My wife and I went to Europe for three weeks in May 2019 and covered Budapest, Croatia, Montenegro and Amsterdam. I will break the trip into four different reviews as they each deserve their own attention.
We flew overnight into Amsterdam and then over to Budapest and arrived in the early afternoon. We took a taxi from the airport and the taxi driver provided a printout of the fare based on the kilometres and the rate. I think they do this to give people greater certainty that the ride price is fairly calculated. Our other taxi trips were all done in the same way.
This was our second visit to Budapest, although the first trip was only for a couple of days before we boarded a Danube river cruise. We wanted to come back and get a better sense for the city. We were not disappointed with our three night stay.
We used Trip Advisor to find a B & B in a central location that was within walking distance to restaurants and attractions. The Carat Boutique Hotel in the Jewish Quarter worked perfectly for us. The price was reasonable and the location was superb.
This is a modern hotel and the rooms are comfortable and a good size. The bathroom was quite large. We had a room facing the interior and not the street and this is best as the street can get busy at night.
They provided an excellent buffet breakfast (eggs, meat, rolls, cereal, cheese and even champagne) and they had staff ready to assist with seating and keeping the buffet fresh. You could not walk away hungry.
http://www.caratboutiquehotelbudapest.com
Because we only had two full days, we could not cover everything the city had to offer. We did a “City Sightseeing” hop on, hop off city tour which is our typical first move when we are visiting a city. The ticket was good for two days and included a water boat tour on the Danube. There are a couple of city tour options and we found a helpful ticket seller near the hotel and there was also a bus stop close by. The tour is a good way to acquaint yourself with the various places you want to go back to when you have time. We usually make the full loop to ensure we see everything once.
There were three things we wanted to cover in the short time we had in addition to the city bus tour – the Great Market Hall, the Buda Hills and Castle and the Danube River Cruise.
The Great Market Hall
This is an impressive market that is huge. The first floor has fresh vegetables, fruit and meat where the locals do their daily shopping. There is a never ending supply of paprika as well – a must buy in Hungary.
The second floor has crafts, clothes, souvenirs and cooked food options for the tourists. There are some wonderful locally made items and it is worth the look. When you get tired, try some goulash or chicken dishes.
You can easily spend a couple hours or more exploring this market.
Buda Hills and Castle
We went up to the Buda Hills and Castle on the city bus tour and we were able to get off and walk around the Castle area. The views of the Danube and the Pest side are very good. Take a walk around and enjoy.
Danube River Cruise
The river cruise was part of the ticket we intentionally purchased with the city bus tour. It was about 60 minutes and the boat was a good size and all felt very safe. We slowly went down the Danube with narration and around Margaret Island and back to the dock. The weather was good so that made it all worthwhile. I don’t think it would be quite the same in the rain.
Restaurants
There are some excellent places to eat or stop for a beer in the central part of Budapest. We quite enjoyed the “Red Pepper Hungarian Restaurant” which is beside the British Embassy, the “Cafe Vian” and “Jamie Oliver Pizza”
The restaurants are very affordable and the tip is usually included in the total bill. Just review the bill and it usually indicates if the tip is included.
A must have in Budapest is a Chimney Cake. This delightful pastry with a cinnamon coating is so good. Don’t leave Budapest without having at least one.
Random Information
Budapest is a wonderful city to visit. We were told that since Hungary joined the European Union in 2007 there is money flowing in for building refurbishing and city upgrades. You can see the work all over the city.
The official currency in Hungary is the Forint. They have not adopted the Euro even though they are in the European Union. The Euro is accepted in most places; however, the exchange rate is not great. We found it was best to use Forints in all cases.
If you are going to Budapest for the first time I would suggest at least four nights to give yourself enough time to see the main parts of the city. You can easily walk around and enjoy the Danube in a very relaxing manner.
We do hope we get the opportunity to return one day.
My second cup is now empty……………………………