Budapest is essentially my second home, so I feel cheeky enough to put
together a short guide on how to get the most out of your Budapest experience.
And I can promise you that it will be truly and more about Budapest than George
Ezra’s hit song.
1.
Plan ahead: know where you want to go and
how to get there to avoid the extra stress caused by getting lost in a foreign
city. The
locals are friendly though, seemingly ever-searching for opportunities to
practice their English with quizzical-faced tourists and so if you get the út and utca
wrong, they’ll help you out, no fear.
2. Most (if not all) galleries
and museums are closed on Mondays. That includes the Kiscelli, Ethnographic, National,
Liszt Ferenc and Szépművészeti museums. So plan some spa-going or shopping for that
day, as all art is taking a break from you.
3. Make use of the spas. The entrance fees aren’t that high,
especially considering that you can stay as long as you like there. The number
one spa to go to according to various tourist guides and sites is Géllert – but
it is extremely crowded, more expensive, there is only one thermal (= warm)
pool and the indoor swimming pool is freezing.
However, it is the place to go if you’re after artificial waves and outdoor
pools. If you prefer thermal pools of higher temperatures and saunas, then
Rudas is your destination. Only be warned! The pools smell like eggs. But the
copular ceiling with colorful star-shaped vitrages
and laid-back and intimate atmosphere of the Turkish spa is worth feeling like you
are in an egg factory. (By the way, this spa inspired my short story Slow Down.)
4. Converting forints to Czech crowns = a lot of
easy math. I assume
that most people doing Anglophone studies are little or no good at math and
seeing the long number of zeros in prices makes you go like “350F for a
half-liter of water, that’s so
expensive!” Don’t worry. Just subtract one zero and you’ll get roughly what the
item costs in crowns. All is good now.
5.
Use public transport. Prague’s DPP has a lot to learn from the Budapest’s BKV, especially when it comes to
the time tables of trams, metro and buses. All of them arrive mostly on time
and if you have missed one bus/tram/metro, another will come along pretty fast,
not 10 or even 20 minutes later as it is here. It also saves time to just pay
350F (how much is that in crowns again?) for a one-way ticket to get up to the
Budapest castle than walk up the hill. Because who got energy and time for
that? Not me.
6.
Entrance tickets are always cheaper with
an ISIC, so have it with you. But if you want to take photographs in the gallery/museum, you have to
buy the “photograph ticket”, which is usually half the price of the entrance
ticket. (Knowing this should save you from the quite lengthy lectures given by the
angry security guards.)
7. Fan of Ancient history, especially Roman?
Then visit the Roman City of Aquincum or the Amphitheater. Budapest was once part of the Roman Empire
and ruins of the period are scattered especially in the north of the Buda side
of the city. If you don’t want to make the long journey up there, then you can
go see Ancient Roman stone graves and other objects from the period in the
grand National Museum (Nemzeti Múzeum) in their entire ruin splendor.
8. Looking for original jewellery and
creative gifts? Local boutiques and design shops are definitely the places to
go to! The
people working there know their stuff and are usually kind and helpful. Also, a
pair of nowhere-else-to-be-found earrings or rings cost around 1490F, which is
equal to that of items found at regular stores. My personal favorite again are
earrings made out of squashed Nespresso capsules – and they come in all
different colors, from metallic (not really a challenge, but still) to pastel and
are super-popular as gifts for friends or myself. My personal favorite is Bejuska located in Dob Utca street - they not only have these Nespresso capsule jewelry, but also the plastic Hungarian character earrings by Folqa that I often got complimented on.
9. Food at
choose-and-pay-for-what-is-on-your-plate places is a better choice than
pizzerias or kebab places. Honestly: you may cringe your nose because of the mere idea of taking a
tray and getting a meal like in a school canteen, but believe me: the food at
these places is very tasty and keeps you stuffed for hours. Fine, most are
tourists who come in also because of the free live Gypsy music, but the
delicious goulash and pörkölt are worth waiting in the
long(er) queue. You can find these canteen-like places in the Czernok market or
at the Budapest Castle. Insider tip: Another great place I recommend is Hanna that offers Kosher Hungarian food for decent prices. It also feels a bit more fancy and the Orthodox children playing outside are a special bonus to the Jewish quarter experience.
10. Lastly, Budapest is
filled with so-called “ruin pubs” – and these places are fantastic for evening
eats and drinks! They are crowded with people, but that only contributes to the
atmosphere – which is already unique, since the interiors are decorated with
objects from the Communist era. The spaces are in result messy, but warm. My
favorite ruin pubs are Csendes (Ferenczy István utca 5) and Szimpla Kert (Kazinczy
utca 14). The prices are usually a little higher, but ruin pubs are a more
creative equivalent to our hospoda
and are definitely a part of the Budapest experience! Just like travelling on
the cranky Russian trams and in metro wagons, taking long walks through the
city center or frowning at the incomprehensible language.
Anna Hupcejová
