Amsterdam or Vienna

Travel Forums Europe Amsterdam or Vienna

1. Posted by kjtamloe (First Time Poster 1 posts) 14y Star this if you like it!

If you could pick one city to visit, Amsterdam or Vienna, which would you choose with the guidelines being beauty, historical places to visit, and uniqueness?

2. Posted by t_maia (Travel Guru 3289 posts) 14y Star this if you like it!

Historial places to visit? Vienna. The whole Schönbrunn palace and the Hofburg make history buffs swoon.

Beauty: Both places are beautiful.

Personally I liked Amsterdam better. Hostels and hotels are expensive in Vienna, even more than in Amsterdam, and I ended up staying in an industrial area. Consequently I did not see as much of Vienna as of Amsterdam. You might have the same problem.

Uniqueness? Amsterdam wins between the two. The channels (grachten) make the city unique.

3. Posted by lil_lil (Inactive 462 posts) 14y Star this if you like it!

In terms of...
- beauty: both cities are beautiful
- history: Vienna trumps Amsterdam
- uniqueness: the heuringens are great in Vienna (avoid the most popular/touristy one), while the canals add characters to Amsterdam

My experience was, the accommodation was cheaper in Vienna than in Amsterdam, and I stayed pretty centrally in both cities. In Vienna, I was very near the Westbahnhof while in Amsterdam, I was in the Jordaan quarter. I enjoyed my time in both cities, and they're both quite different from one another.

4. Posted by bentivogli (Respected Member 2398 posts) 14y Star this if you like it!

If you're into the arts (both performing and plastic), pick Vienna. Historically, both are very interesting. Beauty: I didn't particularly like Vienna in winter. In spring I'd say it's more beautiful than Amsterdam.

5. Posted by zakton (First Time Poster 1 posts) 13y Star this if you like it!

I've been to Amsterdam, so I'd choose Vienna.

6. Posted by flyingbob (Inactive 842 posts) 13y Star this if you like it!

In contrast to what zakton says..
I've been to Vienna, so I'd choose Amsterdam.
The differences of opinion here will be endless.
I found Vienna smelly, dirty, choking with traffic and a huge chemical factory - and apart from a few historical buildings, very little to offer.
Amsterdam has become a pilgrimage for me every year, for a long time - and may it continue.
And in contrast to what lil_lil says, I found accommodation cheaper in Amsterdam

7. Posted by james (Travel Guru 4139 posts) 13y Star this if you like it!

I've been to both places a number of times. It's a tough choice, but I'd probably pick Amsterdam as I guess it's more unique than Vienna is. I'm not referring to drugs or the red light district or any of that rubbish; it's just a more picturesque and unique city whereas Vienna is pretty bog standard.

8. Posted by siggiboy81 (Budding Member 10 posts) 13y Star this if you like it!

A hard question... I have spent quite some time in both cities, and I do not really know what to say. My personal favorite would be Vienna over Amsterdam. Amsterdam is not so much of a city of attractions, the city is maybe an attraction itself, and it has a whole lot of museums.

Vienna is more of a royal Habsburg city, with tall buildings, rich history and a beautiful inner city. Amsterdam is more messy, more garbage in the streets... though when it comes to prices I feel like both cities are more similar.

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