Christmas Eve/Christmas Day – Vienna, Prague, Berlin or Budapest?

The last two Christmas Eve's I spent in Prague, then took a bus Christmas morning to Cesky Krumlov where I spent the day, then stayed overnight and returned to Prague the next day. Loved it both times. Prague shuts down pretty much on Christmas Eve, but the Markets are still open and you can find a restaurant that's open for dinner pretty easily--in the Old Town Square there's a place called Bily Konicek that's open and features live jazz, great atmosphere, and with a several course meal and great Czech wine! Christmas Day in Cesky Krumlov is pretty quiet, but again, finding an open restaurant isn't hard. Not many attractions open though, but strolling through the village and castle is quite romantic :), esp if the weather co operates (which it did the past two years).

This year I will be in Budapest for Christmas for the first time, so I don't know what to expect. Hope that helps.

Beautiful, romantic, quaint city. IMHO I would put your 4 cities in this order: Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin. You can spice it with Cesky Krumlov.

This is a retread of a previous response in another RS Forum Page (Hungary) with a few edits.

We are spending Christmas and New Year in Budapest again this year so I did some research that I thought might be helpful if you are thinking of going to Central Europe for the holidays.

For accommodations in Budapest for the holidays I like apartments because they are just more comfortable and we stage our very own little celebration (tree and all). On the other hand hotels have more support facilities open when a lot is closed for the holiday.

Here is an idea where you don’t have to worry about rowdy crowds and broken glass (did New Year’s in Rome a few years back and experienced the same so it’s not unique to Vienna by any means) http://ppcdn.500px.org/4932259/468b7473e2387eb183fd6b5c5c4cf53a91f968d2/5.jpg

Ice Skating at Városligeti Műjégpálya. http://budapest-card.com/files/partners/109.jpg

Bath Houses outside (note the snow) http://guidepal.blob.core.windows.net/inspireimage/inspire103057.jpg or inside a 14th century bath house http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__hpVNPe3HNw/TMMu88ToBfI/AAAAAAAABKI/qiWLg2I5AA4/s1600/WEB+rudas+0.jpg or maybe you prefer classical: http://www.thevandallist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/[email protected] with the dubious history of having been visited by Himmler and Schindler. Even bathhouse party night http://attractions.topbudapest.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Design-Szechenyi-Bath-Sparty-Budapest-Spa-July-27-2013.jpg The Bath house New Year Eve part is strangely on the 30th of December http://szechenyispabaths.com/szechenyi-baths-new-year-bath-party/

Concerts New Year’s Eve, Before and After
Opera New Year’s Eve Gala Performance; http://www.worldwideticketing.com/images/opera-ballet/hungarian-state-opera/hall.jpg and http://www.opera.hu/en
“Tourist” Concerts http://budapestchristmas.com/budapest-new-years-eve-classical-music-concerts
Liszt Academy (fantastic venue) http://zeneakademia.hu/en/home and http://zeneakademia.hu/en/lisztery/video/-/asset_publisher/fCa86eGLCFdM/content/a-2013-oktober-22-i-unnepelyes-megnyito-gala

Christmas Markets
They run through 31 December in Budapest http://cdn-wac.emirates247.com/polopoly_fs/1.434344.1324785528!/image/744982653.jpg

Shopping in the three story 19th century market hall http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/danperry/Hungary/Budapest/The%20market/1-IMG_3889.jpg

A couple of classic Budapest restaurants for before, during or after:
http://halaszbastya.eu/
http://www.rezkakasbistro.hu/en/

And the holiday lights http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--tIpbcA5HcM/TvDqWvaYXsI/AAAAAAAAAcg/n1SsL9mejgE/s1600/1828771-Christmas_lights_on_Andrassy_Avenue_Budapest.jpg and even the trams http://blog.utazol.hu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Budapest-KAr%C3%A1csonyi-vasar-2013-Zsolt-Andrasi.png and http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f6/0f/ff/f60ffff302046f46a437f676f64b2f4b.jpg

Here is the long list: http://www.budapestbylocals.com/new-years-in-budapest.html#free

My second choice would be Vienna I think; especially for New Year. I’m too old (only a very little too old) for the youthful experience of New Year in Prague. But for the younger or at least the adolescent at heart Prague might suit better. I have also done the holidays in London and in Rome and neither worked really well for me. But no one place can possibly please everyone. I think the region you choose is excellent. Central and Northern Europe celebrate the cold because winter is a significant season, while my impression is that Southern and Western Europe work hard at just getting through it.

Recently on the forum I have run across one gentleman who had the worst experience of his life in Budapest, one kind lady that had not much positive to say about it but insisted she enjoyed it. And a couple that had the time of their lives. Goes to prove you have to do your research and match things to your personality, taste, maybe age, interests, etc. I dug back to December of 2012 looking for detailed trip reports that might help you and these are about all I could find that had any real substance; and a couple of those are weak. We need to encourage more trip reports (@Gabriel !!!).

Austria
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/austria-hungary-part-1-austria
Hungary
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/austria-hungary-part-2-hungary
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-in-east-central-europe-part-1-budapest
Czech
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/two-great-walking-tour-companies-in-prague

Hi,

Taking those two day trips to Budapest in the last four years (though, not in the winter) has whetted and aroused my appetite and curiosity for the city to the extent that another day trip is in the works the next time I'm over there presumablely in the summer of 2015. I've my own itinerary on places and sites there to track down. So, it "is worth it."

Thanks for those Budapest at Christmas links, James! I will put them to good use, I assure you!

Thanks everyone for the great information. I still am not sure what I want to do for Xmas eve and Xmas day but I am sure that I want to incorporate some of the other small towns mentioned that I could easily do as day trips. Cesky Krumlov sounds great. And James wow, thanks for all the info, links and gorgeous pictures! I may be leaning now towards Budapest for Christmas but still on the fence a bit...

@Frank, I guess I didn't read the end of your post, so I missed you were going to be in Budapest. If you are interested at all in theater buy tickets asap, they sell fast. You will find its a lot like Prague, the obvious will close up by 2pm on the 24th of December and most will reopen the night of the 25th or sometime on the 26th. There are some really outstanding restaurants open on the 24th and 25th (Budapest is full of good food), or if you want I know a hotel restaurant that will deliver a goose dinner to your apartment if you rent one. http://budapesttimes.hu/2013/12/01/spi%C2%ADcing-up-yuletide/ Christmas day you will find us hanging out at one of the bath houses while the kids are in one of those mystery basement escape games.

I'd just add that Dec. 26 is also a holiday in Budapest, among other places. Whatever's closed on the 25th is likely to be closed on the 26th as well.

Here is a good list of what is closed or open during the holidays. In addition to the list a lot of commercial tourist orientated businesses now open on the 26th. But always good to check in advance.

http://www.budapestbylocals.com/opening-hours-christmas-budapest.html

Very good point Chani. Thanks for the link James. I'll check Vienna and Prague as well since that will be a factor...

@susan20044 I don't think you can do wrong with any of the three cities. I talk about Budapest because I know it best. I've spent a considerable amount of time in Vienna and a few days in Prague and I bet you could have a great Christmas in either of the three. Real rough and real general (and real faulty) is that Prague is the best for the under 40, Vienna best for the over 50 and Budapest somewhat of a compromise but tending a little more to the older than the younger. Really just an over generalization but some truth to it.

Adam you are correct, Vienna has a very tight tourist zone that is very manageable and not intimidating. Prague's tourist zones combined are probably no larger either but the distance between them makes it a little less convenient. Budapest is more a sprawling experience with very fuzzy boundaries to the tourist zones. It's just a different experience; more living and less seeing. Or some such similar nonsensical analogy ......... maybe. As for the pig knuckle. I will confess that one of the finest meal of my life was had in Vienna; but I have had more good food on average in Budapest than I have in any other city I have been too. But that might just mean that Hungarian food suit my taste...............never had pig knuckle, never seen it on a menu either. I will have to look for it when I go back in a couple of months.

Thank you everyone! Decision made. It will be Vienna but I agree with James, I don't think we could go wrong with any of them. And we will still visit each one this trip and it will still be festive even if not exactly on xmas eve or xmas. Can't wait! Now just need to figure out the best concert to see while in Vienna. Any thoughts on that are welcome too!

Thanks again everyone!

You choose well with Vienna and you choose well with the region in general for the holidays.

Definitely do see a concert in Vienna as there are some excellent world class music venues in Vienna. Vienna on the whole may bring in performance companies that are maybe a little better than Budapest or Prague. I don't have such a discerning ear that I can tell, but if someone were to tell me this I would be inclined to believe it. After all, there are more tourists "of a type" with more money than you will find in Budapest or Prague. But something you will get in Budapest that I found lacking on my few trips to Vienna and Prague is a feeling of being part of something unique to the City. I think because in all three of the performance I saw in Prague and Vienna we found ourselves surrounded almost entirely by tourists...........and we bought some pretty good seats.

What we have enjoyed in Budapest is that the Opera House and the other venues are still very much a local affair and not yet formatted to please tourists. In the dozen or so performance we have been to in at least four venues tourists have represented a small minority, and everyone has been a sellout or a very near sellout.

For a totally different experience book a performance at the Hungarian State Opera (as grand as any opera house in the world),
http://www.worldwideticketing.com/images/opera-ballet/hungarian-state-opera/hall.jpg Where one of those lovely boxes can be had for about $75 a seat and some really grand seat go for as little as $45. You will find us there on New Year's Eve.

OR

The Budapest Operett Theater where the productions incredibly well done, many with English subtitles, many where language isnt an issue at all: http://dancsmarket.com/wp-content/gallery/hirek/finale.jpg

OR

The Palace of Arts in all its modern splendor brings some of the finest production companies in Europe: http://www.budapestagent.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/mupa4.jpg

OR

The recently restored Grand Room of the Liszt Academy (where you can find us a couple days after Christmas): http://www.resmusica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/academie-franz-liszt.jpg

In Budapest, if you should decide to give it a try, purchase the best seats you can afford. The absolute best are only abut $70 and at the Opera House this will give you access to the club and the balcony at intermission at the Operett it will get you access to a private lounge; both provide you the opportunity to meet and interact with Hungarians. We have had some great conversations at intermissions. Google the images of the venues, look at the high resolution pictures and decide what to wear.