Having had the good fortune to visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest last month, I can honestly say that these three cities are very similar, yet very different, and each is a jewel that should be inspected closely.  Each has a fascinating history, and their histories frequently intertwine.  All three have made tremendous strides over recent years to make their city easily accessible to tourists of all kinds.  Everything from the food to the sights to the night life offer a great deal of diversity at all economic levels.

If fancy hotels are what make you tick, you can’t do better than the Four Seasons in Budapest,  the Mandarin Oriental or Four Seasons in Prague, and the Imperial or Bristol in Vienna.  Each has taken advantage of a breathtaking location and original historic architecture to create a very modern, comfortable ambience for its guests.  The Mandarin Oriental in Prague was originally a 14th century monastery that has been beautifully converted to a hotel; the architectural features are well preserved and offer unique spaces for comfortable visiting.  The Four Seasons in Budapest was originally an insurance building in the art nouveau style.  It sits at the foot of the Chain Bridge, spanning across the Danube between Pest and Buda.  The public spaces are gorgeous, filled with wrought iron and enormously high, arched ceiling.  Crystal chandeliers are everywhere.  The Bristol Hotel in Vienna is a small jewel; the rooms are spacious and luxurious.  They come equipped with the most up to date technology, as exhibited in the window blinds between the layers of glass, operated electronically from the bedside. Pretty neat when even your room has a crystal chandelier!

With a little exploring in each city, it is possible to find your own special places to stay. For example, in Prague, just by wandering around a corner killing time before a concert, I discovered the Hotel Aria.  It is a charming boutique hotel in an excellent location in the Little Quarter.  It backs up to a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Vrtbovska Gardens, which guests are free to access.  What sets it apart is the use of music as a theme.  Each floor is named after a different genre of music: opera, contemporary, classical, and jazz.  The rooftop restaurant, CODA, has spectacular views of the surrounding areas.  In a city that lives for music, this truly completes the circle for the lucky visitors who stay here.

Each city has a huge focus on music and each has a beautiful opera house.  I personally found the Prague Opera House to be spectacular and enjoyed a performance of Carmen there.  The opera houses in Budapest and Vienna only received guided tour visits from me; I was not interested in a 5.5 hour Wagner opera – just wanted to see the hall! Each tour described the history of opera and how it became the serious music-lovers event that it is today.  The accompanying social history made it even more interesting.
If you are a history buff, each destination offers tours on all subjects by very qualified and dedicated guides from all walks of life.  I took a tour of the Jewish Quarter in Vienna led by an older gentleman who was on his fourth or fifth career.  His depth of knowledge was most impressive and his ability to answer questions and tie time frames in history together was wonderful.  He also exhibited knowledge of surrounding areas and countries, which, in that part of the world, is essential to getting a realistic historical perspective. 

In Prague, I was treated to a walking tour that encompassed the Castle Quarter, the Old Town area, Wenceslas Square, both St Nicholas churches, the Charles Bridge, as well as other sites.  The point here is that Prague is a walking city – everywhere you go, there are worthwhile sites to see, and there is no reason to travel any other way than on foot.  The walking tour in Budapest actually made use of the subway, which was quick and fun, and THEN a lot of walking!  We managed to see all the major sites, some in depth, in about 3.5 hours.  Our guide was a young student who, again, was very well prepared on her subject and very proud of her city.

Traveling from one city to another by rail is quick and efficient.  The newer trains offer great speed and enhanced service and comfort.  The older trains are certainly serviceable as well.   Rail stations are not meant for lingering – there is little comfort, or food, available at the stations I experienced.  Bring snacks!

English is widely spoken, though there are many places where the people are not comfortable speaking to you even though they understand what you have asked or stated.  Lots of menus have photos, which is helpful.  The main staple in each of these cities is meat, then potatoes, then more meat and potatoes.  Goulash is not just goulash – there is Hungarian, there is Czech, there is goulash with noodles, and goulash that has no noodles.  Then some noodles are lovingly handmade and it takes forever for the meal to appear at the table, while other noodles apparently don’t receive so much love and appear under the meat much more quickly.  If you are not a meat eater, you may have some difficulty. 

One night in a very popular restaurant in central Budapest, I ordered chicken and was eventually told that “the chicken was no more”.  Be careful with fish as some of these destinations are unable to supply fresh fish other than what is locally caught.  Salmon and some of the other U.S. fish staples are shipped from very far away and are never fresh.  Wine, on the other hand, is plentiful;  there are lots of vineyards, all of which produce relatively mediocre but acceptable drinking wine - helps to keep the cost down.  Each city did have many types of restaurants from which to choose – Italian, French, Indian, etc.  Some restaurants continue to exist simply because of the views they are lucky enough to offer.  Other restaurants are in little nooks and crannies of the old city streets and simply locating them is a worthwhile adventure. Great trip – great destination.  Favorite – Prague!  Why?  Very vibrant city with lots of romantic aspects. Great for a family trip, a honeymoon or just rounding out your history education. - Gayle Pierce