← Back home
Guide

Prague vs Budapest: Which City for Your Weekend?

Prague or Budapest for a weekend? Honest comparison of cost, food, nightlife, and what makes each city worth it — plus a clear verdict.

The Quick Answer

Budapest wins for most people. It’s cheaper, the food scene is better, the thermal baths make it feel unique, and the nightlife has more range. Prague is stunning — maybe more photogenic — but it’s overrun with tourists in the main areas, more expensive, and the Czech food doesn’t match Hungarian cuisine.

But. If you care most about fairy-tale architecture and compact walkability, Prague edges ahead. It’s a smaller, tighter city where everything worth seeing sits within a 30-minute walk.

That’s the short version. Here’s the full breakdown.

Cost: Budapest Wins Clearly

Let’s get concrete with daily budgets for a weekend (mid-range travel, not hostels but not luxury):

Prague Daily Costs

  • Accommodation: €60-100/night for a decent hotel (Vinohrady or Žižkov neighborhoods)
  • Food: €25-40/day (€8-12 lunch, €15-25 dinner, coffee/snacks)
  • Beer: €2.50-4 per half-liter in a pub, €5-7 in touristy spots
  • Transit: €15 for 3-day pass
  • Total: €100-160/day

Budapest Daily Costs

  • Accommodation: €50-80/night (District VII or District VI)
  • Food: €20-35/day (€6-10 lunch, €12-20 dinner, coffee/snacks)
  • Beer: €1.50-3 per half-liter in a ruin pub, €4-5 in fancier places
  • Thermal bath entry: €20-25 (Széchenyi or Gellért)
  • Transit: €17 for 72-hour pass
  • Total: €90-140/day

Budapest is 10-20% cheaper across the board. The gap widens if you’re on a tighter budget — Prague’s hostel scene isn’t meaningfully cheaper than Budapest’s, but Budapest’s cheap eats (lángos, market halls) beat Prague’s tourist traps disguised as Czech restaurants.

Food & Drink: Budapest by a Mile

Prague’s Food Scene

Czech food is… fine. Hearty, meat-heavy, built for cold winters. You’ll eat a lot of pork, dumplings, and goulash (which is actually better in Hungary, because it’s from Hungary).

What to eat:

  • Svíčková (beef sirloin in cream sauce) at Lokál — this is the one Czech dish that really delivers
  • Trdelník (sweet pastry) — touristy but whatever, it tastes good
  • Open-faced sandwiches (chlebíčky) at Místo

Where to drink:

The beer is world-class. Pilsner Urquell, Kozel, Staropramen — all solid. But beyond beer, Prague’s food scene doesn’t inspire much enthusiasm.

Budapest’s Food Scene

Hungarian food is bold, paprika-heavy, and genuinely exciting. Goulash here actually tastes like something. Lángos (fried dough with sour cream and cheese) is dangerously addictive. Chimney cake (kürtőskalács) beats trdelník. And the market halls make you feel like you’re discovering something real, not performing tourism.

What to eat:

Where to drink:

Budapest’s food is more interesting, more affordable, and more varied. Prague’s food scene isn’t bad, but it’s not a reason to visit.

Nightlife: Budapest Has More Range

Prague

Prague’s nightlife centers on Old Town and Žižkov. Old Town is stag-party central — loud, messy, full of drunk British tourists. Not charming.

Žižkov has better bars with actual locals. Try Bukowski’s Bar or PoHodě. The vibe is dive-y and unpretentious.

For clubs: Karlovy Lázně is a massive 5-floor tourist trap. Skip it. Cross Club is better — industrial, underground, weird art installations. Roxy and MeetFactory book decent DJs.

Prague’s nightlife is fine but not memorable. The beer halls close by 11pm. The clubs feel either too touristy or trying too hard to be edgy.

Budapest

Budapest’s nightlife is layered. You’ve got ruin pubs (unique to Budapest), rooftop bars, dive bars, techno clubs, jazz bars, and thermal bath parties.

Ruin pubs are the main draw — old buildings converted into chaotic bars with mismatched furniture, graffiti, and bizarre decor. Szimpla Kert is the OG but gets packed with tourists. Ellátóház and Instant-Fogas are better for avoiding the crowds.

Clubs: Ötkert is an outdoor club (summer only) in an old factory. A38 is a boat on the Danube with live music and club nights. Lärm for techno.

Weird but cool: Széchenyi Baths hosts “Sparty” nights — clubbing in a thermal bath. Sounds gimmicky. Kind of is. Also kind of great.

Budapest wins on variety and value. Cover charges are lower, drinks are cheaper, and the ruin pub concept is genuinely unique.

Architecture & Sightseeing: Prague is Prettier, Budapest is More Dramatic

Prague

Prague is absurdly photogenic. The Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle — it’s like walking through a medieval pop-up book. The architecture is intact because Prague avoided heavy bombing in WWII.

Must-see:

  • Charles Bridge at sunrise (6-7am) before the crowds arrive. By 10am it’s shoulder-to-shoulder tourists.
  • Prague Castle complex — St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, castle gardens. Buy the ticket that includes everything (€16). Go early.
  • Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock (overhyped but you’ll see it anyway)
  • Lennon Wall in Malá Strana — Instagram fodder but charming
  • Vyšehrad — quieter alternative to Prague Castle, great views, fewer tourists

Skip: Petřín Tower (just a smaller Eiffel Tower knockoff)

Prague is compact. You can see the main sights in a day and a half. The downside? Every viewpoint, every bridge, every square is mobbed with tour groups. The magic is real but you have to work around the crowds.

Budapest

Budapest trades fairy-tale charm for grandeur. The Hungarian Parliament is massive. The Danube riverfront feels cinematic. The city sprawls more than Prague, split by the river into Buda (hilly, historic) and Pest (flat, lively).

Must-see:

Skip: House of Terror museum gets mixed reviews. Very Hungarian-history-focused, less universal than it tries to be.

Budapest has more to see but requires more walking/transit. The thermal baths alone set it apart from every other European capital. Prague’s sights are denser and more postcard-perfect. Pick based on what you value more: compact beauty or sprawling drama.

Walkability: Prague Wins

Prague’s center is tiny. You can walk from Old Town to Prague Castle (crossing Charles Bridge) in 25 minutes. Everything else — Vyšehrad, Žižkov, Karlín — sits within a 30-45 minute walk or a short tram ride.

The layout is intuitive: river splits the city, Old Town on one side, castle on the other. Hard to get lost.

Budapest is twice the size. Buda and Pest feel like separate cities. You’ll use the metro and trams constantly. The M1 metro line (yellow) is beautiful and historic but only covers a small part of Pest. The M2 and M3 lines are Soviet-era and functional.

Walking is pleasant along the Danube and in District V (Pest center), but going from, say, Széchenyi Baths to Buda Castle to the Great Market Hall requires transit. Not a deal-breaker, just reality.

Prague is easier to navigate on foot. Budapest rewards planning your days by district.

Weekend Itinerary Suggestions

Prague Weekend (2 Days)

Saturday:

  • 6:30am: Charles Bridge (empty, golden light)
  • 8am: Breakfast at Café Savoy
  • 9am-12pm: Prague Castle complex (arrive right when it opens at 9am)
  • 1pm: Lunch at Lokál
  • 3pm: Wander Lesser Town (Malá Strana), see Lennon Wall
  • 5pm: Climb Petřín Hill for sunset views (or take the funicular if tired)
  • 7pm: Dinner at Kantyna (modern Czech food)
  • 9pm: Beers in Žižkov — Bukowski’s or PoHodě

Sunday:

  • 10am: Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock
  • 11am: Vyšehrad fortress and cemetery
  • 1pm: Open-faced sandwiches at Místo
  • 3pm: DOX Centre for Contemporary Art (if you like modern art) or just wander Vinohrady neighborhood
  • 6pm: Early dinner at Eska (upscale Czech)
  • 8pm: Beer Geek Bar or Kasárna Karlín

Budapest Weekend (2 Days)

Saturday:

  • 9am: Széchenyi Thermal Baths (2-3 hours)
  • 12pm: Lángos at Retro Lángos right outside the baths
  • 1:30pm: Walk down Andrássy Avenue to Heroes’ Square
  • 3pm: Take M1 metro back to city center
  • 4pm: Explore District VII (Jewish Quarter), see the synagogues
  • 6pm: Coffee at Massolit Books & Cafe
  • 8pm: Dinner at Mazel Tov
  • 10pm: Ruin pub crawl — Ellátóház, Kuplung, end at Szimpla if you want the full tourist experience

Sunday:

  • 9am: Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion (go early before tour buses arrive)
  • 12pm: Walk down to Chain Bridge and cross to Pest
  • 1pm: Lunch at Bors GasztroBar
  • 2:30pm: Hungarian Parliament tour (book ahead) or St. Stephen’s Basilica
  • 4pm: Great Market Hall for snacks and souvenirs
  • 6pm: Walk along the Danube to see the Shoes on the Danube memorial
  • 7:30pm: Dinner at Két Szerecsen or Spíler
  • 9pm: Drinks at Hotsy Totsy or A38 (check their event calendar)

The Verdict: Budapest for Most, Prague for Some

Choose Budapest if:

  • You want better food at lower prices
  • Thermal baths appeal to you
  • You prefer nightlife with variety (ruin pubs, clubs, rooftop bars)
  • You’re traveling on a budget
  • You want a city that feels less overtouristed

Choose Prague if:

  • You prioritize postcard-perfect architecture above all
  • You want a compact, walkable city where everything is close
  • You’re a beer nerd (Czech beer > Hungarian beer)
  • You prefer smaller, cozier cities
  • You’re only doing a quick weekend and want to maximize sightseeing without much transit

Hot take: Do both if you can. They’re 7 hours apart by train (€30-50), or a 1-hour flight (€40-80). A long weekend in one, a long weekend in the other. But if you’re forcing me to pick one for a single weekend, Budapest wins for most travelers.

Prague is beautiful but feels like a museum. Budapest feels lived-in, chaotic, and real. That’s what makes it better.

This guide reflects firsthand experience in both cities and crowd-sourced wisdom from Reddit threads on r/travel and r/solotravel. Prices accurate as of February 2026.

city-comparisonpraguebudapestweekend-tripeuropeeastern-europe