Budapest: Thinking of going for a weekend . Is it worth going ? Is it Cheap?

Re: Budapest

Was there in summer '05 & '06 for a week. Very nice place, loads of good places to eat, drink etc. It was as cheap as Spain/Germany/Italy etc, so cheaper than here! But not dirt cheap.
 
Re: Budapest

I certainly think Budapest is worth visiting, and I'd go again anytime I got the chance. Lots of interesting things to see.

It's not dirt cheap, but if you are on a tight budget you can find great value if you make an effort -- the obvious sort of measures, like do a bit of homework, and don't eat in places that are clearly set up for the tourist market.
 
Re: Budapest

Do a search on Budapest. There have been lots of suggestions in the past.

It's a beautiful city and well worth a visit. Like everybody says you can spend a lot of money if you stick with the touristy places for wining & dining.

It's very cold this time of year but the weather gets quite pleasant around April. Probably cheaper & less crowded this time of year too though.

Ryanair have good flight deals at the moment. I'm heading over next week for €15 one way inc taxes !
 
Re: Budapest

The old city is absolutely beautiful, as are a lot of the buildings in the new city. We found amazing bars that you enter through crumbling doorways and an amazing outdoor nightclub.Well worth a visit and worth exploring.Would go back in the morning.
 
Re: Budapest

I was in Budapest in October last year and I would recommend it. We stayed there for 5 nights and stayed in the Budapest Karoly Central Hotel. This hotel was cheap but well recommended. It's a basic hotel but very near the main metro interchange and also very near the main street.

The architecture and old city is beautiful, I would also recommend going to 1 of the many baths that are in Budapest.

Budapest isn't dirty cheap but you can have a very nice meal and a few drinks for a less than what you would pay here.

Enjoy
 
Re: Budapest

The HUF is currently close to an all-time low, so Budapest is even cheaper now for tourists from the Eurozone. It's one of the best capitals to visit in Europe, particularly for a shorter break.

Hotels, restaurants and bars all tend to be good value. Just stay away from anywhere, which has a 'tourist menu'. The very best restaurants are slightly hidden away, but Abszint or Klassz near the opera house on Andrássy út are great. This list is very accurate: [broken link removed] An average main course will be around 8-9 euro.

The bohemian bar scene has expanded too lately and now has good service. The best are Instant at Nagymező utca 38 (Opera metro stop), Csendes at Ferenczy Istvan utca 5 (Astoria metro stop), Mumus at Dob utca 18 (Astoria metro stop) and Corvin Tető on Blaha Lujza Square (Blaha Lujza metro stop). Beer will be slightly less than 2 euro. If you are passing, also try the predominantly District VII bar scene: Szoda, Szimpla Kert, Kuplung, Sark and Bar Ladino. In the Summer, Liszt Ferenc Ter, Mikszath Kalman Ter are nice to sit on and outdoor bars such as Zöld Pardon and Hold Udvar are where everyone goes.

Széchenyi Baths are the most interesting. Open all year round. 10 euro for a visit. (Széchenyi Fürdő metro stop).

Hotels are generally good, but these may not appear on internet searches:
Opening deals at the moment: http://www.sohoboutiquehotel.com/
Also good: http://www.hotelambra.hu/
Basic but very cheap: http://bookings.easyhotel.com/Booking/EHOTBookHotel.asp?
 
Re: Budapest

Anyone who hasn't been before, don't miss Statue Park (or Memento park as it is also known). AFAIK there is a special bus from around Deak Ter, but you can also get there on public transport, on one of the yellow buses. All the big soviet style statues from communist times are lined up in a field just outside the city; well worth a look.
Agree with previous poster, the baths at Széchenyi are the best ones to go to, not as touristy as the ones in the Gellert Hotel. Well worth a trip; there is a metro stop for Széchenyi on the yellow line, just after Heroes Square.
Take the tour of the opera house as well, it's a short stroll up Andrassy from Deak ter. It's the sister house of Vienna, in the same style but smaller. If you like opera, it's a lovely setting and worth getting tickets for, but do the tour of the house anyway even if you're not an opera buff.
The Holocaust museum is a sobering reminder of how far down people can drop into depravity. Allow at least half a day to see it properly, and half a lifetime to get it out of your mind afterwards.
Don't miss the holocaust memorial along the quay wall near the parliament building also. During the second world war the local fascists were in league with the nazis, and they used to line up a lot of Jewish families along the riverbank, tied together at the wrists. They would shoot one or two, enough to drag the whole line into the freezing river. There is a poignant memorial along the quay wall, you would almost miss it. It consists of more than a dozen pairs of bronze shoes, including some children's shoes, in a line facing the river.
On a more cheerful note, there is plenty of shopping in the Westend or in Mamout, but a lot of the stuff is the same as here and at only slightly lower prices. Better to forget the shops if you're heading there for a few days; just enjoy the city and the whole central european experience. Go to the market house, its the building with the coloured tiled roof that faces you when you walk all the way down to the end of Vaci Ut, or it's on the tram line. Great atmosphere, lots of food for eating on the hoof; its like the big market house in Boston of anyone knows it.
Budapest is great. Good food, nice city to stroll around. Cheap if you stay off Vaci for eating and drinking. Worth several repeat visits.
 
Another thing to do on the cheap is to visit the houses of Parliament. You have to bring your passport and a tour is free to those with EU passports. This time of year you won't have a very long queue.

I'm staying in Hotel Ambra ( as mentioned above by Budapest ) and I'll report back on my return. Got a good deal through www.needahotel.com
 
Domina Fiesta is quite a good choice, very central and great breakfast, but tends to be expensive. Try hunting for it on http://www.hotelclub.com (www.hotelclub.com) or on some of the other discounters; it isn't worth the prices that are quoted by the hotel directly. The rooms are ok, nothing to write home about; one floor is an attick floor with velux windows and those rooms can be a bit claustrophobic.

By the way, the correct link for this hotel is and not the one that Gil has posted. Is Gil in some way connected with combinedhotels.com? If he has an interest, this should be posted.
 
Re: Hotel Ambra. It's not fancy but in a great position, just around the corner from Andrassy Ut & the Opera House. Rooms are clean, breakfast is fine, not much of a lobby and no bar or restaurant. No shortage of bars & restaurants within easy walking distance.

It's not the Hilton but if you want a clean hotel in a convenient area for a reasonable price I can heartily recommend it.

The restaurant Absinzt I can also recommend. Lovely ambience & really good value.

You'll enjoy Budapest. It really is very good value especially with the HUF rates at the moment.
 
Hi all,

Would appreciate any quick response. Basically in a mad rush to book a weekend away to budapest for the partner. We hope to also take in the madonna concert, so that will rule out most of Saturday. How many days would do to take in this city? I ask as the flights from Dublin (ie ryanair) all arrive late, so that day is lost, but on departure you probably will still have 1/2 day to utilise. So would 2-3 give us enough time, as I expect 2 is really cutting it short.

Also looking at an apartment near Andrássy út, which has got good reviews. Would it provide a good base to explorer the city.

Thanks
S.
 
Yes, apartment should be a good base to explore the city. 2 days (nights?) is definitely not enough, 3 days would probably be tight too if you are including your night at the madonna concert. However if you can manage 4 days then this would be enough for a short break, or 3 without the madonna concert especially since your flight arrives late. Beuatiful city though so I guess it all depends on how much exploring you would hope to do.
 
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