Need Travel Advice: Vienna, Budapest,Prague

Parent Cafe
5

<p>In addition to what geezermom said:
(We used to live in Vienna, my recollections are a couple years old and from the point of view of an ‘expat’, so YMMV.)</p>

<p>I like the Albertina, beautiful palace and renovated drawing museum. Try the Augustinerkeller in the ‘keller’ (cellar), atmosphere and charm unbeatable, food so-so. The Belvedere has the famous Klimts, including “The Kiss”.</p>

<p>Visit the Naschmarkt for lots of local flavor (it is an open-air food market), and check out the buildings around it – lots of that gorgeous Vienna Secessionist architecture.</p>

<p>Take a Fiaker ride around the city. This is not cheap, but well worth it. Don’t forget your video camera. </p>

<p>Eat Schnitzel at Figlmueller. The Schnitzel is bigger than your plate, really. This was my kids’ favorite restaurant. Better to reserve a table, and of course they speak English.</p>

<p>Some info here:</p>

<p>[Restaurants</a> in the Old City - Vienna waits for you](<a href=“http://www.vienna.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/viennese-cuisine/restaurants/vienneses-cuisine-old-city]Restaurants”>http://www.vienna.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/viennese-cuisine/restaurants/vienneses-cuisine-old-city)</p>

<p>While wandering around downtown, stop in for a coffee and a Mont Blanc at Gerstner. This is a famous Viennese coffee house.</p>

<p>Take the (I think #35?) bus up to Neustift-am-Wald, or the streetcar to Grinzing, to have dinner at a Heuriger. The Heurigers are wine-producers that have restaurants, believe me, it is a very Viennese thing to do to go to a Heuriger. If you go to Grinzing, one of the Beethoven houses is up there, and there is a Figlmueller there too.</p>

<p>Sacher Hotel for the famous Sacher torte. Not my favorite chocolate cake in the world, but you have to do this once in Vienna.</p>

<p>Instead of a Spanish Riding School Performance, try to attend a ‘Morning Exercise’. We thought this was fascinating, watching the riders put the Lippizaners through their paces.</p>

<p>I know this is the opposite direction from Budapest, but if you have time, zip over to Salzburg. There is always a lot to do there, music festivals in the Schloss, etc., it’s a lovely town, and if nothing else, you can always do the “Sound of Music” tour. The Mozart Geburtshaus is very interesting. The Marionette Theater is wonderful, and not necessarily for kids. </p>

<p>Try to get to Melk and see the Abbey (they filmed “Name of the Rose” there). All of Tirol/Sudtirol is magical. We stayed in a Bauernhof owned by the same family for 400 years (will see if I can find the name). Detour to the ‘Silent Night’ chapel, where that carol was composed.</p>

<p>Save your opera-going for Prague (we found the Vienna Staatsoper and Volksoper stuffy, expensive and too formal for us). The opera in Prague is performed in a little jewel-box opera house, is astonishingly inexpensive, and the performances first-rate. Also in Prague, the Castle with bears in the moat, the Mucha museum, and inexpensive and beautiful crystal to buy (we bought a beautiful 12-light chandelier for around $250 all packed in a box for export). I would stay downtown if at all possible, as close to City Center as you can. We did that twice (the SAS Radisson) and stayed in a b & B another time, but it was a pain getting into and out of the city at the B & B. You will see Franz Kafka’s face everywhere, but I never saw any cockroaches big or small! (lol)</p>

<p>I think I’d skip Hungary and spend more time in South Bohemia to-from Vienna-Prague. Hluboka Castle (if you’re not castled-out after Austria!), this is really how it looks:
<a href=“http://www.krumlovtours.com/images/VYLETY/hluboka_cely_zamek.jpg[/url]”>http://www.krumlovtours.com/images/VYLETY/hluboka_cely_zamek.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
And one of my very favorite places in Europe:
[url=<a href=“Photogallery OIS Český Krumlov”>Highlights]Highlights[/url</a>]
Cesky Krumlov. Anyone who’s been there would understand.</p>

<p>You could always do one of those Danube cruises that take you from Bavaria to Budapest, you will see quite a few spectacular things on the way.</p>

<p>And don’t forget – in Austria they don’t say ‘Guten Tag’, they say ‘Gruess Gott’.</p>

<p>Viel Glueck und Gute Reise!</p>