Budapest Tours & Trips

Coverage was broad, travel was long, had a good overview of the key places in these 3 countries.

The organization and communication for this tour were perfect! I would highly recommend if you are looking for a tour where you stay in one spot and travel to other locations each day. Some things I'd like to let those interested in this tour know: -I stayed in the Hotel Erzherzog Rainer which was a short, 15 minute walk from where the tours start each day. Make sure you account for walking time. You can take a taxi/Uber as well. There is public transit nearby but did not look like it would save time or much walking distance. Note that you may stay in a different hotel, but it will be a similar distance away from where the tour starts. Some of the tours start early. Depending on when breakfast starts at your hotel, you might only have time to grab something quick on your way out. However, the tours that started the earliest also had stops along the way for you to get breakfast. -You will be going on a different tour every day, which means you will be going with different people and different guides every day. These tours are run by Vienna Sightseeing, which is a different company than the one running this tour. The meeting points for each tour are very close to each other, but do vary slightly, so pay close attention to the directions and instructions given by STM. STM gives very good, precise directions. -The order in which you visit the different cities may vary based on what day your tour starts. STM did a great job of giving me the actual itinerary in advance, but it may differ from what is posted in the tour listing depending on when your tour starts. If you want to make additional date-specific plans in a city, make sure you are sure which day you will be there before making plans. -Salzburg – This is a 3-hour bus ride away and the guide accompanies you on the bus. The bus will stop on the way there for a rest stop/food. After arriving in Salzburg, the guide gives a guided tour, and then you are on your own. The “free time” is not that long, but it is sufficient to see a good bit of the city. The bus will also stop on the way back but may not stop long enough for a meal. -Bratislava – This is a 60-90 min bus ride away. After arriving in Bratislava, a different guide will give a guided tour around the old part of Bratislava, and then you are on your own. The “free time” is extensive. There are many things to do in Bratislava, but before you go, I recommend researching where you’d like to go and what is open the day you will be there. The extent of the old town Bratislava isn’t that large, so just wandering through the town may not take that much time. The boat back to Vienna seemed more like a ferry but does have seating areas and food/drink. Important - the boat takes you back to a different spot in Vienna, which is a 20 minute walk back to the tour start, and possibly further to your hotel. You might want to take an Uber/taxi for that. -Danube Valley/Melk Abbey – This is a combination of bus/river cruise. A guide accompanies the tour for the entire tour, except in the Abbey, where they have their own guides. I recommend eating lunch on the cruise as there are limited meal options elsewhere in the tour. There is plenty of time on the cruise to eat and take in the view on the river. -Budapest - This is a 3-hour bus ride away, and the guide accompanies you on the bus. The bus will stop on the way there for a rest stop/food. After arriving in Budapest, another guide will give a guided tour around the city in the bus, and then you are on your own. Budapest is a large city and the “free time” given is not enough time to see everything. I recommend researching a few sights or activities you’d like to do before going so you can maximize your time. -The tours get back at different times in the afternoon/evening, which are clearly stated on the tour and are generally accurate. This may mean that you are getting back to Vienna later in the day and may not have time to make dinner plans. I recommend researching dinner options near your hotel or between the tour drop off point and your hotel, so you know where you are going immediately after the tour ends. -Because the tours are all in other cities, make sure to leave time to see Vienna, either on the day you get there or after this tour ends.

Irena was an excellent guide, prompt and knowledgeable