There are so many countries on my bucket list at this point, yet if I do get a little time there is one place I seemed to go to. Only one. For the last few years I seemed to be drawned towards Budapest a lot. As you may have noticed over here or on my instagram. Wether it is because it is so close to my hometown or just for the affordability, Im not sure. One thing I do know, I enjoyed every stay here and gathered enough information for you, before your first stay. So here it goes, darling.
Personally I think 4 days is a long enough time for most city breaks. Here though you have to think about the time of the year. As seasons affect the activities that a city offers. Summer time needs 5 days for you to be able to soak in the sun, sights and drinks. There is so much outdoor space to see and enjoy. Parks, riverside, baths, all the nooks and crannies. Winter would do with 3 days so you can come home before you freeze down to the core. At least these are the optimal times for me.
2)Where do I stay
First off, location. I would advice living closer to the city center. But it is not necessary for you to be literally at the riverside. It is super easy for you to just walk everywhere and if the weather is good, you might not need a public transport until you´re ready to leave back home.
Now you might be able to get a lovely hotel, that is compared to other highly visited cities cheap, but I would advise to go for an apartment. I like to do this at most destinations. By getting an apartment you get a lot more space. At least usually. This includes kitchen, I enjoy to not only be able to save money on eating out, but also for those late night cravings. This way you can always whip something up at any time of the day. I have so far stayed at 3 different apartments, hotel and hostel and always enjoyed the first option most. Hosts are pretty lovely and helpful. Last time I actually managed to find a place that had a reception and little spa. How perfect is that.
Places I stayed and would recommend: Hotel D8, Paulay downtown Apartments
4)Feed me please
First thing I would like to say is, do not be scared of new things. Hungarian food is very different from lets say American, Italian or English, but lovely. It is worth trying their spicy sausage, goulash soup or even fish. But still if you find it not being your cup of tea, there are so so so many options of other cuisine .
Most places that are in busy touristic locations have good translation and often even a picture of the food. That way you know what you are getting yourself into. If you are looking at the prices, they do 9/10 show you price in euros too. If that makes it easier for you to navigate. And as far as affordability, you might think that going more out of the heart of city brings cheaper prices, well not usually true. It is all pretty much the same .
One last thing for restaurants, they add tip onto the bill. It is nice to give a waiter a tip but not necessarily expected as they already add a service charge.
For drinks.... Coffee and juice lovers might enjoy My little Melbourne or Brew brothers. Both places have chilled vibe and best coffee. Evening drinks are not my expertise as at this point I would probably be back at the apartment with nice lime beer resting my soul. But one place I always recommend to everyone is High note sky bar. Roof top bar with unbeatable views.
Give these a try: Napfenyes etterem, Vega city, Las Vegans, Japanika sushi bar, Szimply food, Bamba burger
5)Friendly and safe
This city is not that different from others. As long as you don' t behave foolishly or naive, you are safe. Never had a bad experience with locals. Only drag is the evening, when intoxicated men come out and want to play with anything that moves. This is when a thick skin and friend by your side come in handy.
Keep your treasures safe and just be vary in crowds. Other then that, you have nothing to worry about darling.
Bare in mind lovely, these are only my opinions and my advice. What works for me might not work for everyone, but I do hope it will make your trip a little easier and more enjoyable.
In case you have had any experience you would like to share do leave a comment, anything to add let me know and to see my Budapest adventures, feel free to check them out in my insta highlights @Denivev .
Until next time,
xoxo
DeniVev
Now you might be able to get a lovely hotel, that is compared to other highly visited cities cheap, but I would advise to go for an apartment. I like to do this at most destinations. By getting an apartment you get a lot more space. At least usually. This includes kitchen, I enjoy to not only be able to save money on eating out, but also for those late night cravings. This way you can always whip something up at any time of the day. I have so far stayed at 3 different apartments, hotel and hostel and always enjoyed the first option most. Hosts are pretty lovely and helpful. Last time I actually managed to find a place that had a reception and little spa. How perfect is that.
Places I stayed and would recommend: Hotel D8, Paulay downtown Apartments
3)How to get around
As I mentioned earlier, you don' t necessarily need a public transportation, once you get to the city. But these are the options you could use.
For airport travel, please if possible do not use taxi. They will feed on you and ask for way too much money from you. There are two possible buses to get from airport to city center and vise versa. 100E and 200E. They run from 4 in the morning till 1:30 the next morning. Make sure to check before you go though as they both have different timing. I would always go for 100E as it goes directly to city and 200E you gotta change to metro line.
Something fun I only noticed on my last visit- must be a new things as I haven`t seen it last summer, are scooters and bikes. Yes this is not a crazy new idea for most places, but it is relatively new here. I especially enjoyed the scooters as in my opinion they would be easier to swish around on and park up wherever. I kinda loved seeing the locals use these as well, like that probably 60 year old lady going for her groceries on mentioned scooter. Also this way as you are moving from one place to another you get to explore too. If you are not too keen on the idea, the metro system is also fabulous. One of the oldest metro systems actually. Lines are short-ish, but easy to navigate and relatively cheap.
But as I mentioned if the weather allows you, walking is great too.
Scooter/Bike rental ,
For airport travel, please if possible do not use taxi. They will feed on you and ask for way too much money from you. There are two possible buses to get from airport to city center and vise versa. 100E and 200E. They run from 4 in the morning till 1:30 the next morning. Make sure to check before you go though as they both have different timing. I would always go for 100E as it goes directly to city and 200E you gotta change to metro line.
Something fun I only noticed on my last visit- must be a new things as I haven`t seen it last summer, are scooters and bikes. Yes this is not a crazy new idea for most places, but it is relatively new here. I especially enjoyed the scooters as in my opinion they would be easier to swish around on and park up wherever. I kinda loved seeing the locals use these as well, like that probably 60 year old lady going for her groceries on mentioned scooter. Also this way as you are moving from one place to another you get to explore too. If you are not too keen on the idea, the metro system is also fabulous. One of the oldest metro systems actually. Lines are short-ish, but easy to navigate and relatively cheap.
But as I mentioned if the weather allows you, walking is great too.
Scooter/Bike rental ,
First thing I would like to say is, do not be scared of new things. Hungarian food is very different from lets say American, Italian or English, but lovely. It is worth trying their spicy sausage, goulash soup or even fish. But still if you find it not being your cup of tea, there are so so so many options of other cuisine .
Most places that are in busy touristic locations have good translation and often even a picture of the food. That way you know what you are getting yourself into. If you are looking at the prices, they do 9/10 show you price in euros too. If that makes it easier for you to navigate. And as far as affordability, you might think that going more out of the heart of city brings cheaper prices, well not usually true. It is all pretty much the same .
One last thing for restaurants, they add tip onto the bill. It is nice to give a waiter a tip but not necessarily expected as they already add a service charge.
For drinks.... Coffee and juice lovers might enjoy My little Melbourne or Brew brothers. Both places have chilled vibe and best coffee. Evening drinks are not my expertise as at this point I would probably be back at the apartment with nice lime beer resting my soul. But one place I always recommend to everyone is High note sky bar. Roof top bar with unbeatable views.
Give these a try: Napfenyes etterem, Vega city, Las Vegans, Japanika sushi bar, Szimply food, Bamba burger
5)Friendly and safe
This city is not that different from others. As long as you don' t behave foolishly or naive, you are safe. Never had a bad experience with locals. Only drag is the evening, when intoxicated men come out and want to play with anything that moves. This is when a thick skin and friend by your side come in handy.
Keep your treasures safe and just be vary in crowds. Other then that, you have nothing to worry about darling.
Bare in mind lovely, these are only my opinions and my advice. What works for me might not work for everyone, but I do hope it will make your trip a little easier and more enjoyable.
In case you have had any experience you would like to share do leave a comment, anything to add let me know and to see my Budapest adventures, feel free to check them out in my insta highlights @Denivev .
Until next time,
xoxo
DeniVev
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