A guide by Jacksta28
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
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.
Two great restaurants in downtown Pest. Both cheap and with great menus. The Boheme is on Paulay Ede Utca and does massive portions of great food. The Kiskacsa is on the corner of Kazinsky and Dob Utca, just in the Jewish part of town and specializes, as the name would suggest, in duck. It also lets you throw dice at the end of the meal to get a freebie. I've never won it but it adds to the fun.
This is an old market hall close to Liberty Bridge, not far from Kalvin ter tube station. Shopping can be an experience and the architecture is of exceptional value. Most vendors remember that Margaret Thatcher visited the market in 1984, but this should not be seen as argument against a visit. Next door you will find the neo-renaissance building of the economics faculty.
Vámház körút; nearest metro: Kálvin tér; trams: No 2, 47, 49 at Fovam ter
For those of you who venture to the edge of the the Pest inner circle, you'll find a reward in the form of Stex, a cafe/bar/pub/restaurant.
Open from 8am till 6am you can get a good breakfast there, there's a cheap daily lunch menu and it's good for a coffee any time of the day.
But it's in the evening that Stex really comes into its own. There's good, cheap beer and a friendly, bustling atmosphere. A full menu of hearty Hungarian-esque food makes this ideal for a pub-type supper. The wooden plate of mixed grill, to be shared between two, is a rewarding challenge. Good wine menu too (with some Hungarian wines: definitely worth trying), if you fancy splashing out a bit. And, if you're feeling really classy, there's a cigar menu.
A curious thing about Stex is that it's very big, but still intimate. It's almost always getting along towards full, but you can still always find a table.
You can watch the football - but the place is big enough that you don't have to. You can play snooker or darts, and there’s a casino attached
And, by the way, remember to pronounce it “Shtecks”.
Corner of József krt and Baross utca (Tram 4-6, Baross utca stop)
In spring and summer, various buildings throughout the city due for either demolition or renovation are turned into makeshift outside bars. You generally don’t know where they will be, but keep a look out in the local press and you should find one or two. Szimpla mozi kert on Kazinczy utca 14 is open all year, or check out the web site of this kert bar for its opening date: www.tuzraktar.hu/eng.html
Budapest's integrated transport system puts Britain’s to shame. It comprises buses, trams, metro, commuter train and trolleybuses, all of which link up, with most running from the crack of dawn until late at night. Even in February we didn't have to wait longer than seven minutes for anything. Cheap too - a Budapest card or travel card will get you free travel anywhere within the city limits. Don't bother bringing a car as Budapest gets congested in rush-hour, even in low season. Instead, jump on a tram or metro and get straight where you want to go.
All over Budapest
These are listed on the US Embassy's website as bars/clubs where tourists are often presented with ridiculously expensive bills (100 dollars for a ½ litre of beer), and physically intimidated if they refuse to pay:
- Városközpont (accessible by outside elevator) Budapest V district, Váci utca 16
- La Dolce Vita Budapest V district, Október 6. utca 8
- Nirvana Night Club Budapest V district, Szent István krt.13
- Ti'Amo Bar Budapest IX district, Ferenc körút 19-21
- Diamond Club Budapest II district, Bimbó út 3
- Pigalle Night Club Budapest VIII district, Kiss József utca 1-3
The most amazing neo-baroque baths, built in 1913. Like entering Monte Carlo casino but instead of roulette tables you get to bob about in steamy 34-36C bubbling thermal waters surrounded by amazing architecture while it snows (if you’re especially lucky.) We recommend racing from one end of the pool to the other just to feel that chill if it gets too steamy. An absolute must for a winter outdoor sensation. Oh, and just to finish the experience off perfectly, they give you a refund if you don’t stay the full time allowed.
Állakerti körút 11; nearest metro: M1 Széchenyi fürdő
A wonderful cafe, offering really excellent food, great wines and very good service. This is not the cheapest place in Budapest, but it is by no means the most expensive. Top class international food but with a Hungarian slant. I lived in Budapest for three years and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Sas utca 17
If you're bathing in Budapest, it doesn't get any better than the beautiful bath house at Szechenyi Furdo. Exquisite baroque architecture, wonderful selection of hot and cold pools, steam rooms and a well stocked cafe for those who fancy a beer and a game of chess.
Worth a visit anytime of the year. Were it not for corpulent 50-something Hungarians wearing nothing but Speedos, this could possibly be my favourite place in the whole world.
A five minute walk from Szechenyi Furdo on the Budapest underground
The name is - fortunately - nothing to do with János Kádár, Hungary's last Communist leader, the surname Kádár is quite common (and means 'cooper'). Kádár Étkezde (bistro) is a fabulous little lunch venue in the heart of the historic Jewish district in central Pest. It's packed with locals enjoying the non-kosher Jewish home cooking; great matzo ball soup, crisp duck leg with spicy red cabbage or boiled beef with a range of fruit sauces (gooseberry, sour cherry, horseradish) served on a ceramic all-in-one airplane style plates. Uncle Tibi personally greets regulars from the neighbourhood as they pile in and tots up the bill at the end. The walls of the crowded room are crammed with photos (many autographed) of Hungarian actors and athletes as well as other fans of the bistro including Marcello Mastroiani. Sip málna szörp (raspberry cordial) at this non-alcoholic eaterie or help yourself from the old-fashioned soda water bottles on every table. The waitresses are the kindest and most efficient in Budapest, the menu is only in Hungarian, and you'll have to share a table but that's part of the atmosphere. The last time I ate there, the elderly lady sipping soup at my table had numbers tattooed on her arm. This was a sudden, brutal, unexpected reminder of Hungary's shocking history.
Kádár Étkezde
Klauzál tér 9
District VII
Budapest
Open Tues-Sat 11.30-15.30
Tel: (+36 1) 321 3622
To get there: Take tram 4 & 6 to Király utca stop.
Prices: Soup 300 forints, main dishes 500-800 forints, cash only, no CC.
Where possible I like to partake of the local tipple on my travels but rarely, if ever, have I tasted anything like Hungary's herb based spirit, Unicum. A single measure of this concoction should be more than enough for two to three people ... the first sip tastes a little of cough mixture, and the second enough to convince you that no, apologies to the good people at Benylin, this is something far nastier.
On the plus side, it does come in great globe shaped bottles - miniatures of which make ideal presents for friends back home, particularly those you don't like much.
Just about every bar in Budapest
The Soul Cafe is a restaurant on Raday Utca, serving superb food in pleasant surroundings. They have everything from soups and sandwiches to mains etc. We had lots of lovely meals in Budapest but this was the best. If this restaurant doesn't tempt you, there are dozens of others on this street, which is near Kalvin Ter metro station.
Raday Utca 11-13;
tel: 217 6986;
www.soulcafe.hu
When departing Budapest by air (and presumably when arriving too), don't bother with the various taxi/minibus services. The public transport alternative is efficient, perfectly easy to use and far, far cheaper (about £1 each way, as opposed to £6ish for the shuttle service).
From the town centre (Deak Ter) to the airport, simply take the blue metro line to the end of the line, then jump onto the clearly signposted no: 200 bus (complete with little aeroplane logo and English announcements). It goes to Terminal 1 first, then Terminal 2, and the entire journey to Terminal 1 takes about half an hour.
You need to validate one single ticket on the metro, and then another on the bus (or vice versa if arriving). True, ticket staff don't speak much English, but they are quite keen to help, and "2 single tickets" is widely understood (if various options are proffered, single tickets are the little flimsy orange ones with perforations).
I found this website very useful for finding information about Budapest before I went. They were very quick and helpful with my questions and managed to book my accommodation as well.
Immense indoor market featuring local specialties, exotic fruits and vegetables, etc. The top floor has several inexpensive places to grab a bite, and lots of souvenir stalls.
vamhaz korut 1-3
We have just got back from four magical days in Budapest, staying at this brilliant apartment. The place is fantastic, and Tomas is a very good host who can tell you places to visit. Its location is fantastic, in a beautiful old building with a cafe at the bottom. Convenient! Honestly, look no further, this is the place to go.
Tomas: +36 20 3328952
www.jop.hoteltargets.com
It is a simple rack and pin railway that takes you up into the Buda hills, from where you can have wonderful views over to Pest and go walking on various trails through the hills. You can also walk to the Children's Railway (a model railway entirely operated by children volunteers) from here, although we did not have time to do this I would recommend it.
It is Europe's third oldest cogwheel railway and when you go up into the snow covered hills in January its very pretty and very romantic.
It is also part of the BKV system therefore if you have day tourist travel tickets you can travel on the cogwheel railway along with the buses, trams and metro.
The lower terminus is opposite the Hotel Budapest in Buda, you can catch a tram to here from Moskva Ter and it only takes 10 minutes at most.
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