Budapest. Very disappointing city.
 

4 day trip to Budapest. Extremely tired looking city. Grimy. All buildings have a layer of dirt on them. The streets smell of burger fat. Very disappointed. The National Gallery is dire. Can’t wait to go home.

Such a shame that you are disappointed. I found Budapest a grand city, though quite sad in all the tragedies it has seen. Perhaps a tour with someone who knew Budapest and could show you it's grandeur and tell you it's history would have given you a different perspective.

I know where you're coming from, selander. We live in Europe and travel all over, and seem to be among the very few for whom Budapest was a real downer. We were there for a week and tried and tried to like it...to no avail. Glum people, dismissive service, dirty streets, mediocre cuisine - I dunno, maybe we didn't put enough into it, but it was just gray and dim and Soviet-like for us - like the Czech Republic in the early 1980s. The walkways along the Danube are treacherous. St-Margret's Island is a joke. The main outdoor baths are slimy with grime and smelly. Plus, it's hard to turn a blind eye to their current politics.

We couldn't wait to get out and go to Bratislava, which we loved.

We're both going to get slammed for this, but I do try to report without bias what I experience in my (fairly extensive) European travels. Others feel differently, obviously.

I neither loved nor hated Budapest. My visit (more than ten years ago) came after visits to Prague (which I loved) and Vienna (which found very pleasant but lacking the charm I found in Prague). Budapest seemed more "dark" one sense, much more interesting than Vienna, less charming and bigger than Prague. Harder to get comfortable in. (Also much less touristy than Prague.) I'd actually like to go back to Budapest someday, like I did to Prague, but it's not been a priority.

I feel like I’m right there.

Negative opinions are just as valuable as positive ones when they are objective. I'm thinking about going to Prague for my next trip, and was wondering what to combine with it. Budapest was one suggestion, but I haven't seen much that interested me in Budapest, yet.

We wrote a highly viewed blog of a European trip in 2015 and one post talked about unhappy and unfriendly people in Budapest:

"Not to cast a broad brush, but unlike most European tourist areas, many Hungarians (at least in Budapest) do not smile and have little interest in interacting with English speaking people.

Aside from a parking meter worker, who used his telephone translator to help us understand the parking rules, we experienced one person after another who would make no effort to communicate, even with the usual hand signals.

Upon arrival, we went to a very modern Metro office to inquire about tickets, routes, etc. The office was empty, save one customer, but had four employees, one man standing in the reception area and three behind counters. The man yelled at us and motioned to go back out and he became animated and spoke more loudly when we didn’t quickly exit. He then stormed past us, punched a machine outside the office and gruffly handed us a “number”. Not surprisingly, our “number” went up on the board the second he handed it to us. Perhaps a little extra bureaucracy from the old days of Communist rule?

When we tried today unsuccessfully to get a rail ticket to Croatia, we spoke to people at three windows, who either waved us off in a very clear “I don’t speak English” to “No trains; the border is closed.”

Today, we had a visit with some friends from Serbia, who have experienced similar things from some Hungarians. They drove a car and went into an “Information” office to ask about parking rules. The individual simply said” “I don’t know; I don’t own a car.”

And this post was made before we dealt with some very unfriendly people at airport security.

Budapest is not my favorite city, and I have no plans to return under the current regime.
But I also cannot take seriously sentences like "All buildings have a layer of dirt on them. The streets smell of burger fat."
That's not (as labeled) a trip report but nonsense.

Well someone has to stand up for Budapest so I will. I really enjoyed the week I spent there. I know some buildings had not been 'spiffed up' and were very dirty looking. And right next to them would be a recently cleaned building of the same vintage. I found that very interesting to think about how all of Europe probably looked not that many decades ago. But I thought there was plenty of beautiful architecture, in great shape. I didn't have a guide, did research on my own but I did stay (literally) with the guys who wrote the Frommer's guide to Budapest (they ran a B&B that just closed, they turned it into a home exchange I think, so they could travel more). They gave me pointers of what to see but mostly I just researched it on my own.


Please look at the photos before you decide Budapest is not worth visiting.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p501123893

I haven't been to Budapest since 1994, but I found a fascinating and beautiful city to which I would love to return. Very few people spoke English, but in those days, I didn't expect them to. And at the time, I was aware of a cultural norm of the region that meant that people would rarely smile in public, so I never took their facial expressions as any indication of their character. Instead, I found the people helpful and gracious, with a warmth belied by their facial expressions. I'm sorry that so many of you have had less pleasant experiences.

Selander, I sympathize. I visited Budapest 3 times, because I had good friends who lived there, not because I came to like it. Your short review and other’s comments pretty much sum it up.

There are 2 things I do like about the city, it’s quick & easy to take the train to Vienna, and it was a perfect jumping off place to visit my great grandparents’ home village. One more, the national archives had some very valuable records for me. But al in all, I confess, my Hungarian blood was not stirred.

The view from the Buda (hilly) side of the river down on the Pest (flat) side is stunning, especially at night, when the bridges and the parliament building are all lit up.

https://www.portlandbridges.com/00,D...ry-travel.html

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a1bf4d0c0a.jpg

Beautiful photo Andrew!!

Well I guess we will see for ourselves. Staying in Budapest for three days at the end of our Danube river cruise. I have a Hungarian friend who just returned from a visit to Budapest. He hadn't been there in over 30 years. He was thrilled to return to his hometown and had all sorts of suggestions for things for us to do.

Thanks, Michele! I hope you have fun! Do try to make it up to the Buda side in the hills to get this vantage point or a similar one - it's really stunning to see, even if you can't get there at night.

I liked Budapest, I was there for 3 days and had a tour guide who has been doing tours for 37 years.

I saw all the major places plus a lot more and one day I just walked about everywhere.

Went up to the Citadel and Buda Castle both daytime and evening for those great night views that Andrew posted a picture of.

Nice pictures Isabel.

I also spent a couple of days in Bratislava which I also liked.

Good lighting can make just about anything look presentable, especially at night (nice photo btw).

You likely aren't going to hear from the OP again. Registered and this is the only post. So he went searching for fodors to tell us he can't wait to leave Budapest. . . .

And when has an OP leaving the building ever stopped a discussion around here?

Hungary is indeed full of people who prefer to stay away from us all Europeans. They have some serious problems with EU and their president can't care less. It is one of those countries where I won't go, they even tried (or succeeded ?) in rewriting the constitution to absolve themselves of any responsibility in mass muder of the Jews in WW2 - it was all the fault of others.
Not my idea of fun people.

I only visited for a few hours on a day trip from Vienna a few years ago. I thought it was alright. I had a decent lunch saw some sights and even a Christmas market. I am not dying to go back but didn't dislike what I saw. I didn't like the tour guide so it was all ok to me and glad I went. I'm going back to Vienna this summer but going to spend a few days in Prague as I've never been there.

Bill and I went to Budapest for a few days between Christmas and New year a few years ago and though we didn't love it as much as we had Prague which we had visited the year before, we loved the galleries and museums, the opera, and yes even some of the food especially the soups. We also went to a fantastic Hungarian music evening in a theatre when was completely hidden behind one of those anonymous doors that they specialise in. I wouldn't rush back but I certainly didn't dislike it.

It depends what you expected and are looking for. I agree that the National Gallery was not very interesting. On the other hand, the museum of ethnography behind the parliament building and the decorative arts museum were worth a visit. In addition, the city offers a lot of visuals by just walking around some of the neighborhoods: https://flic.kr/s/aHskDQ8rCm

Budapest, a grand old city still recovering from years under a repressive Communist regime. Give her some slack.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...264fd4215e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d4ad5d37f2.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fd698482aa.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1a45c0978a.jpg
OK, it wasn't ALL bad...................and the synagogue was beautiful and incredibly moving.

I don't think what the OP wrote was nonsense at all. I felt the same way (minus the burger fat but it's been a long time).

Now I just went for one day so I thought perhaps I missed something that would be evident as I've seen a lot of people on Fodors say how great it is and how much time they spent there, days on end. I was glad I saw it but had no desire to spend more time there or ever go back. And I did see the highlights. I just thought the whole city was kind of depressing and grim. and the food was not very good, either, of course, but that's a matter of taste. It is a nice view down to the river from that church up on the hill, sure. And I DID have a local expert giving the day tour I took, I don't think having a grand past and interesting history means a city is pleasant to visit today, those are two different things.

I have visited Budapest four times and would be happy to go back. My only complaint is that so many other people are now visiting (probably off river cruises) compared to my first visit in 2004.

So not all the buildings are pristine? I found the mixture of decrepit and restored interesting, just as I did in Sicily. I certainly didn't consider it particularly dirty. Plus I am a big Art Nouveau fan, and there is plenty of AN to enjoy.

So the people don't smile at strangers like Americans? Tough, they don't smile like Americans in a number of countries, it's a cultural difference.

So you don't care for the country's politicians? Do you really only visit countries whose politics match yours? How about where you live?

I agree that the art and history museums aren't great, but there is so much else to see.

For several of my posts on Budapest, with pix, see:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/tag/budapest/

Ditto, we've been there twice and found it very interesting and REAL. We always felt safe walking around, great public transportation, plenty of sites to see if you like history and architecture. Vienna, to us, is an over-prettified wedding cake of a city, that seems to exist for tourist.

To each his own, we'll be back.

I just booked 8 days trip to Budapest in mid December, and decided to read about the city on my favorite site....

I will be honest, I am very surprised about all these less than exciting reviews, but I guess we will find out for ourselves shortly.

However, I cannot believe the city with such rich history and cultural heritage may be boring.

Architecture, various thermal bath houses, opera (seem on renovation though), operetta theater, world class musical halls, Roma gypsy music, Jewish history, X-mas markets for the season, ruin bars, coffee houses, and even several Michelin restaurants (bad food???)

Does not seem boring at all... Well, I hope I am not proven wrong.

"Vienna, to us, is an over-prettified wedding cake of a city, that seems to exist for tourist."

I must write that six years in as a resident, my adopted hometown of Vienna is more than a fancy cake, if you leave the tourist area. ;)

helen63, the OP has posted once, never to return. Who knows what might have prompted their statement? We have been to Budapest several times (it's just "down the road") and have mostly enjoyed how the city has changed since our first visit. Yes, the heavily promoted areas are crowded with tourists, but few such destinations are not. No doubt you'll find everything you described in your holiday. Enjoy!

It's sad to read that you disappointed by Budapest. Budapest is a very beautiful city with it's own unique atmosphere. Just give Budapest a chance

We also loved BudaPest on our short, 3 night visit, perhaps because it is different from other European capitals.
The Shoes on the Danube is one of the most moving memorials I've seen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoes_on_the_Danube_Bank

My bf and I spent two weeks in Budapest last year, and knew a little about its history and hardships. He is in the entertainment business and so we met up and coming musicians and artists and enjoyed the Hungarian passion and sense of humor, and authentic Hungarian food.. Maybe travelers should try to mingle with a little younger age group or something? I loved the buildings and boulevards even tho they were not our main interest. We were just in Paris and experienced indifferent bordering on hostile service in various venues, so maybe that approach is just European.

oh, yes, that must be it. But being so old I'll certainly forget by the time I get back.

>>We were just in Paris and experienced indifferent bordering on hostile service in various venues, so maybe that approach is just European.<<

I've never experienced hostile service in Paris. Just professional/businesslike. Maybe you prefer "hi, my name is Tiffany and I'll be you server - giggle"

Thank you, Fourfortravel!

I hope so :)

@ helen63: I often think that cities are a lot like people -- if you are willing to accept them for what they are and see past a flaw or two, you can find a great deal worth knowing. And just like people, not all matches work. :( I know that some people have not been enamored of Budapest, including several who posted on this thread, but please take heart in all of us who said that we found much to enjoy there. It seems to me that you have identified some of the city's treasures, and I hope you have no reason to regret your choice. And if you do find that you are bored, well, you can always take a day trip or two!

I far prefer Budapest to Prague. One funny thing is that both cities (and also Bucharest) often stand in for Paris in lower budget movies. The bourgeois districts have enough simili-Haussmann architecture to create an illusion and there are also enough cobbled streets to pretend to be Montmartre of the Latin Quarter in Paris. I spot the "fraud" in a blink of the eye -- wrong window sills, incorrect sidewalk slabs, different streetlights... but I'm sure that 95% of spectators (even among the French) are fooled.

I'm not wildly keen on the currant politics in Hungary, but I rather liked Budapest. I thought that although much of it needed rebuilding after the war, it retains its grandeur of the old Hapsburg empire.
I didn't find people unfriendly, I didn't get an impression of grime or burger fat.

I'm not sure I would go back - I think that we saw everything we wanted to, but I'm very glad I visited.
Photos from 2012 Here

Prague also stood in for Zurich in at least one of the Bourne movies.

I am not a fan of Budapest either. A short visit was more than enough. To each his own. I love Brussels and Milan, many people don't. I don't find San Francisco appealing at all yet many think it's fabulous.

>>I've never experienced hostile service in Paris. Just professional/businesslike. Maybe you prefer "hi, my name is Tiffany and I'll be you server - giggle" <<

Interesting assumptions there. I commented on mainly indifferent service, not as offputting as the orig poster had, but still existing. I must have hit a nerve with the age suggestion though, and I'm gonna stand on that and suggest that travelers make more effort to interact with ordinary people. We have experienced some glitches and problems while on the road, and don't for a minute think bad service or dirt on a building represents people's hearts.