Planning to come to Budapest? Here are 8 tourist traps you should avoid
Budapest is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most vivid, colourful and relaxing cities in Europe providing an excellent travel experience for all age groups. However, as in all tourist destinations, there are some tourist traps you should avoid so that nothing can overshadow your stay in this magnificent and cosy city.
Budapest Airport shuttle: cheap and comfortable
Gamintraveler regularly writes about Hungary from the most famous Hungarian dishes to the tourist traps you should avoid to take home the best experience possible in our beautiful capital.
Ruben Arribas’ article draws attention to probably the most important issue after your plane lands at Budapest Airport. You do not have to pay lots of money to taxi drivers to get to the downtown. You may choose airport shuttle 100E for less than EUR 5.50. In 50-60 minutes – depending on traffic -, you will get to the 5th district. Furthermore, since October, buses on the line have been commuting more frequently. We covered that in THIS article.
Fancy but overpriced
First, the author mentions Váci Street, Budapest’s expensive but chic shopping street where you can buy overpriced meals and souvenirs. If you want to get something valuable to help you become nostalgic about your stay here, you should choose instead the Great Market Hall of Budapest at the less fancy (Southern) end of Váci Street. Moreover, you can taste some traditional Hungarian dishes, too.
The same goes for souvenir shops around Budapest’s landmark tourist hotspot, the Chain Bridge. You may visit instead some small store in the Jewish Quarter (7th district) or near the Gellért Hill (11th district). Getting there is easy since Budapest’s public transport system is one of the world’s best.
If you want to discover the city’s beauties on board a Danube boat, you should choose a reputable company. Do not let some street vendors talk you into something you do not want. There are plenty of options from the spectacular floating buses to the amazing view our bridges provide on the city.
Budapest tourist traps: baths, boats, taxis
Budapest is also the capital of refreshing and rejuvenating thermal water with historic baths, but the author does not recommend the ones that have become symbols of Budapest (Széchenyi, Gellért). Instead, he recommends visiting less touristy baths like the Rudas and Lukács Baths. You may read about all of them HERE. It’s important to add that there are some exquisite baths even outside Budapest, like Egerszalók, which has been chosen as one of the world’s best.
The fifth tourist trap is the issue of overpriced restaurants. That is a common thing in most popular cities, but it can be shocking in Hungary. But you may avoid that by not eating or drinking in the Buda Castle or the 5th district, and instead trying the eateries in the Jewish Quarter (outer 6th and 7th district), or the famous Ráday Street, full of traditional Hungarian restaurants with original flavours and dishes.
Taxi drivers can be annoying in many cities, and Budapest is not better or worse than others. Here are some tips on how to evade problems:
- Choose a reputable taxi company or apps like Bolt or Uber, which is back in Budapest;
- Check that the meter is running;
- Do not forget to ask for a receipt.
That is how you can avoid being charged EUR 111 for a 2-minute ride like an Irish tourist was in January. Check out her story in THIS article.
Money and pubs
The last but one piece of advice is not to change your money just anywhere but to search for a proper bank’s ATM. Believe us, your time spent on that activity will be worth it. Before coming to Hungary, you should study the local currency: HUF 20,000 is our biggest denomination, which is worth EUR 50. Do not believe if somebody tries to convince you of something else.
Finally, try our ruin pubs, but avoid crowded, overpriced or touristy ones. Instead, you may sit down for a drink in the Instant-Fogas, Anker’t, or Mazel Tov.
+1 MOL Bubi bike share program
If you want to discover as many secrets of Budapest as possible during your stay, you should try our bike-share program. A monthly pass costs less than EUR 3, and you can ride almost everywhere in the city’s downtown and beyond. Additionally, it is healthier than any other option.
Enjoy your stay in our wonderful capital!
Read also:
- Budapest is among the 10 most popular European city breaks for 2024 – read more HERE
- Budapest revealed as the seventh-biggest tourist hotspot in Europe
Featured image: depositphotos.com
Why not call a spade a spade and spade – AVOID EURONET
A poor article, containing incorrect information. Tickets for the 100E airport bus are 2,200 HUF (nearer to 6 € than to 2 €); it has very limited stops and can get stuck in traffic. In many cases, it is better to get a 450 HUF BKK ticket to the Kobanya Kispest interchange and then get on the Metro to the city. There are two government run taxi companirs in Budapest: they cannot overcharge or they will lose their job, of course some of them might posdibly sometimes take longer routes to make more money (like everywhere in tge world); one of the companies is City Taxis (the biggest); I can’t remember the nameof the other one. Debrecen is cleaner, cheaper, quieter, less crowded and more friendly than Budapest: you are less likely to get ripped off than in Budapest; lots of cultural attractions; some very good restaurants and bars.
It’s worth mentioning there’s no point taking the 100E direct bus 0700-1000 into town and 1500-1800 away from town as it gets stuck in traffic. Using the 200E to the terminus at Kobanya-Kispest followed by the metro is quicker at these times and can be accomplished for as little as 530Ft using a 30 minute ticket on the BudapestGo app (or two singles at 450 each). Once on the metro you can also change lines using the same ticket offering far more flexibility with regards to destination. I believe many tourists now use the 100E assuming it’s the only way to get it into town. Course, BKK is glad to have the extra revenue.