Budapest suggestions needed....
 

In few weeks I'm off on my annual 3+ weeks vacation. Flying in style to Warsaw, visiting Krakow and my birthplace Krosno. Then I'm off for 6 nights each in Prague and Budapest. I know Prague very well but never been to Budapest.

Looking for any and all info on Budapest. Sightseeing/jazz,blues clubs/restaurants/day trips, etc.....

Don't need hotel recommendations.

google "best of budapest" and you will get a lot of info. and i think i read a little of "in your pocket" guides.

In few weeks I'm off on my annual 3+ weeks vacation. Flying in style to Warsaw, visiting Krakow and my birthplace Krosno. Then I'm off for 6 nights each in Prague and Budapest. I know Prague very well but never been to Budapest.

Looking for any and all info on Budapest. S

For sightseeing, jazz, blues clubs, restaurants please search under In Your Pocket Budapest. Favourites of mine include the tomb of the last Pasha of Budapest, before Polish and other armies freed the country.

You probably know that the tourist information office in the Rynek publishes a leaflet to say what is happening in Krakow. In Budapest you might buy the Budapest Sun, a fortnightly newspaper, with good cover of events, and might call in on the Tourinform office in the city centre to collect their events booklet.

So many people are taking the train from Prague to Buapest that I have drawn up a detailed note, and I enclose it now, with pleasure.

PRAGUE TO BUDAPEST

Several people on this forum have asked for a note on the sleeper journey by sleeper from Prague to Budapest.

The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable. Table 60 shows that your train is the Pannonia Express, which has sleepers, couchettes, and seats, and goes to Bucharest. The basic fare one way second class is 61 euros, and that buys you a seat, but the compartment has no lock or bolt to make it secure against travelling thieves, and you want a night lying down. For 45 euros more you can book a berth in a room with three berths, your own washbasin, and fellow travellers of your sex. I think that that is the best buy, and that evening conversation with a fellow traveller whom you do not know is a pleasure, especially if you carry on board a bottle of wine with the cork drawn and three plastic mugs, for lubrication. Being in a single sex room you are expected to change to pyjamas. The supplement for a berth in a 6 berth couchette room is 15 euros, and you can lock it, but it is crowded, so not the best buy. Then for a berth in a first class double sleeper room the supplement is 100 euros, but I think that is not worth the cost.

In summer, at Christmas time, and near May Day trains get full and you should book two weeks or more ahead. You can see where to do so if you search under Man on Seat 61 Czech and the same Hungary.

Prague main station, called Prague Hlavni, has pickpockets in gangs of three who crowd you. You should avoid rush, and should board your train about 2230, ready to leave at 2302. If you are to walk through Hlavni station you should gather your rail ticket and a little money in a front pocket, and put all other valuables into a packet, placed well down in a heavy bag, next to your night things. You bring those out when you are safely in your room, and you ask a strong fellow traveller to heave it to an upper shelf. You pass frontier controls, in bed, from 0330 to 0400 and from 0530 to 0610 and can unlock your door five minutes before each pair of checks. You reach Budapest Keleti station at 0753. There is no rush, but you tip the conductor, leave the train, and I suggest you walk to the front of the train, and look up for the blue sign of crossed knife and fork that marks the restaurant. This is good. You can order your omelette and coffee, and while the cook is at work you walk back along the train to an ATM to draw money against plastic and then to a magazine stall that will sell you the Budapest Sun (a weekly in English) and the fortnightly Hungarian magazine for lists of music concerts. You bring those back to table, eat breakfast, and start to mark up events or displays that you might like. Concert notes in Hungarian are no challenge: the words Bach Violin Concerto Vigado hall 25 March 8pm are almost the same in the two languages, and that is what the magazine will say in Hungarian. Or, indeed, Beetles Hits Review, three more words of Hungarian.

After your leisurely breakfast you tip the waiter and he or she shows you the was to the pavement where you find a taxi to your hotel or back into the station for the 300 yard walk to the Metro station, where you probably need a day card to reach your hotel and then to start to discover the great city.

Hungary has a history of cultures, including that of Kossuth and liberty. May I ask you to search under Terezin Travel Guide to find a note on this disturbing “Model” concentration camp” ? A bus leaves Florian bus station in Prague at nine and takes an hour. It is open on Mondays when many other museums are closed. May I also ask you to search under Budapest Surroundings Szobor Park of Socialist Statues ? The park is an experience of itself, well worth the half-hour suburban bus ride.

I have on disc a note on getting the best out of sleepers: please tell me if you would like a copy by e mail. Also, please write if I can help further: [email protected].

Ben Haines, London
[email protected]

Thanks for the link, but I'm looking for more personal recommendations.

I know about and looked at many sites. The problem with "the best of" sites is that many of them are paid for or sponsored by the "best" picks.

Thanks Ben,

I will be flying so no train info needed.

I have a ticket with Czech Airlines KRK-PRG-BUD-WAW for a total of $340. It just didn't make sense to take trains during this trip.

AAFrequentFlyer wrote: "I'm looking for more personal recommendations"

You can get something of my experiences on my website (you need to copy and paste the url):
http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/

ttt....

We stayed at the Hotel Orion in the Buda side of Budapest. It was one block in from the Danube. The room was adequate and the breakfast (complimentary) was very good with eggs made to order. They spoke English well enough for us to understand. By the transportation pass - we used ours multiple times a day. We were stopped and asked for our tickets bot on the buses and the train. We took the city transportation up into the Buda Hills and ate at a wonderful restaurant up there. Another great meal was had on the Pest side at Fatal. Huge portions and excellent food. We also to the train into Szentendre - wonderful day!

When is a few weeks? If you are going to be in Budapest over Easter then this is a useful website

http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.co...-budapest.html

Also I really enjoyed this Budapest trip report from Images2, so much so I printed out great chunks of it for reference for my Easter Budapest trip...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34843495

and this was a good one too from laartista...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34866633

have a great trip and if you go before me please post a report with all your finds, hints and tips!

Thanks for the great links.

I'm leaving for Poland on 3/6, Prague from 3/13 to 3/19, Budapest from 3/19 to 3/25, back to Poland from 3/25 to 3/29 and finally a short stop in Manchester to catch ManUtd match on the 31st of March before getting home on 4/1.

In Budapest I'm staying at the Hilton. It's suppose to be a great hotel with some wonderful views of the city. The best part? 6 nights free as I'm using HHonors points. They already notified me that I'm upgraded to the executive level room so free drinks and food in the evenings and free breakfast. Can't beat the deal....:-D

Thanks for all the suggestions and links.

At The Central Market definitle get Langos, can be found at a stall upstairs, river side, absolutly delicious!

I agree that many of the “best of” sites are paid for or sponsored by the "best" picks, so I do not recommend them. Another way a site publisher can earn income is from having advertisements in margins, band living on the big readership that they earn by being neutrals. The In Your Pocket guides are like that, and will call a spade a spade.

Ben Haines, London