Trip Report - Prague, Krakow, Budapest - May 2007
Jul 12th, 2007, 04:00 AM
#41
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Did you end up eating at Pod Aniolami? I'm trying to decide whether to make some advance reservations or just wing it. Is it touristy, though? I see it mentioned everywhere, which makes me a little leery, although perhaps it really deserves all the mention! thanks.
Jul 13th, 2007, 12:42 PM
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Stu T - Thanks for the comments.
Glad you're enjoying the report...and you are absolutely right - Charles IV was a Holy Roman Emperor...and is highly loved by the Czech people...but he is not a saint. I see I made the error every time I referred to the bridge. Sorry about that.
The U Tri Pstrosu faces the outdoor restaurant / deck of Hotel Pod Vezi. We thought the whole Mala Strana area was wonderful.
Glad you're enjoying the report...and you are absolutely right - Charles IV was a Holy Roman Emperor...and is highly loved by the Czech people...but he is not a saint. I see I made the error every time I referred to the bridge. Sorry about that.
The U Tri Pstrosu faces the outdoor restaurant / deck of Hotel Pod Vezi. We thought the whole Mala Strana area was wonderful.
Jul 13th, 2007, 12:52 PM
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skatedancer - Yes, we did make it to Pod Aniolami. It was very nice - food was very good - we did not find it to be touristy. We were seated in a small room in the cellar (many of the restaurants in Krakow have cellar rooms). There were 4 tables in the room - cozy, but not crowded. We did not walk through the whole restaurant, but it seemed to be pretty full - and it was a Monday night - so if you want to eat there, you should probably make a reservation.
Although we had a bit of trouble with our intial reservation this time, we usually have good luck asking hotels to make dinner reservations (either ahead of time or during our stay). They're often able to get us in when reservations are otherwise unavailable, or to get us a better table than we could have gotten on our own, since they have a long-standing relationship with the restaurants. (Note - in Krakow, Hotel Grodek made our reservations in the hotel name, rather than in our name - I don't know if they all do it that way or not).
Hope you have a great time in Krakow.
Although we had a bit of trouble with our intial reservation this time, we usually have good luck asking hotels to make dinner reservations (either ahead of time or during our stay). They're often able to get us in when reservations are otherwise unavailable, or to get us a better table than we could have gotten on our own, since they have a long-standing relationship with the restaurants. (Note - in Krakow, Hotel Grodek made our reservations in the hotel name, rather than in our name - I don't know if they all do it that way or not).
Hope you have a great time in Krakow.
Jul 15th, 2007, 10:41 AM
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Addendum to earlier segment of this report - When I wrote about the Old City tour we took with Daily Walks of Krakow, I couldn’t find my brochure with the website. Finally found it – the website is www.krakow-travel.com. It’s the official tourist bureau site and lists both Walking Tour & the Salt Mine we took, plus other Krakow tours & info.
**
Monday – May 21 – Krakow
This morning, we headed Matejko Square to catch the bus for our tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The bus was already there and boarding when we arrived. Full size bus - took off right on time at 10:30 – almost full – tourists were from various nations, but all spoke English – as this was an English-Only tour. A young man from the tourist office (or maybe the tour company) rode the bus with us, walked us to the tour center at the Salt Mine, handed us over to a young lady who would be our guide through the Salt Mine, and said he’d meet us outside the gift shop after our tour.
The tour was very interesting, but beware if you have walking issues – it involves a lot of walking and numerous steps (you only walk down…but it’s a lot of steps…they have an elevator to bring you back up at the end). You eventually travel to 443 feet below the surface, which actually covers only 3 of the mine’s 9 levels . The tour guide shares the history and stories of the mine and points out numerous figures and displays carved out of salt – some historic, some legendary, some just for fun. There are areas where all of the walls, floors, and steps are made of salt…and there is a large underground salt lake. The most impressive area is a huge underground chapel with a salt altar, salt chandeliers and salt reliefs carved into the walls, including an impressive rendition of the Last Supper, carved in salt. At the end of the tour, before you go back up, there’s a snack area and a large party room that can be rented for events – pretty unusual place for a wedding (obviously, capitalism is catching on)!
Most of the people on our tour, including the two of us, were glad we visited the Salt Mine. A few people were disappointed – some thought the carved figures were a bit Disney-ish…others thought the salt formations would be prettier than they were. We found the whole thing interesting….the salt formations and carvings were pretty in an unusual way…and a significant part of Poland’s history. Operations began in the 11th century…for many years, salt was a very valuable commodity…. at one point salt generated over 1/3 of Poland’s income. We also found it interesting that the air in the mine was never dank or dirty. It was actually cleaner than the air outside and people were sometimes taken to the mine as treatment for health problems.
We were glad we took an organized tour for 90 PLN (about $32 each), rather than taking the public bus and trying to pick up an English tour at the mine. The public bus would have been much cheaper, but dropped you off further away, and you still had to pay 60 PLN (about $21) and wait for an English tour. So for 30 more PLN per person (about $11) , we were dropped off closer, escorted to the tour center, and had an English speaking guide lined up for our group only. We also enjoyed riding the bus with other English speaking tourists…gave us a chance to share some of our travel experiences…and find out what others had enjoyed. One last note – inside the mine, there is a small additional charge if you want to take pictures. You have to pay right before entering the large chapel. I don’t remember exactly how much it was, but it was insignificant and definitely worth it to have pictures of the chapel.
We arrived back in Krakow around 2:30PM…headed back to the main square for another light lunch & beer…the square is like a magnet…keeps drawing you back. After lunch, we ventured through the Cloth Hall – it’s a huge hall in the center of the square – filled with souvenir booths - overall, very nice souvenirs. Next, we climbed up the Town Hall Tower – this is a 14th century tower, located on the square. The 114 stone steps were old and at times steep…we had to buy a ticket part-way up to continue climbing…the tower included a museum with pictures of different events in Krakow’s history…the view from the top was good, but the windows only opened part-way, thus limiting picture-taking opportunities. Nevertheless, I go a few great pictures of St. Mary’s & the gargoyles / stone heads on the top of the cloth hall.
Before dinner, we had the Hotel Grodek print our bill – looked right – 4 nights at 629 PLN per night less the 1 night deposit we had prepaid, 18 PLN for laundry, and .61 PLN (about 22 cents) for telephone use (I had called home twice using a prepaid international phone card – apparently, there was a minimal connection charge). We also checked on transportation options to get to the airport the next day. The hotel gave us 2 options – a standard taxi, or an English speaking driver. Price differential wasn’t too great, so we went with the driver – didn’t write down the price, but I think it was about 60 PLN (under $22). Our flight was at 4:05PM and we wanted to be at least 2 hours early, so we made arrangements for a 1PM pick-up.
Dinner – Finally made it to Pod Aniolami (Under Angels). I’ve already commented on the restaurant in response to someone’s question, but I’ll repeat my comments here. It was very nice - food was very good - we did not find it to be touristy – definitely deserves it’s reputation as a place to go for traditional polish cuisine. We were seated in a small room in the cellar (many of the restaurants in Krakow have cellar rooms). There were 4 tables in the room - cozy, but not crowded. There was an interesting group of 8 English speaking students at the corner table next to us…all were going to school in Krakow…all were engaged in a serious discussion of their plans for the future.
After dinner, we figured out how much more cash we would need to check-out & pay the driver the next day (we were sticking with our plan of accumulating cash in the safe in our room …so we could pay in cash and avoid credit card fees.) Made a late evening stop at an ATM in the square…then walked around the square enjoying our last evening in Krakow.
Tomorrow…Malev Air to Budapest
**
Monday – May 21 – Krakow
This morning, we headed Matejko Square to catch the bus for our tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The bus was already there and boarding when we arrived. Full size bus - took off right on time at 10:30 – almost full – tourists were from various nations, but all spoke English – as this was an English-Only tour. A young man from the tourist office (or maybe the tour company) rode the bus with us, walked us to the tour center at the Salt Mine, handed us over to a young lady who would be our guide through the Salt Mine, and said he’d meet us outside the gift shop after our tour.
The tour was very interesting, but beware if you have walking issues – it involves a lot of walking and numerous steps (you only walk down…but it’s a lot of steps…they have an elevator to bring you back up at the end). You eventually travel to 443 feet below the surface, which actually covers only 3 of the mine’s 9 levels . The tour guide shares the history and stories of the mine and points out numerous figures and displays carved out of salt – some historic, some legendary, some just for fun. There are areas where all of the walls, floors, and steps are made of salt…and there is a large underground salt lake. The most impressive area is a huge underground chapel with a salt altar, salt chandeliers and salt reliefs carved into the walls, including an impressive rendition of the Last Supper, carved in salt. At the end of the tour, before you go back up, there’s a snack area and a large party room that can be rented for events – pretty unusual place for a wedding (obviously, capitalism is catching on)!
Most of the people on our tour, including the two of us, were glad we visited the Salt Mine. A few people were disappointed – some thought the carved figures were a bit Disney-ish…others thought the salt formations would be prettier than they were. We found the whole thing interesting….the salt formations and carvings were pretty in an unusual way…and a significant part of Poland’s history. Operations began in the 11th century…for many years, salt was a very valuable commodity…. at one point salt generated over 1/3 of Poland’s income. We also found it interesting that the air in the mine was never dank or dirty. It was actually cleaner than the air outside and people were sometimes taken to the mine as treatment for health problems.
We were glad we took an organized tour for 90 PLN (about $32 each), rather than taking the public bus and trying to pick up an English tour at the mine. The public bus would have been much cheaper, but dropped you off further away, and you still had to pay 60 PLN (about $21) and wait for an English tour. So for 30 more PLN per person (about $11) , we were dropped off closer, escorted to the tour center, and had an English speaking guide lined up for our group only. We also enjoyed riding the bus with other English speaking tourists…gave us a chance to share some of our travel experiences…and find out what others had enjoyed. One last note – inside the mine, there is a small additional charge if you want to take pictures. You have to pay right before entering the large chapel. I don’t remember exactly how much it was, but it was insignificant and definitely worth it to have pictures of the chapel.
We arrived back in Krakow around 2:30PM…headed back to the main square for another light lunch & beer…the square is like a magnet…keeps drawing you back. After lunch, we ventured through the Cloth Hall – it’s a huge hall in the center of the square – filled with souvenir booths - overall, very nice souvenirs. Next, we climbed up the Town Hall Tower – this is a 14th century tower, located on the square. The 114 stone steps were old and at times steep…we had to buy a ticket part-way up to continue climbing…the tower included a museum with pictures of different events in Krakow’s history…the view from the top was good, but the windows only opened part-way, thus limiting picture-taking opportunities. Nevertheless, I go a few great pictures of St. Mary’s & the gargoyles / stone heads on the top of the cloth hall.
Before dinner, we had the Hotel Grodek print our bill – looked right – 4 nights at 629 PLN per night less the 1 night deposit we had prepaid, 18 PLN for laundry, and .61 PLN (about 22 cents) for telephone use (I had called home twice using a prepaid international phone card – apparently, there was a minimal connection charge). We also checked on transportation options to get to the airport the next day. The hotel gave us 2 options – a standard taxi, or an English speaking driver. Price differential wasn’t too great, so we went with the driver – didn’t write down the price, but I think it was about 60 PLN (under $22). Our flight was at 4:05PM and we wanted to be at least 2 hours early, so we made arrangements for a 1PM pick-up.
Dinner – Finally made it to Pod Aniolami (Under Angels). I’ve already commented on the restaurant in response to someone’s question, but I’ll repeat my comments here. It was very nice - food was very good - we did not find it to be touristy – definitely deserves it’s reputation as a place to go for traditional polish cuisine. We were seated in a small room in the cellar (many of the restaurants in Krakow have cellar rooms). There were 4 tables in the room - cozy, but not crowded. There was an interesting group of 8 English speaking students at the corner table next to us…all were going to school in Krakow…all were engaged in a serious discussion of their plans for the future.
After dinner, we figured out how much more cash we would need to check-out & pay the driver the next day (we were sticking with our plan of accumulating cash in the safe in our room …so we could pay in cash and avoid credit card fees.) Made a late evening stop at an ATM in the square…then walked around the square enjoying our last evening in Krakow.
Tomorrow…Malev Air to Budapest
Jul 16th, 2007, 09:06 AM
#45
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SomewhereOutThere - A question concerning the salt mines - we will have a car for the duration of our Poland trip. I'm wondering whether it would be better to drive there on our own or to take the bus as you did.
Jul 16th, 2007, 01:24 PM
#47
Two years ago we stayed at a pension on the south side of Krakow, and drove to the salt mine, which is on the southeast side of Krakow. Unfortunately, we relied on the owner's back-of-enveope map sketch, and got lost. A trip of 5 miles took 1-1/2 hours. If we had thought (before the trip, or even at the pension) to make a map on mappy or michelin of the route from the pension to the mine, I suspect it would have taken 10 minutes. The drive itself was no different than driving in a US town, and let us see what the non-medieval part of Krakow was like. I expected the mine to be in an industrial part of town, but the area seemed almost residential in nature (bushes and shrubs, no mine tailings), almost what I suppose a zoning official would call mixed-use area.
Jul 16th, 2007, 05:34 PM
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maitaitom – Glad you’re enjoying the report. Hope you enjoy the salt mine.
Lolo12 - I'm glad tomboy answered your question about driving. While riding in the bus, it looked like the drive was fairly easy...so I'd follow tomboy's suggestion - pre-print directions...also double-check them with someone there…and it should be fine to drive. Check the website for the tour times ahead of time ... it says you buy a ticket and wait up to an hour for a group of 35 to gather. They give times for English tours…I assume they’re approximate times … if they really wait for 35 people to gather. The main website is www.kopalnia.pl. I tired to copy the url to the page with the tour times… http://www.kopalnia.pl/site.php?acti...t_change=& . If it doesn’t work, go to the main website, select English, and find the tour info. Have a great time.
Lolo12 - I'm glad tomboy answered your question about driving. While riding in the bus, it looked like the drive was fairly easy...so I'd follow tomboy's suggestion - pre-print directions...also double-check them with someone there…and it should be fine to drive. Check the website for the tour times ahead of time ... it says you buy a ticket and wait up to an hour for a group of 35 to gather. They give times for English tours…I assume they’re approximate times … if they really wait for 35 people to gather. The main website is www.kopalnia.pl. I tired to copy the url to the page with the tour times… http://www.kopalnia.pl/site.php?acti...t_change=& . If it doesn’t work, go to the main website, select English, and find the tour info. Have a great time.
Jul 17th, 2007, 08:44 AM
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Thanks for the advice. We will be renting a car on our last day in Warsaw and driving to Lublin for 2 days and then to Krakow. While there we plan to make day trips to the salt mines, Zakopane and the 2 major concentration camps. I just thought that maybe we could take a break from driving and go on the bus tour. I guess we'll play it by ear when we get there. I hope the roads are good and well marked.
Our itinerary then takes us to Wroclaw, Poznan ending up in Gdansk and Sopot. We are so looking forwar to going. We leave in less than 2 months.
Our itinerary then takes us to Wroclaw, Poznan ending up in Gdansk and Sopot. We are so looking forwar to going. We leave in less than 2 months.
Jul 26th, 2007, 03:57 PM
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Tuesday – May 22 – Travel Day – Krakow to Budapest
When I was planning this trip, the train connections from Krakow to Budapest looked awful (we weren’t interested in a night train), so I followed the advice in a 2006 trip report by Mary_Fran (thanks again if you happen to read this) and booked Malev Air Flight 847 – 4:05PM – 4:55PM. If you’ve researched Malev’s website www.malev.com , you know that they don’t have electronic tickets for this flight…you can’t buy tickets online for delivery to the US… and you can’t get even get a price online for delivery to the US. I had read it was possible to buy tickets via phone by calling the US Malev ticket office, but I had trouble finding time to make the call … finally dropped the ball and had a travel agent take care of it for me. The travel agent made the reservations and was able to print hardcopy tickets. The one-way tickets were $187.90 each, including taxes and fees (prior to the travel agent fee). Don’t know if I would have gotten a better price if I’d called myself…would have saved the travel agent fee …but would have had to pay for shipping.
My only concern regarding the flight was the luggage weight limit. This is a domestic flight, within Europe, so each person is allowed 1 checked bag – max 44 lbs and 1 carryon – max 22 lbs. I knew we were within the limit between us, but took extra care to split everything up evenly, so neither of the checked bags would weigh in too heavy.
We packed after breakfast, checked out and stored our luggage, then headed out for one last walk around Krakow….went back to the Franciscan Church…ever since we had been there, I had wished I’d touched the spot where Pope John Paul II had kneeled & prayed when he was archbishop – so I did just that – and admired the excellent stained glass windows one more time. Also, per a recommendation made by our Daily Walks guide on the first day, we walked through the archway at the archbishop’s residence (under the Pope’s picture) into the courtyard. There’s an excellent set of pictorial boards detailing the life of Pope John Paul II that was not mentioned in any of our tour books…but was very enjoyable.
Got turned around somehow on our way back to the hotel…and were almost late to meet our driver. He was there, waiting for us. We grabbed our luggage, said goodbye to the people at Hotel Grodek - and were on our way to Krakow Balice International Airport.
Krakow was absolutely wonderful – a highlight of our trip! We did almost everything we had wanted to do – missed the Daily Walks tour to Kazimierz which leaves daily at 1:30 – wish we’d found a way to fit that in. We chose not to visit Aushwitz because we had been to Dachau a few years back – and although we considered it an important experience, we did not want to visit a second camp.
Our driver was a very nice young man, spoke excellent English, and seemed happy to make conversation. He gave us additional insight as to how the different age groups view the break from Communism and the prospects for Poland’s future. He has a large van and said he does both short & long trips (even as far as Prague or Budapest). He can carry 4 people and luggage comfortably and said the long distance trips are quite cost effective if you have 4 people to split the cost. If you’re considering a driver, you might want to check with him. Per his business card, his name is Maciej Pietruszka, telephone # 48 508 677 344. The card also lists a website & email address…I took a look at it…it looks like a larger auto service, but Maciej gave us the impression it was his business…if you want him to be your driver, give him a call or name request him in your email. The website is www.manifold.pl . The email address is [email protected]
We had some extra Zoltys, so Ron gave the driver a nice tip. The airport was small and easy to figure out. They had an information desk, staffed with young people who spoke English. We were too early to check in, so we went outside, to the airport café, to get some lunch…had to pull and tug to get our rolling luggage around the tables & chairs. I sat with the luggage while Ron went to the counter…uh-oh – seems Ron gave up too many of his Zlotys as a tip…he came back with 2 beers, but only one hot dog. He asked me to give him a few Euro so he could get another hot dog. I had brought about 70 Euro from a prior trip, to serve as back-up funds…but they were deep inside my money belt and I didn’t really want to start searching for them…so I asked him to try to use a credit card first. I had noticed a very large/tall fellow, with a lot of tattoos, sitting in the corner drinking a beer and watching us. Apparently, he was also listening to our conversation …and was amused that Ron had decided it was more important to get two beers than two sandwiches! Anyway, at that moment, the man jumped up, walked over to our table, reached into his pocket, held out a very large handful of change, and told Ron to take whatever he needed!!! Sounded like he was from Australia…in any case…many thanks to the fellow traveler…who contributed to our lunch that day!!!
After lunch, we headed back into the terminal, waited for them to post the check-in counter #line, got in line & checked in for our flight. We had not been able to get seat assignments until that point. I asked the woman if she could give Ron an aisle seat …she was very friendly…said she had already given us a window and an aisle, with no one between. Security line moved quickly…the flight was great…right on time…they gave us a small sandwich and drink…and in 50 minutes we landed in Budapest. I highly recommend this flight for transportation from Krakow to Budapest!
We were staying at the Hilton Budapest (Castle District). I had contacted them ahead of time to inquire about transportation and they had offered a driver at an outrageously high price. Additional research led me to a few posts that indicated the Budapest airport had contracted with a single taxi service to offer taxi rides from the airport at zone rates. Apparently, this program was put into place around Aug 2006, in response to tourist complaints about rip-off taxis. I took a look at the contract company’s website… www.zonataxi.eu and decided we’d locate them when we got to the airport.
Our bags came quickly…and as we left the turnstiles, we found the Zona Taxi window. The man at the window sent us outside to a booth…I showed the attendant a paper with the name and address of our hotel, he typed it into a computer and gave us a receipt that said 4200 FRT (about $22.50) to the Castle Hilton. We got in a Zona Taxi and were on our way.
The driver was more aggressive than drivers we had in Prague & Krakow. It was rush hour in Budapest…and there was a lot of traffic…he accelerated & changed lanes a bit…spoke a little English and pointed out a few sites… eventually entered Pest and crossed the Chain Bridge to Buda…had to use a key card to get into the castle grounds… got us to the hotel in about 40 minutes… gave us a business card so we could call them for our return trip to the airport. I highly recommend Zona Tax for travel from the airport…very good service at a very reasonable price….two thumbs up to Budapest for eliminating ripoff taxi issues for rides from the airport!
We had used points to book 4 free nights at the Hilton. Ron is a Platinum Level member, so they upgraded us to a great room on the executive level, with a wonderful view of the Danube & Pest (Room 327). The manager showed us around…very nice executive suite….free open bar til 10PM… lots of food & snacks. We settled in…drank too much…and ended up making dinner out of the food in the executive lounge. Shortly before dark, we headed out and spent a few hours walking around the castle district…talking to other tourists and taking pictures. Wow - it was a beautiful night…the views from the castle district were absolutely magical!!
Next, Absolute Walking Tour of Budapest…
When I was planning this trip, the train connections from Krakow to Budapest looked awful (we weren’t interested in a night train), so I followed the advice in a 2006 trip report by Mary_Fran (thanks again if you happen to read this) and booked Malev Air Flight 847 – 4:05PM – 4:55PM. If you’ve researched Malev’s website www.malev.com , you know that they don’t have electronic tickets for this flight…you can’t buy tickets online for delivery to the US… and you can’t get even get a price online for delivery to the US. I had read it was possible to buy tickets via phone by calling the US Malev ticket office, but I had trouble finding time to make the call … finally dropped the ball and had a travel agent take care of it for me. The travel agent made the reservations and was able to print hardcopy tickets. The one-way tickets were $187.90 each, including taxes and fees (prior to the travel agent fee). Don’t know if I would have gotten a better price if I’d called myself…would have saved the travel agent fee …but would have had to pay for shipping.
My only concern regarding the flight was the luggage weight limit. This is a domestic flight, within Europe, so each person is allowed 1 checked bag – max 44 lbs and 1 carryon – max 22 lbs. I knew we were within the limit between us, but took extra care to split everything up evenly, so neither of the checked bags would weigh in too heavy.
We packed after breakfast, checked out and stored our luggage, then headed out for one last walk around Krakow….went back to the Franciscan Church…ever since we had been there, I had wished I’d touched the spot where Pope John Paul II had kneeled & prayed when he was archbishop – so I did just that – and admired the excellent stained glass windows one more time. Also, per a recommendation made by our Daily Walks guide on the first day, we walked through the archway at the archbishop’s residence (under the Pope’s picture) into the courtyard. There’s an excellent set of pictorial boards detailing the life of Pope John Paul II that was not mentioned in any of our tour books…but was very enjoyable.
Got turned around somehow on our way back to the hotel…and were almost late to meet our driver. He was there, waiting for us. We grabbed our luggage, said goodbye to the people at Hotel Grodek - and were on our way to Krakow Balice International Airport.
Krakow was absolutely wonderful – a highlight of our trip! We did almost everything we had wanted to do – missed the Daily Walks tour to Kazimierz which leaves daily at 1:30 – wish we’d found a way to fit that in. We chose not to visit Aushwitz because we had been to Dachau a few years back – and although we considered it an important experience, we did not want to visit a second camp.
Our driver was a very nice young man, spoke excellent English, and seemed happy to make conversation. He gave us additional insight as to how the different age groups view the break from Communism and the prospects for Poland’s future. He has a large van and said he does both short & long trips (even as far as Prague or Budapest). He can carry 4 people and luggage comfortably and said the long distance trips are quite cost effective if you have 4 people to split the cost. If you’re considering a driver, you might want to check with him. Per his business card, his name is Maciej Pietruszka, telephone # 48 508 677 344. The card also lists a website & email address…I took a look at it…it looks like a larger auto service, but Maciej gave us the impression it was his business…if you want him to be your driver, give him a call or name request him in your email. The website is www.manifold.pl . The email address is [email protected]
We had some extra Zoltys, so Ron gave the driver a nice tip. The airport was small and easy to figure out. They had an information desk, staffed with young people who spoke English. We were too early to check in, so we went outside, to the airport café, to get some lunch…had to pull and tug to get our rolling luggage around the tables & chairs. I sat with the luggage while Ron went to the counter…uh-oh – seems Ron gave up too many of his Zlotys as a tip…he came back with 2 beers, but only one hot dog. He asked me to give him a few Euro so he could get another hot dog. I had brought about 70 Euro from a prior trip, to serve as back-up funds…but they were deep inside my money belt and I didn’t really want to start searching for them…so I asked him to try to use a credit card first. I had noticed a very large/tall fellow, with a lot of tattoos, sitting in the corner drinking a beer and watching us. Apparently, he was also listening to our conversation …and was amused that Ron had decided it was more important to get two beers than two sandwiches! Anyway, at that moment, the man jumped up, walked over to our table, reached into his pocket, held out a very large handful of change, and told Ron to take whatever he needed!!! Sounded like he was from Australia…in any case…many thanks to the fellow traveler…who contributed to our lunch that day!!!
After lunch, we headed back into the terminal, waited for them to post the check-in counter #line, got in line & checked in for our flight. We had not been able to get seat assignments until that point. I asked the woman if she could give Ron an aisle seat …she was very friendly…said she had already given us a window and an aisle, with no one between. Security line moved quickly…the flight was great…right on time…they gave us a small sandwich and drink…and in 50 minutes we landed in Budapest. I highly recommend this flight for transportation from Krakow to Budapest!
We were staying at the Hilton Budapest (Castle District). I had contacted them ahead of time to inquire about transportation and they had offered a driver at an outrageously high price. Additional research led me to a few posts that indicated the Budapest airport had contracted with a single taxi service to offer taxi rides from the airport at zone rates. Apparently, this program was put into place around Aug 2006, in response to tourist complaints about rip-off taxis. I took a look at the contract company’s website… www.zonataxi.eu and decided we’d locate them when we got to the airport.
Our bags came quickly…and as we left the turnstiles, we found the Zona Taxi window. The man at the window sent us outside to a booth…I showed the attendant a paper with the name and address of our hotel, he typed it into a computer and gave us a receipt that said 4200 FRT (about $22.50) to the Castle Hilton. We got in a Zona Taxi and were on our way.
The driver was more aggressive than drivers we had in Prague & Krakow. It was rush hour in Budapest…and there was a lot of traffic…he accelerated & changed lanes a bit…spoke a little English and pointed out a few sites… eventually entered Pest and crossed the Chain Bridge to Buda…had to use a key card to get into the castle grounds… got us to the hotel in about 40 minutes… gave us a business card so we could call them for our return trip to the airport. I highly recommend Zona Tax for travel from the airport…very good service at a very reasonable price….two thumbs up to Budapest for eliminating ripoff taxi issues for rides from the airport!
We had used points to book 4 free nights at the Hilton. Ron is a Platinum Level member, so they upgraded us to a great room on the executive level, with a wonderful view of the Danube & Pest (Room 327). The manager showed us around…very nice executive suite….free open bar til 10PM… lots of food & snacks. We settled in…drank too much…and ended up making dinner out of the food in the executive lounge. Shortly before dark, we headed out and spent a few hours walking around the castle district…talking to other tourists and taking pictures. Wow - it was a beautiful night…the views from the castle district were absolutely magical!!
Next, Absolute Walking Tour of Budapest…
Jul 29th, 2007, 04:20 PM
#53
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Hello, I need some input on taking the train from Zagreb to Budapest then on to Prague. Any suggestions on good value hotels on the mid-range? Also need conversion rate of local money to US$. Thanks
Jul 30th, 2007, 02:03 PM
#54
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Just me popping in again to say we are here in Krakow, and are, indeed, having a fantastic time. Just got back from an incredible evening of jazz in one of the cellar club.
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.... Sure everyone's awaiting fr more from SomewhereoutThere on Budapest.
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.... Sure everyone's awaiting fr more from SomewhereoutThere on Budapest.
Aug 1st, 2007, 02:02 PM
#55
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I just got back from a 4 week home exchange in Vienna and went to Budapest for 3 nights. We stayed at the Art Hotel on the Buda side of the river. I certainly saw the Hilton. However, if I were to do the trip again, I would stay on the Pest side. Aside from Castle Hill everything else is on the Pest side of the Danube.
Is there some reason why you did not go to Auschwitz while you were in Krakow? I was hoping to read something about that in your trip report. I visited Mauthausen during my recent Austria trip. I would think Auschwitz, as awful a place as it is, would be a must see for anyone going to Krakow. One thing that I asked myself over and over again in Austria is how could such a physically beautiful country been involved so intimately in Hitler's atrocities. Many European countries have a tortured history and it is important to look at all sides of everything in my opinion. That means going beyond just doing the castles and kings. It means looking at the ugly as well.
Is there some reason why you did not go to Auschwitz while you were in Krakow? I was hoping to read something about that in your trip report. I visited Mauthausen during my recent Austria trip. I would think Auschwitz, as awful a place as it is, would be a must see for anyone going to Krakow. One thing that I asked myself over and over again in Austria is how could such a physically beautiful country been involved so intimately in Hitler's atrocities. Many European countries have a tortured history and it is important to look at all sides of everything in my opinion. That means going beyond just doing the castles and kings. It means looking at the ugly as well.
Aug 14th, 2007, 01:47 PM
#58
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Wonderful reading and great timing. We're leaving for Prague & Budapest in 2 weeks. Your trip report has been most helpful. I look forward to reading about your time in Budapest! Don't give up now!
