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dolorosa_12My wedding is fast approaching, and while I think Matthias and I have that under control (it'd be a bit late if we were still running around planning it, given the wedding is in two and a half weeks, after all!), we've only barely begun planning our honeymoon. All the flights and accommodation are booked, but we haven't yet started to plan what we actually want to do in the places we'll be visiting: Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. That's where you come in.
I had great success earlier this year asking my Dreamwidth circle for recommendations for things to do in Iceland when visiting with my mother -- people made fantastic suggestions, and the two of us were able to put together a good itinerary, and we had a fabulous time. Does anyone have similar suggestions to make for any of the three cities Matthias and I will be visiting?
Things we like:
- art galleries, museums, cool old buildings/architecture. We wouldn't want to spend the entire time doing nothing but visiting museums, but one or two in each city would be nice.
- walking, especially in quirky/pretty/interesting parts of cities we've never seen.
- good food and drink. He likes beer, but will probably have done investigations of his own and have that covered. I like coffee.
If anyone has knowledge regarding public transport (if there's some kind of 24-hour travel pass or the like, or if we need to pay on buses with exact change, or other local quirks to public transport systems), that would also be super helpful. In all three cities we'll be staying in hotels that are reasonably central. We will be in each place for roughly two full days and three nights.
Thanks in advance!
I had great success earlier this year asking my Dreamwidth circle for recommendations for things to do in Iceland when visiting with my mother -- people made fantastic suggestions, and the two of us were able to put together a good itinerary, and we had a fabulous time. Does anyone have similar suggestions to make for any of the three cities Matthias and I will be visiting?
Things we like:
- art galleries, museums, cool old buildings/architecture. We wouldn't want to spend the entire time doing nothing but visiting museums, but one or two in each city would be nice.
- walking, especially in quirky/pretty/interesting parts of cities we've never seen.
- good food and drink. He likes beer, but will probably have done investigations of his own and have that covered. I like coffee.
If anyone has knowledge regarding public transport (if there's some kind of 24-hour travel pass or the like, or if we need to pay on buses with exact change, or other local quirks to public transport systems), that would also be super helpful. In all three cities we'll be staying in hotels that are reasonably central. We will be in each place for roughly two full days and three nights.
Thanks in advance!
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Date: 2017-07-18 07:43 pm (UTC)If you enjoy Art Nouveau, the Mucha museum (even if tourist-y) is really good and has quiet a few works that show a side of Mucha's work that is not well known (Winter Night is haunting ...).
The Jewish museum is worth the visit but price-y if you don't plan to spend all the day there which is easily doable but may not be the thing to do if you only have two days in the city. It is also, in parts, very depressing, so maybe also just not the best for a honeymoon.
Charles' bridge is a lot more beautiful at night. During the day walking towards the Dancing House is worth the half an hour detour; if you do not walk along the river but a street or a few further in, there is a ton of beautiful Art Nouveua buildings, they are simply everywhere.
The Trdelnik (a kind of baked goods, you'll see what I mean once you are in there) in the center are awful. There is a small booth at the square in front of the municipal house where they are good. And there was a cafe on the other end of the Charles Bridge, but I can't find it ...
We never needed public transport while in the city, it's all very much walkable. My favorite food place in the city center is "U Tří růží" - it's a small local brewery where I've been overall five times or so and the food was always good (and sometimes amazing) and reasonable priced and my partner loved their beer (I've been told that it's comparatively sweet, so malty I assume ...? I don't drink beer, so I don't know; the opposite of an IPA I've been told). They do somewhat more modern takes on Czech cuisine. If you want to go fancy (but still pay a lot less than in the city), there is this place: http://www.nakopci.com/ It has a Bib Michelin, but is still very much down to Earth. That's the one exception where one has to take public transport (it's really far off), but they do Czech cuisine in simply amazing for something like 35-40 Euros for a full set menu + wine + a cocktail to start off (+ extra starter/soup, which we totally did not need but we all really wanted to try).
Oh, and if you can find a place that serves honey cake (medovnik), get a piece. It's soooo good.
Erm, sorry for the wall of text. I hope you enjoy your travels <3 <3 <3
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Date: 2017-07-19 01:37 pm (UTC)Thanks also for the tips about the bridge and other good places to walk.
Your food recommendations are SUPER helpful. I'll bear in mind what you've said about the Trdelnik and medovnik. I've told Matthias what you said about U Tří růží, which sounds very much like the sort of place we would like to go. Like you, I'm not a beer drinker, but if the food is good I'm happy to go there! Nakopci sounds amazing (especially the set menu). I imagine you have to book in advance, so I'll discuss with Matthias whether we want to go.
You've been really helpful, so thank you very much!
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Date: 2017-07-18 08:40 pm (UTC)Public transport: There are tickets for 48 or 72 hours, these would probably be best unless your destinations are all in the central district and you don't mind walking. You can buy them at terminals at every underground station.
There's also the "Vienna card" for 24, 48 or 72 hours, which is more expensive but also gives you reduced entry at several museums, but it's probably only worth it if you plan to do a lot of stuff. (This site has more information and also general info for tourists.) How many different destinations do you want to plan?
Museums: I love the museum of natural history, and if you go up to the roof you also have a very nice view. The museum of art history is also very impressive (and right next to it; unfortunately it looks like they don't offer tours including the roof.) The Albertina is often good, though I don't know their current exhibitions yet. There's also the Schatzkammer, the Imperial Treasury, if that's something that interests you. (There's of course also Schloss Schönbrunn itself, but I haven't been in a long time and have no idea if the museum itself is any good.)
For walking: Depending on when you're here, the Volksgarten has beautiful roses. You could also just walk along the Ringstraße, there are beautiful buildings left and right (or take the tram along it.) Or walk straight through the central district, ideally with ice cream, various routes depending on what you like to see. If you are interested in catacombs, there are also options, and there is a famous "The Third Man" tour through the sewers that I've wanted to do for ages but somehow never have.
A few places that are nice for walks, but not quite central: one of my favorite churches, the Otto Wagner church, and the surrounding area, for example. The Central Cemetery is also very nice for walks and there are a few graves of famous people (I don't remember if the graves are actually impressive, I usually use the other gates.) Also the area around Schönbrunn palace.
If you like coffee you should definitely try at least one of the "classic" Viennese coffee houses. The Café Central is the most famous, but probably also the most expensive and sometimes packed with tourists, and there are several others in the first district alone. I don't frequent them often enough to have favorites.
Let me know if you have more questions :)
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Date: 2017-07-19 01:45 pm (UTC)Thanks for the tips about public transport. We're pretty good walkers, but I guess it will depend how far apart things are, and it's good to know they can be bought everywhere.
That tip about the roof of the natural history museum is very helpful, so thank you! I think in terms of museums/galleries we wouldn't want to go to more than one per day, so we'll just decide what sounds most appealling and pick those. I also love your walking suggestions.
A visit to a coffee house was definitely on my list, but I'll try to investigate further so as not to end up in one that's flooded with tourists, although I suspect all will be a bit overpriced.
Thank you so much for your suggestions, and I'm sorry that we're not likely to be there long enough to meet up. If it weren't a honeymoon, I'd suggest it anyway, but do let me know if you're ever going to be in the UK and we can try to catch up there!
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Date: 2017-07-19 05:29 pm (UTC)Also, do you like biking? Vienna has a very good Citybike system and most areas are good for bikes, so that might also be an option.
It's a pity if there's no time to meet up, but I'm definitely planning to visit the UK again and hopefully it'll work out then :)
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Date: 2017-07-20 03:43 pm (UTC)I can ride a bike, but I haven't done so in more than fifteen years, and I really don't think vehicles and I should mix!
Sounds good in terms of meeting up at some point!
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Date: 2017-07-18 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 01:32 pm (UTC)Thanks for the recommendations!