Tips for Budapest please ?

Food - every steak in the whole city is marinated in Paprika, even if you ask for it plain! Great if you like Paprika. If, like me, you don't like Paprika, but need some red meat - go to Burger King for a nice decent Whopper!
 
hi we enjoyed a trip there last autumn. Great food, even the paprika!! Rosensteins - high class food at Burger King prices!! Seriously great selection, service, etc. for next to nothing by Irish standards. Avoid - any place that looks touristy. Scam going whereby you pay with a large note, but they only give change of smaller notes back. Be very alert, work out in advance what you should get back. Also some bars/restaurants keep the change automatically. Say you pay for a meal and sit there waiting for change. It may never come. Ask as you pay to return the change or pay exactly if you can. Then leave the tip. Avoid Irish bar Limerick near the Square where Tourist office and Gerbeaud cafe is. Menu prices mean nothing there - they charge off the tops of their brainless heads - massive rip off there!! Gerbeuds cafe is great value and lovely old Bewleys style place, cakes just yummmmmy!! Metro was good too. We brought a small amount of their currency in cash and used atms to withdraw no problem. We are a bit spoilt with the euro so the florints are confusing so be vigilant as I never came across as many smart arses ready to take advantage of tourists unfamiliar with the notes. Lovely city tho, oh and do try the baths! We visited the Gellert ones, lovely, but there are several others. Very refreshing after all the sight seeing.
 
Don't let the beautiful young girls in the Airport/Train Station talk you into staying in the hostel where they work...they are very hard to resist as they are some lookers!
The hostels turn out to be far different from advertised to you!
 
We stayed at the Mercure Buda. Twas grand really, right beside the Castle and metro. Great brekkie I recall! Trams outside the door, safe at night. Avoid the Zwack tho, even yet my brain is a bit dim after all I drank!! Prefer Prague tho, Budapest lacked a bit of magic for me?
 
Don't use a taxi unless it has a taxi-company name on the side and the rates on the window. They will rip you off and might not even bring you to the right place. Best to ring a reputable taxi company, should be able to get numbers in your hotel.

There's also some scam where attractive girls work in twos, pretend to be lost and ask you for directions. I think they might try to take you off the main street, but don't know if it's to rob you or if they are just prostitutes. Didn't happen to us but we were sitting out on one street where there were four attractive twosomes doing whatever it is they were doing. Just watch out.

Some restaurants will include the tip in the bill so make sure you don't double-tip.

Stayed in the Grand Hungaria - Buda side - on the main artery into town, pretty central. EUR 50 per night per person.

Don't believe anything you read about Bahnhof nightclub, it's a dive full of wasted teenagers.

Apparently there's a good selection of strip clubs, but being a good Catholic boy you won't be interested on those.
 
Back
Top