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Budapest to Prague

Hello, we are traveling from Budapest to Prague the end of June and are looking for suggestions to the best way to get there. Train? Bus? Thanks.

Posted by
17549 posts

The cheapest is the train but that's a long haul. Seven hours on the day train and 10 hours on the night train (no way i could sleep on one of those things and what do you do in Prague at 6:30 in the morning all stinky and no shower?) If you aren't going to stop and see Vienna along the way I would fly. But its a shame to skip Vienna.

This one is really marginal. On second thought, if I were not going to stop in Vienna for at leas one full day I just wouldn't plan a trip from Budapest to Prague for a vacation. I would pair Prague with Germany in the future and I would pair Budapest with Romania or Slovakia for this trip.
'
Here is why:
.
Fly
Transfer to Airport .75 + Early Arrival 1.5 + Flight Time 3.5 + Airport Processing.75 + Transfer to town .75 = Total time 7.25 hours. Cost $300.00
.
Train
Transfer to train station .5 + Early arrival .5 + Train time 7 + Transfer to hotel .5 = Total time 8.25 hours. Cost $30.00

Posted by
15559 posts

I did as James has suggested, and was surprised at how much I liked Vienna.

Posted by
8065 posts

This is a duplicate posting. Train thru Vienna is the way to go.

Posted by
14480 posts

Hi,

Getting from Budapest to Prague is pretty simple, it's a direct connection , no transfering of trains needed by day.

The problem with the night train is that it arrives in Prague ca 0400 or so. That would not be a problem for me if I knew the station. If it were Wien Westbahnhof at that hour, I wouldn't mind. No need to take the night train

Take the early train from Budapest. Within 7 hours you'll be there in Prague.

Posted by
3 posts

Take the Student Express bus. Better than the train, it has wifi, tv's in the seats, movies and TV to watch. No one here talks about the busses but I felt they were much more convenient and at times luxurious than the trains. Also alot less hassle and stress.

Posted by
126 posts

My landlord in Budapest also advised us to take the bus to Prague this summer. She said her husband did it last year and found it very comfortable and hazzle free.

Posted by
252 posts

If you prefer flying or trains...go for it and all will be fine I am sure.
But I have to say that I took the bus from Prague to Bratislava last Fall and I know the bus continues to Budapest. It was great!
It was on-time...we had a nice hostess serving free coffee and other hot beverages...free wifi, earphones, decent selections of movies to watch...very comfortable seats! I took the Student Agency bus and would do it again for sure.

Posted by
77 posts

Sept. 2013 we took the train from Budapest to Prague. Bought our tickets a few days in advance from the MAV-START office on Jozsef Attila u by Erzsebet ter. We opted to go first class for 35 Euro. I think it is 19 Euro for second class. The train had a dining car....where we had lunch with a beer. Although it took about 7 hours we enjoyed it.

Posted by
17549 posts

Seems to me, and I could be dead wrong, but spending 7 hours on a bus no matter how comfortable the seat would be a little too much like the flight across the Atlantic. I like the freedom to get up and wander around on a train. But the truth is I don't do 7 hour train trips. There is no way I would make that trip with out overnighting in Vienna or Bratislava or Brno or .....?? Four hour is my limit for a "vacation".