Originally Posted by
arlflyer
Aside from the pub scene, how touristy does the city feel in general? Just curious. Traveling there for the first time late this summer and wanting to calibrate. People seem to have highly varying definitions of "touristy". Are we talking "touts on every corner, tour groups with flag-carrying guides, hop-on-hop-off bus" touristy, or "the backpackers are upset because the hostel prices are above $10" touristy?
Both depending on where you go. The area around the Fisherman's bastion has the tour groups (though not too many touts) but there are other areas which are more complaining backpacker territory. I definitely think Budapest is somewhere you should go to now before it changes too much - it isn't just the tourists, it's all the investment turning it into a modern European city.