Prague or Budapest?

First of all I think both of them deserve 3 full days but, that being said, if you have to eliminate one day in one of them I would vote for Prague. I'll probably be in the minority here since everyone seems to love Prague so much. I spent 3 nights and 2 full days in Prague last summer and it was enough for me to see the main sights. I also spent 5 days in Budapest and I could have stayed even longer. I thought Budapest was just fascinating and I loved just walking around, especially in the evening. I can't say what it was about the two cities, I loved them both. Sometimes a place just sings to you and Budapest did that for me, Prague not so much.

No matter what opinions you get here it will be a tough decision.

Rick's guidebooks recommend two full days as the minimum for each city, with an extra day always welcome. Since sightseeing in Budapest is more spread out, I would say that he finds the extra day most useful there. Try to accomplish your top-priority sightseeing first in each city, in case there's not time for everything on your list.

I agree with the others. Budapest is more spread out and needs more time. The first time I went, I spent four days there and never left Pest.

The weather will be lovely in both places that time of year. Happy travels!

Another vote for keeping Budapest at 3 FULL days and taking the day from Prague. But we don't know a thing about you, your interests or why you are traveling or the value of this new city you are considering; that might have some bearing on the conversation. I assume by FULL DAY you mean you will wake up and go to bed in that town each day for three days. Anything less isn't enough for Budapest.

I have to agree with the others, Budapest deserves and needs more time. Much of what you'd likely want to see in Prague (if you're like me, which is an assumption) is in a pretty compact, walkable area, not so with Budapest. Like Nancy, I somehow found more "character" in Budapest. Though the old Jewish cemetery in Prague has to rank as one of my top lifetime travel experiences. It would be a shame to lose a day in either city, but if you had to I'd slice from Prague.

Hopefully someone will post a different view here so you can make a comparison. Also it might help to know more about your interests and priorities.

Budapest.

I am going to go against the flow and say Prague.If you are the type of person that wants to tick off things from a list then overall Prague is much easier to do that in than Budapest but if you want to maybe spend a bit of time being more like a local then there is no better place than Prague.
September time is great as the weather is still warm enough to enjoy the multitude of outdoor spaces . I in particular love getting out to the many parks of the city which can be easily reached by the fantastic public transport system. They all have cafes resturants and in many cases beer gardens ,The Beer garden in Letna park affords lovely views of the city and this is where you find the local Praguers enjoying the outdoors.
I also enjoy taking in sporting events in the city and always try to see my beloved Dukla Prague football team when they are playing .There are also many places you can do a day trip from Prague , Dresden in nearby Germany for instance but other town/cities in the Czech republic are easily accessible with the wonderful and cheap bus/train network.
Plzen ,Kutna Hora ,Tabo r,Karlova vary are easy to reach and Cesky Krumlov a bit of a longer day trip but quite possible.
Places like Terezin and Lidice are important places worth visiting but worth reading up on them before going (Lidice is the village that was destroyed by the Nazis after the Heydrich assassination ). they are easy to reach independently from the city.

I would suggest taking the day away from Budapest rather than taking it away from Prague. I would suggest spending as much time in Prague as possible. We have lived in Prague and it is so very rich in history, art, architecture,music, friendly people, things to see and do, places to eat, and just plain atmosphere, less than 3 days would not do it justice. That is not to say I don't think Budapest is a worthy place to visit- I love going there- but Prague has more to offer than all of Hungary combined. There are other Czech areas that you should see sometime but please do not shortchange Prague. You will be glad of your 3 days there and long for more once you leave. It is not just a matter of checking off things on a list of things to see and do- in Prague you will experience the people and the culture if you give it the time it deserves.

Wow! Lots to think about. Maybe I am trying to add too many destinations. I have three weeks, which is a lot of time, but the last week is in Vienna.I am trying to find time to visit Prague, Budapest, Istria, Venice and Salzburg in the first 2 weeks. Perhaps I should value quality over quantity.

Neither. Take it from someplace else.

However, if you absolutely must take out a day, I agree with those who suggest taking it from Prague (but don't).

:)

Budapest is bigger, more modern with wide boulevards and relatively spread out. Center of Prague is medieval with narrow winding streets in the Old Town, Little Quarters (Mala Strana) and Hradcany. Both cities are picturesque (Prague little bit more thanks to medieval center which Budapest lacks) and both cities have stunning views across the river toward the castle on the hill. I would not take a day from either of them especially when you have only three days for each of them. Rather I would not go to a city elsewhere.