Dorset Seagull
Once Dolphin, Now Seagull
Looking at a possible 4 to 5 day stay in Budapest In September. Anyone with any experience who can offer an insight?
[Travel] Budapest - Short stay
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Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 11,106
We were there in November last year. It’s a magical place.
Stay in Pest, we were close to the Parliament building - a great area to stay.
Visit the Ruin Bars in the Jewish Quarter - great atmosphere and some superb food options. Mazel Tov is excellent, but gets booked up early.
Explore Buda by day and night. It’s worth getting a ticket for the hop on/hop off shuttles that go up through the area. We don’t normally book ‘excursions’ but did go for the Vampire Tour, which was great fun.
Put a day aside to spend time relaxing at Szechenyi Baths - a wonderful experience.
Go to Heroes Square, and explore the park and castle behind it. Also, visit the Parliament building and walk along the river past the shoes on the Danube Bank (very moving) to the chain bridge, where you can walk across to Buda.
Take a cruise along the river if the weather is good.
Budapest is a friendly, safe city, and easy to get around by tram, tube or bus. Enjoy yourselves, we certainly did.
Stay in Pest, we were close to the Parliament building - a great area to stay.
Visit the Ruin Bars in the Jewish Quarter - great atmosphere and some superb food options. Mazel Tov is excellent, but gets booked up early.
Explore Buda by day and night. It’s worth getting a ticket for the hop on/hop off shuttles that go up through the area. We don’t normally book ‘excursions’ but did go for the Vampire Tour, which was great fun.
Put a day aside to spend time relaxing at Szechenyi Baths - a wonderful experience.
Go to Heroes Square, and explore the park and castle behind it. Also, visit the Parliament building and walk along the river past the shoes on the Danube Bank (very moving) to the chain bridge, where you can walk across to Buda.
Take a cruise along the river if the weather is good.
Budapest is a friendly, safe city, and easy to get around by tram, tube or bus. Enjoy yourselves, we certainly did.
All of this but 3 days was enough for us.
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 11,106
We had five, and could happily have stayed longer. There was also an island on the Danube accessible by bus which was a good place to chill, and full of interesting history (and a zoo).
Justice
Dangerous Idiot
You have to have a fresh tomato.
Not much to add to this, all good ………absolutely loved the place. We stayed at the Anantara New York Palace - it was absolutely stunning, and great value (it’s also in the Jewish quarter so well located). Eating and drinking is very cheap by UK standards, the people are very friendly.
We went to the park on the island and hired pedal cars to get around. We like to explore but more to tick things off rather than go into in depth study, hence only needing 3 days. Lovely place.
swindonseagull
Well-known member
Went a couple of years ago in Dec ....it snowed and was cold.
- Oct 17, 2008
- 17,481
Went some years back for a few nights and had a fantastic time. It’s a really beautiful city, enjoyed the markets and the castle. Did a tour of the Opera House which was wonderful, and went to see the Hungarian production of The Phantom of the Opera which was brilliant and the reason for my trip.
Prices were very low even in nice places in the heart of the city. Domestic lager was between £1.50 and £2 a pint; meals in a decent mid-range place were around £10-15 including a drink. I was astonished that top price premium seats, with coat check and a glass of champagne for the show worked out around £28.
Word to the wise - pay cash, in Forints the national currency. Most places accept either Forints or Euros, but it’s always better value to pay in Forints.
Prices were very low even in nice places in the heart of the city. Domestic lager was between £1.50 and £2 a pint; meals in a decent mid-range place were around £10-15 including a drink. I was astonished that top price premium seats, with coat check and a glass of champagne for the show worked out around £28.
Word to the wise - pay cash, in Forints the national currency. Most places accept either Forints or Euros, but it’s always better value to pay in Forints.
I know Budapest pretty well and you can easily fill a few days. September is usually perfect to go after the hot summer months.
Must sees include:
- the parliament building - and you get a great view from across the river when it's lit up,
- the basilica,
- the castle district - and the funicular up to the top
- Andrassy it - the main boulevard including the opera, and up to hero's square
- thermal spas - Széchenyi Bath is the big outside one, but some of the smaller Turkish ones like Rudas are worth checking out too
- the synagogue
If you want to get out of town there are lots of small towns up the Danube, like Visegrad, Vac, and Szentendre. Easy to get to by train.
Ruin pubs - szimpla is the famous one but it's very very busy.
There are lots of restaurants and bars around.
If craft beers are you thing Stiflers Beerhouse (on Rakoczi Ut) has loads of taps and serves food. And there are a few breweries around - Ruin Brew, Gravity, Tacet...)
Hungarian wine can be very good but I don't have any suggestions. And Unicum is an experience.
It's easy to get around by public transport, the trams and metros are very easy. I think you can pay with an app now, or buy books of tickets. And Uber/Bolt are easy to book. I wouldn't flag down taxis.
Must sees include:
- the parliament building - and you get a great view from across the river when it's lit up,
- the basilica,
- the castle district - and the funicular up to the top
- Andrassy it - the main boulevard including the opera, and up to hero's square
- thermal spas - Széchenyi Bath is the big outside one, but some of the smaller Turkish ones like Rudas are worth checking out too
- the synagogue
If you want to get out of town there are lots of small towns up the Danube, like Visegrad, Vac, and Szentendre. Easy to get to by train.
Ruin pubs - szimpla is the famous one but it's very very busy.
There are lots of restaurants and bars around.
If craft beers are you thing Stiflers Beerhouse (on Rakoczi Ut) has loads of taps and serves food. And there are a few breweries around - Ruin Brew, Gravity, Tacet...)
Hungarian wine can be very good but I don't have any suggestions. And Unicum is an experience.
It's easy to get around by public transport, the trams and metros are very easy. I think you can pay with an app now, or buy books of tickets. And Uber/Bolt are easy to book. I wouldn't flag down taxis.
- Sep 3, 2010
- 6,534
I went there on a stag do 20 odd years ago. My over riding memory is going to an outdoor bar with a pool and sitting with my feet dangling in when 2 extremely fit lesbians jumped in and started getting frisky with each other while i sat and watched with my pint in my ringside seat. Marvellous.
Me and mate then got walloped by 2 Hungarian blokes at table football.
I think there was a tram to get about.
Hope that all helps as I can't remember anything else. I'm thinking of applying for a job at Lonely Planet.
Me and mate then got walloped by 2 Hungarian blokes at table football.
I think there was a tram to get about.
Hope that all helps as I can't remember anything else. I'm thinking of applying for a job at Lonely Planet.
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Table football (csocsó) is pretty much the national sport. Good luck to anyone who takes on the challenge
Budapest is magical. I've been there three times, and am captivated by the place. Our last stay was at The Mystery Hotel. Fantastic place, offering best breakfast we've had abroad.
I first went in 87 when the commies still ran it. Lawns not cut, gypsy kids begging in the market (quite distressing), incredible rigmarole to even buy a bun from a cake shop (three servers, one to take the order, one to take the money and another to fetch the bun). Much of the city seemed out of bounds, and suspicion (party members) abounding.
Fast forward 15 years and all had changed. Lovely hotel (free porn on the telly, which I was too busy to watch). Clean, accessible and . . . still hot in late September.
Been back a couple of times since. Once a disastrous romantic break with my German GF of the time.
You'll love it
Fast forward 15 years and all had changed. Lovely hotel (free porn on the telly, which I was too busy to watch). Clean, accessible and . . . still hot in late September.
Been back a couple of times since. Once a disastrous romantic break with my German GF of the time.
You'll love it
Diocletian
Well-known member
- Feb 16, 2023
- 731
If you visit St Istvan Basilica and fancy trying Hungarian wine very close by is DiVino wine bar offering brilliant range of local and national wines.
Some very good restaurants close by too where you can have excellent national dishes especially goulash.
Some very good restaurants close by too where you can have excellent national dishes especially goulash.
East Staffs Gull
Well-known member
Loads of great advice on here. Jewish Quarter is great for drinking and eating. Hospital in the caves is well worth visiting. Also, would recommend catching the local train to Szentendre. Most bus tours include a boat trip on the Danube.
Gabbafella
Well-known member
- Aug 22, 2012
- 5,083
Easily one of my favourite places I've been.
Amazing people, lovely local beers and loads to see.
Fisherman's Bastion is beautiful, and while you're up that way you can do a tour of a nuclear bunker and visit Houdini's house.
Our hotel was called Stories Boutique. Unbelievable place, came with some risqué mags and a complimentary Polaroid camera!
Amazing people, lovely local beers and loads to see.
Fisherman's Bastion is beautiful, and while you're up that way you can do a tour of a nuclear bunker and visit Houdini's house.
Our hotel was called Stories Boutique. Unbelievable place, came with some risqué mags and a complimentary Polaroid camera!
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Doug-ees-evil
Well-known member
- Nov 18, 2011
- 345
Great insights and tips on here...cheers. I am sold!
(It was on the list anyway, but now has gone up a few places. Other half mentioned it the other day too).
(It was on the list anyway, but now has gone up a few places. Other half mentioned it the other day too).
Teeth? Or hair? 
Sorry I can’t help as it was 20 odd years ago but we did have a nice time, we stayed in a hotel just across the busy road from this wonderful old stadium. We were lucky enough to catch a Sunday lunchtime kick off with Ferencvaros beating Györ 1-0 thanks to a 90th minute winner.
I think they moved into a new stadium about 2015.
I think they moved into a new stadium about 2015.