Guidebook Updates for Hungary

For books printed before November 2023, the following may apply:

• Most international train tickets can now be purchased online via the Hungarian Railway.
• We now advise travelers to avoid ATMs at train stations — wait to get cash at an ATM outside a bank.

For books printed before November 2023, the following may apply:

• The Hungarian State Opera House has reopened after an extensive renovation. It's wise to book ahead if visiting on a weekend, when tours can sell out a day or so ahead (book online or in person at the box office; on most weekdays, you can just show up 15–20 minutes before the tour).
• It's smart to book ahead for a visit to the Hungarian Parliament, as time slots often sell out two weeks in advance, and sometimes even farther ahead. If you arrive in Budapest without having secured a spot, try arriving early in the day (before 9:00), as additional same-day tickets are often made available.
• The Applied Arts Museum remains closed for renovation, likely at least through 2024.
• Expect some inconvenience while sightseeing in the Castle Hill area, as construction work is disrupting foot traffic. (The city is consolidating the neighborhood's governmental offices and rebuilding long-since-destroyed palaces, residences, and other historical buildings.)
• The Citadella is undergoing a complete refurbishment, and is expected to reopen in 2024 or 2025 with a new museum.
• Budapest's spas have drastically increased their prices, and most no longer rent swimsuits or towels. Flip flops are now required at the spas, though the rule is unevenly enforced. All of these items are sold at the baths.
• The direct bus between downtown and Memento Park is no longer running. Instead, from the center you can take the Metró's green line to its end at Kelenföld, then take bus #101B or #101E, which zip to Memento Park in about 10 minutes (every 10–20 minutes, Mon–Fri only).
• There is no longer a changing of the guard ceremony on the steps of the Parliament building.
• City Park has a new Museum of Ethnography and the new House of Music Hungary.
• The Rumbach Street Synagogue has reopened and has the same hours as the Great Synagogue.
• To use the Hungarian Jewish Archives and Family Research Center for genealogy research, contact them in advance to let them know you're coming ([email protected]).
• The Absolute Tour information center has closed.
• The Danube riverboats operated by Budapest's public transit company are no longer running.
• The city's new tourist information office is in a brightly colored kiosk in Városháza Park; all other offices around the city (including those at the airport) have closed.
• The Eat & Meet program (whereby locals invite travelers to their home for a meal) is no longer running.
• The Miniversum model railroad has closed.
• Budapest's transit system now has a mobile app called BudapestGO, which offers real-time route planning and lets you buy tickets and passes right in the app (for the same prices as paper tickets).
• Since taxis waiting outside the train station often charge unfairly, we recommend using the Bolt app to arrange for a ride.
• Several recommended ruin pubs have closed: Ellátó Kert, Farm, and Anker't.
• Many recommended eateries have closed: Café Noe, Cupakós, Klassz, Bock Bisztró, Pesti Disznó, Börze, Borssó Bistro, Vár Bistro, Bratwursthäusle/Kolbászda, Csalogány 26, and Baross restaurant at Keleti station.
• The Hold Steet Market has closed.
• Brody House has a new email address: [email protected].
• Butterfly Home Danube B&B and Budapest Bed and Breakfast share a new email address: [email protected].
• Bellevue B&B has a new email address: [email protected]
• Several recommended accommodations have closed: Burg Hotel (in Buda), St. George Residence, Aventura Boutique Hostel, and Home Made Hostel.

For books printed before November 2023, the following may apply:

• Tiszavirág Hotel in Szeged is closed for the foreseeable future.

For books printed before November 2023, the following may apply:

• Hotel Palatinus has been renovated and is now split between two properties: Grand Hotel Palatinus and Palatinus Boutique Hotel.