Visiting Central Europe Capitals: Budapest, Vienna and Prague

After a two hour flight from Stockholm I found myself in a much nicer weather. I checked in on an Airbnb on the Pest side of the city. That first night I took a walk on the neighborhood to find the St. Stephen's basilica and then took the tram 2 that goes along the Danube. Next morning was time to explore the Danube but this time on a river cruise, it is possible to see many of Budapest's main landmarks: the chain bridge, the Buda castle and the magnificent Hungarian parliament. For lunch I wanted to try some true local food so I headed for the Budapest main historic market. A very nice place to see some of the local ingredients and souvenirs. I can recommend going there in the morning since it gets too crowded around lunch time. On my last day in Budapest I climbed the citadella looking for a broad view of the city. Later I took a walk up to the castle district to see the Fisherman’s bastion and the Matthias church. 

I took the train from Budapest to Vienna, I stayed in a hotel about 40 min south of the main train station. On my first day I visited the Schönbrunn palace home of the Augsburg empire. The gardens are free to visit, but to enter the palace it is required to buy a tour. Fortunately the weather was just perfect, so I could deeply explore the palace’s gardens, forests and the Orangery. That night I ended up going to a Strauss and Mozart concert in the palace mirror hall, it was a time traveling experience, I wasn’t dressed for the occasion though. Next day I headed to the city centre and I took a look at the Stephansdom before entering the catacombs where some Imperial treasures and walls of stacked bones. I finished my day by visiting the museum's quartier where I found a very welcoming young vibe and a good display of Vienna's avant garde art scene.

I took the train from Vienna to Prague. Once in Prague’s central station I took an Uber to my hotel. This was one of the craziest rides in my life, (and I am used to chaotic Bogotá taxi drivers) sidewalks, grass, construction sites were all roads for this driver, later he told me he used to be an ambulance driver. From the hotel I took a random tram to get a glimpse of the city vibe and escape the pouring rain. Later that night I crossed the Charles bridge enjoying the artists and musicians on it. For the next day I walked up the Hrad to see the Prague castle, and climbed to the top of st. Nicholas church tower to see the sunset. I also went to see the famous dancing house and the old time square with its church and the notable towers that seem to be a Prague staple. Also the Astronomical clock was a rarity worth checking out. The line for the Prague castle complex is so long it’s almost not worth it, I recommend buying tickets in advance if possible.