Originally Posted by
WilcoRoger
Air
The airport is BUD. Most LCC's arrive to Ferihegy T1 and others at T2A (Schengen) or T2B (non-Schengen) Transit between T2A & T2B is very easy and fast. T1 <-> T2 transits involve a bus/taxi ride. In T2 30-35 min transit times seem to be enough (especially if no checked luggage is involved)
A small update to this older but still very informative thread. I don't know this for sure, but my observation was that T1 is used mostly for cargo now whereas T2 seemed to be used for all passenger flights. While at BUD T2 I noticed many LCC as well as the legacy carriers.
T2A and T2B are one building. To get from A to B you simply walk through a long hallway on the land side.
I flew in & out of T2B so I can't comment on the A side. In T2B once you clear the efficient security, you end up in a large central area that's airy, well-lit and quite comfortable with a decent selection of shops and cafes. The lounge by way of comparison is towards the end of a hallway (not far) but is dark inside and rather small. Sure the food and drink the lounge are free but on the whole, I think the central area is more comfortable. This is one of the few airports in the world where the public area is probably preferable to the lounge.
With respect to restaurants - there's certainly no shortage of good ones in Budapest. In the downtown area (District V) you'll find many just by walking around. I can recommend
Cyrano which served good food at a decent enough price. (
Official Cyrano site but this link can be slow.)
Onyx has a very well-deserved Michelin star with prices that match (but it's well worth the expense!).
Cafe Gerbeaud is another place that's worth dropping in for an afternoon cup of tea. Also, along Andrassy Ut you'll find many different restaurants, cafes and shops so it's worth taking a wander.
For rail travel to / from Vienna, please find my comments
over here in this thread.
Both the Parliament and the opera house can be visited. The Parliament needs to be booked in advance so check with your hotel concierge or try your luck navigating
this site. Prices are 3500 HUF per person (1750 if you're an EU citizen) and half price for people under 18 years old. The opera house has tours at 15h00 and 16h00 only so plan accordingly.
Budapest is a really nice town and it's worth making the effort to go visit. I very much enjoyed my brief trip there and look forward to going again some time to experience the city and country in more depth.