How is Budapest?
 

Looking into to traveling to Budapest around November. Is crime high? What should we be aware of? Any advice is welcome. Places to visit, to stay away from, eat, activities, weather in November, anything at all that can help us determine if we would like to go there. We vacationed in Sweden last year and it was wonderful and very safe so it will be tough to beat that. Thanks for any input!

Check out post #6 in this thread. Let me know if I can expand on any of the comments I made in that thread.

Sarah it's not clear where you come from, but I would suggest that you first of all get a guide book to Budapest and start from there. Again, not knowing what your home concept of 'temperature', all I can say is it will be COOL if not COLD, dark around 16H00. From my previous visits to Budapest I would say that safety should not be an issue if you take the same safeguards that you do at home. And as for comparing Sweden (a country) with Budapest (a capital city), that's not possible. Apples and oranges are both fruit, but are remarkably different.

Start with a good guide book and then ask. I am sure there will be more precise help on offer if you do some background reading first, and remember that good salesmen can sell icecream to the Inuit; it's up to you to want to go, rather than others to convince you! ;-)

oh boy

BUD is a wonderful city BUT there are some risks involves (pick-pocketers, unlincensed TAXIs, fake go-go clubs). Not much different than BCN.

Just use common sense and you'll be fine. Males 20-30 y/o are the most exposed group.

mfk

I have mixed feelings about Budapest and Hungary. I just came back from my 10-day trip from my stay in Budapest. At first, I was kind of shocked by disturbing-looking buildings everywhere (once they were beautiful!) and a lot of poor people (I stayed in Budapest VII, which is pretty central and convenient, but notorious for those things). The food was bad (the second worse, after England), so it was a disappointment.

From the positive side, transportation is very convenient, Szecheny baths are amazing (will definitely return if I ever go back to Hungary), a trip to wine region Eger was very nice (wine cellars and the town), my hotel Nemzeti (by Accor`s M Gallery) was perfect.

while first issue is something you'd need to live with in Budapest I'm nearly shocked by the second problem. Bad food in Hungary? That's unheard of. Not trying to be mean, but a little prework makes a HUGE difference. If you had mentioned bad food in the Northern part of Eastern Europe - fine - could agree. But in Hungary ... ? Hope you will be able to fix that one day!!!

best!
mfk

Oh my! I LOVED the food in BUD. Steak tartare, Foie gras, wine, mmmmm

Budapest...well worth it!
 

All I can add is that my wife and I are pretty well-traveled around the world and had the opportunity to spend a few days in BUD a few years ago.

We both LOVED it and decided it was a keeper that we would like to return to visit again.

We found the food, the culture...basically, everything, to be very nice with the exception of some of the Soviet style buildings which, indeed, are depressing and an eyesore.

Anyway, IMHO, I think BUD is well worth a visit!

Try getting on virtually any bus in Budapest, and taking it to the end of the line out in the suburbs. You'll discover you're in big, boxy Soviet-style apartment building heaven.

Folks,

just departing from Budapest - if you're hungry go and check "Cafe Bouchon" restaurant. Fantastic tasting menu with well matched wines. You'll love it.

mfk

I enjoyed Budapest when I went in 2011. Just use common sense and you will have a great time!

Budapest
 

Try to stay at any of the hotels facing Danube. View is excellent. Highly recommend Marriott or Hilton (the ones that are on the river).

pick-pocket is an issue. There is no direct train/subway from airport (have to change using buis E200) and would not recommend doing that after dark for the first time visitor. You can join share-a-taxi to downtown for less than 10 euro.

Local transport is excellent but if you are pressed for time, hop-on-hop-off alternative is fine too.

I was there a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful city, reminded me a bit of Paris. As for crime and homlessness and whatever else, it's far better than Paris in my experience.

People are pretty friendly, food good and it's a bit cheaper than Germany.

Budapest in a nice and relatively safe place. Is less expensive than other European destinations, but has less to offer. The one thing that left a really bad impression was the way the taxi drivers are scamming tourists. One night we flagged a taxi to get back to our hotel; the trip was less than 3 km, about 5 minutes and cost us 9500 forints (about $40 at that time). I refused to pay and start to argue at which point he told me: "me punch you in face and push in the river if no pay." That was a very convincing argument and I cough up the money. When I told the hotel staff my little adventure they laughed and told that this happen to tourists all the time. The next day the hotel called a taxi for us and for a 15 minute ride we paid 2000 forints (about $10). Is amazing how having your life threatened can ruin a trip. Other than that, Budapest is lovely place.

I went in April. I would say if you want to go go now because it's starting to get very western Europey. Food quality is variable, as is price.

It felt pretty safe to me - I think it's superficially dangerous in that you have some dingy stations and tough looking guards but I never felt threatened. We travelled everywhere on the metro, trams and buses. People are friendly and a lot of them speak English and/or German.