Budapest

[jpa66]

The wife and I were planning to go to upper Michigan this fall, but an opportunity to go to Budapest arose, and we've taken it. So, I'd like to ask for any tips on things to do/see/etc. while there. We've checked out some guidebooks, but are always interested in firsthand opinions/advice/information.

Thanks,
Jan

 

[Out to Lunch]

Easiest way from the airport to the downtown core is by pre-set priced taxi -when you get out of the door, the taxi booth is on the left and the price is calculated on the basis of your hotel location. The quickest/cheapest way to get a feel for the city is with the hop on/hop off bus: http://www.citytour.hu/budapest_hop_on_hop_off_tours/ Tickets are valid for 24 hours so you can first scout and then decide where to get off for closer inspection. Tickets are sold by the front desk of your hotel. Hungarian food is great...eat out all the time. Decide beforehand whether to stay on the Buda or Pest side of the river. Best hotel deals I found were on www.booking.com It's a great city. Enjoy! Peter

 

[Harlee]

Are you aware that Budapest is actually two cities, Buda on the left [west] bank of the Duna {Danube} River and Pesht on the right {east} bank of the Duna River. Take a tour of the left bank, especially up on top which overlooks the entire city. There are a number of bridges crossing the Danube, very picturesque from atop the Buda side. The view is great for pictures.

 

[venchka]

What Harlee said: Castle Hill. On the bank opposite Parliament Building. I can never remember which is which. You could spend a whole day or more up there. Sunrise and sunset are great.

Kacsa Restaurant. http://www.budapestagent.com/restaurant-kacsa-budapest.html

I always stayed at the Hotel Victoria. Lovely view of the river. Lisa & I had the rooftop room when she visited Europe. Belgian Pub next door. http://www.victoria.hu/



You are bringing back many fond memories.

 

[Pherdinand]

Night life is on the flat side (Pest side) of the downtown.
Castle Hill is nice but rather pricy for eating out, so is Vaci street on the Pest side. Do not go to a restaurant in Vaci street.
Subway is the fastest way to travel in the city (though not spectacular..). If you change between the 3 subway lines (they intersect only in one station, Deak Ferenc square), remember that you have to use a new ticket.
Actually the 3 or 7-day tourist ticket is the best option for public transportation. Valid on almost all vehicles except special stuff on the hill, and relatively cheap.

Hungarian food is good but can be rather spicy. Goulash (=guylas) is different everywhere, and chance is good you will like it. Try duck or goose based meals as well, they are very nice. Do not go for shrimps and other sea creatures - these are not local. Hell, we dont even have separate names in Hungarian for shrimp, lobster, crab, etc - they are all just called "rak" i.e. cancer 🙂
On the other hand fish "paprikas" can be nice.
Hungarian wines are great too, especially dry reds of Villany and Eger, and sweet whites of Tokaj.

 

[venchka]

Anna Cafe. Vaci Utka. Best people watching. Street photography. Pastry. I used to spend hours there.

http://www.annacafe.hu/

Margaret Island. Lovely spot in the middle of the river in the middle of the city.

 

[faris]

Walk. Get lost in the Jewish quarter.

One of the most beautiful cities..and superb hospitable people.

Do not forget to stroll the length of Andrassi ( spelling ) Ave. Take the trams.

Look up.The architecture is astounding.

Take a trip to Szentendre. The most beautiful promenade along the Danube.

Hungary is the Dona. Budapest is along its banks.

Go to the State Opera. Walk around the Basilica towards the river. Eat
on a river boat.

Have a lovely and safe trip.

 

[taskoni]

+1 for Szentendre and everything fairs wrote. Margitsziget is a nice place to see as well. Take a walk along the river at night.

 

[ZeMane]

Don't miss the Szechenyi Baths and Pool or any other bath around the city (there are several).
Fantastic experience, perfect after a whole day walking, and not expensive!

 

[jpa66]

Are you aware that Budapest is actually two cities, Buda on the left [west] bank of the Duna {Danube} River and Pesht on the right {east} bank of the Duna River. Take a tour of the left bank, especially up on top which overlooks the entire city. There are a number of bridges crossing the Danube, very picturesque from atop the Buda side. The view is great for pictures.

Yes, we know. We're planning on staying in Pest.

Hungarian food is good but can be rather spicy. Goulash (=guylas) is different everywhere, and chance is good you will like it. Try duck or goose based meals as well, they are very nice. Do not go for shrimps and other sea creatures - these are not local. Hell, we dont even have separate names in Hungarian for shrimp, lobster, crab, etc - they are all just called "rak" i.e. cancer 🙂
On the other hand fish "paprikas" can be nice.
Hungarian wines are great too, especially dry reds of Villany and Eger, and sweet whites of Tokaj.

So no shell fish, huh? But lake fish is OK? And we both love wine, especially reds. We're very anxious to try some good Hungarian wine.

Don't miss the Szechenyi Baths and Pool or any other bath around the city (there are several).
Fantastic experience, perfect after a whole day walking, and not expensive!

Can't wait to go to the baths! It'll be the beginning of November, and I love to swim. They also look spectacular.

All in all, my wife and I are very excited to be going to Budapest - it'll be our first visit to Hungary.

 

[peterm1]

I went there about 10 years ago and loved it.

It had the typical central European roccocco architecture but was dilapidated still from years of communist rule. Much of that would be rectified now.

My advice is have look at flickr there are a few budapest groups and this will give you some ideas. But my prime piece of advice is walk the streets. The Castle District, Fishmans Bastion, the bridges across the Danube (espcially the chain bridge) , the Citadel, the Danube itself all provide great shooting - and you see many of these in typical shots of budapest. I also made a point of going to many out of the way places. I loved the run down beauty of the old Jewish quarter for example. Check out Gozdu Udvar - a series of joined courtyards inside several large apartment buildings. Very atmospheric - although now being restored as apartments I believe. Walk up some of the streets that run from the banks of the Danube to the stairs leading to the Castle District and Fishermans Bastion and you will get some great shots -see some of mine, linked below . Also check out some squares like Battyanyi Ter on the Buda side. Walk out of the Vienna Gate of the Castle District and along some of the streets back towards the Danube or the other way towards Moscow Ter (itself a rather ugly tram interchange). Back then the streets were lined with buildings still showing great damage from WW2 or possibly 1956. Very interesting part of the world. The people are generally frinedly (though the language is incomprehensible) but back then there were some scams for the unwary - taxi fares and some street crime. Not sure now.

Here are some black and white shots I took back then (using a Leica M4P and a Nikon 801s and scanned from prints) which I posted at photo net a few years ago. They are a bit washed out but give an idea of what you might see.

http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00JyZE

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

I had a delightful evening at the Budapest Opera.

The show was great, but the building is a must visit.

 

[plummerl]

If your still looking for a place to stay, I cannot recommend strongly enough one of these apartments:

http://www.budapestvacationrentals.com/Seven_Very_Special,_Very_Central_Budapest_Vacation_Flats.html

We stayed in Apartment Belle for four nights some years ago. The location is perfect and the experience was fantastic. The owner, John Farago (he is normally in New York), is a fantastic host. Everything was perfect, right down to the greeting on arrival. Contact me if you want more info.

😀

 

[plummerl]

A few other ideas from our trip. If you want to see a movie (we try to see one every time we visit a foreign city), be sure to check out Corvin Budapest Filmpalota (http://www.corvin.hu/). It is a very nice movie theater, we made reservations in the afternoon for a show that evening. Also, be sure to check out the Great Market Hall (Központi Vásárcsarnok) (http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.com/great-market-hall.html). Finally, a drink of Unicum (Zwack Unicum) shouldn't be missed!

 

[jpa66]

Great shots, faris! I wonder if anybody has any ideas for day trips? We plan on going to Eger, but so far, that's it. Also, any good hiking in the area? Is the city and/or surrounding area good for biking, or will it be too cold in early November for that ( we're not bringing our cold work-out gear with us - it can stay in Chicago... ).

Thanks for all the input, people.

 

[jpa66]

I went there about 10 years ago and loved it.

It had the typical central European roccocco architecture but was dilapidated still from years of communist rule. Much of that would be rectified now.

My advice is have look at flickr there are a few budapest groups and this will give you some ideas. But my prime piece of advice is walk the streets. The Castle District, Fishmans Bastion, the bridges across the Danube (espcially the chain bridge) , the Citadel, the Danube itself all provide great shooting - and you see many of these in typical shots of budapest. I also made a point of going to many out of the way places. I loved the run down beauty of the old Jewish quarter for example. Check out Gozdu Udvar - a series of joined courtyards inside several large apartment buildings. Very atmospheric - although now being restored as apartments I believe. Walk up some of the streets that run from the banks of the Danube to the stairs leading to the Castle District and Fishermans Bastion and you will get some great shots -see some of mine, linked below . Also check out some squares like Battyanyi Ter on the Buda side. Walk out of the Vienna Gate of the Castle District and along some of the streets back towards the Danube or the other way towards Moscow Ter (itself a rather ugly tram interchange). Back then the streets were lined with buildings still showing great damage from WW2 or possibly 1956. Very interesting part of the world. The people are generally frinedly (though the language is incomprehensible) but back then there were some scams for the unwary - taxi fares and some street crime. Not sure now.

Here are some black and white shots I took back then (using a Leica M4P and a Nikon 801s and scanned from prints) which I posted at photo net a few years ago. They are a bit washed out but give an idea of what you might see.

http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00JyZE

I really like those shots! They seem to capture a lot of what I've been told the city is about.

Regarding the language, I agree. I've found that all Eastern European languages are extremely difficult, ( and I'm nearly half Croatian ) and have heard it spoken by my grandparents and older relatives when I was a wee lad. Oh, well...

 

[doolittle]

Can't wait to go to the baths! It'll be the beginning of November, and I love to swim. They also look spectacular.

All in all, my wife and I are very excited to be going to Budapest - it'll be our first visit to Hungary.

Gellert Baths are worth a visit.

 

[jpa66]

OK - I finally got around to scanning my film, so here are a few shots from my trip. It's a wonderful city. My wife and I enjoyed it so much, and had so much to do there, that we decided to stay in town all five days!

And the Szechenyi Baths were awesome! Great city!

Edit: First two pics Adox/Efke 100 at 100 ei in Rodinal 1:50. Third pic Tri-X at 320 ei in Pyrocat HD.

 

[jpa66]

A couple more. Both Tri-X at 320 ei souped in Pyrocat HD.

 

[jpa66]

All shots from Rolleiflex E2. Sorry that there's no shots from my Bessa, but I still have about 6 shots left in my only roll that I shot while there, and I have yet to finish it! I know - I've got to finish it ASAP. I just had much more fun shooting the 'flex.