Over the last 2 weeks (or 12 days to be precise) we visited multiple cities in Central Europe as part of our summer vacation. What started out as a family booking very quickly became a group trip with another family who joined in on the trip, which also influenced some of the decisions on cities we went. All in all, we had a great time in Europe, and here are the cities ranked from bottom to top for us (and for a change, me, my wife and kid were all on same page for city rankings!).
Munich - We started our journey from Munich and ended in Prague mostly out of necessity because that was the cheapest combination of tickets available. We had a vague idea of what we wanted to do in between but not much. Rating Munich is harsh because we did not even get time to explore Munich properly - we were there a little more than a day before shuttling out to next destination. That said, whatever we did explore, Munich was great, especially the food and biergartens.
Prague: Prague was astoundingly pretty. The main areas of city are just like a post card. Turn at any corner and you have a post card picture waiting to be shot. I shot most pictures at Prague because I couldn’t stop clicking at all. Prague is compact, but that also goes against it because the main touristy areas are so crowded it feels like walking in Disneyland constantly. After the second time we walked the main town square we just dreaded going back into crowds. Prague’s night life is awesome, but the food was just meh across the board. We had the sweetest grandma waitress in a restaurant here, but a majority of people were just unfriendly and not really helpful. Also because the main touristy area is in one place, it feels like you see the same damn shops again & again - and the rest of the city actually feels very disconnected from the main tourist area. As pretty as Prague was, it was not a city that was on top of my list because of how touristy it really is. We just never felt we were in a “city”.
Budapest: Budapest completely surprised me! We wouldn’t have done Budapest had it not been for our friends, but I am glad we did. This is a city that grew on me in the 3 days we spent there. The city is vast, the monuments are staggering in size and best of all, it all feels like you are a part of a city and not in some part of sequestered zone like Prague did. The size of any of the places - parliament, buda castle, the thermal baths etc was just huge and overwhelming and completely caught me by surprise. The food was fantastic, as were the people in the city who seemed far far more relaxed, friendly and chill than Chech. We had the best Lebanese meal here. Even after 3 days we really needed more time to soak in the city and what it had to offer.
Vienna: Stunning. Thats the only word that comes to mind over and over again to describe this city. This is a magnificent city in every sense of word - public transportation, public spaces, biking roads and pavements, and the actual city area itself. This was a place where our jaws kept dropping at every turn because it was just so gorgeous. The city palaces, the grandeur, and the overall “classiness” of this city was just too much to resist. Plus, we found the Austrians so friendly and helpful everywhere - whether restaurants, city transport or otherwise - they were always so nice to talk to. The food scene in the city was phenomenal, and we had the best Israeli food in Naschmarkt here. This was a city that just truly stuck with me, and all of us felt like we could just move here!
Innsbruck: For a majority of us, Innsbruck was where we left our hearts at. Sure it does not have the grandeur of Vienna, or the prettiness of Prague, or the sheer size of Budapest, but what it does have is the alps. When you combine the alps, the rivers, the mountains and a beautiful city in midst of it, the package simply is a 10/10. The food was phenomenal, the scenery was just outrageous, and the small city vibe just gave it such a nice chill feel to it. Though it rained a bit in our stay here, if there is one place we all want to go back to an explore all the areas around it, it is Innsbruck and the Austrian alps around that area. This was the place we truly felt we were on a vacation.
Thats it, five cities in 12 days, though its more like 4. Do I recommend this itinerary to everyone? Hell no. We did over 100 miles of walking in the 12 days and it was a LOT. If I had to choose, I would have taken out one city and spent more time in other cities. If possible I wouldn’t even have gone to Munich and strictly done a in-out from Vienna, but it is what it is. This was an absolutely fantastic summer vacay. Now to just sift through some 6000+ photos we took collectively, its going to be a fun task for next couple of weeks!