We are going on a riverboat cruise, boarding boat in Budapest on 9/26 and will have one day of sightseeing with tour group on 9/27. We will arrive in Budapest on 9/23 in afternoon and have reservations at Marriott (thru Priceline). We will be on our own for a while & have all day on 24th25th and until 3 pm on 9/26 to explore.

I have several questions.

1) What is best way to get from airport to hotel?

2)Can anyone tell me of good (not expensive) restaurants?

3) Would love any advice on getting around Budapest? Should we buy a transit pass? Where do we get those?

4) Any highlights we should not miss. I did see that with the tour we will visit several churches and do a city tour

5) If we were to take one day and go somewhere outside of Budapest what would you recommend?

We are in our 50's, like history, wine tasting, pubs, markets, etc. thanks so much

Pam

I wouldn't attempt to recommend anything as we're going a couple of weeks after you are. I thought if you hadn't seen it though, you might find this site useful. All sorts of transportation and mini-tour information on it. We were thinking about picking up one of the Budapest Cards and using the shuttle direct from the Airport to the hotel.

http://www.budapestinfo.hu/en/

My family is from Hungary so perhaps I can help you with some answers. Best way to get from Airport to hotel is by taxis that are near airport. I think you need to go to Szentendre. That is a pretty artsy town just about 1/2 hour from Budapest. You can ask at the hotel about the public transit system which would help you get there. There is a WONDERFUL wine cellar in Szentendre that is a MUST SEE. I am sure that you hotel will have info on it. Restaurants that I've enjoyed are the famous Matyas Pince in Budapest. Also the Feher Galamb which is at the Castle district area. The City tours you are going to take will highlight all the famous places to see.

Hi Pam,
I used to live in Budapest several years ago. I haven't been back in 2 years so take my advice for what it is worth!

I agree that taxis are the easiest way to go. It should be about 5,000 forints. There was a taxi scam going in Bp when we lived there and we always used one company...City Taxi. Two other decent ones are Buda Taxi and Fo Taxi. When you are using taxis in the city, always have the hotel call ahead, you will get a better rate.
2) We found restaurants to be reasonable in Bp. We liked Krizia which is downtown, and Remiz (off of Huvosvolgy, spelling is massacred.)
3) I would agree with the thoughts on Szentendre.
3) Do the tokay tasting at the Hilton. They have a cave like wine tasting room downstairs and you can taste the full range of tokays...from dry to sweet. You will also learn about the wine. Good examples of Tokay are something special!
4) For a trip out of town, I would head to the Puszta (east) because it is different. You will see the Hungarian 'cowboys' do their thing. It would be a long day, but doable.
5) The Marriott has a popular brunch on Sunday which is worthwhile. There is (was) lots of energy in the air when we would go. The expats love it, but I am not sure about the tourists!?
6) You must do the baths. We used to do it at the Gellert Hotel which are beautiful and old. It is unlike anything you probably have seen. If you are brave, get a massage.

And of course, the castle district, which is where the Hilton is located, the covered market and if you like antiques, the antique shops on Falks Miksa (again, the spelling is slaughtered, but it is almost across from your hotel) and Ecserri, the big market just outside of town. Go early, b/c things get picked over...lots of Herend!

Cheers,
Jan

Love Budapest but hated some of the taxis which are, in my experience, some of the most crooked in Europe (next to Prague's, that is). Anyway, try to get a driver to agree on the approximate price before you get in...the meters on some of the cabs are rigged I am certain.

However, do NOT let this minute detail spoil your visit to Budapest..it is a wonderful city and nicely different than what you've probably experienced in the past.

Pam,
You'll love Budapest. Now, it's been about 4 years since we were there and then it was more of a tight budget trip so I won't mess things up by giving out of date or mixed up info. What I will tell you is to buy a copy of "Budapest In Your Pocket" as soon as you arrive. It has everything you'll need for a first time visitor. In the meantime you can check out the website to get a taste of what the booklet is like....

http://www.inyourpocket.com/hungary/budapest/en/

HI Pam,

I just got back from Budapest on Saturday (I'll be posting a trip report soon.) If you're looking for an economical way to get from the airport to the city, there's a shuttle bus called Airport Minibus. There's a desk on the way out of the airport, you buy your ticket, tell them your hotel, then wait for them to call you. They seem to send buses by neighborhood. A one way ticket was 2100 forint.

I didn't buy a travel pass, but I did get a Budapest card, which covered transportation and some museums and sights. Unfortunately, it wasn't good at any of the museums I went to, so basically I used it for transportation only. If you want to get one, check the sights it covers first. The public transportion system is pretty extensive--there's a subway, buses and a tram system, plus a suburban train for outer areas of the city (like the RER in Paris.)

I didn't get there, but the Parliament building is pretty impressive and they have English-speaking tours several times a day.

If you like markets, go the the Great Market Hall in Pest. Food on the lower level, handcrafts on the upper (you've never seen so much embroidery in your life!) There's also a pedestrian shopping street nearby that had some nice shops (Go out the front door of the market and cross the street. You'll see it ahead of you.)

I also enjoyed the Statue Park on the outskirts of town (collection of statues from the communist era), and the Castle Labyrinth (very creepy and weird.)

Please feel free to ask if you have any additional questions.

Have fun! Budapest was a wonderful place. It reminded me of a grittier Paris.

Patti

Since you're taking a river cruise, perhaps you won't be interested in doing one in Budapest, but we very much enjoyed our evening cruise on the Danube. The lit up buildings and bridges were so pretty at night.

We also enjoyed taking the elevator to the dome in St. Stephen's Cathedral and then walking up a few steps to the outside. The view was terrific.

Szentendre made a nice day trip for us. We took the train one way and the hydrofoil back. We stopped in Acquincum on the way and visited the small Roman site and museum. http://www.aquincum.hu/

We didn't get there (time didn't allow), but agree a visit to Statue Park is good advice.
http://www.szoborpark.hu/indexa.html

The previous responses do a good job. The airport bus is cheaper for one, but for two people, you might as well take a taxi -- one that you call from the airport, such as City Taxi (English-speaking telephone operators) rather than the cars waiting at the airport.

Fatal, located just off Vaci utca (but address on that street) is a good, fairly-priced restaurant.

The really tough part is working around what your group tour will include, and to what extent, then planning around to avoid too much duplication. Within the city, I highly recommend the national museum (2 hr or so), and the museum of folk art (also 2 hr or so). Most of the other key attractions should be covered by your tour. A review of a guide book might be in order as well for special interests.

For one day out of Budapest, the putza suggestion is one way to go. Another is a "Danube Bend" tour which will cover Visegrad, Esztergom and Szentendre over a 9 - 11 hour tour.

Finally, the "Great Market Hall" referenced is the District V Central Market, located at the south end of Vaci utca, the principal pedestrian street in Budapest, and itself worth walking from end to end.