I will be staying in Budapest from July 2 to July 6, at the Radisson, 43 Terezkourt.

Looking for recommendations:
1. Inexpensive, local cuisine
2. Interesting places to eat
3. Places for people watching / activity during the day and during the evening
4. How to get a tourist map & transportation map (shows locations of attractions)
5. Is there a tourist card that allows admission to a number of museums and attractions at a fixed cost? Website that tells about tourist card? In your opinion was it worth the cost?
6. Something(s) that you would recommend doing or seeing that isn?t in the typical guide book.
7. Website that will list events when I am there.
8. Is there a transportation card that permits using public transportation at a fixed cost? Is it worth the cost? Where to purchase?
9. Day trips from this city that you wold recommend, and how to get there.

1. Inexpensive local cuisine is all over, but depending on your view of inexpensive -- consider Fatal, located just off (but with an address on) the lower section of Vaci utca.
2. Again, many possibilities. Some threads of the past few months do list several.
3. Vaci utca, particularly the northern end.
4. Tourist and transportation maps should be available at your hotel.
5. Yes .. the Budapest Card, which comes in two versions. It includes admission to a number of mueseums plus all public transport (save funicular on castle hill, and "children's railway&quot for a set number of days. Available from Tourinform offices, among other places; your hotel can direct you.
6. not really, especially not with only 3 - 4 days.
7. Try www.budapestsun.com to start.
8. See #5
9. The "Danube Bend" tour, operated by more than one tourist service. BUT, I don't suggest this all-day trip if you have only three days available as there is already so much to fill your time in the city itself.

cheap food is everywhere. try going up near the castle and the Matyas church. there are many excellent places to eat and its a little slower pace up there. quite nice.

for off the beaten path go to a hungarian bath house. they are clean and safe but it will be a true experience. the guide books make it sound easier than it is. But nobody in these places speaks a lick of english. they are really local hangs. guys and girls are seperated.

also, the city bus tour is one of the best I have done in europe. I highly recommend it. cant remember which company i used but it was very well done.

yes! is worth buying the card and this one includes free transportation .
there're 2 types the 48h. and the 72h.
If you are only going for 4 days I
would only concentrate in the city, maybe a boat trip in the danube.
But if you really want to see places out of Budapest take the Danube bend
tour that would also take you to visegrad, esztergom and szentendre.
Another tour maybe for your last night
is the budapest by night with dinner and a folkloric show. I'm taking both
with cityrama next July. We are going to be there from the 2nd. till the 8th. and them headed to Prague.
Here are some websites. Have fun.
websites: gotohungary.com
budapest.hu
europeancitycards
hungarytourism.hu

I have been to Budapest several times and have stayed at the Radisson. When you walk out the Radisson and make a right, the Nyugati Train Station is on the next block. There is a tourist info center here and you can buy a Budapest Card here. One thing about the Budapest card is that it starts at midnight. If you buy the card at 2pm, you have lost 14 hours already. I would recommend the Budapest card. Across the street from the train station is the Nyugati Metro station. You walk down the steps. There are a lot of small shops in the station. You can get lost down here. If you walk straight down the aisle and stay to the left you will come to the entrance to the westend City Center Shopping Mall. This is a modern mall and this is one of the places for people watching. They also have an excellent food court. If you are not familiar with Hungarian food, you can see what it looks like here before you buy it. I got some very good food here. They have a bowling alley here. It was very amusing watching some of the Hungarians bowl for the first time. I highly recommend a visit to this shopping center. It is a good walk from the Radisson to Vaci utca. You will need to learn the metro/tram system, or you are going to do a lot of walking. My favorite tour was the Cityrama Danube Bend tour. We were bused most of the way and on the way back, we were let off the bus and put on a boat back to Budapest. I always take the boat tour at night on the Danube. It is beautiful out on the river. This is the boat that has the headsets. Make sure that it will be dark when you take the tour. You will enjoy Budapest.

The two times we stayed in Budapest we stayed in the Hilton that is in (Or attached to) the City Center Mall. We enjoyed eating at the food court often and people watching while there! My favorite thing staying in that hotel was awaking at 5am and watching Budapest come alive each morning. It is located on a busy multi-lane street. I enjoyed watching the shop keepers opening their small businesses across the street. (Turn on the lights, sweep the side walks, greet the other shop keepers and people walking their dogs, etc.) One dear little old lady I saw each morning reminded me of my grandmother. (who was 104 when she passed away.) What wonderful memories. I didn't want to leave after the two weeks we were there. I was delighted to return a few months later for another two week visit. My husband was on business and I was on vacation. I loved every minute being in Budapest. Have a wonderful time!!!

I had lunch at Fatal last Sunday. Very enjoyable - lots of local atmosphere, good food, huge menu and not expensive.
We also at at Hanna, which is a kosher restaurant near the synagogue and quite an experience if you're into that.

How easy is it to get by without speaking Hungarian? I've always had a fascination with Hungary, Budapest in particular. I even ATTEMPTED the language at one point, briefly (i was very young at the time--12 or 13).

t

I got by quite well without speaking Hungarian. Many speak English and in a pinch, gestures and smiles work. I found Hungarians to be friendly although quiet and serious.