Budapest

Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:

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