Looking at taking my girlfriend to Budapest in November for her birthday. Has anyone been and is it any good? Heard lots of
Good things about it but is it generally safe? - anyone been and have good suggestions on things to do and places to stay? Thank you
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There is quite a lot begging/street urchins - my missus nearly had her phone nicked from a table outside a bar but she saw the fella and told him to F off in no uncertain terms.
Great place and very easy in the pocket
The local beer is called Dreyer and it's very nice and cheap
I went with wifey for work and we stayed in the Novotel on Racuzi Ut. Decent price and a decent location on the main drag. You can do an open top bus tour that will take you into both Buda and Pest. Again cheap as chips but lots to see.
Never thought I'd do a spa thing but went to a big yellow one that had floating chess boards which was good.
There was a chocolate festival at the castle which pleased the mrs.
Zoo on margrit island was disappointing.
Nice and cheap for food and drink.
great city. fortunately was lucky then as saw no crime while I was out there though the locals are a moody bunch, but we did meet some who were right characters.
if you can it is better during the week as you do find a fair few stag and hen dos over weekends.
I stayed at the agape apartments every time ive been there. ask for a room with a balcony. (usually Juliette) I think they all come with a little kitchen as well.
depending on when you go but it roughly costs £30 a night.
go to the castle across the river. great views up there of the whole city. especially at the fisherman's bastion.
spas are a must as well. most are over the buda side (castle side) and are indoors though the most popular is in the park on the pest side. which has both indoors and outdoors. plus the building is like something out of a fairytale. there's a zoo in the park as well as lake. theres a castle and out buildings in the park which also give off a fairytale vibe. often they have festivals there during the summer. in the drained out lake just by the park they have festivals for music.
parliament square is pretty cool as well. the government put out a competition for a parliament building but couldn't decide between the final three (think there's three) so they built all of them. the synagogue is also a must see as is the terror museum. though the latter is quite sobering.
make sure to do a river cruise.
check out the two islands in the middle of the daube river. one is known for its night time raves. but both are chilled out places to walk and sit with a couple of tinnies during the day.
talking of drinks there are plenty of ruined bars around the jewish quarter. near where that hotel I stayed in. cheap beers and the local red wine is beautiful. most don't have roofs which suits the locals who seem to all smoke. and all carry a beer around with them. it's a drinkers paradise. drink wherever and whenever you fancy.
food is good on the most part but not fantastic. make sure you have some paprika dishes, hard not to really as most of their food has it in. Dunacorso next to the river is a great restaurant with views of the river and the castle.
oh and one more thing. I know your bringing your bird but the girls there are something else.
The New York Cafe is a must, people are queueing just for breakfast, this is only a five minutes walk from the bar area mentioned.
The Hungarikum Bisztro(5 minutes walk from the Hungarian government buildings)is excellent if you want to sample traditional Hungarian cuisine. We booked a table before we visited, the replies by email were immediate and an easy way to book. This is strongly recommended as countless people were being turned away.
A word to the wise, my wife and I had a lovely time but the Hungarians can be taken as very abrupt and rude. Overall though, you will have a lovely time.
Ps There is lots of football that can be done whilst out there.
The food, when we went, was vile.
Go and make sure you learn how to say cheers in Hungarian though...it gets easier the more you drink!
On the whole it's a really great city. Again saw no crime but guess it's like any city, just beware what corner you turn if you are wandering around a little aimlessly.