Fairy Tale or Imperial Grandeur
Prague is the more romantic to look at. Wars and planners spared most of it, so every corner turns up a tower, a courtyard or a Baroque doorway. The Charles Bridge belongs to a few photographers at sunrise. Petřín Hill has a rose garden and a small lookout tower. Vyšehrad, an old fortress on a cliff south of the center, has ramparts over the river and few tourists.
Vienna is grand rather than quaint. Schönbrunn Palace and its Gloriette, the Belvedere's terraced gardens and the Hofburg give the city its scale. Beyond the Ring, it relaxes into market halls, design shops in Neubau and leafy districts that climb into the Vienna Woods. Trams run every few minutes and parks are everywhere.
The trade-off is crowds. Prague's small center packs tightly from late spring through summer. Vienna spreads its visitors across a larger city, so it rarely feels overrun. Stay on the quieter side of the river in Prague and go out early and late.
Music, Art and Evenings
Vienna is one of the great music capitals. See an opera at the Staatsoper or a concert at the Musikverein, or buy standing-room opera tickets released shortly before each performance. In January and February, ball season fills the Hofburg with waltzing couples. By day, see Klimt's The Kiss at the Upper Belvedere, the Bruegels at the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Schiele at the Leopold Museum. The State Opera and Philharmonic break for summer, when open-air films at the Rathausplatz take over.
Prague is no slouch. Book a string concert in a Baroque church, or see Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre, where Mozart conducted its premiere in 1787. Opera nights in gilded theaters are cheap enough to be spontaneous. Prague's evenings, though, are more about walking: the Charles Bridge late at night with the castle lit above, then a nightcap in Malá Strana.
Couples who want culture on the calendar pick Vienna. Couples who want romance on the street pick Prague.
Where to Sleep
In Prague, Malá Strana below the castle is the most romantic base. The Augustine is set partly in a working monastery, the Mandarin Oriental occupies a former monastery a few lanes away and the Aria Hotel is a music-themed boutique beside a Baroque garden. Our featured pick, the Four Seasons Hotel Prague, joins four historic buildings on the Old Town bank, the oldest from 1568, with Prague Castle across the water. Vinohrady is a cheaper, more local option with wine bars.
In Vienna, the First District puts you near the opera and the best cafés. Our featured pick, Hotel Sacher Wien, stands opposite the State Opera and serves its famous cake on the side. Hotel Imperial on the Ring delivers the full imperial treatment, Park Hyatt Vienna fills a former bank on Am Hof and Rosewood Vienna is calmer and more contemporary near the Graben. Neubau and Spittelberg suit couples who prefer boutique hotels and wine bars.
Coffee, Beer and Wine
Vienna is built around the coffeehouse. Café Central is grand and busy, Café Sperl has barely changed since 1880 and Demel is the place for pastries. Order a melange and ask for the check when you are ready. Eat Wiener Schnitzel at least once and Tafelspitz at Plachutta. End an evening at a Heuriger, a family wine tavern, in Grinzing, Nussdorf or Stammersdorf. In early autumn, try Sturm, the cloudy young wine sold only for a few weeks.
Prague is beer country. A half liter of Pilsner Urquell from a tank pub costs little. Craft breweries in Vinohrady and Holešovice add variety. Sunset at the Letná beer garden gives you the classic view of bridges stacked down the river. Try svíčková and roast duck, then look for Moravian whites in wine bars. Several Prague restaurants are recognized by the Michelin Guide. Weekday lunch menus are excellent value.
Skip trdelník in Prague. It is a tourist invention.
Price Check
Prague is the better value. Hotels in restored palaces and townhouses cost less than their equivalents in Western Europe. Luxury there costs noticeably less than in Vienna or Paris. Beer, lunch menus and concerts are all affordable. Our featured Prague hotel starts from around $700 a night for an entry room, but many very good boutique hotels cost far less.
Vienna is more expensive day to day but not extravagant by Western European standards. Our featured Vienna hotel also starts from around $700 for a Deluxe Room. Public transport is a bargain, with a seven-day pass under 30 euros. Standing-room opera tickets are a famous deal. Tipping is about 10 percent, rounded up.
All of these figures are approximate and move with the season and exchange rates. In both cities, mention your honeymoon when booking hotels and dinners. A glass of sparkling wine or a better room often follows.
Seasons in Each City
Both cities share the same best months: April through June and September through October. In Vienna, chestnut trees bloom along the Ring, café terraces open and the opera season is still running in spring. In Prague, May, June and September bring highs in the 60s and 70s, open castle gardens and full beer gardens.
July and August are warm and busy in both. Prague's bridge and Old Town Square can feel overwhelming at midday, so sightsee early and late. Vienna can reach the mid 90s Fahrenheit and its opera and Philharmonic break for summer, though the Danube beaches and Alte Donau help.
Winter belongs to the Christmas markets. Prague's Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square fill with mulled wine and sausages from late November to early January. Vienna's markets run from mid-November into late December, then ball season follows. It is cold and dark early in both. Note that Vienna largely closes on December 25 and 26.
Getting There and Combining Them
Vienna International Airport (VIE) has nonstop flights from several US cities on Austrian Airlines. The City Airport Train reaches Wien Mitte in about 16 minutes. Prague's Václav Havel Airport (PRG) has seen seasonal nonstops from New York JFK on Delta and from Philadelphia on American, but most couples connect through a European hub. It is about 30 minutes from the center.
The cities are about four hours apart by train, which makes an easy two-city honeymoon. Fly into Vienna, spend four nights there, take the train to Prague for three or four nights and fly home from Prague, or reverse it. With more time, add Český Krumlov, about three hours from Prague by bus, or continue from Vienna to Budapest in about two and a half hours by Railjet.
Neither city needs a car. Walk in Prague and use trams. Buy tickets in the PID Lítačka app. In Vienna, trams 1 and 2 circle much of the Ring.
