First time in Budapest
 

Will be in Budapest in mid- April. What are some things I should not miss. Enjoy history, music all types except techno-dance music, local foods and traditions. Also want to visit some of the spas.
Thanks ,
Mike

Mike; You probably know this, but just go to 'view by country' and click on Hungary. Much info there, but especially yk's trip report. That will tell you much of what you need to know. Then there are many more posts with information. Best Richard

Definitely go to Széchényi Spa--gorgeous building, tons of pools with different temperatures (indoor and out), lots of fun. For museums, our favorite was the House of Terror. Make sure to try their national liquor while there: unicum. Kind of like a spicier version of Jagermeister. More info and pics in our Budapest post at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/

Thanks you for your replies.

richard (iris1745) mentioned my trip report. When we were there last May, we attended an opera at the Hungarian State Opera house, as well as a concert at the (beautiful) Franz Liszt Academy.

For food, check out the Central Market.

Unluckily, Liszt Academy is closed for refurbishment until spring 2012, then it will emerge from its ashes as beautiful as never before..:)

Thanks so much for all you replies. What would be the first thing to do when arriving to Budapest. All ideas welcome. Should arrive around noon time.
Thanks

We discovered that taking a guided tour on our first day in Budapest was best thing for us to do. It was a 2 hour bus tour with stops at Heroes Square, Gellert Hill, Fisherman's Bastian and the Parliament Building. We had a Budapest card and received a discount on the tour. After the tour we were able to use public transportation (Budapest has excellent public transportation, buses, tams, subway) and returned to some of the places we had seen with the tour that we wanted to spend more time at. We spent part of a day in the castle district and visited the Budapest History Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery. I think there was a discount with the card as well. The Dohany Street Synagogue and the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish martyrs is also a must see. Budapest is such a wonderful city with so many things to see and do, enjoy your visit!!

Thanks,
Sounds like a good idea. I hear there are also some great walking tours. We will arriving by train so at least will will not have jet lag!

I woiuld either take one of the round buses (probably not the water bus which looks like a waste of time), a bike tour or a segway tour. This gets you out and about and find your way around.

Key points to visit, the main market, the shopping area, the castle area, houses of parliament, the street including the opera house, the square of heroes (oh yes) and the Széchényi Spa.

Great restaurants off this street all the way along (the street is too expensive for a good restaurant).

At the spa do not do as I did when trying to get in. You buy a plastic watch to get in and as you approach the turnstile you are offered two things 1) a box to put the watch in and a 2) red led to push the watch against EID. Do not, do not, put the watch in the box!

Actually, one of the best restaurants in Budapest - Kl;assz - is on Andrassy ut (that street you mention that includes the Opera House) , and further out past Oktogon a wonderful Italian restaurant on Andrassy - Millennium Da Pippo. Others off the street, as noted.

If you can find a copy of Andras Torok's Budapest - A Critical Guide(easy to find in Budapest, harder elsewhere ... in USA have to look online for used copies) ... it has six great self-guided walking tours. The first two make for an ideal first afternoon. Stroll, stop at cafes and pastry shops when you feel a bit weary, settle into the city's rhythm, its greatest asset.

I hear the free guided walking tours are really good. I read about it on Trip Advisor.

I liked the Széchényi Spa, also. The Gellert was pretty but not very hot. The Szechenyi, had a steam room that was three levels of hot, hotter and welcome-to-wet-hell. I couldn't see my hand in wet hell, ahhhh :).

Budapest is wonderful. We stayed at the Hotel Pest which is one block off Andrassy and the Opera House. We went everywhere by bus, metro (Budapest has the second oldest metro system in the world - second to London), trams etc. The Spoon Restaurant on the river was good.