Prague or Budapest?

No comparison. Prague is one of the prettiest cities in the world. Monuments in Prague are lite up every night. Budapest only on holidays. If you go to www.flickr.com take a look at photos of both cities. This might help you decide.

Kristin, For me Budapest is the best. I have an associate for which Prague is the best. We are both right. I tried to explain it once (from my point of view) but it wasnt easy to do so I kept the explination. Go to http://budapestflat.shutterfly.com/fivedaysinbudapest and look on the right side of the page for a link to a PDF file called: "Prague, Vienna or Budapest".

Do you like chocolate or vanilla? If chocolate, pick Budapest; if vanilla, pick Prague. Unfortunately, there's no way to know whether you will like or dislike Prague, and like or dislike Budapest. I liked both, but they are VERY different. Vienna is often seen as part of a trip to this area, too, but it's different again. The three are (to use another food analogy) like apples, oranges, and bananas. I know that doesn't help you. But there really is no right or wrong answer; you will find arguments going around and around about the merits and demerits of each city.

FWIW, I liked Prague better than Budapest, mainly because it was easier to get around on foot most of the major sights are relatively close together. As RS wrote, "Budapest sprawls," though the trams and subways are easy to use (we got 3-day tickets). We enjoyed Budapest food more, though we didn't really give Czech cuisine the same chance to shine. The Jewish quarter in Prague is very special, we thought. Prague's general appearance seemed better, perhaps because we could stay near the center and perhaps because it didn't suffer the same WWII damage and subsequent unattractive replacement buildings. Vienna not so great for us, partly because of a heat wave and staying a long way from the center, partly because the glorification of the Habsburgs rings a little hollow in history, but the Kunsthistorisches Museum is world-class. Like Harold said, pick oranges, apples, or bananas. Can't help you re the train connections but others can and surely will.

Hi, Kristin. I wanted to make this decision, too, even though I was going to visit both cities, because I had decided to stay a week in one and only 3 days in the other. Having never been to either one before, I read everything I could get my hands on. Checked travel books out of the library. Scoured this website and the tripadvisor forums. Based on what I read I concluded that I would prefer Budapest (and then worried about whether I had made the right decision). Luckily, I somehow had reached the right decision for me. Absolutely loved Budapest. Would go back in a heartbeat. Prague, not so much. Three days was plenty. My daughter, who was with me, has no desire to return to Prague, ever (also, loves Budapest). I would go back for another 3 day trip now that I have been and know a few things. I want to see if using that knowledge allows me to enjoy it more. However, I have so many other places that I love, it isn't high on my list. All that said, I agree with those who say it is like preferring chocolate to vanilla, a personal preference. I like Budapest because it seems more "real" (less touristy) to me. Everyone seemed happy that we were there. Prague was extremely crowded. Not sure we saw anything other than tourist shops and tourists. Did go out really early some mornings when everyone else was asleep and it is incredibly beautiful, but I couldn't see that when things were actually open. Again, you have to treat all opinions as just that and like restaurant reviews, read between the lines and try to determine which is right for you. Or, the train isn't expensive and is very convenient, split your time between them and decide with first hand knowledge. Good luck!

Seems like this question appears every other week. Don't think there is a bad choice.

I was there in May this yr. I prefer Budapest. Budapest is more traditional and refined to me. The sights are better in general espec Parliament. Prague is more counter culture espec at night. It can be a little rowdy & crowded also.Costs are similiar and food was vg in both locations. Altho Prague is prob more walkable to the many sights if you stay central like the astronomical clock plaza. hope this helps.

We stayed very near the astronomical clock and to say it was "rowdy and crowded" would be an understatement. Every day when we left our apartment we were smack in the midst of huge crowds of large tours. Every night there were "pub crawls" and stag parties that trooped through our street (and under our window) until the wee hours of the morning. We were only there 3 nights and decided to find this "amusing and entertaining" since we could watch from above without being involved and closing double windows (almost) blocked out the noise. Not sure everyone would have had this reaction. I am sure that we would have enjoyed Prague more had we stayed in a different location. I wish I had truly understood the comments I read before I went. It didn't ruin our visit, but I feel like it meant that we didn't give Prague a fair chance so I hope that I can adequately communicate our experience for others.

Depending upon how much time you have, I would strongly recommend both. Budapest is good for a solid three to four full days. Prague, about the same. That is without daytrips. (My wife and I traveled to both on the same trip in May 2011). You might also consider one of the two cities plus smaller cities in the same country. Prague feels more German, Hungary more Austrian - for reasons of history and geography of course. Budapest is more authentic in the sense of not being totally overwhelmed, and your experience shaped by, the constant presence of mounds of other tourists. Budapest feels more off the beaten path. Everyone goes to Prague, but when we were in Budapest we saw very few Americans. Prague can be a little cynical about the tourists, and there are over the top tourist shops everywhere near the old town selling the same stuff. Prague is more expensive. Better sights to see in Prague, but to be clear, nothing approaching London/Paris/Rome -- not that every city should have to match up to those cities! The sights in Budapest are not that big of a deal, but it's a great place to just enjoy being there. We went to the Gellert Baths and it was just o.k. Memento Park and the Terror Museum are very worthy visits in Budapest. The cathedral, Mucha Museum, Museum of communism are really great visits in Prague. Be aware that there is much more of a seedy underbelly to Prague, and the stag parties mean masses of drunken young people on the street at night. Better food in Budapest, but the beer in Prague is very good (not great to my taste, but I am in the minority on that one). We especially enjoyed the Lobkowicz museum in Prague - wonderful boutique museum, though very pricey, with a great story to tell. I probably sound as if we did not like Prague -- we did very much, but it did feel like the city that has been loved too much. I will return to both, but Budapest is my favorite between the two.

I made a 12-day trip to Budapest-Vienna-Prague in June 2010, flying open-jaw. I added Vienna when I found out that the train from Budapest goes through there. My travel style is to try to keep going from morning to night, to see and do as much as possible, but at an easy no-rush pace. I had 3 full days, plus 2 more-than-1/2 days in Budapest, 2 full days and a long morning in Vienna, and 4 days in Prague (one of which was a day trip to Terezin). Budapest has lots of interesting places to see - museums and such, plus the baths, and really great wines (and cheap). Prague is prettier. Both have the flavor of Eastern Europe, while Vienna is much more Western. I liked them all and would have liked another day or two in each. Vienna seemed to me to be the most expensive, Budapest the least expensive. Intercity buses are a cheaper option and take about the same amount of time as the train. I prefer to travel in the evenings, using the daytime for sightseeing, so I took the train, since the buses were all in the daytime.

Prague is the prettiest of the former KuK cities, but sadly Prague also feels like Eurodisney these days. No Czech lives in the old town anymore, there are only embassies, hotels, restaurants (most often with "international" food) and souvenir shops, and the main sights are horribly crowded if you aren't there on a weekday in February. Unlike Prague Budapest is mainly a city of the 19th century. Not as pretty as Prague, but still very beautiful, but most of all: the city doesn't feel like built for mass tourism. People actually live in the city centre, there are all kind of shops, often with a great history (something you can't find in Prague) and food is better.
However: I like Vienna the most, which is between Prague and Budapest. IMHO Vienna combines the best of both other cities.

I had been told by many that Budapest was beautiful, but I prefer Prague. Perhaps I expected too much of Budapest. We took the overnight train from Budapest to Prague. A great experience, but not easy to sleep. Early morning in the Prague train station was a memorable experience.

Okay, so the results are From north to south Prague is BEST 3 Vienna is BEST 1 Budapest is BEST 4 They are all GOOD 3
Random Slam of Prague 1 They are all just different. Yes, Budapest is BEST, but you might have more fun at a less than BEST place. Some people are like that. I'm just kidding obviously. Go to all three, it makes for a very educational tirp. You will learn more about yourself and what interests you.

Thanks everyone, your replies have helped us very much! We're going to try and visit both, traveling to Budapest and then to Prague by train. They each sound beautiful. Thank you again!

All other things being equal i would say start in Prague and end in Budapest. Budapest is an easier town to decompress in before heading home. James
Helotes, TX