ends.

Let me describe the hotel airport transfer. When you go through the black glass door you will find yourself in a lobby about 40 feet wide and twice that in length. That lobby will be the most crowded experience of your stay in Budapest. People pushing and shoving through a throng of private and hotel drivers holding up names hand scribbled on a scrap of cardboard (or maybe a little better with the Hilton). Those of us that know will push straight for 40 feet and exit to freedom and be in a cab in under 3 minutes. The other poor souls will search the mass of humanity for a stranger with their name on a card. Once found the driver will do one of three things. He will help you drag your bags up the escalator where he is illegally parked and you will be on your way. Or possibly he will help you up the escalator with your bags and then run to the parking lot across the street to fetch the car for you. OR!!! you will drag your bags across the street and through the parking lot to where his car is parked. You will be in a standard taxi, but not Fotaxi, possibly not even a taxi managed by a major company; but it will be clean and the driver will be polite and probably speak a little more English than the fotaxi drive does; and I am betting you will pay at least 30 euros for the service. If we arrived on the same flight together by the time you got to the hotel I would be getting out of the shower and be ready to start the afternoon. Having said all that, yes I am being a tad extreme, there is no replacing piece of mind and if the Hilton transfer affords you that then go for it and enjoy it. And be sure to write and tell me how accurate I was. When i travel i dont let anything ruin it for me. All events are just adventures along the way. Since you found my website, its "THE GUIDE" that you really want

I would either skip Vienna entirely, or take a night from Budapest for two nights in Vienna. Honestly there's a lot more to see and do in Vienna than Budapest. Not to say Budapest isn't worth 4 nights - or a week - but so is Vienna. But I also think it's safe to say you can hit the highlights of Budapest without a breakneck pace in 3 nights easily. Less than 24 hours in Vienna is pretty much pointless and more hassle than it's worth. So I'd commit fully to Budapest and skip Vienna, or actually budget a little more time for Vienna. There's a lot more to do/see there than the Opera and some horses (which I've never bothered with).

WHOA!!!.........they are not just "some horses".

Understand the familial desire to stay so long in Budapest, but I'd still take a night from it and stay 2 nights in Vienna. You would not be shorting Budapest unmercifully. Also I recall that Budapest has fewer historical buildings than Vienna, but less expensive & more delish food.. our fave was The Soul Kitchen.

What is a historical building?

I agree with two nights in Vienna, however, even one night would be worthwhile if you time it to have a full 24 hours. If you arrive at 3pm and leave at 9am the next morning, not so much.

Because we will see family, I have to commit to a minimum of three full days in Budapest, so I cannot take a night from Hungary. I'm trying to weigh my options of 7 hours in a train vs. the hassle of arriving in Vienna, transporting to the hotel with luggage, etc. only to do it again the following day to Munich. Would we get the feel and flavor of Vienna? You've all provided excellent input - thank you so very much!

I think it depends on how 'in depth' you need to go to get a 'feel' for a place. I can usually tell quite easily if a location is somplace I might really like, or if the whole scene is not my favorite. I would definitely take the opportunity to skim the surface and then you can decide if you want to return. Will you regret it if you don't stop, being so close? I would, despite the hassels...just pack light and it will all be easier. I love Budapest and would not take a day away as you will then have to return there as well:)

Also I don't think going into Vienna would be much of a hassle- hop off the train, take a taxi to the Hilton, do your quick check-in, walk the short distance to the Stephansplatz (the cathedral square) and start exploring from there. Of course it becomes more of a hassle if your luggage isn't rolling or easily portable on your back.

Would the hotel points be usable for food, too? I normally am loathe to recommend a hotel restaurant, but the food in Vienna was either mediocre or breathtakingly expensive, and sometimes both. My family does not travel on the cheap, and we were startled by how much it cost. We went to Prague and Vienna that trip and we all liked Prague much better - we found Vienna stuffy and supremely overpriced compared to other western EU cities that had more to offer. That's not to say you shouldn't go, just that if you can get in and out with a plan of attack, that's to be preferred. Agree that packing well and location of hotel would be of the utmost importance in this situation.

Thank you everyone for your input! We've decided to stick to the original itinerary and spend the night in Vienna.
Liz- my status allows me access to the executive lounge where we can have drinks, snacks, etc. =) I'm looking forward to reporting back upon our return at the end of March. Thank you all so much!