Budapest - is a week too much

Old Mar 4th, 2012, 05:53 AM
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Budapest - is a week too much

Planning our vacation next year ... Paris , of course.. Apartment already rented but wondering is a week too long or not long enough for Budapest ? We will be staying in the Marriott in the city center.. Opinions on the choice ?
Ideas of must see things in the city or area
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Old Mar 4th, 2012, 07:17 AM
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denmal - we stayed between Christmas and New Year a few years ago, and after 3 days went home with loads still to see. as well as the city centre [a good 3 days' worth, IMO] there are plenty of day trips in the area which we didn't get to do, but remember reading about. [I think there was a TR here somewhere]

a good place to start is the "in your pocket guide":

http://www.inyourpocket.com/static/downloads.html

have a great trip1
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Old Mar 4th, 2012, 07:35 AM
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No, a week certainly isn't too much! I've visited Budapest three times now, for several days each time, and would still like to go back.

See http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ria-venice.cfm for my second trip,
http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...ring-budapest/ and two preceding posts for my third, and
http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/E...ngary-Budapest for photos.
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Old Mar 4th, 2012, 07:37 AM
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Oh, and the Marriott is a great location, ask for a room with a river view. But I can highly recommend an apartment from the outfit I used last time, as well: http://www.budapestvacationrentals.com/
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Old Mar 4th, 2012, 07:47 AM
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We visited Budapest for 5 nights/4 1/4 days and that was enough for us. However, we did not "do" any spa thing, didn't take a boat trip on the Danube, or take any day-trips elsewhere.

Believe it or not - I thought that the Rick Steves book for Budapest was the best guide book of the many I consulted & used for Budapest. This is the only time I've really used one of his guide books (I have about 12 feet of shelf space for travel books about Europe, and another 3 feet for maps, plus 3 file cabinet drawers for articles).

Stu Dudley
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Old Mar 4th, 2012, 08:45 AM
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Let's put it this way.
If you stay a week,you certainly should see all there is to see in Budapest, from a Tourist's perspective.

I mean, you can visit the museums, which takes time.

Seeing a live Concert at the Opera House ( if you want).

Book a tour of the very ornate Parliament Buildings.

Spend time of Gellert Hill, terrific view from here both day and night.
I would recommend to go up to Gellert Hill both in the daytime and at night.

Take the Funicular up to Buda Castle, make sure you take a picture of the Mathias Fountain built into the castle wall.

it is the most photographed site at Buda Castle.

From here ( The Castle) walk over to Mathias Church and the Fisermans Bastion .

The Mariott is in a nice location,on the Pest side and right next to the Vigado Square.
When you come out of the Marriott turn LEFT.

Vigado Square is right in front of the Concert Hall.

You can walk along the River walkway outside the Mariott and sitting perched on the railing is a bronze of a Little Princess...take a picture here, with the Buda Castle as the background.

A little further down( 1/2 block) is another bronze of a young girl playing with a dog... both of these statues are almost in front of the Mariott.

Okay walk another half block and you are at the Petofi Square where the lovely Magyar Church is and a statue of Petofi in the Square named for him.

Oh yes.. Petofi was a Poet and Writer and inspired the 1848 Revolution against the Hapsburg Rule.

Okay , you are just a 1/2 block away from the Inner City Parrish..important city landmark church, and also you are right here at the Elizabeth Bridge.

I would not cross the Elizabeth Bridge yet, rather enjoy the March 15 Square in front of the Bridge and then keep walking along the Danube river walkway....until

you come to the Green Liberty ( Freedom) Bridge.

and of course as you walk along look up across the river ..up to Gellert Hill and you clearly seen the Freedom ( Victory) Statue and the Citadel complex.

Now that you are at the Green Liberty Bridge , you are at Fovam Square..... the reason to come this way is to go inside the lovely Market Square building.

You cannot miss this building, it is huge and very ornate.


After this you can walk across Liberty Bridge...you are now on the Buda side of Budapest !
The Gellert Spa Hotel is here as is the Rock Church.
Turn RIGHT:

Walking along the Danube River you will come to the Elizabeth Bridge, there is a nice statue of Empress Elizabeth

on your left as you approach the Elizabeth Bridge.

and while you are here look up half-way up Gellert Hill and see the statue of St. Gellert blessing the city of Budapest.

( Empress Elizabeth was the lovely yound wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I.... )she went for a visit to Geneva in 1898 and some Political radical stabbed her right on the street.
She died.

From here keep on walking until you come to the famous Chain Bridge.....you HAVE to walk across this bridge !!!

Of course you will tour St.Stephen Cathedral (walking distance from the Marriott..

also a block behind you at the Marriott is the lovely Elizabeth Square...you can go through here on your walk to the St. Stepehen Cathedral.

And you MUST go to the Heroes Square.

it is straight down Adrassy Boulevard ...but too far to walk..but do NOT miss this place.

I could go on but I will stop here, for now !
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 07:44 AM
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Wow Percy nice outline.

I too am planning to visit Budapest.
There is a statue park there , do you know where it is and , did you go there?
Is it worth seeing?
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 08:09 AM
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In Your Pocket doesn't do a Budapest guide unfortunately (but their guides for other cities are great).

Statue Park - http://www.szoborpark.hu/?Lang=en

Nice half/day trip from Budapest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szentendre
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 09:26 AM
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We were in Budapest 3 years ago and really loved it. A week is not too much, in my opinion. We stayed at the Marriott, too, and loved the location. We got it on Priceline bidding for $65 US a night with breakfast; I checked on www.biddingfortravel.com and now Priceline seems to be giving out the Hilton instead for about the same price. We learned a lot during two walking tours by Absolute Tours. We took the Hammer & Sickle Tour and the Absolute Walk tour. www.absolutetours.com. Have a wonderful trip!
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 09:29 AM
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Sorry, it was www.betterbidding.com that I checked the Priceline bidding wins.
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 09:29 AM
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Take this tour to Szoborpark and do it on a Monday when the museums are closed:

http://www.absolutetours.com/tours/r...ckle-tour.html

Go to the Spy/Terror museum.

Evidently Percy left out all of Jewish Budapest.

Take a tour of the Dohany Street Synagogue and its environs. See the Weeping Willow (which had funds raised for it by Bernard Herschel Schwarz, aka Tony Curtis).

As for "see the statue of St. Gellert blessing the city of Budapest" - it kind of looks like he's warding away vampires from Buda . . . or maybe it's just the proximity to Romania that conjured that visual. ;-)
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 09:31 AM
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Budapest is one of my favorites so I rarely get bored.
In addition to all that has been said:
An evening in the famous backyard/ "ruins" pubs, e.g. Szimpla Kert, or more upscale the garden hill restaurants on the Buda side.

Day trips to Szentendre or Gödöllö (palace, well connected by rail)
Or jetfoil to Esztergom monastery

A cute trip is also to take the cogwheel train (part of public transport) to Szechenyi-hegy / hill. Then take the "children's railway" to its other terminus where you can catch the tram back to central Budapest.
http://www.gyermekvasut.hu/english/chrw_home.php
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 10:01 AM
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I regret that we did not see the statue park--Memento Park.
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 12:59 PM
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Hi jmvp:

Well if you have the time , then go see this Socialist Statue Park.
There are tours going there from all the major hotels ( or taxi or bus)

It is located on the south end of Budapest on the Buda side
down from Gellert Hill.

The Danube River runs North and South through Budapest,for orientation .

It is not a large park and contains a lot of statues of past Communist leaders and Socialists like Marx Engle.

There is Lenin and a pair of Stalin's Boot.!!! the rest of him is gone !!!

The nicest statue in the park is the Bela Kun Memorial.

BigRuss:

Yes, I did not mention Jewish Budapest, which is an important part of Budapest.

That is why I said at the end of my outline " I could go on but I think I will stop here for now".

Your right about the Dohany Street Synagogue.

You can walk there from the Marriott.
1. Come out of the Marriott , turn LEFT
2. Walk down to the Elizabeth Bridge ( 3 blocks)
3.Turn LEFT ..walk 4 blocks and you will come to the Bank and Hotel Astoria....

now turn LEFT for a block and you are here at the Synagogue.!!

But since you are here... you might as well visit the lovley Hungarian National Musuem ( gorgeous building).

But since you are here ( at the National Museum), you are half a block from Calvin Square...from Calvin Square go 2 blocks down to the Great Market Hall.

See what I mean!!... when do you stop.!!

So if you have a week in Budapest you can really see a lot.

Also BigRuss:

I was in Romania last year. I went to Bran Castle...the Dracula Castle, and I was lucky... Dracula was there, he was asking about you .!!

I told him you are coming soon!

so have your garlic necklace and cross handy
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 01:13 PM
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Percy: I think I just need a photo of Gellert from the right angle. That would scare all the vampires away (kept them out of Hungary, maybe it'd push them to Moldova).

To the OP: Statue Park, Memento Park, etc. are all names for Szoborpark, which houses the Commie-era statuary. The tour I linked above meets at Deak Ter, which is the main square in the Pest side of town (it's walkable from your hotel).

And check out the Anonymous statue - it's kind of creepy considering it honors an historian who recorded early Hungarian history (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesta_Hungarorum).
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 01:13 PM
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Timely post....we will be in Budapest this summer, and although we've read a few guidebooks, the invaluable insights/suggestions of Fodorites are greatly appreciated.

Thank you all.
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Old Mar 5th, 2012, 03:16 PM
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BigRuss

Yep the Anonymous Statue look like the Grim Reaper !!

Wonder what it is doing at the Castle entrance at the City Park.

Did you see the Time Wheel there?

JoyC:

Glad we can all help .
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Old Mar 14th, 2012, 03:04 PM
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Will be be in Budapest for 5 days this summer ... Thank you Percy and Big Russ for all the tips. They will really help us make the most of our visit. Thank
you for he time you take to answer so many posts!
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Old Mar 14th, 2012, 04:51 PM
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You are welcome

We are all here to help each other.
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Old Mar 14th, 2012, 05:20 PM
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Unless I missed something on this thread, no one has mentioned the great museums of Budapest.

A personal favourite: The Museum of Fine Arts at Heroes' Square (Hősök tere), the core of whose collection came from the Esterhazy family.

I think I counted SEVEN El Grecos -- where outside Spain could you find that?
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