Habsburg Central Europe

[hobbs 243]

On 5/2/2023 at 11:12 AM, EastHorn said:

Thanks for all this solid advice 956!  I think you sold me on Brevnov Monastery.  I agree it is 3 cities but we are staying with friends and family in Vienna and Budapest so that was the genesis of this trip.  I would love to hit up the Austrian Alps but the weather in May is probably a bit dicey.  I will be getting out on a bike in Austria with a family friend so that should be cool.  

Yes, some excellent Prague advice above.  We went recently and it is a great city.

Would highly recommend the following, some of which were already mentioned by @956 Worldwide:

Taste of Prague Foodie Tour - these guys are awesome and it's a fun way to eat/drink your way around; we hit several of the spots mentioned in this thread 

Nase Maso/The Real Meat Society/Kantyna - all great meat-centric places

Strahov Monastery - think this is different than the one mentioned above, but unbelievable libraries/ceilings and great beer garden

Kuchyn - agree with this rec for sure; cool at night when Castle is lit up

Lokal - several location and excellent Pilsner Urquell

U Kalendu - great dinner spot

Hemingway Bar - again, solid rec above; good drinks, nice setting and friendly staff

Spanish Synagogue Concert - saw Hallelujah concert here and it was good

 

We also hit Vienna on the same trip and really liked:

Zum Schwarzen Kameel - cool cafe and good people-watching

Musikverein - excellent historic music venue; saw Vienna Philharmonic and it was impressive

Schloss Schonbrunn - a must see

Nussdorf - nearby wine/Heurigen area; go to Mayer am Pfarrplatz (at Beethoven's home)

Cafe Frauenhueber - neat old cafe; kinda somber/quirky, but the real thing

Vienna Sausage - sounds ridiculous, but great place for a dog on the Ringstrasse

 

Prague and Vienna were different in many ways, but both great places to visit and way too many great/fun places to list here.  Clean, beautiful architecture and friendly people.  I want to go back someday for sure.  Have fun.

[Brisketexan 105,465]

Yes, some excellent Prague advice above.  We went recently and it is a great city.
Would highly recommend the following, some of which were already mentioned by [mention=5728]956 Worldwide[/mention]:
Taste of Prague Foodie Tour - these guys are awesome and it's a fun way to eat/drink your way around; we hit several of the spots mentioned in this thread 
Nase Maso/The Real Meat Society/Kantyna - all great meat-centric places
Strahov Monastery - think this is different than the one mentioned above, but unbelievable libraries/ceilings and great beer garden
Kuchyn - agree with this rec for sure; cool at night when Castle is lit up
Lokal - several location and excellent Pilsner Urquell
U Kalendu - great dinner spot
Hemingway Bar - again, solid rec above; good drinks, nice setting and friendly staff
Spanish Synagogue Concert - saw Hallelujah concert here and it was good
 
We also hit Vienna on the same trip and really liked:
Zum Schwarzen Kameel - cool cafe and good people-watching
Musikverein - excellent historic music venue; saw Vienna Philharmonic and it was impressive
Schloss Schonbrunn - a must see
Nussdorf - nearby wine/Heurigen area; go to Mayer am Pfarrplatz (at Beethoven's home)
Cafe Frauenhueber - neat old cafe; kinda somber/quirky, but the real thing
Vienna Sausage - sounds ridiculous, but great place for a dog on the Ringstrasse
 
Prague and Vienna were different in many ways, but both great places to visit and way too many great/fun places to list here.  Clean, beautiful architecture and friendly people.  I want to go back someday for sure.  Have fun.

Had one of the most memorable meals in our family’s collective memory in Vienna, at a Hungarian restaurant: Ilona Stuberl. https://www.ilonastueberl.at/index.php/en/our-story

Just fantastic.

[hobbs 243]

9 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Had one of the most memorable meals in our family’s collective memory in Vienna, at a Hungarian restaurant: Ilona Stuberl. https://www.ilonastueberl.at/index.php/en/our-story

Just fantastic.

Dammit, wish I'd known that before we went, since your food recs are usually good.

[hobbs 243]

23 hours ago, Chopper said:

I couldn't recall the names of any good restaurants in Prague off the top of my head so I was very curious to see what memories @956 Worldwidemight conjure up. U Fleku is definitely a great place. The restaurant at the Aria Hotel, Coda, is excellent and has a fantastic rooftop terrace with bar when the weather is warm. Don't sleep on the Czech version of meat tubes (Párek v rohlíku), sold out of carts, NYC style. They'll have signs saying "hot dogs" for tourists but they're kolache style (enclosed within a roll) pork sausages. There's a good one that's a short stroll from the National Museum, Ladislav Červený. Cafe Savoy for traditional Czech and Austrian fare also deserves a shot. There's a decent amount of Vietnamese living in Prague so don't be put off by the thought of Vietnamese food if you need a break from meat and dumplings.

If you want to learn some interesting things about Prague's WWII history inside of an entertaining movie, check out Anthropoid on amzn prime. I really wish I could have watched that film before my first trip there. It makes vivid so many things that you might have already read about the recent history of Prague. 

You won't be there at peak peak tourist season but be prepared anyway for a potentially staggering amount of tourists. If they're swarming the Charles Bridge and Old Town, try going early in the morning to get a better appreciation.

 

We went to the Cathedral Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius, and the Heydrich assassination, and aftermath, is very interesting.  I had not seen Anthropoid and knew nothing about the story, but wow.  I would definitely recommend going to this church and checking out the memorial/museum there. 

[956 Worldwide 34,821]

Strahov is amazing, if you go there, it’s worth the extra to take a guided tour of the library behind the ropes.  One of my fave experiences here.  The beer garden and beer is good, I just like Brevnov better for the food and more local vibe. Lokal is also a great tip, any of them. 
 

In Vienna, the Schotzkammer (Imperial Treasury) is the museum to see at the Hofburg. Skip the Sisi apartment and porcelain unless your betrothed demands. In a city of fantastic museums, the Imperial War Museum stands out and is less trafficked. 
 

The Naschmarkt is super cool to try different treats and has some awesome food stalls. 

[956 Worldwide 34,821]

Got out of town to Western Bohemia, to Horsovsky Tyn, home to a fantastic renaissance palace built on the bones of a gothic castle. Inside the 13th century chapel is the jewel. Also made it to Domazlice.

[956 Worldwide 34,821]

This time of year, West and South Bohemia celebrates liberation by Patton’s Army.  This fact was forbidden to be mentioned dying the commie days, but after 1989 locals built memorials and organized annual festivities— complete with reenactors that convoy in period correct American iron. You have to be patriotic when you see foreign towns and villages decked in the Stars and Stripes. 

[Brisketexan 105,465]

Strahov is amazing, if you go there, it’s worth the extra to take a guided tour of the library behind the ropes.  One of my fave experiences here.  The beer garden and beer is good, I just like Brevnov better for the food and more local vibe. Lokal is also a great tip, any of them. 
 
In Vienna, the Schotzkammer (Imperial Treasury) is the museum to see at the Hofburg. Skip the Sisi apartment and porcelain unless your betrothed demands. In a city of fantastic museums, the Imperial War Museum stands out and is less trafficked. 
 
The Naschmarkt is super cool to try different treats and has some awesome food stalls. 

Man…the Schotzkammer left me muttering how the peasants should have risen up and beheaded all those imperial bastards.
Honestly, that visceral feeling reminded me that I’m SO American. Fuck you and all of your pointless gold objects that could have fed the entire country, that you only have because your dad is the 5th generation of inbred fuckholes.
I hate royals.

[EastHorn 281]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Man…the Schotzkammer left me muttering how the peasants should have risen up and beheaded all those imperial bastards.
Honestly, that visceral feeling reminded me that I’m SO American. Fuck you and all of your pointless gold objects that could have fed the entire country, that you only have because your dad is the 5th generation of inbred fuckholes.
I hate royals.

You all have me excited, be there in a little over a week.  I haven't been out of the country in over a decade so seeing this part of Europe will be cool.  

[Chopper 17,314]

In Vienna the Klimt collection at the Belvedere is outstanding and the museum itself is pretty chill. 

If you saw the Third Man and were blown away there's a museum for you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Man_Museum  

Also the Albertina museum is among the world's greats and  holds the grand masters while the Albertina Modern holds art post-1945

a light lunch or a midday snack along with coffee and cake (sachertorte or others) at Cafe' Demel is in the don't miss category.

[hobbs 243]

In Vienna the Klimt collection at the Belvedere is outstanding and the museum itself is pretty chill. 
If you saw the Third Man and were blown away there's a museum for you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Man_Museum  
Also the Albertina museum is among the world's greats and  holds the grand masters while the Albertina Modern holds art post-1945
a light lunch or a midday snack along with coffee and cake (sachertorte or others) at Cafe' Demel is in the don't miss category.

Yep, Albertina should've been included on my list. Very impressive and definitely worth a visit.

[EastHorn 281]

At the halfway point. Full report to follow but in Prague Mlýnec was fantastic dining. In Vienna Strandcafe on a floating deck outdoor restaurant on the damed part of the Danube (New Danube on Wikipedia) was great for schnitzel. The locals there get ribs that looked good but we have that in spades in Texas so I got schnitzel and European Budweiser which is not bad. I am surprised the Trip Advisor reviews are terrible but mostly for service and I suspect that can happen when such a large restaurant is packed on a nice day. I would recommend checking out that area in general as well. You can also rent your own floating bar. 

[EastHorn 281]

Also rode bikes around Vienna and would recommend Baden as it seems like a nice resort town not far from the city. This is their casino.  

[52-80 19,272]

thinking of taking small kiddos to a weekend getaway, and hopefully away from the heat. 

kosice seems nice, but its city instead of mountains/hills.

zakopane/tatras is a bit farther than i want to drive.

possibly banska bystrica in low tatras is the spot...

[rage-a-holic 4,497]

We got into Prague pretty late, due to the shitty airline and 5 Uber drivers flaking on us. The only place close to our airbnb with an open kitchen was an Argentinian place....so we had "Mexican food" and burgers at an Argentinian place in Prague at midnight.

 

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by rage-a-holic

[Hank Scorpio 17,731]

I think your wife is choking. 

[Hornbeliever 718]

Skip the Sisi on your trip to Vienna fo sure.

We went to Bratislava as a last minute suggestion told to us by someone in Vienna and loved slovakia but reading 956 makes me wish we did countryside.  I have very few specifics to help anyone other than that we enjoyed Slovakia.

Munich and Czech and Krakow were also on this trip and we drank a lot so don’t remember most restaurant names.

I did have drinks with a very old Nazi at the Hofbreau house.  He was by himself and coincidentally sat by us.  He and his buddies have/had been drinking there since 1950 and he was last one alive and still goes there.  He became Russian POW and was not freed until 1950 or something.  He didn’t deny holocaust but said average nazi soldier never saw that stuff.