BUDAPEST
Location: Budapest
Travel Budget: $1,000
Here’s a bit of info not related to Budapest, but to my travels. I started traveling in 2010 and realized
that there are a LOT of great deals that make traveling very affordable. I started this blog after hearing
too many times, “I’d love to travel like that but I could never afford it.” It can be done! If you have the time to look for the deals, they’re out there. I live in Missouri and most deals fly out of major city airports (LA, NY, Chicago, etc.). I usually pick the ones with a Chicago flight and either take a cheap flight from St. Louis or KC or, if I can’t find a cheap flight for the dates I need, take the train! One question I hear a lot about the trips I take: Are the low prices because the hotels are seedy or do you have to take 6 different flights to get there. Not at all!! More info on that later.
The Deal: This was a trip that my best friend Lisa and I took in April 2019. The AWESOME deal was through Gate1 Travel. When we first looked at it, we were looking at 4 days in Prague for $499
(which included air from Chicago). There was an upgrade though to make it an 8-day trip (with air) with half the time in Prague and half in Budapest. The cost was $799. This included flights, hotel, and transfer between Prague and Budapest. There were so many wonderful things about this trip that I’m splitting it in two. We did have to get to Chicago but were able to get tickets for $200 roundtrip, so it still came in at under $1,000 (barely). I have a lot of places I want to go, but my general rule is I won’t pay more than $1,000 to get there.
Our hotel was the Ibis Budapest Heroes Square. It’s a 3-star hotel on the Pest side of Budapest. While fairly stark, it was perfect for what we needed. The water pressure in the shower wasn’t the best, but that’s the only complaint I had. The people at the front desk at Ibis were fantastic! They would provide recommendations, call places to check wait times and availability, and would call the cabs for you, if requested. We found this to be especially helpful since we spoke no Hungarian! Complimentary breakfast is included, and in Hungary where the menus largely consist of meat, meat, with a side of meat, this breakfast did not disappoint! So many choices for food (not just meat of course) and a great espresso/coffee/chocolate cappuccino (yummo!) stand was a great way to start the day. NOTE: It’s good to know before you go that most low to mid-range hotels in Eastern Europe do not turn on the air conditioning units until May 1. We opened the windows and were fine.
The Buda side of Budapest was a 10-minute cab ride from our hotel. We explored on foot and it takes about an hour to get to the River Danube from the hotel. The River Danube is what separates Buda from Pest.
The Hungarian currency is the Forint. Most places also accept Euros, but if you go to an ATM to get local currency, I’d recommend getting HUF since it’s accepted everywhere. When we went, the exchange was .0035 to the US dollar so an ATM transaction of 80,000 HUF was about $320 USD
Budapest is an extremely affordable city to visit! We ate great, drank plenty – the Tokaj region of Hungary is renowned for their wine – and never paid more than $30 US for a meal. I’ll recommend some fantastic restaurants in a bit.
Intuitive Traveling
There are TONS of guided tours through Budapest. We travel in a way we recently learned is called “intuitive traveling” meaning we don’t do tours nor do we really plan anything in advance. We get there and then ask the locals what they suggest. You don’t get as much detail of the history of the places as you would on a guided tour, but if we’re only going to be somewhere for a few days, we would rather see as much as we can and, if we want to know the history, we can look it up once we get home.
When we were looking up places to explore, we noticed that a lot of reviews talk about Hungarians being rude. We did NOT experience that at all. The people we spoke with in Budapest, while brusque, were never rude. In Budapest tips are appreciated, but are not the sole source of income for the service industy. A 10% tip is standard, but 15 to 20% for the great service we received was what we typically left.
Some must-see attractions in Budapest: The Buda Castle. This place is huge, beautiful, and you could easily spend a few days exploring it all. We took a cab to the top and spent a few hours walking around, sampled some local wine, and then took the chair lift down. Make sure to take pictures of the Pest side while at the top of the Buda side! At the top of the hour is the changing of the guard which is pretty cool to see. There were quite a few shops and restaurants at the top of Castle Hill, but, being in the center of the most touristy area of Budapest, they were also more expensive than the restaurants on the Pest side. The bottom picture with the paddle boats is a castle that was on the Pest side.
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge that crosses the River Danube was once considered one of the wonders of the world and is certainly a remarkable bridge. It takes about 5 minutes to walk across it and is a great way to see both the Pest and Buda sides.
Museum of Fine Arts
Right next to Heroes Square is the Museum of Fine Arts. When we were there, they had a huge exhibit of Michelangelo and it was worth the small fee (3200 HUF) to be able to see his work.
Heroes Square
Heroes Square was right next to our hotel so of course, we went there. It’s got some amazing statues and the Memorial Stone of Heroes. It’s an impressive sight and we were glad we had the chance to walk through it. There’s no charge to go to the Square, although you can sign up for guided tours to get the history.
The House of Terror Museum. We didn’t make it there, but will if we go back! It’s one of the largest tourist attractions in Budapest. It is a memorial to the victims of the fascist and communist regimes and a museum detailing the history of the same. The locals recommended it, but each time we went by, the line to get in went around the block. When you only have three days somewhere, spending a lot of time in lines doesn’t work well.
I’d recommend looking into ways to get around before going. They have a bus system that’s really inexpensive, but figuring out which bus line to get on can be difficult. We briefly tried Hop On Hop Off too. You can get a lot of information and it will take you through both Buda and Pest, just be prepared to sit at each stop for 15-20 minutes. After our third stop, we realized we could have walked twice as far as we got on the bus! We either walked or took a cab.
Chada Thai Massage
Quattro Atisti
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
One of the days we were there it was 50 degrees and raining so we decided to go get a massage. The hotel had a recommendation for us, but after calling, they weren’t able to get us in until the next day. We ended up having the hotel call Chada Thai Massage and they got us both in at the same time that evening. Now, I had never had a Thai massage before and wasn’t sure what was going to happen when my tiny-but-powerful masseuse started knee-walking up and down my body, but after a day of walking around Budapest, it was exactly what I needed! Watch your first step! When you open the front door, the business is downstairs. However, there is no entryway nor is there a landing so your first step in is a step straight down. If you survive the entry, the massage is great!
Of course I had to check out the casino! I went to Tropicana which is just down the street from the Las Vegas Casino. You have to have your passport to get a Player’s Card and you can’t get in without one. Once they get you in the system, you’re good to go. The casino was fairly small, but a nice variety of slots and tables. All the slots appeared to take HUF only. The cashier was able to exchange Euros for HUF. Never saw a cocktail waitress, but there is a bar. I was only there for 90 minutes, but it was fun just to stop in and play for a bit.
One of the restaurants in the downtown area of Pest is called I Quattro Artisti. Our waiter there suggested we go to the Big Market for souvenirs. We sat on the patio at I Quattro Artisti and had lunch (with more wine of course!) and he pointed us to these open-air markets. Our waiter also let us sample (for free!) some of the infamous Tokaj dessert wine.
The Big Market is just on the Pest side of the River Danube. It has a festival-like atmosphere with live music, a few buskers, and street food (my favorite!).
We also spent an afternoon at the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. This was on a recommendation from our waiter at I Quattro Artisti. It was super relaxing and a really impressive (HUGE) bathhouse, but for two people who had never been, it was a bit overwhelming. When you walk in, there are price lists on top of price lists, but having never been, we didn’t know what kind of ticket to purchase. Eventually, with the help of the cashier, we selected just a basic package. So once we had our tickets, which are wristbands, we thought we were good to go! Not so. I’m not sure why we thought you wouldn’t need a bathing suit, but it turns out you do. We rented bathing suits and towels (that was a new experience for sure!). They weren’t too expensive and you get over half of your money back when you return them so that worked out fine. Then wander in and get your soak on!
My favorite part of traveling is the food. And in Hungary, the wine. We were within walking distance (about 25-30 minutes) from City Park so we had several meals there. The first was Korhely (translation Drunken Guy). Our waiter, Matyas (Matt), had some great suggestions on where to go and what to do, but his suggestions on what to order were perfect. We typically like to try a new place for each meal while traveling, but they were so good we went there twice! We spent 6000 to 7000 HUF which is 20 to 25 USD.
Another restaurant in City Park is Menza. The food, wine, and service were all incredible! This place has great reviews on all the travel sites, so there’s sometimes a bit of a wait. Menza was the only place we waited for a table, but we were able to sit at the bar with super friendly bar staff until our table was ready. The cost was about $25 USD for dinner (with wine).
Getting home was exhausting (25 hours from leaving the hotel to walking in my front door), but this trip was so worth it! Part of the trip home was a 10-hour flight on Swiss Air. It was the first time I’d flown Swiss Air, but I’m really hoping that my next long flight will be with them. After spending a couple hours looking at the beautiful scenery in Zurich while waiting at the airport, I may have to look for a trip to Switzerland soon!