A guide by Jacksta28
Three day travelcard for 2500ft (about £6.80). Make use of buses, trams, underground, trains and the cogwheel railway (this is fun for kids to get out of town for an afternoon). You just carry it with you, no need to validate it on buses etc, so no risk of being caught out and fined. Much better value than the Budapest Card if you won't be visiting many museums.
Any underground or bus station
I strongly recommend a visit to this quite extraordinary museum, a truly emotive and incredibly moving experience with a very strong sense of its painful past still echoing through the rooms. The struggle of occupation under the Nazis and then later the Soviets all contained within the microcosm of one building that once served as a headquarters to the notorious Hungarian Arrowcross party.
60 Andrássy út; www.terrorhaza.hu/index3.html
A perfect day out for families is the Gellert Hotel and Spa, open to the public and very inexpensive. As well as the option of massages and beauty treatments, the indoor swimming pool is set in palatial surroundings, whilst the spa pool is a perfect temperature for old and young alike. Older children will love the outdoor pool with its wave machine, whilst the gardens and sun lounger area are perfect for parents to relax in.
From the Market Hall (in Pest), cross the bridge into Buda
St Margaret's Island is situated in between Buda and Pest. It is a haven for peace and tranquility due to its ban on transport. The leafy parks and extensive outdoor pools (some very shallow, making it perfect for young children), make it an oasis in a bustling city.
Cross the bridge near the Houses of Parliament
Raday utca, close to the Kalvin Tér metro, is a popular spot for both tourists and young locals, it has a lot of restaurants and bars. At the far end is a personal favourite of mine. It’s a lively bar/restaurant called Castro (recently closed, but rumoured to be reopening on on Madach Ter, VII district) serving Serbian specialties and is almost always busy, which can make it difficult for groups exceeding six. Castro has internet access, which is great for when you're having discussion about something over a pint and no-one knows the answer.
For authentic Hungarian food, try Bohém tanya (literally: Bohemian Farm), it's pretty inexpensive and close to Deák Ferenc tér (the Kings Cross of Budapest in terms of the underground).
Paulay Ede utca 6
Built in the late 19th-century in Renaissance style, the glorious State Opera House is a wonderful example of the mania for historicist architecture in Budapest. A must for opera or ballet fans, and well worth a visit for the stunning frescoes and dazzling gilded interior for everyone else. Tickets are inexpensive by London standards and can be booked online before your visit.
22 Andrássy Street, VI. Budapest; nearest metro: Opera; www.opera.hu/
The summit of the railway shows you the city in all its glory - from the beautifully crafted government buildings, hidden churches, right the way along the river and even into the slightly more “suspect” areas of the city. Buy an ice cream at the top and enjoy the view.
I Clark Ádam tér; Bus 16, 86, 105, Tram 19; Open: 7:30am-10pm daily; Closed for maintenance every second Monday
Great little restaurant with top quality food. The fillet steaks were amazing. Ate there several times during honeymoon and would love to go back there. Booking recommended.
District V, Sas Ut 17; tel: 1 311 0053
Beautiful spa bath in the open air.
Get a day ticket, and hang on to all pieces of paper you are given - if you leave after a couple of hours, they will refund some of the entrance fee. Ladies and gents' changing rooms are separate, one at each end of the entrance hall. You go downstairs and through a turnstile (not necessarily in that order). I can only speak for the ladies' but assume both are the same from here: an attendant will meet you and find you an empty locker. When you are changed, you put your stuff in the locker and call the attendant, who will lock it and give you a wristband. You have to remember the locker number.
Once you come out of the changing rooms into the courtyard, you will be reunited with your bathing companion - Szechenyi is not segregated, which is why I like it. You take your towel and your book and your glasses and whatever else out with you and leave them on a bench. If it looks like rain, make sure you have a plastic bag.
The two pools at each end of the courtyard are the best; the one on the left as you come out of the changing rooms is slightly cooler, so go in this one first, or it will feel really cold. The one on the right is warmer and old men play chess in it. You can also go inside through one of the creepy looking doorways in the walls, and there are more medicinal baths, steam rooms, and great big tubs of ice. I have no idea what those are for. Do explore; no-one will challenge you. Do be brave enough to go to the baths, it's quite an experience. You can get drinks and snacks inside, too.
To get there, you take the yellow subway (also known as foldalatti, which means underground - it's the oldest line in europe, or something) to the Szechenyi Furdo stop (furdo means bath). Come out of the metro and walk towards the yellow building. The entrance hall for the baths is round the side, not the first one you come to out of the metro (that's the door for the medicinal baths).
Or you can walk there - all the way along Andrassy Ut, across Heroes Square, and through the park.
www.spa.hu/angol/szechenyispa_en.html
A museum looking at communism in Hungary and the effects of the terror caused by the Arrow Cross Party (Hungarian Nazis). It's located in a beautiful street, made to look like an American boulevard but inside this lovely neo-renaissance building lies many secrets. It was once home to the Arrow Cross Party HQ and within its labyrinth of corridors are cells, where the captured were tortured. A very sad museum but most interesting. You need to get the headset to fully appreciate all that's gone on within the walls of this eerie building (available in English and German).
Andrassy Ut, near Vorrosmarty
It's a late-night bar. Everyone goes there when other places close, though it's lively earlier in the night too. You can dance, there's good live music (piano, chansons). It rocked.
Nagymezõ utca 25
Wonderful building - there's a free half hour tour for EU passport holders.
Szentendre is an idyllic small town situated on the Danube River about 19km away from the main city. In Szentendre, you can escape the chaos of the city and experience a timeless, laid-back old town that has hardly been affected by the modernity of Budapest.
It takes around 45 minutes to get there on the the suburban train (HÉV) from I. Batthyány tér to Szentendre
Cool courtyard bar that stays open all winter thanks to a pre-fab roof and loads of garden heaters. Szimpla is full of people at the weekend although it never gets too busy and it manages to retain a relaxed but lively atmosphere. The decor is sparse but fun. Old cinema chairs and dusty sofas, along with the crumbling stonework lend it a decadent air. Cheapish booze but don't try the wine! In summer check out Szimpla kis kért (Szimpla's little brother) and loads of other Pest courtyards.
Kazinczy ut 14; nearest metro station is Astoria
Excellent restaurant with traditional Hungarian dishes, decent prices, good service, and a great wine list. It's in the courtyard of the restored Károly Mansion, and has nice outdoor seating. When I was there, there was a play being performed next door, so we got free dinner theatre as a bonus. It has vegetarian choices as well.
V. Károlyi Mihályi utca;
www.karolyietterem.hu/
Like many European cities, you must validate your travel ticket in a punch machine when you get on public transport, like buses. Don’t forget to do this when you've just arrived. Transit police nab tourists who haven't done so for big fines. We were still struggling to find a place for our bags on the crowded bus and hadn't yet spotted the validation machine, when they got us for €25 each.
This restaurant does fantastic Hungarian food at reasonable prices. It also has an interesting retro 70s decor.
VI. Liszt Ferenc ter 2; within walking distance of Oktogon metro station
Magical experience of swimming in the three naturally heated outdoor pools, with snow on the ground an air temperature of –5C and swirling steam masking the people standing next to you. The jacuzzi/whirlpool provided an invigorating contrast, it was so good we went twice.
Állakerti körút 11; nearest metro: M1 Széchenyi fürdő
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