Budapest Guidebook
Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:
Best: Szechenyi Baths, Christmas Markets
Why: This was our second visit to Budapest but first to the baths. The late November weather was in the 30s, but even at night the thermal baths were great and staff at Szechenyi (particularly the young man at the turnstile) were very helpful with confused Americans. We were there over Thanksgiving and, although more markets were opening the weekend after Thanksgiving, we enjoyed the markets that were open during our visit. There were many fewer tourists than we saw when visiting Christmas markets in Germany other years.
Amy in Chicago, IL USA 12/04/2011
Best: Szechenyi Baths
Why: super-fun!
Madeleine in Redlands, CA USA 11/27/2011
Best: Parliament, House of Terror, Memento Park, Hospital in the Rock
Why: aesthetics (Parliament), historical significance of all others, all very user friendly
Philip Braverman in New York, NY USA 09/05/2011
Best:
Why: Don't miss the Szimpla mentioned by RS in the "Ruin Pub" crawl--nothing quite like it.
Larry Iversen in Bremerton, WA USA 07/02/2011
Best: Fisherman's Bastion, Vajdahunyad Castle & Graet Market Hall.
Why: The first two are just amazing for taking photos. The third is great for local reatail therapy and we had amazing Langos there.
Francine Miller in Seminole, FL USA 05/18/2011
Best: Great Market Hall
Why: Great selection of foods in the market stalls. Excellent traditional Hungarian foods on the top floor for much cheaper than in restaurants.
Worst: Museum of Natural History
Why: It's NOT interactive and most of the museum was closed since they were building new exhibits. Extremely limited exhibits.
Gabrielle Donnald in Sykesville, MD USA 11/29/2010
Best: House of Terror
Why: Great exhibits, very moving and informative. One of the highlights of our visit to Budapest.
Marina in Washington, DC USA 10/18/2010
Best: Széchenyi Fürd?
Why: The Széchenyi Fürd? (mineral bath) is an absolute must. While English is somewhat limited there, the staff was accustomed to foreign tourists and we managed just fine. This was the highlight of our three country vacation.
Gary & Kathy Hughes in Marion, IA USA 09/28/2010
Best: Budapest Sight Seeing Bus
Why: We had two days to explore Budapest and this gave us a great overview at a reasonable cost and without getting lost. We were able to walk to Great Market Hall and the Great Synagogue. Taking the guided tour of the Synagogue with an English speaking guide who knew this site and who was passionate about his religion was a plus
Dick Simpson in Cincinnati, OH USA 09/26/2010
Best: Mostar...in the Eastern Europe book
Why: It was a beautiful city in Eastern Europe and the people there were so appreciative of our visit. We were amazed by the hosptitality and safe environment in Bosnia.
Tricia Stacey in New York , NY USA 08/23/2010
Best: Loved the Andrassy Ut walk
Why: It gave me a good sense of the city and its history.
Barbara Moors in Ypsilanti, MI USA 08/14/2010
Best: Szechenyi Baths
Why: You just have to go--and make sure to not to restrict yourself to the outside pools. Be sure to go into the adjoining building for the smaller mineral baths!
Teri in Pittsburgh, PA USA 07/25/2010
Best: Szechenyi Baths
Why: Live up to every description in the guide and was a total immersion experience in every way! Great to hang with locals and tourists alike. Loved the silly outdoor whirlpool!
Worst: Tour of Parliament
Why: or non EU citizens it is very expensive 3,200 HUF for a 30 minutes tour. The first 15 mins is rushed and involves cramming people through security. Guards and guides are brusque and uninspired.
Carole Toebe CA USA 07/09/2010
Best: Self-guided walking tour of Buda castle and surrounds
Why: Buda castle and this upper area of Buda are vast and meaningless without some type of history guide to what you are seeing. Rick Steve's walking tour was perfect and the advice to go in the afternoon was, too. The funicular one-way is not so expensive when you consider the climb on a hot humid summer day! (850 Ft./400 Ft. about $4.50 per adult, $2.50 per child) and using it is a great way to begin this perfect one-way down-hill walk which we ended with a subway ride back under the river into Pest.
Amy M. in Boulder, CO USA 07/07/2010
Best: Szechenyi Baths & City Park, Hospital in the Rock, Ethnography Museum, Danube River Cruise
Why: Aside from plain old pleasure and therapeutic benefits, the baths are just a great way to share Budapest's oldest experience with the locals and other visitors. Carp culture at its finest. City park is a great place for strolling or jogging anytime but it comes alive on weekends when it's full of families and events of all types. Like the Terror Museum the Hospital in the Rock gives a fascinating and unique insight into the reality of Hungary in the last half of the 20th century with its perfectly preserved medical and nuclear shelter facilities. Guided tours in english and wool overcoats are provided. Half off discount on tickets if you're over 62 or have proof of an affiliation with the medical field - e.g. a business card. The Ethnography Museum, located across the square from Parliament, is a great way to connect with the traditional folk life of the region through an extensive series of first-rate displays and special exhibits. Sure it's touristy but any of the Danube River cruises are not only a fun time but a good value and another way to get a different visual perspective of the place. They all include recorded narratives in various languages. Go at the earliest scheduled time to avoid the crowds.
Worst: Volanbusz
Why: If you have to travel outside of Budapest take the train whenever possible. And whatever, don't believe the locally published Budapest City Guide when they recommend Volanbusz as a good way to get to Estergom - it's well over two hours and about thirty stops on a frequently standing room only city transit-type bus.
Roger and Ruth McClurg in Oregon City, OR USA 06/04/2010
Best: Opera, Circus Festival (January), Synagogue, Museum of Fine Arts
Why: Hard to choose which is best. Even in cold weather, it's a wonderful town. There happened to be a particularly wonderful exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts and the circus festival was a great event.
Richard and Karen in Montpelier, VT USA 01/27/2010
Best: Those fab public baths
Why: Only intimidating while you read about it. Once you are in the door you find yourself swept up in the magic and fun of the experience
Worst: The main tourist drag. I have managed to forget the name, but it ends up at the main Market on the Pest side.
Why: All the usual reasons: rip off restaurants, junky tourist tat, over zealous sales persons and more than enough of your fellow tourists and very few locals.
cathy in victoria, BC canada 11/04/2009
Worst: Absolut Gastro Tour
Why: It was not a "foodies" tour as one may expect. The guides only knowledge of Hungarian food was simply that she had eaten it before and knew the language. The "tour" was a walk through a produce market and lunch in an old run down restaurant. There were no samples, no stories, no explanations. It was really a bad "tour".
Heather in Cleveland, OH USA 08/05/2009
Worst: General: Navigating trains in Hungary
Why: (This is in response to Andrea's posting below.) If you don't speak Hungarian, booking train tickets can be somewhat difficult outside of Budapest. There are many reasons for this, among them the fact that most of the people working in the ticket sales offices of train stations have been in those positions for some time--often since well before the 'rendszerváltás' or 'system change' of 1989--and therefore are not trained or are not as adept in using foreign languages (i.e. - English, German, etc.) as their children (and grandchildren). Also, weekends are notoriously busy times for train travel, since the Hungarian state still generously provides free travel on its trains and buses to those citizens who've reached retirement age, and these pensioners often choose weekends for visiting their friends and relatives. Finally, the Hungarian rail system itself (MÁV), while relatively adequate, still runs under the philosophy by which all regional trains connect on a hub-and-spoke system (Budapest being the hub). Since Budapest itself is a destination and departure point for so many people, this leads to frequent--and unannounced--overselling of available seating. (By now, in case you hadn't noticed, taking the train in Hungary can be a little like flying commercially in the United States....) This being the case, approach rail travel plans within Hungary as you might if you were planning to fly to, say, Chicago or New York from another point within the States:
1) If your travel plans are flexible, try to book a trip on an InterCity train. These trains are a step up in quality and comfort (A/C in summer, yeah!), but don't really cost much more. In my experience, a second-class seat on an InterCity train would be preferable to a first-class seat on any regional MÁV train. Many budget travelers neglect to consider InterCity trains, thinking that they must be ridiculously expensive, when in fact they are not.
2) The InterCity routes give you the peace of mind of having a confirmed booking, which can't be oversold. InterCity's booking is part of a Europe-wide system, and so having a confirmed reservation means having a seat. And since InterCity trains travel the most popular routes in Hungary (e.g.- southwest by Lake Balaton toward Croatia, eastward through Debrecen and toward Ukraine, etc.), there are usually several available departures each day.
3) As with making a plane reservation in the U.S., remember that making train reservations or plans in Hungary--and elsewhere in most countries throughout Europe--may require a bit of increased flexibility. When possible, avoid weekend travel, and travel on weekends only if absolutely necessary, and with a confirmed reservation on an InterCity train or one with international routing (e.g. - trains heading to Vienna or other points westward). Also, whether on weekends or during the work week, arrange to leave on trains departing early in the morning. Hungary is a country of early risers, and savvy travelers don't let the sun find them in bed, so to speak. This early-departure maxim is especially important if you plan to travel on one of the MÁV regional trains.
Jim in Rockville, MD USA 08/04/2009
Best: szechenyi baths
Why: The baths are great and his detailed instructions to how to manage the entry etc were sooo helpful! Went once and rented a "cabana" whent another time and just got a locker- both were easy when following the books instructions
Laurianna Murray in Minneapolis, MN USA 07/31/2009
Best: Absolut Night Stroll with tour guide Adina
Why: The guide, Adina, was kind, intelligent, pleasant and able to share interesting personal stories of life in Budapest during the communist.
Worst: Spa Gellert
Why: The staff was very rude and the prices were inflated.
Heather in Cleveland, OH USA 07/29/2009
Best: Terror Museum
Why: It was incredibly moving experience. Unfortunatly you are unable to take pictures of the exhibits but the memories will remain with you forever. Each room was an amazing presentation of the time period and use of materials. This is one thing not to be missed in Budapest!
Trisha H. in San Francisco, CA USA 07/19/2009
Best: We loved it all. The Buda sights on the hill and the Chain Bridge were memorable.
Why: The Views were spectacular
Jan Baker in Arlington , TX USA 05/29/2009
Best: The Jewish Synagogue
Why: It's hard to choose a favorite among Budapest's many wonderful sights, but the synagogue was a fascinating and deeply emotional visit.
Worst: Navigating the trains back to Budapest from Eger
Why: We got conflicting information from everyone we spoke to; from our hotel, to the TI, to the women in the train stations. We were traveling on a Sunday and navigating the system was difficult. Relied heavily on young people who spoke English to help us. We still think we paid more than necessary and the first class seat we were told we needed to purhase were not available when we boarded. The train was overbooked and many of us had to sit in the dining car, which the officials were not happy about. Luckily, again, a young woman translated for us.
Andrea Cole in Rockville, MD USA 05/26/2009