I am on my way (I'm at PRG waiting for my connecting flt to there) for a long weekend there and have done no planning whatsoever. In the afternoon I am going to be joined by a friend who had assured me an ex-girlfriend of his would effectively be our guide in Hungary, but the latter hasn't been very proactive in communicating with my friend, and there is a very real possibility that we will basically have to do our scheduling ourselves...So I'm wondering whether fellow FTers could give me some basic guidance on things to do/places to visit etc etc....

Well the big catheral in Buda is pretty good. But a general city tour would be a good start.

Make sure you visit both sides- Buda (the flat side) and Pest (the hills on th eother side of the Danube). Two ways to get up the hill: hike up by crossing the Elizabeth (Erszebet) Bridge or take the tram, across the Chain Bridge.

Just wandering around will be fun, especially in the Castle area (up on the hill) but one quirky thing my husband and I enjoyed was the Semmelweis Museum, which is a collection in the birthplace of Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered that the reason women got "childbed fever" and died after giving birth was that doctors weren't washing their hands. More at our site (non-commercial, no pop-ups) at http://www.craftpeople.com/trip.html . Those pictures are form our 2001 trip; we're working on a section from our return in October. We liked it so much we want to go back again!

Here's another vote for seeing both sides of the city, the Buda (actually this is the side that's on the hill), and the Pest (flat side). Castle hill on the Buda side offers magnificent views from Fisherman's Bastion (free). You can take the funicular up the hill. Take a stroll down the Vaci Utca in Pest, many interesting shops and things to see. Definitely go to a spa; there are many to choose from, they are quite inexpensive, and one visit will make the whole trip worthwhile. I recommend the Gellert Spa located in the Gellert Hotel on the Buda side. Try some goulash, some paprikas dishes, and definitely try some hungarian wine; the Tokai and the "Bulls Blood" are quite tasty.

Have a great trip.

Budapest is a great city. A little old on one side of river and the other very modern. Walk along the Danube and see the Elisabeth Bridge at night it is really a sight to see. There are a lots of Bus tours around the city or take a walking tour. The food is great here the curry and goulash is great. This weekend the weather is nice, 40s and partly cloudy. Have a great time

In Buda, across the cobblestone road from the Hilton, is the Hungarian wine museum. Wonderful stuff (yes, you sample the exhibits).

In terms of mineral spas, choose from several public bath options. You will want to choose co-ed or not depending on your proclivities -- each bath changes by the day of the week.

Near the Marriott in Pest is a wonderful folkcraft store on two levels -- it's on the Vaci utca.

Definitely do the wine museum. One caveat: maybe they've changed since 2001 but when we went there the stuff they had out to sample was poor quality- not aged long enough and tasting yeasty and harsh. (I am a rank amateur- if it tastes bad to me, it's pretty bad.) Regardless, we bought a few bottles of the ones they didn't have out for sampling- under $10/bottle. They were fine. So, if the ones you sample aren't impressive, gamble a little anyway. Bulls' Blood wine, BTW, is called Egri Bikaver.

We were at the wine tasting museum in July and it was great.
Yes a few of the wines were of dubious quality but overall most were excellent. You'll probably be quite tipsy by the end if you taste everything that is available!
The Chain Bridge is very pretty (illuminated) at night.

Athena, I think you got it backwards. Buda is the hilly side.

I always did have a bad sense of direction.

Funny, I read the title and assumed the question was how to acquire or pass through security with pot.

So the weather guide says 32 degrees Farenheit average high temp in February but not much precipitiation. any hints on the weather? leaving Boston which will be cold/windy/snowy/dark and miserable. but the mrs is pushing Costa Rica. Please help me or tell me I am crazy.