Welcome to Budapest!

Posted by Pas__@reddit | budapest | View on Reddit | 58 comments

If you are looking for tips on what to do, where to go, what to see, where to eat, please start with this amazing guide:

Vernazza's guide to Budapest

If you are reading this in August Sziget festival hype is probably in full force, and you should read that thread to find good advice that might be important to you if you are going to be in Budapest even if you don't plan on visiting the festival.

Just as a reminder, please keep in mind that Hungary (and Reddit) has zero tolerance for selling/buying/soliciting drugs. It might seem like the best idea in drunken desperation, but no, spamming r/budapest is not cool. Try to keep in mind during said drunken desperate times!

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So don't ask for drugs/plugs/contacts/tips here

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Other thematic recommendations:

food: sushi, other recommendations, some vegan
electronic music, please use resident advisor

FAQ

Things to do!

Is Budapest/district XYZ safe?

Budapest is not dangerous
Is Budapest safe at night?
Walking alone
District VIII
Hey Guys, Is District 8 of Budapest safe!? Some people say that it is sketchy. I would like to know more specifically about Nagy Templom utca.
District 8
What do you think about living in the 9th district? + update
District 7

Housing

For students

I will move to budapest to study medicine. Do you have any tips about student housing, work and life?

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Ptitlunatik@reddit

Hello,

I got my tickets to visit the Parliament next week and I have few questions : - Do I need to print the tickets or do e-tickets on my phone are enough ? - Is the visit timed ? Anyway I booked for 3pm and it seems to close at 4pm but I was wondering if I should buy another ticket for another day where I could have more time. Or maybe 1 hour is enough ?

Thanks a lot!

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Hi,

1 hour is probably enough, they say it's a 45 minute tour.

I have no idea about whether they need printed tickets, but ... I don't think so. (Worst case you can go and get it printed at this Copy General, just ~10 minute walk.)

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Ptitlunatik@reddit

Thx a lot for your anwser. Indeed it's a 45 min tour, I don't know why I didn't read that before your message.

And as printing is concerned, you need printed tickets but you can get them printed on the spot at the information desk (they were very few people today so it took us about 5 minutes to get them printed), for free.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

You're welcome, I hope the tour was great! And thanks for the very useful important detail about the ticket printing!

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Varuroxy@reddit

Hey is it necessary to exchange into Cash before the travel to Budapest? I am from Austria and until now I only visited countries where Cash Money is not used.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

You can survive easily with just contactless cards (your phone most likely).

It's good to have a 10-20-50 EUR at hand for edge cases. (Yes the exchange rate will be bad, but usually better than going and finding an ATM and spending minutes fiddling with it.)

Unless you are planning to go solo to somewhere off the map, I wouldn't bother with exchange much.

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jalex3017@reddit

Thanks. Been wondering about this. Coming in a few days and thought I should have some cash on me but it sounds like it’s not a must-have and I’ll be fine to just swipe my card everywhere

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Varuroxy@reddit

Thank you for your help - we don't plan to go somewhere off the Map we are City-Enjoyers 😊

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[deleted]

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Hi, there are a bunch of exchange places, for example: https://www.google.com/maps/search/Exclusive+Change/@47.4942893,19.0604326,14.29z

where are you coming from, and what kind of currency are you planning to bring?

cash (as in Hungarian Forint) is accepted basically everywhere

oh, and never pay with EUR or USD, always exchange it first, as - obviously - stores that accept it use a ridiculously bad exchange rate.

... why don't you have a bank card? open a Revolut or TransferWise account, it's usually free as they usually have some promotion going on, and it's much much much more secure (as you can pay with your phone, or use your phone to set the limit, etc)

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eri_ac@reddit

Hi,

I have a Revolut and going to visit Budapest soon. Is it generally accepted to pay by card or should I exchange some euro for forint cash? Thanks

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mrbastine@reddit

Hello! I am visiting Budapest next week (monday till sunday) for 6 nights along with 4 other friends and we have some doubts. First of all, what is the best way for us to get around (we are staying in the Józsefváros zone if that helps)? We heard your public transportation is amazing so should we buy a pass and which one or is it more worth it if we try other things like bikes/scooters? Another significant thing for us will be the nightlife, we were thinking of going to Morrison's, Instant and Szimpla, are these places to touristy? Do you have recommendations for other party spots?

Also, we were interested in visiting Margaret Island and going on a sunset cruise, are these options available right now or are they still closed because of the recent flood? I read that the water levels are receding but I don't know if things are back to normal.

Finally, we really wanted to watch the Ferencváros game on thursday, is it still possible to get tickets, and if so which is the best (and cheapest) way to do it

(If there is any other more appropriate sub or trend where I should post this please let me know)

[-]

Pas__@reddit (OP)

BudapestGo app, metro, trams, buses. For 6days... well, I would just buy the 15 day pass, so you don't have to scan on trams/buses (only on buses with front door boarding, like night buses, plus at metro stations if there's a control person)

scooters are fun, but ... it got cold fast, so get your hats and mittens, especially at night.

for bikes there's MOL Bubi, but ... I have no idea how to register to it, but it's pretty popular. (but it's only from bike rack to bike rack)

nightlife. what kind of activities do you like? music? yes, no, LOUD, electronic, maybe there's something you like at Dürer, or at A38 etc...? :)

Morrison's ... is bad, but ... whatever, go check it out, just don't expect any kind of quality, but their happy hour used to be "effective" :D

Instant, Szimpla, etc... definitely worth a visit.

Since things are very very close, if you don't like one place go to some other place. A bit of walking is healthy between drinks anyway!

Sunset cruise. Hm. Well, I don't think it makes much sense as it gets cold, and boring. Go instead to some rooftop bar, hm?

Flood is gone, for example Pontoon is already fully operational, and it was half underwater ...

okay for soccer/football I recommend that you make a new thread and ask about that, because I have zero idea unfortunately.

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gliueo1111@reddit

where can I buy Heets sticks in Budapest?

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bartox97@reddit

Hi guys

Are there any pubs in Budapest that will be showing Scotland vs Poland this Thursday?

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

hmm, good question. Usually Champs is the "go to" sports pub, but it's currently closed ...

... maybe try Pingvin

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bartox97@reddit

Koszonom

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harshniu@reddit

Will be there on 26 & 27 of this month. Any fun events I should consider as a tourist coming for the first time?

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

well, I don't think there are dedicated "fun" events, but maybe if you give me a few examples from around the world it will help me think of something!

in the heat you might like to take a cave tour

or spend some time on the hills in the forest, there are lookouts, it's pretty nice

...

take the chairlift, and then eat a lángos on the top and walk down through the forest

I would argue that simply walking around and looking at the city is pretty nice, and if something is interesting you can watch endless 4K HD videos about it on YouTube ... and if it's still interesting then you can come back and look at it then.

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keirxl@reddit

Hello! Visiting Budapest from the United States with my wife and I'm hoping to get an idea of where to get an Airbnb/hotel . Any input would be awesome! Our priorities: - authentic local food - authentic local drink - easy walking to sights and experiences - architecture

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Well ... I love walking on both Pest and Buda sides, so you cannot really go wrong.

On Buda side there's the castle/palace and Gellért hill, which has an amazing panorama.

But in general, depending on what kind of architecture you would like to see, there are interesting things all over the city. (Some ideas here https://kek.org.hu/en/projekt/varosi-setak/ ... I recommend using google reverse image search to find out which one is which building. For example this is very strange, I haven't seen this, but now I also want to :D)

Authentic local drink. Okay, do you like wine? Palack on the Buda side, 0.75 bistro on Pest side.

If you prefer beer, then Pest side, Hops, Csak a jó sör (only good beer)

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Relevant_Health_8392@reddit

Hello. Im in Budspest and I really want to know what if I can find interesting activities in here

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

what do you prefer?

the last day of Sziget festival is today, so if you are up for something like that check it out

generally in the summer I recommend late night living, or spending the day in air conditioned museums or chilling on the Danube :)

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No-Construction-6963@reddit

Im going to Budapest in 2 weeks.

Is there a place with a pool where i can enjoy a beer/drink and some food?
Cant seem to find anything.

A place like Happy bar and grill in Sofia
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294452-d2481073-i239918234-Happy_Bar_Grill_Victoria-Sofia_Sofia_Region.html

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

of course!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/F7gpuVQZUFqNB9Mh6

https://welovebudapest.com/en/venue/romai-part-1/

if you want something fancier try Lupa beach https://lupabeach.com/en/home/

or this beach in the XI. district: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EQ83qhx3KzZ1c6km9

....

also go check out Durer Kert (not for swimming just chilling on the riverside) for a more party vibe.

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No-Construction-6963@reddit

Thank you!

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FamiliarPanic@reddit

If I'm in a restaurant ordering both food and alcoholic beverages,is it rude to ask for tap water for the table? It seems all the cafes bring glasses of water with the coffee so I don't see why it would be different.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

no, not at all!

(well, coffee is different, because it seems the espresso is basically a 2 stage cocktail :D)

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FamiliarPanic@reddit

We were in the British pointer pub today and got a huge lecture from the waitress about how big of a f u it is to order tap water. But I was paying for beers and food and it was so hot I really didn't think that should be a big deal. And she specifically made us put away our water bottles we brought in.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

asking folks to put away beverages in containers they brought with them is one thing (there's even an argument for it regarding food safety, but simply it can simply be just vodka, so okay.. I get it)

but if she lectures you about not serving tap water then she's just extremely clueless and rude on top of that. it was mandated by law until 2009, so now it's up to the places, but it's still perfectly good business to serve water, because there's no worse thing for their business than having a bad taste in the guest's mouth instead of cheap fucking water. (of course the Pointer pubs are not ... aiming for quality experiences, let's just leave it at that.)

that said it's strange, because I know a few people who regularly asked for water when I was with them and it was completely fine.

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KPlusGauda@reddit

I feel like "Vernazza's guide to Budapest" should be updated

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the suggestion! Volunteers welcome :)

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KPlusGauda@reddit

Just to be clear, I am from Croatia and know very little about Bdp. I am visiting the city in a few weeks so I am using the guide but I feel like some things are not correct anymore...

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

The outdated guide is a "known issue", unfortunately the author disappeared from Reddit, but so far no one had the time and energy to come up with a real alternative.

I would like to apologize if my message was too snarky or if it felt passive-aggressive toward you!

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KPlusGauda@reddit

Nah bro it was fine, I also could have given more information on what or why am I asking that. No worries. Yeah it's a really good guide and it's still relevant. So I won't complain.

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Key_Meringue7333@reddit

I'm looking for a good boxing or mma gym in Budapest. Does anyone have any recommendations?

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pivotalsquash@reddit

Currently enjoying our vacation in Budapest which has been so amazing. We have noticed though Jack daniels is everywhere and almost seems like an icon. Just wondering if there is any reason this brand has such a strong foothold so far from home.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Folks love 'em some spirits!

https://goodspiritbar.hu/en/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g274887-d2408752-Reviews-The_Kaledonia_Gastro_Sports_Pub-Budapest_Central_Hungary.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g274887-d4961099-Reviews-Melypont_presszo-Budapest_Central_Hungary.html

...

of course this might has nothing to do with why the local subsidiary of Brown-Forman (the parent company of Jack) decided to spend so much on advertisement.

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sean11_lee@reddit

Hi I’m visiting from UK and staying in between lipotvaros and terezvaros, can I ask where will I be able to buy nicotine patches? Do they sell it in dm?

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

Huh, I have zero idea, but .... after a quick google search, you can probably go to any pharmacy and get these:

https://benu.hu/shop/eletmod/dohanyzas-elleni-keszitmenyek

tapasz = patch

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sean11_lee@reddit

Ok great, thanks so much for your help.

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GloomyLocation1259@reddit

When are the best times to visit for socialising and partying?

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

I would go for the summer, it's simply better more convenient. If you like festivals then there's Sziget obviously, but ... there's Kolorado, it's smaller, and more social.

https://kolorado.hu/

if you want to party-party, then https://ra.co/events/hu/budapest , Aether Club, Easy Art Space, Turbina are all in the city. Arzenal has a top hard techno/industrial lineup. Pavilon is great, because it's small, just a kiosk in a park with good vibes :)

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GloomyLocation1259@reddit

Thanks. Was considering it for Easter but maybe I should wait till summer if I can get people to go to festivals with.

Also thanks didn’t think to check RA in other countries haha, seems like a cool list you’ve shared here.

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BravoDeltaGuru@reddit

Just thought I’d add an update on the safety question of Budapest. (Covers the whole country actually.) Nevertheless, shit can happen anywhere, yet the chances here are lower.

https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/s/f21BXVQIFG

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AiNoKime@reddit

Can we get an updated version for Restaurants, 5years is too far back.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

https://444-hu.translate.goog/2022/11/05/44-jo-etel-most-budapesten/2022/11/05/44-jo-etel-most-budapesten

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Popular_Analyst7077@reddit

Any plugs in Budapest for coke, here November 4-9

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budapest-ModTeam@reddit

You are promoting a potentially dangerous and/or illegal activity with your post. To protect the community and other people, your post has been removed.

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Popular_Analyst7077@reddit

Weed aswell

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No-Maintenance6259@reddit

why did you guys remove my post about creating a startup weird

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Independent_Mango895@reddit

Staying in district 6. Looking to explore the hole in the wall restaurants, with great food! nothing touristy!! Best district for that??

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gaddstar79@reddit

Hi all , is D5 a good place to stay for a week , I’m coming on my own , I like good food and beer.

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Ok-Internal9317@reddit

yo this post is fire!!!

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NoSkillz05@reddit

Planning to visit via motorcycle. Where can I safely park? Temporarily & overnight.

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

as far as I know you can park on sidewalks free of charge. I would recommend looking for a parked motorcycle and park next to it.

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verunkaes@reddit

Hi! I would like to ask, I heard there is a public holiday on Sunday, May 28th, is everything open on sunday? like restarurants, szimpla kert, cafes, shops or are things closed? Thank you

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Pas__@reddit (OP)

hey! so it's the usual Whit Monday (Pentecost) thing, and in general it's better to assume that everything that's not a make-money-directly-from-turists thing will be closed.

but Szimpla, restaurants, etc. will be probably open.