mian11224

Everybody was warning me before the trip to Budapest that the cab drivers are all cheaters, waiters don't speak English, don't smile, and always attempt to overcharge you. All the guidebooks carry the same warning, so I was fully prepared.
Have just spent 4 days there: all the taxis I rode in have always had the meter running, all the waiters that I dealt with were smiling, more or less English speaking, and generally nice.
Was I so incredibly lucky on each and every occasion? Were all these scary tales come from?

hopscotch

Reminds me of a trip I made through Romania about 15 years ago. Warnings galore about the pot holed roads. Drove across the country and never saw one significant pothole. The roads are worse here in Michigan. Why a contractor can't install a manhole cover that is flush with the city street surface is beyond me.

kenderina

Mian..never trust so much guidebooks LOL I mean, when they are stating things that can be viewed as personal opinions..maybe yours can be different. It happens most of the time to me. Another question is actual facts where guidebooks can be of great help.

Anyway, and I don't want to be polemic, I think the guides written with American tourists in mind, tend to be a bit too "scary". Probably they try to make the people be aware of their surroundings and avoid as much as possible a culture clash by advising this kind of things...but sometimes they go too far and seem a bit unknowledgeable of the reality of some countries.

Clifton

The place we ate the first night in Budapest didn't have anyone that spoke English. But she was a sweet young thing that waited on us and when I pointed to something on the menu, she wrinkled her nose and laughed and pointed at something else, which was also less expensive (although it wasn't a pricey place anyway). Turned out she was right. Most of the people we met did speak english and most were very kind, but not necessarily overly friendly. None quite so cute. None cheated us.

And hopscotch, we pretty much thought the same in Romania a couple of years ago. Driving was fine.

Padraig

It is a good idea to be alert to the possibility of being ripped off wherever you go -- and, indeed, to be generally alert to a range of possibilities for things to go wrong.

That said, my experience of Budapest is like mian11224's.
- Taxis are regulated, and the regulation is effective in most cases. There is a risk of encountering a cowboy operator, but the risk is low.
- I have encountered some servers with limited or no English, but it was never a problem. It was a challenge that we took up in co-operative spirit. I am sure some surly servers exist, or that you might meet one having a bad day, but so far I have escaped that.

Dukey

Our last time in Budapest we took a cab..the meter was running and the meter was apparently "rigged" because we did the same trip in reverse later on and paid a lot less in yet another "metered" cab.

We had no trouble with waiters not speaking English, overcharging us, or not smiling.

Guidebooks are just that: GUIDES..sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don't and sometimes they even quote people like you and I and present our experiences as being somehow "indicative."

Do you believe it?

Padraig

Dukey wrote: "Our last time in Budapest we took a cab..the meter was running and the meter was apparently "rigged" because we did the same trip in reverse later on and paid a lot less in yet another "metered" cab."

That does not necessarily mean that the meter was rigged. There is a maximum tariff set by regulation, and I understand that enforcement is reasonably good. The rate is fairly high relative to the cost of operating in Budapest, so many cabs work for lower rates. Those that cruise the streets plying for hire tend to be more expensive. It is generally better value to call a cab from one of a number of operators who apply lower fares.

Dukey

Padraig, with the greatest of respect WAKE UP, OK? The trip was taken at almost exactly the same time of day on two different weekdays.

I'm sorry but I was there and you weren't. the meter was rigged IMO

Padraig

Dukey, I have noticed that "with the greatest respect" is one of the most abused expressions in the English language.

I did not say that the meter was not rigged: I said that it might not have been. I explained why -- that different operators charge different rates, and this is legal provided they do not exceed the maximum rates that are prescribed. The time of day or the day of the week have nothing to do with it. The Budapest Tourist Office actually warns visitors of this, and the advice I gave about calling a cab rather than hailing one on the street is derived from their handbook, which gives the names and numbers of some recommended firms.

You need more than the experience you have reported to make your claim stand up.

Poohgirl

I was in Budapest in September and had no problem with wait staff, but I could speak a little bit Hungarian, and that might have helped. I never took a cab, so I can't comment on that.

My experience was that finding people who spoke English was very hit and miss - much of the time miss. They were quite patient with my (probably pathetic) Hungarian, though.

mian11224

It is "indicative" though that so far most posters agree with me. Let's be realistic: taxi drivers could be a challenge anywhere, and there sure exist not too friendly and/or cheating waiters (my the worst experience by far was at Grand hotel in Stockholm) - but why create such horror stories?
Maybe I am sensitive to it because I've heard enough horror stories about New York, always wondering where did people find it.