Budapest, Vienna, Prague in late December

I was in Prague for Christmas in '03 and in Budapest for Christmas of '04. Yes, Prague is crowded even during Christmas, and yes the crowds can be annoying - there are streets where if you feel tired, you can just pick up your feet and let the tide op people move you along. But it's still a magical place! As for tours, I did a bus tour of Prague, mainly because it was a warm way to get an overview. But I got more out of the walking tour I took later that evening; I happened onto it in the town square just as it was leaving. There were only a few of us willing to brave the cold so the guide tailored the tour to our interests. Whatever you do, get off the main tourist streets so that you can take time to admire the beautiful architecture in peace. By the way, as I mentioned, Prague can be brutally cold, so be prepared with hat, scarf and gloves. But you can always warm up at one of the many charming cafes.

Budapest isn't as crowded to begin with at Christmas - I think I had my whole hotel all to myself. Plus, as it is spread out, what crowds are there feel far less intrusive. I don't know about tours around x-mas time, that was my second trip to Budapest so I didn't look into them.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas day, it can be hard to find restaurants open, even in the most touristy areas. I had Christmas Eve dinner in Prague at a Mexican restaurant of all places:-) Christmas lunch in Budapest was in a sad little Italian bistro. But the lively holiday atmosphere in both cities more than makes up for the brief inconvenience.

Have a great trip!

In Prague, I'd definitely take a walking tour (just dress for the cold) as its not a bus type of city. Frankly, Prague just doesn't strike me as a winter city since so much of its attractions are out of doors. I'd definitely suggest seeing the Jewish area and attending a concert at MozartHaus. The Kafka Museum was nice, too. I suppose I'd suggest 2 nights instead of 3 at that time of year.

In Vienna, my favorite thing was the Newmarkt. Its outdoors but you will not believe the quality and freshness of the food and there are also several restaurants there too. We went to a chamber concert at their MozartHaus (Mozart got around), which was quite possibly the best concert I've ever attended and the space was just wonderful. They have a nice opera house, and I'd go to the museum of decoration on Ringstrasse. We visited Hofsburg Palace, which is nice although you can only see so much of the ostentatious decoration before reaching one's limits. I would also suggest that 2 nights is enough this time of year.

Budapest is more suited to winter travel, as I think they have a lot of stuff to do indoors as well as out of doors. They have a lot of interesting museums- I especially liked the House of Terror and Holocaust Museums, and they have two nice art museums at the end of Andrassy (names escaping me). Most of the bath houses have indoor pools and with the warm water, several keep the outdoor pools open in winter (Szechenyi is the best, IMO). Other highlights are any of the 5 public markets (Grand Market Hall is nice and was designed by Eiffel). We saw an Opera while we were there and even if opera isn't your thing, a tour of the building is worth your time as its kind of like their "white house." Like Vienna, they have ridiculously fresh produce, although a lot won't be in season in December.