Fodor's Prague and Budapest, 2nd Edition: Completely Updated, Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2001 | Series: Fodor's Gold Guides

"An excellent choice for people who want everything under one cover." - Washington Post

Fodor's Pocket Guides are designed for people who just want the highlights. They contain full, rich descriptions of major cities around the globe including the most worthy sights, the best restaurants and lodging, plus shopping, nightlife, and outdoors highlights - all in a new trim, petit package.

All the basics you need to help you decide what to see and do in the time you have.

Smart contacts and detailed practical information, including the scoop on public transportation, local holidays, what to pack, and more.

The very best dining and lodging in every price range.

Great recommendations for shopping nightlife, outdoor, activities, and essential side trips.

Detailed maps with sights, restaurants, night spots, and hotels clearly marked.

Easy-to-use new interior design with blue ink and fun graphics.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Destination: Prague and Budapest

Despite our most lyrical fantasies, traveling through Europe has an inescapable element of the predictable. Streams of familiar landmarks and famed artworks are broken by the seemingly endless searches for comfortable hotels, public restrooms, and espressos that cost less than $7. Over a century's worth of tourism industry experience lies behind the glossy brochures and prepackaged souvenirs, and the beaten paths are now beyond well-worn. As the legs tire and the senses numb, the cities themselves begin to take on the look and feel of museums -- handsome and well-organized monuments to events that happened long ago.

Then there are Prague and Budapest.

Travelers to these lively, enchanting capitals will be forgiven for wanting to throttle their brothers' friends for steering them toward Vienna or Brussels. Unlike much of Western Europe, Prague and Budapest can easily satiate the castle-and-church set while at the same time inviting adventurous spirits into a whimsical caf?-and-club party that seems to have been raging since 1878. All this, of course, at prices that still make Germans blush.

Prague and Budapest's intoxicating mixes of beautiful settings, dynamic times, and -- not least -- cheap and tasty local drink, have convinced thousands of visitors since 1989 to stay just one more week, which became one more month, which turned into years. Prague's over-documented expatriates tend toward goatees and tattoos, bookstores and rock bands, while Budapest's lower-profile expats are more likely to work for an ad agency and belong to a wine society. Both communities have produced useful little touches of home, such as vegetarian restaurants and decent newspapers. The two cities are competing, as they have for a thousand years, for the mantle of Capital of Central Europe, and the cosmopolitanism that goes with it. Since both capitals also compete directly for tourist dollars, locals have become accustomed to (and a bit cynical of) loud foreigners asking for directions or occupying the next barstool. Luckily for hospitality's sake, Czechs and Hungarians love to hunker down over beer and brandy shots with strangers, so if you go out for a polite night on the town you can easily wind up, 36 hours later, with a dozen new friends, a smoking habit, and skeleton keys to a downtown apartment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 2nd edition (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679007318
• ISBN-13: 978-0679007319
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,579,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Virtually 5 Star, May 20, 2001

By 

Felipe Garcia S (PUEBLA, PUEBLA Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's Prague and Budapest, 2nd Edition: Completely Updated, Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

This a very nice and comprehensive travel guide. I have no doubts of takeing it to my trip. The only BIG MISS in it, is that thera are no www pages or e-mail references for hotels, restaurants, museums, guideing services etc. etc.

3.0 out of 5 stars Two for the price of one, September 16, 2007

By 

Izzie T. (Midwest U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's Prague and Budapest, 2nd Edition: Completely Updated, Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

So they say you want a guide published recently and that makes this product just a little out of date, but it's a good guide.

Since it isn't the latest, newest thing it rang my chimes as the cheapest thing for a summer trip in 2007. Backpacking and trying to pack light I cut out the sections of the book I wanted. (Which works when you are essentially paying for the shipping.)

Budapest especially is going through some massive changes so if you want up to the minute buy something new. (The upcoming change to the Euro comes to mind.) It's a beautiful city, but beware, outside the tourist zones or say the mall or near the universities nobody really speaks English or German either.

Prague is, well, it's Prague. Who needs a guidebook anyway, just follow the masses and pay to enter everything. Wrong. There are some less-traveled gems in Prague and this book lists some of them. Not a bad buy at all.