Prague or Budapest?

Anto318

Hi all,

I am taking my girlfriend that I can't decide whether to go to Prague or Budapest for 1 week. We about both 24 and I am looking for a hotel less than €100 per night somewhere close to the city center as we want to go out most nights so information on nightlife would be great.

Also I would like to take her to a day spa on maybe two days.

If anyone could give me their opinion on where to go and where people have stayed it would be great.

I don't really have any preference where we go if you can tell me where you would choose I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
AM

P. Breathnach

What this boils down to is people telling you which city they prefer.

Prague wins for postcard views (not that many, really, but they really are outstanding); Budapest, in my opinion, wins for everything else -- value for money, range of things to see and do, food quality and variey, and spas (of course, because the city grew up around hot springs). I can't comment on nightlife, because I'm not in your age group.

There is a thing about Prague that I don't like: I have never been anywhere else where people have tried so much to rip me off. It's usually in a small way, by padding bills with things you didn't order or receive, or by adding things up wrongly. And that's without mentioning taxi drivers!

In my experience, the best accommodation deals in Budapest are apartments, and there are plenty available to choose from.

Raekwon

I have been to both and I have to say that they are both really beautiful and in some ways quite similar (lovely castles over looking the river, nice bridges/buildings etc) but Prague has gone really touristy over the last few years and the prices are beginning to reflect that. Budapest, on the other hand, is cheaper and won't be as over crowded with tourists but considering you are both 24 I think Prague would probably interest you more, mainly because the nightlife in Prague is miles better then in Budapest.

Btw Taxi drivers in any Eastern European city will try and fleece you!

P. Breathnach

Raekwon wrote: »

Btw Taxi drivers in any Eastern European city will try and fleece you!

It can happen in Dublin, too!

In Prague, they are not regulated, and practice reflects that. A local told me that he would pay about 20% of what the average tourist is charged.

In Budapest, they are regulated, and practice reflects that. Taxis that ply for hire on the streets generally charge the highest permitted rate; taxis that operate on a call-out basis generally charge a good deal less.

One more quibble: the people in Prague and Budapest regard themselves as living in Central, rather than Eastern, Europe.

Raekwon

P. Breathnach wrote:

It can happen in Dublin, too!

Oh of course it can, and it does, but everything is expensive in Dublin so it comes with the territory.

Prague is famous for its crazy taxi prices. The mayor of Prague actually went undercover posing as a tourist to see the real extent of the rip-off of the taxi's in his city (link)

Budapest is nearly just as bad though. We got a taxi from the airport for around €20 and the return trip (same route) cost us nearly €40. You just have to have your wits about you and set a price before you get into a taxi.

P. Breathnach wrote:

One more quibble: the people in Prague and Budapest regard themselves as living in Central, rather than Eastern, Europe.

My girlfriend is Czech and she laughs when Eastern Europeans call themselves Central Europeans. The example she gave me was that her work colleague is Polish and she insisted that she is from Central Europe (Poland) and not from Eastern Europe. The same person is from Finglas but insists that they are from Glasnevin. See the pattern there?

A quick rule of thumb: if it was part of the former Eastern Bloc during The Cold War then it is Eastern Europe. Central Europe would traditionally be made up of counties like Switzerland, Germany, Austria etc.

CantGetNoSleep

When we were in Budapest it was cheaper to have your accomodation call a taxi rather than flag one down on the street

We were there on a Thursday night in September and had a list of about 5 nightclubs which were recommendations from our friends, other people who had been there and guide books. We had a crazy little taxi driver who didnt speak a word of English and would just have a peak around the corner whenever he saw a red light and go for it if he didnt see anything coming.

Anyway all the nightclubs were closed, but they looked to be cool from the outside. We eventually found one but decided not to go in as it looked to be a bit gothy. We couldn't explain to the taxi driver to take us back to our hostel so ended up just getting out then, but the taxi only came to about €6 which I was amazed at given that we were in it for nearly an hour i'd say.

Apart from that I thought Budapest was very nice

Azhrei

It depends on what you're looking for... but what I can say about Budapest is that it's a tremendously old and beautiful city that is very cheap to boot. Get yourselves a weekly ticket at the metro, so you can basically take all forms of public transport for the week - metro, buses, and trams.It's cheap to buy, and the only ever checked our tickets once every four or five times at metro stops during our three week visit. Only trains are excluded from this, as they travel outside the city. The city has some excellent restaurants, particularly the area around Kossuth Lajos Ter, where the amazing Parliament building is located. Be sure to visit the beautiful Margaret Island, which is right in the middle between Buda and Pest.

Take one day out of your itinerary to travel by train to Lake Balaton, it's a very beautiful place to go. There are loads of castles, palaces (make sure to visit Buda Castle and St. Istvan's Basilica) and very beautiful villages and towns in the nearby surrounding areas of Budapest (Ezstergom is a good example, and try the famous wines in Eger!), and you can take a leisurely boat ride back to Budapest. The food is different but you'll grow to like it, they seem to love smothering everything with paprika. There are restaurants like MacDonald's and the like if you don't! Most of the people under the age of thirty speak English, while some of the older people do, most of them speak only Hungarian and Russian.

The city has, as every city does, it's bad spots, but you will see them a mile away and it's very easy to avoid them (they're mostly on the outskirts). Accommodation is fantastically cheap (we got an apartment with a balcony in one of the side streets off Kossuth Lajos Ter, with a view of the Parliament building)... you can either get an apartment or try the Feher Hotel, which is incredibly cheap. It's actually a hostel but it's a million times better than any hostel I've seen in Ireland! They serve excellent food and drink, and they're so cheap you won't believe it (we got ourselves a large, five-bed bedroom with kitchen and bathroom for almost nothing). The people are, by and large, extremely friendly, and the weather can vary (I was there in May and the temperature was 39 degrees, my sister went in November and the river Danube had frozen!).

I don't know much about Prague, but I know I'll be going back to Budapest some day. Such an incredible place

P. Breathnach

Raekwon wrote: »

Prague is famous for its crazy taxi prices. The mayor of Prague actually went undercover posing as a tourist to see the real extent of the rip-off of the taxi's in his city (link)

Budapest is nearly just as bad though. We got a taxi from the airport for around €20 and the return trip (same route) cost us nearly €40. You just have to have your wits about you and set a price before you get into a taxi.

I had the experience in Prague of a taxi driver trying to charge almost twice the rate that we had agreed before we started the journey. I won the argument on the simple basis that the money was in my pocket and it stayed there.

I don't know if you were ripped off in Budapest or simply charged the highest legal rate, which is high enough. Zona Taxi, the only operator permitted to take you from the airport, will actually take you out to the airport for a little less than the fare into the city. They do this because they are assured a return fare. See http://www.bud.hu/english/transport/taxi .

Is Berlin in Eastern Europe?

Anto318

Thank you for all your comments and advice, I am still trying to decide where would be best to go but please keep all your advice coming as I am really interested in hearing what you have to say.

Azhrei

I forgot one thing when posting yesterday; you mentioned a spa? There's a famous Turkish Baths building in Budapest, right in the city centre. I didn't go there myself but the girls did and really loved it.

CantGetNoSleep

Azhrei wrote: »

I forgot one thing when posting yesterday; you mentioned a spa? There's a famous Turkish Baths building in Budapest, right in the city centre. I didn't go there myself but the girls did and really loved it.

Yeah I went there too it was great, can't think of the name of it off hand

Anto318

Is the Turkish bath Szechenyi Bath. I think I am going to book Budapest, I will be taking her I think the 2nd week of September.

Has anyone stayed in Hotel Kalvin House, can anyone recommend it or recommend another hotel in/near the centre of the city.

I really appreciate all your adivce

Azhrei

Szechenyi sounds about right... you'll know it instantly when you see the roof, it's very distinctive, hehe. I stayed in the Feher Hotel for a few days which is on a street right next to Kalvin Ter, very cheap but very nice. I'm not sure what other hotels there are because for the rest of our time we stayed in an apartment. You could try the Gellert Hotel in Buda but it looked a bit expensive... but I have no idea really.

P. Breathnach

I can't comment on Kalvin House, but is does well enough on Tripadvisor reviews. See http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g274887-d288064-Reviews-Hotel_Kalvin_House-Budapest.html

It's a good location.