Budapest visiting advice

HungarianBison

HungarianBison

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I think some of you would like to visit this city, so as I live in Budapest I try to suggest a few things on what to do here.
Sights: Chain Bridge (under reconstruction until 2023), Europe's biggest synagogue on Dohány Street, St. Stephen's Basilics, Millenial Underground (M1), Parliament, Hungarian National Museum, Natural History Museum, Buda Castle, Széchenyi Bath, Andrássy Avenue and of course the zoo.
Transportation: Try to use public transport as the roads are full of cars. Public transport covers the city quite well, although metro lines are a bit short. Metro line M3 is under reconstruction until 2023, it is replaced by buses on its downtown section. You should avoid the following lines: trams 24, 28 and 37, also buses 9 and 99, because there are a lot of criminals on them. On tickets, I'd recommend 72 hours ticket. There is no online ticket!
My favourite places: I think I don't have to mention the zoo... Besides it I like Natural History Museum (they have a preparated Javan rhino!) and a less known insitution, the Robert Capa Museum. You can see some of his most famous pictures here. It is located in Terézváros, you can easily get here with trolleybus line 70 from the Parliament.
Other important things:
-Never try Hungarian restaurants nearby Váci Street, their food is horrible and the prices are also quite high. They try to cheat the tourists.
-Brace yourself: there are no public toilets.
-A handful of things are closed or under reconstruction in the city.
-About a half of Hungarians can't speak any English.
Feel free to share your experiences and ask questions.
 
HungarianBison said:
You have to find a mall or sth like that or yeah, this is another option :D . I meant that there aren't any public toilets on the streets.
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With rare exception, there aren't any in the USA either. I do find public transport very good in most European countries, as well as train service within and between European countries.

I have a credit on British Air from my September cancelled flight that I was hoping to use this upcoming winter or spring (2022). Prague and Budapest are one of my options. However with the spike in Covid cases in central Europe (Austria under full lockdown - no tourists) I think I will have to postpone it until at least fall 2022 or maybe until 2023. My ticket is valid until fall 2023. I am also looking at Spain and France (which seems to have less severe Covid rise than their eastern neighbors).
 
I fly British Air nonstop Phoenix to London Heathrow, then either Eurostar from there or catch a connecting flight to the continent. After my post above I found this new article. I suppose my plans may hinge on if they move their hub from Heathrow to someplace on the continent, or perhaps somewhere else in the UK. The latter is most likely (though I doubt they will move at all), since I can't image British Airways not being based in Britain!
British Airways owner warns it could cut Heathrow flights over higher charges (msn.com)
 
Arizona Docent said:
With rare exception, there aren't any in the USA either. I do find public transport very good in most European countries, as well as train service within and between European countries.

I have a credit on British Air from my September cancelled flight that I was hoping to use this upcoming winter or spring (2022). Prague and Budapest are one of my options. However with the spike in Covid cases in central Europe (Austria under full lockdown - no tourists) I think I will have to postpone it until at least fall 2022 or maybe until 2023. My ticket is valid until fall 2023. I am also looking at Spain and France (which seems to have less severe Covid rise than their eastern neighbors).
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If you afraid of covid despite you're vaccinated I think you should visit Central Europe in summer, as covid is a seasonal disease, therefore restrictions are not really strict.
On train services: Yes, most European train links are quite good, but this statement is not true to Hungarian railway company (MÁV). Delays are very frequent and the majority of trains is quite old.
 
HungarianBison said:
If you afraid of covid despite you're vaccinated I think you should visit Central Europe in summer, as covid is a seasonal disease, therefore restrictions are not really strict.
On train services: Yes, most European train links are quite good, but this statement is not true to Hungarian railway company (MÁV). Delays are very frequent and the majority of trains is quite old.
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I don't like to go in summer because crowds are bigger and hotel prices are usually higher. I am vaccinated and travel alone so I am not so much afraid of getting Covid, but more afraid of the travel restricitons and testing requirements.
 
HungarianBison said:
Transportation: Try to use public transport as the roads are full of cars. Public transport covers the city quite well, although metro lines are a bit short. Metro line M3 is under reconstruction until 2023, it is replaced by buses on its downtown section. You should avoid the following lines: trams 24, 28 and 37, also buses 9 and 99, because there are a lot of criminals on them. On tickets, I'd recommend 72 hours ticket. There is no online ticket! .
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I found the Budapest public transportation system the most integrated one I have used. A travelcard enables people to use the bus, tube, tram and funicular railway. I saw the Children's Railway, where children sold and checked tickets, although an adult drove the train. I also liked the way that train indicators showed when the last train left, rather than when the next one was due. That may be more accurate, as tube and bus indicators in London can be very inaccurate.
 
Dassie rat said:
I found the Budapest public transportation system the most integrated one I have used. A travelcard enables people to use the bus, tube, tram and funicular railway. I saw the Children's Railway, where children sold and checked tickets, although an adult drove the train. I also liked the way that train indicators showed when the last train left, rather than when the next one was due. That may be more accurate, as tube and bus indicators in London can be very inaccurate.
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I haven't visited too much cities outside Hungary so cannot relate. But I'm quite sure that the public transport system of Budapest is the best one in Hungary.
 
HungarianBison said:
I think some of you would like to visit this city, so as I live in Budapest I try to suggest a few things on what to do here.
Sights: Chain Bridge (under reconstruction until 2023), Europe's biggest synagogue on Dohány Street, St. Stephen's Basilics, Millenial Underground (M1), Parliament, Hungarian National Museum, Natural History Museum, Buda Castle, Széchenyi Bath, Andrássy Avenue and of course the zoo.
Transportation: Try to use public transport as the roads are full of cars. Public transport covers the city quite well, although metro lines are a bit short. Metro line M3 is under reconstruction until 2023, it is replaced by buses on its downtown section. You should avoid the following lines: trams 24, 28 and 37, also buses 9 and 99, because there are a lot of criminals on them. On tickets, I'd recommend 72 hours ticket. There is no online ticket!
My favourite places: I think I don't have to mention the zoo... Besides it I like Natural History Museum (they have a preparated Javan rhino!) and a less known insitution, the Robert Capa Museum. You can see some of his most famous pictures here. It is located in Terézváros, you can easily get here with trolleybus line 70 from the Parliament.
Other important things:
-Never try Hungarian restaurants nearby Váci Street, their food is horrible and the prices are also quite high. They try to cheat the tourists.
-Brace yourself: there are no public toilets.
-A handful of things are closed or under reconstruction in the city.
-About a half of Hungarians can't speak any English.
Feel free to share your experiences and ask questions.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the great review @HungarianBison! I love your beautiful capital and the legendary zoo of course! My first visit was at 1999. I can recommend the the Thermal baths and Trofea grill restaurants :)
 
As not only being a zoo lover but also an art lover, I can strongly recommend the Museum of Fine Arts, nearby the zoo.

It has an particularly strong collection on late gothic and early renaissance paintings, especially from Italy, Flanders and the Netherlands.
And ofcourse one of Bruegel the Elder's magnificent paintings, The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist.
 
Philipine eagle said:
As not only being a zoo lover but also an art lover, I can strongly recommend the Museum of Fine Arts, nearby the zoo.

It has an particularly strong collection on late gothic and early renaissance paintings, especially from Italy, Flanders and the Netherlands.
And ofcourse one of Bruegel the Elder's magnificent paintings, The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist.
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Tbh I've only visited a temporary collection in this museum, which consisted of Rembrandt's paintings.
 
@Hungarian Bison: Any news about the Aquarium at Budapest Zoo? Do you know when it will (re)open (Wasn't it planned as a new exhibit in the Pannon-Park-area for 2021)?
 
zoomaniac said:
@Hungarian Bison: Any news about the Aquarium at Budapest Zoo? Do you know when it will (re)open (Wasn't it planned as a new exhibit in the Pannon-Park-area for 2021)?
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@zoomaniac the situation is the following:
The zoo has an old aquarium under America Tropicana house, which is closed now. COVID was mentioned as a reason for this by the zoo, but I don't think that the risk of illness is higher in the aquarium than in other animal houses, which are open now. I can only guess, but the cause of the closing is probably a technical problem.
The Pannon Park (with an aquarium) won't open until 2025, because of several reason (most important ones are lack of money and political disagreement).
 
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