[Idyllchat] "must see" lists

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Hi Sandy,
Did that Hapsburg Untour in 2001 and loved it.  Here are some thoughts on sights and restaurants:
Prague Sights: I highly recommend the optional ½ day tour provided by the local Untour representative. It costs extra, but it’s well worth it. Your orientation is Thursday, and the tour is Friday — gives a good overview of the city and gets you to a couple of places you’d want to see anyway. Prague Castle was nice. If you like art nouveau, you must not miss the Alfons Mucha museum in Prague. It is a small museum — a real gem. If you’ve never been to a concentration camp, then take a day trip to Terezin. We did not do that because at the Intercontinental Hotel we saw information on a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau. The person I was with really, really wanted to do that trip so I went along. Her rationale was why not do the "quintessential concentration camp tour?" It took us 20 hours, 17 of which were spent in transit. Too expensive, too long, and too short on information, and misleading in its advertising (run by Wittman Tours). But the folks who took the Terezin trip raved about i
t.
In Prague the Untour rep is Alena (pronounced "All - en - uh" with accent on first syllable). She is not the warmest person you’ll ever meet — quite a contrast from Joao in Sintra, but she is efficient. Don’t be put off by her demeanor — I think she must have had a hard time going from a Communist economy to a free economy — it would be tough for anyone at that age. She is helpful and follows through.  I liked her.
Restaurants in Prague: In Prague, I had two favorite restaurants. In Mala Strana at Vsehrdova 17, Prague 1 is the Bar Bar restaurant. Fabulous food, great prices, and seemed to be used by locals only -- they speak basic English and were just so courteous to us. It's right near the hotel where we had our orientation.  We would have had several meals there, but they closed for vacation. We were so grateful to have had at least one meal there. Also in Prague -- but in the Stare Mesto section of town where you will be -- is Lotos, a natural vegetarian restaurant. Just superb. Address is Platernerska 13, Prague 1. There was also a nice Italian restaurant near the hotel where we had the orientation. It was called the Felicita Pizzere or something like that. Good food, good price, and no attempt to cheat us.
Prague Cautions: WATCH yourself, your pockets, and your daypacks on the trams and in crowded places like churches, plazas, etc. A couple in our group had their camera stolen from the backpack their first day in Prague (on the tram). Two days later while they were sightseeing in a church, they went to get their new camera out of their backpack, only to discover that while they were being pressed by the crowd, someone had slit their pack with a razor and taken their new camera. Moral: In crowds, wear your pack in front. I’m always on the alert for pickpockets and petty thieves, but they were awful in Prague. 
Budapest Sights: You can get around so easily in Budapest because the metro goes everywhere. Once again, I’d recommend the optional (and extra cost) tour Idyll will offer of the city. It’s very good and gives you a good feel for how the city is laid out. Our guide, Zhuzsa, was excellent. We took an evening cruise on the Danube Legend and really enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful way to spend an evening. Don’t miss touring the Opera House, St. Stehpen’s Cathedral, Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion and the Postal Museum. One of the highlights in Budapest was the "Hammer and Sickle Walking Tour". While it is advertised as lasting about 4 hours, you are not walking all that time — time is spent on the metro and trains. You will go to one of the heavy fighting areas of the 1956 uprising, an area of the city planned by communist architects (so grim), visit a "proletariat pub" and then continue to Statue Park (which is not to be missed in my humble opinion). If you want to do the tour and
 can’t find literature on it, you can just show up at their meeting place, which is on the steps of the yellow church at Deak Ter (there’s a metro stop right there). The tour runs every Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sat and leaves at 11 a.m. from the yellow church steps. That’s what the brochure I have says. Their web site is www.budapesttours.com. You can email them at imad at matavnet.hu. High point of Budapest was this tour. It takes you to the edge of Budapest and you will see a typical communist town with all its ugly architecture and depressing facades and you will understand in a heartbeat how the Communists snuffed the spirit of the people. And the statues are amazing — ugly, powerful, threatening — a use of "art" to subdue people. You could do Statue Park on your own, but it is tricky to get there and it’s very helpful to have a guide to put everything in context. You will learn a lot about how the different generations in Budapest feel about the change from Communisim — not all are hap
py about it.
Budapest Restaurants: You can't go wrong by following the recommendations of the local Idyll representative regarding restaurants. My all-time favorite restaurant was the Vegetarium in 
Budapest located at V. Cukor u. 3. I am not vegetarian, but did tire of the heavy foods and found this to be a wonderful place. It's very small, clean, no attempt to cheat us -- ate there three times in the week we were there. It's centrally located on Pest side.
Gerbaud Cafe is very nice — could also list it under things not to miss, since being there is part of the Budapest experience.
A book we used with great success was "Cheap Eats in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest" by Sandra Gustafson. Well worth the price. Food was reasonably priced and very good. Cannot recommend the book highly enough. Do have one correction to make, though: on p. 144 for Budapest it lists the Griff Etterem at Vii. Akacfa u. 24. That restaurant has closed and the Wagaboond is in it's place. Do NOT go there. They tried to rip us off royally. Food was good, pleasant atmosphere, but having to fight over the padded bill at the end ruined the experience and dispelled thoughts of a return visit.
Also discovered (not in the book) in Budapest a wonderful place called the Marquis de Salade (you gotta love the name) at VI. Hajos u. 43. It's specialty is salads from all around the world -- Japan, Italy, India, France, Hungary, Azerbaijan, etc.  As I said, I'm not a vegetarian but I tired quickly of the fatty and caloric meals found in Eastern Europe. The vegetarian dishes were a welcome change and wonderfully delicious. After a few vegetarian meals, we tried to eat vegetarian whenever we could. And those restaurants sell wine with their meals, so you will have a very nice dining experience
Budapest Cautions: Pickpockets (but nowhere near the problem it is in Prague — more like every big city where you just need to be careful) and waiters who pad your bill. That’s a common practice. That's why once we found a few restaurants in Budapest that didn't engage in bill-padding, we just ate there. Vegetarium never gave us a problem in that regard. Also, Rick Steves has come out and suggested that you NOT pay for meals in Budapest with a credit card because the numbers are often stolen. That did happen to the person travelling with me. She charged one meal in Budapest (at a place recommended by the Idyll rep, no less) and got home to find charges on her cc from all over Hungary. I just paid cash for everything and avoided all those problems. 
Keep in mind that these comment are based on a trip taken 6 years ago.  So you may want to doublecheck some of the info.
You are going to love the Hapsburg Untour!  It really is marvelous.
Christine in Massachusetts

-------------- Original message from "Sandy Lore" <fiddlinweaver at verizon.net>: -------------- 


We're on our way with Untour to Prague, Budapest and Vienna within a month.  I would love to know which restaurants and sites you would recommend which me might not find in the tour books.

I understand (40 years ago!) Vienna had a great, small restaurant with suckling pig on the menu where Beethoven once ate.  Any clue as to which one that might be?  We're interested in small concerts (in churches, courtyards, gardens, etc.) in each city.  Are they relatively easy to find?

If there are tourist traps to avoid, speak up!  Thanks in advance!

Sandy
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