The top ten things to do in Budapest is by no ways an easy list to put together as there are lots of things to do, to see, to try in the exciting capital city of Hungary. Admittedly, it’s not easy to pick the overall top ten things to do in Budapest, which would cater for all interests, styles, ages, tastes and wallets. So if you have specific requests, and would like to get some more personalized tips for your Budapest trip, send your comment (see the hundreds of comments below) or directly email to us at TopBudapest [at] gmail [dot] com, and we will try to make sure that you find the Top Ten Budapest things to do / see of your style and priorities. We usually reply within 1-2 weeks (or for a reasonable surcharge in 24 hours).
Budapest by Night
Top Ten Budapest Things To Do
Budapest Baths – Number 1 - Things To Do in Budapest
Budapest Gellert Bath - Things to do in Budapest
When in Budapest, go to a bath. But why does everyone tell you that? Well, Budapest baths are one of a kind. Really. Soak, have a lazy morning, and get some massages in one of the best Budapest Baths, like Szechenyi Baths or Rudas Baths (maybe in Gellert Baths).
Having a healing bath is not only good for your joints, it is also a great way to get back your strength after stress, late night parties, or Budapest walking tours or to cure your jet lag.
Many of Budapest baths have a range of thermal and swimming pools of all sizes, so everyone can find their own needs easily. Some of the baths are mixed fully, or at least co-ed on certain days: see more on Budapest Baths.
Try one of the therapies and drinking cures too. If you like chess, head for Szechenyi Baths and challenge the local players. Young tourists shouldn’t miss Cinetrip bath parties, aka ‘sparties’ (music, VJs, and spa party mix!).
Buda Castle, Castle Hill Budapest – Number 2 - Things To Do in Budapest
St Stephen, Hungary's first king - Things to do in Budapest
Take the historical Funicular Railway uphill, and walk around the Buda Castle on the Castle Hill- enjoy the views over the river Danube, the Chain Bridge, the Gresham Palace, the Hungarian Parliament, etc. from the Fisherman’s Bastion, visit the Matthias Church, have a cake and coffee in the 19th century Cafe Ruszwurm, and indulge in about 50 regional wines in Faust Wine Cellar or the Royal Wine House (great value for money!) – all on the Castle Hill, Budapest. Don’t miss the Festival of Folk Arts in the Buda Castle around Aug 20. But festivals at the Buda Castle are almost monthly. If you like WW2, visit the Rock Hospital Museum – nuclear shelter under the Castle Hill.
Heroes Square – Number 3 – Things To Do in Budapest
Visit the Heroes’ square featuring the historical equestrian statue complex called the Millennial Monument. The square is flanked by two high-quality fine art museums, the Museum of Fine Arts (from mummies to paintings by Raffaello – huge collections) and the Hall of Arts (Mucsarnok) if you love good exhibitions of international arts.
Alternatively, take a walk in the City Park (where Szechenyi Baths are), spot the Vajdahunyad Castle at the artificial lake, and check out the weekend flea market at PECSA.
If you are also or more interested in history than art, keep walking on Andrassy Avenue (or take the yellow line metro to Oktogon square) and take a look at the House of Terror, a highly popular and unique museum showing the real dark pits of communism and the nazi regime in the ex HQ of the secret police.
Shopping in Budapest – Number 4 - Things To Do in Budapest
Central Market Hall, Budapest
Buy gifts, try the delicious fresh vegetables and fruits, Hungarian paprika, tablecloths, etc. and gobble the Hungarian savory snack, ‘Langos’ in the Central Market Hall by the Liberty Bridge in Budapest. There are good food stalls and an affordable restaurant too. To get unique gifts, or to shop for Hungarian artsy specialties go to WAMP Design Market or Gozsdu udvar in the old Jewish quarter. For handmade design textiles, scarves, etc. visit Eventuell, a collection of the finest Hungarian designers, great as a free art gallery too.
Walk by the River in Budapest - Number 5 - Things To Do in Budapest
OK, it is actually the number 1 or 2 thing to do in Budapest, but you will be walking by the river anyway. Let’s make it an official tip: walk along the Danube promenade, marvel at the neo-gothic Hungarian Parliament with its fine turrets and statues, 40kg gold and half a million ornamental stones. Walk through the Margaret bridge (Margithid), and take a fun bike to go around Margaret Island, (Margitsziget) one of the best green parks of Budapest with loads of things to enjoy (open air lido of Palatinus, free pet zoo, Japanese garden, etc.).
River Cruise on the Danube – Number 6 - Things To Do in Budapest
Get in a river boat (some are open air, others have huge glasses to shield you in rainy windy weather), and sip some nice champagne, wine, beer or juice while enjoying the night-lit UNESCO world heritage view of the two sides of the Danube: the Buda Castle, the Citadel on the Gellert Hill, the 19th century buildings on the hilly Buda side, the Parliament, the Gresham Palace, the St Stephen’s Basilica on the Pest side, the Margaret Island and the bridges (Chain Bridge, Liberty Bridge) in the middle. You cannot but be romantic in Budapest. See for yourself.
Music in Budapest – Number 7 - Things To Do in Budapest
Opera House Budapest
Enjoy operas in the beautiful Hungarian Opera House (snacks in the break are also a treat) and/ or listen to classical concerts at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music or choirs, organ concerts at the magnificent St Stephen’s Basilica. Jazz, world music and classical concerts are excellent at the Palace of Arts (MUPA) too where you can always find something intriguing to do.
If classical music is not for you, go to one of the great Budapest festivals (e.g. Sziget Festival in Hajogyar Island in Budapest, Balaton Festival in Zanka Volt Festival in Sopron, etc.).
For cool local and international rock, world music, jazz, metal, etc. concerts visit A38 music club (which is a ship on the Danube with a nice restaurant), or check out some fresh music programmes by talking to guys & gals in a pub/ cafe – everyone will be happy to help you. The younger generation of 15-38 speaks good English.
Jewish Budapest - Number 8 – Things To Do in Budapest
Visit the Dohany Street Synagogue (which is the Budapest Central Synagogue), the Jewish Museum, and the old Jewish district, try kosher cakes at Cafe Frohlich etc. If you are lucky you can listen to some wonderful klezmer music and other concerts at the Synagogue. Don’t miss the Jewish Summer Festival if you are in Budapest in August-September. Walk through Kiraly street (start from Deak square) to find a good place to eat, boutiques to buy handmade things, and feel the old vibe of a once strong community.
Budapest Nightlife, Parties - Number 9 - Things To Do in Budapest
Take part in Budapest nightlife: lots of parties, pubs, bars and clubs. Budapest definitely caters for all tastes and inclinations, dancing and drinking habits. Plus the city is quite safe even at night, and people are very friendly. But use your common sense: after all it’s a city of 2 million people. Enhance your nightlife experience by checking out one of the best Budapest festivals. Ruin pubs (like Szimpla kert, Otkert, Corvin teto, etc.) are not to be missed if you are under 35 or so, and love parties, cool pubs, artsy – quirky places to see. You will know what to do: talk to locals and have fun, try the best Hungarian beers and wines! Tokaji aszu dessert wine or Hungarian Palinka will set the mood for any parties. Oh, for the more moderate, you can go to nice restaurants with live music (swing, jazz) or why not take a bath under the starlit Budapest (Szechenyi Bath is open until 10 pm!)
Cuisine – Tasting tours in Budapest – Number 10 – Things To Do in Budapest
Try Hungarian cuisine in one of the best Budapest restaurants, or one of the Top Budapest cafes, especially the mouthwatering cakes at the best Budapest confectioneries – give priority to goose (Hungary is the second biggest goose liver exporter following France), duck, wild boar, and do not miss the best tasting pork, Mangalitsa, plus the matching Hungarian wines. Leave some room for the best Hungarian pastries for dessert (‘flodni’ is the best moist cake ever!). Some of the top tasting tours according to tourists are: Faust Wine Cellar (Castle Hill) and Taste Hungary (wine tours, market tours). If you are a foodie who loves cooking, try one of the most reviewed cooking crash courses like Chefparade Cooking School.
Related
Top Ten Tourist Attractions, Budapest
Last updated: May, 2012
Please help us keep updated. If there are any changes in the above, send your comment in.
Can someone please tell me since I will be visiting Budapest on the 1st of may I am aware that the shops are closed but does any one know if the museum and the castle hill is closed too?
I would really like to plan on trip around it…thanks!!!
Hi Rida, while most shops in Budapest are closed on national holidays like May 1 Labour Day in Hungary, many museums are still open e.g. the Museum of Fine Arts on Heroes square (Hősök tere) (but because it is open on May 1, it will be closed on May 2, Wednesday) or the Museum of Ethnography on Kossuth square (Kossuth tér), Ludwig Museum Budapest – contemporary art museum – open from 1o am to 8 pm, etc.
Likewise, the Castle Hill attractions will also be open on the 1st of May, Tuesday in Budapest.
If you want to buy some groceries, there are some shops that are open all year round, no matter what, even on bank holidays: they are called ‘nonstop’ shops (we use the word nonstop in Hungarian for this 24/7 category)
I have booked a 3 day trip to Budapest for myself, husband and 14 year old Grandaughter. We will be arriving Wed evening 18th April 2012. I have arranged the general walking tour for us on the Thursday morning, but need suggestions as to what else we can all do. We are staying at the Sofitel Chain Bridge hotel, room only and I need the name of a good place to eat breakfast for us all, which is very near to the hotel and is not costly, and also somewhere nearby for evening meals that aren’t expensive. I also wondered what clothes we need to bring because of the weather? Many Thanks!
Hello Rushelle, hopefully you will have nice weather in mid April Budapest (it could be freezing or hot too, so please bring layered water resistant clothes, e.g. a thinner cardigan plus a thicker one and a waterproof hooded jacket should be fine for upper garments, comfy water repellent shoes and trousers, plus a couple of T shirts or jerseys) and can enjoy both indoor and outdoor events, tours in our beautiful Hungarian capital.
As 3 days is quite short, I think the best for you all will be not to try to rush through all major attractions in Budapest, which is quite spread out.
A walking tour is an excellent idea. Budapest invites you for a lot of walking (the city is quite flat on the Pest side, and hilly valley on the Buda side) – you will see how much you wish to walk without getting exhausted. I would recommend mixing walking with relaxing e.g.
optional things to do
eating at nice places (see below), here just let me add that Budapest is a city of cakes, wonderful cakes and pastries at some excellent cafe or ‘cukrászda’ (confectionary), and the cake ‘flodni’ (traditional Jewish cake) is really something you should try
taking a spa bath if your granddaughter is over 14 she will enjoy a bath at Szechenyi Baths with you for sure – it is really relaxing and fun, the bath is mixed and open until 1o pm, very close to the Heroes square and a bunch of important Budapest sights, like the Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts, the Vajdahunyad Castle, the Budapest Zoo, etc.)
visiting the Central Market Hall (something like a more humble version of the Covent Garden)
and the Castle Hill with a bunch of the best of Budapest attractions like the Fishermans Bastion, the Buda Castle with beautiful statues and views over the Pest side and the Danube, Cafe Ruszwum (19th century cafe), and the Matthias Church
Further options are quite up to your granddaughter’s interests assuming you have general interests (arts, history, culture, gastronomy).
Does she like history? Maybe you could try and see the Rock Hospital Museum (former cold war bunker) under the Buda Castle built into the Castle Hill. Statue Park (Szoborpark) is an open air permanent exhibition of the former gigantic street statues from the socialist regime (about 1-1 hour from and back to the city centre, which may not be your best option in such a short span of time. Nevertheless, it is a nice and unique way to let her peep behind the iron curtain in a soft way). The most popular historical museum, the House of Terror, might be a bit too shocking and gruesome for her age – the museum is about the Nazi and Fascist regime with real life interrogation rooms, etc. – powerful and educational.
As for art, I think the Museum of Fine Arts is your best option for bad weather (by Heroes square) – something like the British Museum on a much smaller scale, of course. The nearby Vajdahunyad Castle is a great option for fair weather – a ‘fusion building’ from 1896 made up of various buildings featuring all kinds of architectural styles (medieval, romantic, etc.) – currently functioning as the Museum of Agriculture.
Should you have energy at around 7pm, try to get a few tickets (balcony tickets are ridiculously cheap) at the Budapest Opera House – beautiful building, and hopefully a nice performance.
I don’t think it makes sense to offer more for your 3 day stay in Budapest, but let me know, if you should have special interests.
Breakfast places close to Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel, Budapest:
breakfasts (in a price range of 5-12 GBP): as number one, I would recommend Cafe Gerloczy (5-8 min walk from Sofitel Hotel Budapest), or a strudel place – about 1o-15 min walk – Rétesház (First Strudel House, which offers continental and Hungarian style rural breakfasts – but probably not English breakfast), Két Szerecsen is further away, about 15 min walk (but you can take the M1 for 1 stop to cut it shorter), which serves quite good English breakfast I hear, Cafe Central – approx. 15 min walk – is a nice airy bright restaurant and cafe with good breakfasts. Lastly, Fruccola Breakfast place (on Kristof ter) is the best option for a real bargain English breakfast (about 3-4 GBP), approx. 8 min walk from your hotel by the Chain Bridge.
Nice restaurants nearby the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel, Budapest:
Onyx Restaurant on Vorosmarty ter (1 star in the Michelin guide, currently the best restaurant in Hungary, worth visiting for an affordable (!) lunch menu
Salaam Bombay Indian restaurant – closest to the Sofitel Hotel Budapest
Cafe Kor in Sas street Budapest – Hungarian and international cuisine
Cyrano Restaurant
Cafe Central (see at the breakfast places too)
Have a nice trip to Budapest!
Thank you for the info, a great help!
Looks great! Can’t wait to visit Budapest… the Spas/baths are so iconic and i bet a really unique experience. I also hear the Danube River/Bend is beautiful… thanks for the post great info!
Hello Dear,
I am planning to take my husban to Budapest for his birthday, I would like to take his for dinner to a Hungarian Restaurant, if it’s possible with a nice viwe, any recomendation? Thanks a lot.
Hello Dear,
I am planning to take my husban to Budapest for his birthday, I would like to take him for dinner to a Hungarian Restaurant, if it’s possible with a nice view, any recomendation? Thanks a lot.
Hello Linda, I think there are 2 truly exclusive and gourmand restaurants that would deserve to be a special birthday restaurants in Budapest, but neither of them has a beautiful view (Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace used to have a nice restaurant but they decided to run a cafe instead of a proper luxury restaurant):
both of these culinary establishments have a 1 star rating in the world famous Michelin restaurant guide, and dinners are quite expensive (booking needed): Budapest Michelin restaurants:
Onyx Restaurant Budapest, and Costes Restaurant Budapest
That being said, we would also recommend some of the other nice places to eat: e.g. in the Castle area Cafe Pierrot, which is in itself romantic, or the river Danube. Maybe A38 ship (music club and) restaurant: we think the food is not spectacular, but the design and the views are nice, basically the restaurant is on a ship on the Danube with nice views (there are several Danube cruises with dinners available too – if you like the idea).
Some of the really good restaurants (no views either, but probably lovely and enjoyable for a birthday dinner):
Chez Daniel French restaurant
Ristorante Krizia Budapest
Fausto’s Restaurant in Szekely Mihaly street Budapest
Klassz Bistro
Happy celebration in Budapest! :)
Thank you so much for your help, I like the idea of dinner on the Danube:-)) Really appreciate it ;- ).
Just wanted to let you know that your website and answers have been so informative and helpful. I am coming to Budapest with a friend next week (saturday- Tuesday) and you have really helped us plan our trip.
We just wondered how much of Budapest will be closed on 1st and are there any special events planned that day (we leave at 17.50).
Also are vegetarians well catered for in most resaurants or would we have to go to a specialist restaurant. We like the idea of tasting some traditional Hungarian food.
Once again thank you for all the advise you have given and don’t worry if you don’t get a chance to reply before we leave, I realise we have left it quite late.
Elizabeth and Jo
Hi Elizabeth, thank you, we are glad to help for Budapest tourists.
May 1 is a national holiday in Budapest, which – regarding opening hours – means that:
banks and shops are closed,
but museums, and cultural centres are open
restaurants are I think either following the shops or the museums – some are closed others let hungry folks celebrate in the restaurants – it is really up to each restaurant’s policy.
Special events for May 1 Labour Day? Sure, anything that is bigger and greener – parks, islands, like the City Park (Varosliget), Elisabeth square (Erzsebet ter), Margaret Island (Margitsziget) will have open air concerts, and lots of people enjoying the holiday by either bringing their own picnic baskets or most of them ‘ravaging the pantry’: buying sausages, Langos (sour dough snack – Hungarian specialty), frankfurters, grilled veggie plates, cakes, etc. in the food stalls, and drinking beer, palinka (Hungarian brandy) and the like. The most central May 1 2012 festivities will likely be on Elisabeth square (right next to Deak square where all 3 Budapest metro lines meet), while the biggest ones are usually in the City Park by Heroes square (Hősök tere – M1 yellow metro line stop)
Vegetarians may find good vegetarian plates in the better restaurants, or here is our vegetarian Budapest restaurant map with some ideas for places to eat and groceries to buy:
http://map.topbudapest.org/vegetarian
Traditional Hungarian foods are really on the meaty side, or use lard – if made in a traditional way. But most modern kitchens (most Hungarian housewives) use vegetable oil (sunflower most typically and olive). A vegetarian Hungarian meal could be the Hungarian ratatouille ‘lecso’ (lecsó is made with stewed tomato, peppers, and onion – often mixed with scrambled eggs – ‘tojásos lecsó’, or fried bacon pieces, sausages, etc.) But plain lecso (say leh-choh) is actually a vegetarian dish. Also ‘langos’ the much favoured snack is vegetarian if the dough is fried in vegetable oil: http://budapestblog.luxuryhotelsbudapest.com/dining-in-budapest-langos-the-filling-snack/
Paprika potatoes is a very nice and filling dish – again, the plain version is without sausages and bacon: vegetables and potato mix. Hungarians eat a lot of stewed vegetables with roux called ‘fozelek’, which is a typical lunch or dinner dish for the weekdays. You may wish to try the following: spinach dish (spenót főzelék), green bean dish (zöldbab főzelék), bean dish (bab főzelék), lentil dish (lencsefőzelék), potato dish (krumpli főzelék), pea dish (borsófőzelék), etc. usually served with fried egg or sausages, etc. I myself would go for the spinach with boiled egg. :) But some like tökfőzelék (pumpkin) with lots of dills. We also eat lots of soups, again each vegetable has its own soup varieties.
But there are superb less traditional vegetarian meals of course – various grilled vegetables (there are some really tasteful vegetables here in Hungary, from yellow pepper through to ripe tomatoes, etc.
If you have a sweet tooth you will enjoy the wonderful Hungarian cakes. Try ‘flodni’ if you like moist cakes or ‘Dobos torta’ cake if you like drier cakes, or ‘Kremes’ if you like things with loads of cream. Gesztenye püré – chestnut puree is eaten as a dessert with whipped cream and sometimes cherries soaked in rum.
Turo rudi (Túró rudi – Pöttyös) is a Hungarian sweet specialty, basically cottage cheese rolls covered in chocolate – the cottage cheese in Hungary, as you will feel is very granular, unlike the English cottage cheese.
Here is a list of the best Hungarian confectioneries in Budapest: http://restaurants.topbudapest.org/confectioneries
And another delicious specialty you should not miss as a vegetarian gastro tourist is the Hungarian pickles: home made if possible (try the big market halls, like Central Market Hall or the cheaper Lehel Market Hall): cabbage pickles are heavenly (savanyú káposzta), or kovászos uborka (gherkin pickles), or csemege uborka (sweet pickled gherkins), or mixed pickles (csalamádé), or pepper stuffed with pickled cabbage (káposztával töltött paprika) – pickles are typically eaten with the main courses in Hungary (not just with meaty main courses but all kinds of main courses – one takes 2-3 spoonfuls or forkfuls of the main course and then comes the pickle bite, oftentimes hot pickles).
Lastly, although not Hungarian meals (more ‘Central European’ wherever it may have originated from, it is typical of the regional cuisine), you may like some of the following:
‘juhtúrós sztrapacska’ (a wonderful dish of noodles with ewe cottage cheese) and ‘padlizsánkrém’ with toasts which is roasted eggplant mixed with sauces and herbs (each family has its own recipe)
Have a nice trip to Budapest, Hungary.
Hello,
We are 4 couples leaving for Budapest this week. Can you recommand a nice place for spa for 4 ladies and their husbands? We wil stay at a hotel in the city centre of Pest.
Best regards,
M. P. Bergli
Hello Monica, I think your best option for the weekend is the world famous Szechenyi Bath (mixed /coed every day, very popular, beautiful architecture, outdoor pools) in the vicinity of a bunch of further Budapest attractions, close to Heroes square.
If you are scheduling the bath for Sunday, Gellert Bath is also a good option (most of the week not mixed, but on Sundays is, slightly more expensive, less packed, amazing Art Nouveau mosaics, and the 3 outdoor pools are also open now in this fantastic summer weather in Budapest we are blessed with.) If you are looking for something less touristy, smaller, and historical Turkish bath in Budapest, we recommend the Veli Bej Turkish bath, close to the Margaret Bridge. Veli Bej and Gellert are on the Buda side, by the river Danube, while Szechenyi is on the Pest side, in the City Park.
The facade and some other parts at Rudas bath and Lukacs bath are currently under construction but the baths are still open in both. Kiraly is mixed and Turkish, very historical as it has not been restored for ages, so the original octagonal bath, the half-lit Turkish dome etc. are not contrasted with modern clean walls – somehow more authentic if you are into that. :)
Cheers, have fun in Budapest!
Hi,would be travelling to budapest in july to go for the F1 race.
Any recommendations where to stay?To stay in city centre of budapest or nearer to
The F1 track? Would prefer hostels or any cheap accomdation as would be travelling to other places as well.
And also,would like to ask is the F1 track very far away from
City centre how should i get there? By metro or cab? If by cab is it very expensive?
Thank you.
Hello Sarah,
If you are only staying for the Formula 1 race and not even 1 day to do some sightseeing in Budapest, I guess you would want to be closer to the departure points to the Hungarian F1 race from Budapest: one of the options is the official F1 bus from Budapest Arpad Bridge on the Pest side, where the free shuttle bus to Hungaroring Formula 1 Mogyorod leaves from. Arpad Bridge is an M3 blue line metro station, so anywhere on the M3 line is also good I think.
The other choice, which I think is also very good is taking the suburban train from Ors Vezer square (Örs Vezér tér). This train is called HÉV in Hungarian for short (heyv), and goes every 10-15 min on weekdays:
here is the bilingual timetable from Budapest to Mogyorod for weekdays http://bkv.hu/hev/H8_H9_godolloi_hev.html
and 10-25 min at weekends
http://bkv.hu/hev/H8_H9_godolloi_hev_2.html
Mogyorod is not the final stop of the suburban train, so stay alert, your trip is about 30-35 minutes. When you get off at the Mogyorod HEV train station, there will be a free shuttle to take you to the F1 Grand Prix race track.
Ors Vezer square is also a metro station (like Arpad Bridge) but on M2 red metro line.
Now, for the Arpad Bridge choice: Adina Apartment Hotel close to the Lehel square metro station (M3) may be an excellent choice. True it is a hotel but really good value for money (check their rates around GBP 69)
A much cheaper solution, if you find even affordable hotels out of the limit is e.g. Aventura Boutique Hostel, a few min walk from Nyugati Train Station, which is on the M3 metro line, a couple of min from Arpad Bridge where you can take the free shuttle buses to the Hungarian F1. Its ratings are pretty good and the average price per night per person is about GBP 30.
Easy Hotel Budapest Oktogon is about 6 min walk from the Nyugati Train station M3 metro station – average price per room is GBP 25.
I think these two hostels are your best options, which are also great for sightseeing.
If they are booked up, you can try further options. Ors vezer square is not a good area to stay in, so I would recommend being in the city centre on the M2 metro line, e.g. at Astoria station, you can find Budapest Panorama Hotel and Budapest City Central hotel both at about GBP 49 per night. From Astoria you can be easily at Ors Vezer square in about 10-15 min.
You definitely should not take the cab, as all the traffic at this time peaks, as if everyone felt the urge to get to F1 by cab or in their own ‘Formula 1 racing car’. There will be traffic jams for sure (that’s why the regular, although not free, suburban train might be a good option too). Imagine being stuck in a taxi and getting all the huge taxi charges just waiting in the car… Not recommended at all.
If you want to cool down during the hot days of the Hungaroring Hungarian F1 race, try the water pools at Aquarena, right next to the Mogyorod Formula 1 tracks – it is a really good waterpark with lots of slides and fun things to do. :)
Hi,
thank you so much for the detailed information!
But would still like to ask some more questions as i would be travelling alone,so quite worried about transportation and travelling around issues.
I would probably be staying around for a while after the F1 to tour around budapest, may i ask where are the main attractions located at, buda or pest? And the hotels you introduced seems really nice! Are they close to attractions? If i were to choose Budapest city central hotel, how should i get to the F1 location? A little confused about metro and suburban train, are they the same? So the best transportation to get around budapest to visit attractions is it by metro? Are there any travel passes? And just to get a rough idea, how much does it usually cost to travel by taxi?
From the Arpad bridge, how long does it take to get to the F1 place? Will the shuttle buses be very packed so much so that i may not get there on time?
so sorry for so much questions!
Thank you so much! =)
Hi Sarah, no problem, being alone in a new city can be quite confusing. Luckily Budapest is easy to manage with its efficient public transport system.
Most attractions are on the Pest side, which is also more lively than the Buda side. See our Budapest Tourist Map here. The major attractions in Buda are basically in or around the Buda Castle / Royal Palace atop the Castle Hill, and the baths along the river Danube. Pest is better for booking your room also because of the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix car race. Out of the two Budapest hostels, Easy Hotel Budapest Oktogon has a better location, but Aventura Boutique Hostel is easily manageable as it is close to a metro station, and you can get almost anywhere in 15 min with the metros. The two hotels at Astoria are very centrally located, excellent choices again. Astoria itself is a square with an M2 metro station, taking you anywhere, plus the river is a ten min walk, which is great for seeing the night lights after sunset. If you choose this location in downtown Budapest, you need to take M2 metro to Deak square for 1 stop (or walk to Deak square in 5 min from Astoria), then take the M3 metro to Arpad Bridge to get on the F1 shuttle to Mogyorod. Or, take M2 from Astoria, all the way to Ors Vezer square, then get on the suburban train to Mogyorod (then the free shuttle bus will pick you at the suburban train – HÉV – station). The metro goes (mostly) underground in Budapest, the suburban train is a surface train – metros and suburban trains
There are all sorts of travel passes, for 72 hours or even a week for tourists, very affordable ones, see where to buy tickets and passes
The average cost of travelling by taxi within the city is around HUF 2,000-3,500, so it is really not cheap.
From Arpad Bridge to F1 Mogyorod by bus, it should be ideally around 35 min, however, traffic congestion can double the bus trip easily.
I am sure that you will quickly make friends with a couple of tourists and locals at the Formula 1 in Mogyorod, so you may end up joining them, which is more fun at night. Do check out the ruin pubs in Budapest if you like cool clubs.
Hi
I will be in Budapest for 3 weeks in June. On of the main things I would like to do is improve my Hungarian. I would be interested to find a language exchange (English & Hungarian) with someone. Any suggestions how I could do that?
Also, what festivals or special events will be happening in June?
Thank you.
Hello Peter, I do apologize for taking so long to get back to your questions. So first the language learning – Hungarian exchange:
I have been trying to contact a couple of the tutors, schools, course organizers of Hungarian language, including Fungarian, which has been well reviewed on TripAdvisor (a short and concise intro to the Magyar language, with fun – maybe worth a try, even if it costs about 15 euros
Another option is to send your comment here: Learning Hungarian in Budapest I have set up a quasi forum (post plus comments) for those who want to learn Hungarian in Budapest, and are looking for alternatives, including language exchange classes. Please specify which days you want to have classes on (when in June 2012), what language you could offer teaching in exchange, and maybe what teaching background you have, if any it may help (?) (to entice your future teacher). :)
Until the ‘seeking Hungarian Tutor’ post gets more visibility in google, I will link this post (plus your question in the comment) to the Hungarian social network site, iwiw.hu with my personal ID (or you can try to register and go through putting up a free classified ad, saving me some time) :) It could be your first steps towards Hungarian… Then Hungarians can apply / discuss options with you. Does it help?
But of course, I am happy to help you with trying to find a local Hungarian teacher in Budapest willing to give you Hungarian classes. Another option is the good old Craigslist Budapest http://budapest.craigslist.org/search/lss?query=+
Maybe you could get lucky here too (or join a Hungarian language learning team). Then there are teachers of Hungarian of course (for tuition fee, not exchange based) e.g. Gabriella Kiss at http://hungarianteacher.com/
Hopefully you will end up with a good teacher (oh, yes, maybe Facebook ads?).
Now for the Budapest festivals or special events that will be on in Budapest in June 2012: you will hopefully find something nice to do in our Budapest Event Calendar like the Budapest Czech Beer Festival 2012, the Night of the Museums 2012, the Budai Gourmet Festival 2012 – all in June, as is this, where you can even learn how to dance in Hungarian:
e.g.
Let me know if you need me to place your ad on the Hungarian FB called iwiw (‘international who is who’, which somehow remained Hungarian, guess cause of FB supremacy)
And have a nice trip – 3 weeks is not a typical tourist stay, but you surely won’t be bored. :)
I will go to Budapest for my first time on 20th of May in 4 days from now till 28th!!
I will be alone and I wonder what i should do first and how to schedule my visit!
I am after the crazy time in mixed baths and night life good places to visit and have good relax time and fun.. meet new people and make good friendships! I have been almost all-over the world so i really need something to get me excited and new!!! please drop me a message to guide me and if you have good plans let’s do it together during my visit….
drop me a note so we can get in touch….
I am going to Budapest for my first time on 20th of May in 4 days from now till 28th!! I will be staying in
Holiday Inn 2040 Budaors Agip Utca 2
I will be alone and I wonder what i should do first and how to schedule my visit!
I am after the crazy time in mixed baths and night life good places to visit and have good relax time and fun.. meet new people and make good friendships! I have been almost all-over the world so i really need something to get me excited and new!!! please drop me a message to guide me and if you have good plans let’s do it together during my visit….
drop me a note so we can get in touch….