Budapest

Comment by Lukehead on August 8, 2013 at 4:10pm

1) Use the Metro! It's fast easy, fun. Make sure you get your pass validated and have it at the ready for the sporadic checking.. Make at least one trip to the end of the line - Moskva Ter. It's quite a bit different than the other stations. VERY busy, open terrace, full of "real" Budapestians. Not quite so much English spoken but you'll be fine.

2) The ghetto area and surroundings is full of good restaurants, galleries and great people. The Great Temple, Wallenburg memorial and Temple museum are very nice. We did the "big" tour where we visited each plus two other temples, walked through the neighborhood with a guide and has a pastry and drink at a Kosher tea shop - truly enjoyed. Great guide, small group - I think only 5 or 7 people. We were invited back for dinner (discounted) and music in the evning.

3) Make sure to visit the grerat Market Hall and have lunch if it works for your schedule. Go downstairs - there are good local things there - not as much emphasis on the tourist stuff (like the peppers and pickles and live fish tanks).

4) The Holocaust Memorial museum is awesome, hard but an incredible experience. The Holocaust memorial on the riverbank is especially moving (and easy to miss walking by).The terror Museum is also worth a visit but I probably wouldn't do them on the same day - a lot of heavy stuff

5) Go take a bath. The fancy ones in the hotels are nice but the public ones near the park are more fun.

6) Eat langos. Ask a local person for a recommendation for an authentic place. We had the best upstairs at the market in Eger.

7)Eat fish soup - again, ask a local.

8) Take the opera house tour. You can do on your own but the guide gets you in some "secret" places..

9) Find the little park with Imre Nagy's statue - a gentle place.

10) Have dessert (or afternoon tea) at Gerbeaud, a real treat. Actually, you can do it everyday, sometimes inside, sometimes outside. Enjoy the square.

11) If you enjoy wine, a day trip for wine tasting will surprise you. Lots of tasting caves around a park area. Some charge for tasting, some are complimentary. Some of the wine is exceptionally good. All are for sale but some are not yet bottled. They will sell you a temp "bottle" (think milk jug)  if you want to drink for dinner that night but you won't be able to bring back to the US.

12) Look for small concerts in churches in the early evening. Very inexpensive and fun. You'll see people handing out fliers on the promenade near the river. You just show up. If you're uncomfortable with the venue, just walk away, nothing lost but your time getting there - and you probably will have passed something terrific on the way.

Which apartment are you staying in? If in the Ghetto, there's a local, homey restaurant across the street - The Blue Rose. We enjoyed and they remembered us after visit #2.

We really liked Budapest and would definitely go again.

Comment by Vicki on August 8, 2013 at 9:10pm

Geraldine,

We had a great time in Budapest. See my tripblog, Vicki Wickliffe Fall 2008.  

Comment by Geraldine Abraham on August 9, 2013 at 8:17am

Thank you so much for your very helpful and useful information.  We are staying in the Gabor Large in the inner city and looking forward to going next month.  I'm sure we will use all of your tips.  Not sure about where the ghetto area actually is.  Will have to look deeper into the travel books about that.  Happy to hear you say that you would definitely go again; makes me want to be there now.  Again, thank you.

Comment by Lukehead on August 10, 2013 at 12:02am

Ghetto is the area around the Great Temple - Wesselenyi Street.

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