Hello everyone - trying to plan my 10 day summer vacation (wife, and 2 kids ages 11 and 6). I'm turning to this forum, as I do every year, for advice on which of these great destinations to choose.
1) Poland - Krakow and Warsaw
2) Austria - Vienna and Salzburg
3) Czech Republic - Prague and Cesky Krumlov
4) Hungary - Budapest and Eger
Any suggestions, especially what would be fun for the kids, is greatly appreciated.
How about Vienna and Bjdalest--two of our favorite towns?
You don't give a lot of information about what you and your family like to see and do when traveling or where you are flying from (or if you will be arriving at your destination by train) so it can be a bit difficult to recommend one place over another. Also, does the 10 days include travel time or is 10 days on the ground in Europe? So, without that info, my recommendation would be that if you don't mind a bit of travel between destinations, maybe 4/5 days in Vienna with a day trip to Salzburg and then transfer to Budapest making a 1/2 day stop in Bratislava between them so your kids can experience a bit of another country, then 4/5 days in Budapest, with maybe a day trip to Eger if that looks interesting to you. This would work best with open-jaw flights into Vienna and out of Budapest.
Nothing to detract from your other listed possibilities (I haven't been to Warsaw), but I like Nancy's plan because Budapest and Vienna are so close together. Here's a fun way to get between them on the river. Train would probably be cheaper and faster, but not as interesting. Bratislava is a nice midway stop if you have time, but apparently not for the hydrofoil.
Vienna and Budapest both have nice parks, including amusement parks. The Danube runs right through the middle of Budapest but is somewhat away from central Vienna. For more specific advice about kid-friendly activities, I'd suggest posting a question about that on the Austria and Hungary boards.
Nancy, Dick and Dave - thanks for the insight. While not opposed to moving between countries, our preference is to stay in one country.
We are flying from New York, and the 10 days includes travel time.
We mainly like to tour the old towns, historically significant landscapes, and culturally significant architecture.
Want something for the kids as well; not necessarily an amusement park, but something interesting and fun for them.
So with that said, does the recommendation change at all?
Thanks
The answer--for me, at least--is always Budapest! Just booked my 4th trip there in as many years for next May. As others mention, it's easy to combine with Vienna, just a pleasant and cheap 2 1/2 hour train trip away, both easy cities to navigate on public transportation and plenty of things to do that would appeal to kids and adults. Budapest has plenty of beautiful parks--City Park and Margit sziget are two of my favorites--and an easy day trip would be to Szentendre, or an overnight stay in Eger. I suggest 4 in Vienna and 6 in Budapest, depending on what else you might like to see. I did a long day trip to Salzburg from Vienna by train, and you can do a Wachau valley tour that goes by train from Vienna, and then a river boat on the Danube, return by train.
Poland is spectacular and truly deserves its own trip--I spent 8 days there, 4 each in Krakow and Warsaw and a day trip to Gdansk from Warsaw. Prague is also beautiful but extremely hectic and crowded, I was there in early May and can only imagine what it might be like in summer.
With only 8 days in Europe, and the first one apparently jetlagged, I think one country is better than trying to combine the two large cities of Vienna and Budapest. I like the idea of one large city and one or two small ones. I haven't visited any of your potential destinations recently enough to offer a concrete suggestion.
"So with that said, does the recommendation change at all?"
Absolutely. With only 8 days on the ground it makes sense to stick to one area, if not one city. Based on what your interests are, I would probably suggest Austria. Split your time between Vienna and Salzburg, with some time spent in the countryside around Salzburg. Most kids would like a boat ride on a lake, an alpine slide experience, the puppet theater at Mirabell gardens, the salt mines, etc. And kids usually love castles/palaces, there's lots of those in and around both cities. Also, both cities have zoos if your kids are into that.
All of your choices are good ones. I loved Budapest and am longing to go back again. I also loved Krakow, Prague, and CK, but others will have to tell you what kids would enjoy there because I don't travel with kids. All the cities you named are strong on tourism and I'm sure they all have lots of fun things for kids and families to do. Just thinking back to when my kids were young and based on what they enjoyed when traveling in the US (no European jaunts for us, unfortunately), I'm pretty sure they would have liked Austria the best.
I found Budapest intriguing and interesting but not particularly charming. I visited twelve years ago and do want to visit again, actually, but it hasn't been at the top of my list.
Vienna I found very pleasant but a bit dull, compared to Prague and Budapest. I know some people love it. I just didn't.
I adored Prague and have visited twice, but it is super tourist these days. Cesky Krumlov in June would be too.
Krakow is also charming and historically significant - and (unlike Warsaw) is pretty much intact from World War II, whereas Warsaw was pretty much flattened, for what it's worth. I visited Krakow in 2012. I hear it may still not be as touristy as Prague has become, which is certainly a good thing. Obviously, Auschwitz makes it one of the most historically significant places to visit in Europe. I've love to go back to Krakow and might next year, combined with a trip east into Ukraine. I've been elsewhere in Poland but didn't make it to Warsaw.
Andrew, you won't recognize Budapest now. A lot has changed. Mostly for the better.
With the kids and 7.5 days on the ground i would keep it simple like you suggest. Actually any of the combinations are good. I am certain the same can be said for the other cities, but I know Budapest to be really kid friendly. If you choose Budapest I can help you with things the kids can relate to and enjoy. We spend a fair amount of time in Budapest with children of similar age so we have a little insight. Parks, water parks, zoo, etc.....
http://visitbudapest.travel/guide/budapest-with-kids/
https://www.budapestbylocals.com/children-activities-in-budapest.html
http://travelwithbender.com/travel-blog/hungary/10-things-to-do-with-kids-in-budapest-hungary
https://welovebudapest.com/en/toplists/have-fun-10-great-activities-for-children-in-budapest/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-things-to-do-in-budapest-with-kids_us_588646e0e4b08f5134b62344
https://trip101.com/article/family-fun-20-things-to-do-in-budapest-with-kids
Great replies everyone - thank you. Honestly, I am surprised how high Budapest ranks on most people's list. Hard to choose between these 4 destinations, but seems like I'll be digging deeper into Budapest
I tried to be noble and take the open minded approach; but I prefer Budapest a tiny bit more than the others.
The hydofoil from Vienna is reportedly loud and uncomfortable and concerts a 2.5 hour trip into 5 hours. Probably why I have never been on it. But the kids might get a thrill. If it's boat you want, take the train from Budapest to Szentendre and the boat back to Budapest. The 45 min boat trip is fun.
What is an overnight trip, or 2 nights, if you want to enjoy it. Maybe the train up and have a guide bring you back so you can see a few things along the way.
Budapest proper justifies at least 4 full days, with kids, maybe 5 days. So, Szentendre, Eger, Budapest makes for a well planned trip.
But what do I know, I'm biased. Lots of good posts on the Hungary forum for more information.
