Please sign in to post.

Vienna, Budapest, Krakow

Hello,
Anyone travel to Vienna, Budapest, or Krakow in November before? I would like to go to all 3 sometime around November 10-20 this fall. My only concern about a trip is the weather at that time of year. I know it will obviously not be 60 degrees F and sunny the whole trip, but I don’t want to be traveling in constant 30 degrees and 2 hours of sunlight every day. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Posted by
17651 posts

I use to think this was an easy question, but then i discovered that there were at least 3 definitions of day light. Suffice to say you will have some light from about 5 am till 5 pm. And that's not a bad thing. The lights of Budapest and Vienna are beautiful in the evening. And life doesn't end when the sun goes down. I like all the seasons in the region except may late July through the first of September. Each is different and each has its own unique appeal. As for temperatures, Budapest has an average low of 30 and an average high of 46. Those being averages figure 10 degrees above or below as the extremes. I would never pass up an opportunity to spend November in Budapest because i love the concerts, theater, opera, restaurants, bars, wine bars, city lights. If you can arrange to be in Budapest after the 15th the Christmas markets will be open and they are excellent...

And, there are now nonstop flights between Krakow and Vienna and Krakow and Budapest ... many for under $100. So i would be inclined to fly into Vienna, then fly to Krakow and then fly to Budapest, then home. Or split the Vienna stay for half on arrival and half on departure and train between Budapest and Vienna if that gets you a better flight cost.... It will put you in Budapest for the markets....

Posted by
1204 posts

Zach - just go to weatherbase.com to see weather data for anywhere in the world for every month of the year. For instance, Krakow in November is average high 42 degrees F, low 32, length of day 9.6 hours.

Posted by
14482 posts

If I were going in Nov (certainly not my first choice since summer is), I would obviously bring a decent jacket. The weather in Vienna and Krakow will be in the 40sF.

I arrived this time in London Gatwick at the end of April, the temperature announced by the flight captain upon landing was that outside was 45F...barely tolerable with a summer jacket. Going in November I would be prepared for the temperature to be .
36-43F

Posted by
26840 posts

Be very careful about those average temperatures you see all over the place. As noted above, they are averages. That can cover some unpleasant individual days (as well as some glorious ones). Also, they are nearly always average high temperatures, which tell you nothing about what it will be like at 8 AM or 8 PM. Be sure you know the likely range of what you may experience: Go to wunderground.com, enter one of your destinations, choose History > Monthly, then select November 2017 from the pull-down boxes. Repeat for 2016, 2015, etc. Then check the other two cities.

Don't want to spend so much time on weather research? Start with Krakow. It has historically been colder and wetter than the other two. Wikipedia's precipitation data shows, on average, 13 days of rain and 7 days of snow in November. If you're OK with what you find for Krakow, you should be good to go.

I'm not clear on how many travel days you have. If it's only 10, I'd stick with Budapest and Vienna. Those are not 3-day cities, and the travel between the 3 cities isn't inconsequential.

Posted by
15560 posts

Use this website to get historical weather data. (Paris is always the default city) Follow the weather link, then Yesterday/Past Weather. You can get daily highs, lows, rain, snow, etc for each of your cities.

All of your cities are a good bit farther north than New York or Chicago. Thus the sun will not be as high in the sky so it may feel less sunny and bright than you are used to, even on clear days.

Posted by
7049 posts

It's unlikely you will get pleasant weather in Krakow at the end of November. You can prepare for grey, rain, cold, and even snow, although you cannot predict anything accurately these days weather-wise. It can't hurt to look at several years of historical data but, in general, I wouldn't go that late in the year. If you're flexible and don't really mind any kind of weather, at least you won't see crowds (so that's an upside).

Posted by
14482 posts

In terms of weather there is an argument to be made for going to Budapest should you choose that city if you pick only 2 instead of all three. Budapest has a greater chance of being a bit warmer, or, conversely, less cold in Nov as it is protected by the Carpathians than Krakow. Having a decent jacket I don't mind cold in the 30s-40sF when out and about but rain is another matter. That affects camera shooting.

Posted by
17651 posts

If I lived in that part of the world year round I might have a different perception, but tourism is a different experience. We have been in Budapest in November, December, January and February. Actually, to promoted winter tourism, there are a lot of things going on that you dont often see in the warmer months.

Here is some help
https://budapestlocal.com/9-reasons-visit-budapest-winter/
https://welovebudapest.com/en/toplists/12-reasons-to-visit-budapest-in-winter-2016-2017/
https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-02-04/winter-best-time-visit-budapest
https://dailynewshungary.com/budapest-bucket-list-best-things-winter/
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/13-ways-to-enjoy-winter-in-budapest/