Vienna or Prague ??

upperoilcan

Here goes,It's mrs Oilcans 40th birthday in a few months an im going to take her away.....

Which one guys out of the above two ?

Reasons please......

LeicesterLad

Depends what you want? Class - Vienna, Cheap beer and a stag party - Prague.

TommyEss

Yeah, Prague's got some lovely architecture, but Vienna's got that added, je n'sais pas - it's Vienna man, and it's her 40th!

If it were me, I'd be leaning towards Vienna.

daviesee

Unless you are interested in the music aspect I would say Prague.
I have been to both and it is the one I would go back to.

One provision.
Go Monday to Friday to avoid the stags, hens & yoofs.

Reasons?
So, so picturesque.
Cheap beer and food. It doesn't have to be "cheap" either there are some superb restaurants at reasonable prices.
The weather is fine.
It is small and compact making everything within easy walking distances.
If you are there for an extended period local transport will take you places quickly, cheaply and efficiently.
So on, so on......

Pross

Prague - it got a reputation as a stag venue a few years back but I think that has died out a bit as prices have gone up and the stags have moved further east.

I can highly recommend this place http://www.goldenwell.cz/ if your budget is up to it for a special treat, I went there for an anniversary a few years back (don't confuse it with the similarly named U Zlate Studny which still gets decent reviews but isn't as high a standard from the sound of things). It is right in the grounds of the castle.

I took the Mrs to Swan Lake at the National Theatre, there's usually an opera or ballet on there if your other half is that way inclined, it isn't something I would usually bother with but the music and scenery was superb and the sacrifice was well appreciated!

Cleat Eastwood

Lets cut to the chase here, you're obviously gonna be getting the full works so would you rather be banging your missus with this is view




or this



I can tell you from experience its the latter, hehe, but treat her to something different.

upperoilcan

Lol !! And thanks for the replies,luckily for us we will be flying out on a Monday and returning on a Thursday so should I choose Prague then I will miss all the sillyness !! Tbh I am leaning towards Prague but I need to learn more about Vienna.

Saying that I'm also open to other suggestions within Europe.

cornerblock

:shock:

tim_wand

It means nothing to me Oh Vienna.

Seriously if your going mid week then Prague, Vienna is possibly the most expensive place I ve ever been in Europe.

CambsNewbie

Never been to Prague but went to Vienna just before Christmas and it's is beautiful. Loved it.

Agree it's expensive, went to a bar and managed to spend 150 euros on drinks for 2!!!! Yes we got drunk but weren't hammered!

But still loved it. Don't know if it was the Christmas spirit but the people seemed very friendly as well.

RideOnTime

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

Lets cut to the chase here, you're obviously gonna be getting the full works so would you rather be banging your missus with this is view




or this



I can tell you from experience its the latter, hehe, but treat her to something different.

They won't be there again...

squeeler

I went with the lads so knew which areas to avoid when I went the year after with the wife and she loved it. It's not difficult at all to avoid the seedier side of prague, just make sure you go with a guide book. As for Vienna, never been so can't comment, but I bet there are shit areas there too.

daviesee

As an addition to my earlier post - check out both online and choose what you prefer (within budget).
You can't really go wrong with either :P

finchy

Both are really beautiful cities, but tbh I'd put Budapest over either of these 2 - better food, cheaper, you can visit the thermal baths and there are some other very nice places to visit within easy striking distance (Esztergom, Visegrad).

upperoilcan

Thanks for that John,i will take a look into Budapest,it's one that didnt even cross my mind.

blim

Tricky: we went to Prague for our honeymoon, but I'd probably rather go back to Vienna. Vienna is much grander, Prague a bit more fairy-tale, and cheaper. Both are lovely.

garrynolan

I did this... fly to Budapest - lovely city. Train to Bratislava (about 3 hours and cheap) - really beautiful city. Train to Vienna (30 - 40 minutes) - only there for half a day but mightily impressed. Train back to Budapest - but could fly home from Vienna. Winged it for the trains and hotels and had no problems. Worth a punt?

verylonglegs

Only contribution I can offer is that I was told Vienna is a bit dull. And this came from a friend who visits places for culture rather than potential of getting bladdered, he just said it was a little bit too staid.

finchy

verylonglegs wrote:

Only contribution I can offer is that I was told Vienna is a bit dull. And this came from a friend who visits places for culture rather than potential of getting bladdered, he just said it was a little bit too staid.

Depends when the OP is going. It gets quite lively in summer.

finchy

garrynolan wrote:

I did this... fly to Budapest - lovely city. Train to Britislava (about 3 hours and cheap) - really beautiful city. Train to Vienna (30 - 40 minutes) - only there for half a day but mightily impressed. Train back to Budapest - but could fly home from Vienna. Winged it for the trains and hotels and had no problems. Worth a punt?

Bratislava is another nice place, but probably not much good for more than a weekend. I lived there for 6 months and luckily I had a bike, 'cos the city isn't exactly overloaded with tourist attractions (although the few they do have are attractive).

garrynolan

johnfinch wrote:

garrynolan wrote:

I did this... fly to Budapest - lovely city. Train to Britislava (about 3 hours and cheap) - really beautiful city. Train to Vienna (30 - 40 minutes) - only there for half a day but mightily impressed. Train back to Budapest - but could fly home from Vienna. Winged it for the trains and hotels and had no problems. Worth a punt?

Bratislava is another nice place, but probably not much good for more than a weekend. I lived there for 6 months and luckily I had a bike, 'cos the city isn't exactly overloaded with tourist attractions (although the few they do have are attractive).

Fair point - probably should have said I did this trip over 2 nights and it was easy. A few extra hours in Bratislava and Vienna would have been nice so I think the 4 days would be about right.

MountainMonster

Vienna all the way man, the town is not huge, but public transport is abundant. Many many world class buildings, museums and such to go to. You have the International Riding School there for the people who are into Horses, which is the most prestigous school available for that. Opera house is lovely, all of Vienna is lovely, you have an amusement park in the town if you wish to go to that when it is open, and nothing takes more than 15 minutes on the public transport from one end of town to the other to get to.

Plus the food is amazing.

If you are interested in traveling a bit while there, I recommend riding down to St. Pölten ( 10.80 euros I think per person each way with the train) then catching the Mariazeller Bahn down to Mariazell. Lovely 1930s or 40s train, through the mountains to a remote mountain town which is often stunning weather.

Alot to do in the area!

Trickyh

I'd say Prague over Vienna every time.. But then I do have a soft spot for Prague... It was much better in the nineties at 10p a pint and the tourist areas in Stare/Nove Mesto were a lot quieter.

If it was money no object then Vienna has more class, but I personally find it a bit staid.

HTH!

Rich

jc4lab

If you are both cyclists you can get guided bike rides of Prague with bike hire after but you prob find the streets narrow cobbly and in parts very crowded in the centre..DIy cycling afterwards you can get some decent cycling and wonderful views of the city from a high vantage points on the path that follows the river ..I like this type of tour and have done lots in europe but they may not be your thing But you can simply hire bikes and DIy instead.I used this one.
http://www.citybike-prague.com/prague-bike-tours/

Also there's..

http://www.prahabike.cz/

Krakow is another similar city with plenty for the culture vulture..

andyb78

johnfinch wrote:

Both are really beautiful cities, but tbh I'd put Budapest over either of these 2 - better food, cheaper, you can visit the thermal baths and there are some other very nice places to visit within easy striking distance (Esztergom, Visegrad).

+1. Prague's lovely, and cheap. Vienna's lovely, and expensive! I preferred Budapest over both though.

upperoilcan

Thanks guys for the replies,

I now have a spanner in the works as some of my colleague's have put Rome in the mix and ive gotta say that it looks fantastic....(Mind you they all do).....lol

cornerblock

Not sure if this is a surprise trip for mrs Oilcans 40th, if it isn't then why not put all the options to her, see which one she fancies. Tis her birthday after all. And if it is the wrong choice? Well she only has herself to blame! Hope you both have a great time wherever you go.

finchy

upperoilcan wrote:

I now have a spanner in the works as some of my colleague's have put Rome in the mix and ive gotta say that it looks fantastic....(Mind you they all do).....lol

Rome is nice, but extremely crowded (except for some of the ancient monuments) and the food is hideously overpriced. We went in May, and I've never been in such a tight crush as the Sistine Chapel. Florence is a better destination and it even has market stalls dedicated to nothing but cycling jerseys. 8)

APIII

I think Rome is a great choice. Of all the Italian cities, it's still my favourite. touristy, yes, but romantic, and the centre is pretty compact for sightseeing. it's easy to get good food if you know where to look. Prague is also lovely, my wife loves it, it still has a lot of charm despite the stag and hens. I haven't been to Vienna, Budapest or Bratislava for years, but of the 3 I liked Budapest the most. Buda, the old part of the city was fantastic. Bratislava was beautiful but very small, so you would run out of things to do quite quickly. It may well have changed though!

Pross

Ha that's the two European cities I have most enjoyed on your list then. Really difficult to choose but if you haven't been to Rome then I'd say it just edges it because of the shear amount of things to see there.

yocto

If you go to Vienna make sure you go to the Schonbrunn palace. Both the palace and grounds are pretty amazing (though I imagine the grounds are better in the summer).