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you the best
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Review Provided by:
jeff , who traveled on 4/28/2007
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Budapest:
Both my friend and I loved the time in Budapest. We picked a great week for travel, temperatures were in the mid to high 50s F. After getting our bags and going through customs, we took a shuttle van to the hotel. There really isn't a public transportation system to connect the airport to Budapest. We were told their are public buses but they go through the entire townlines and after traveling 8-9 hours from JFK, it's easier to pay for the shuttle ($20-25/person). Also, pick up a Budapest Card at Information that is good for either 2-day or 3-days on the greater metro public transportation lines and discounts at restaurants. We were told there is a bus line but they make frequent stops in the townlines so it's best to take the shuttle van from the airport. The Budapest card is validated the day and time you use it and if you are ever stopped by someone, they will check your card. It happened to us twice so make sure you get one.
The Grand Hungarian Hotel (Best Western) was comfortable but it lacked charm and grace. It had dark decor. I also think being foreigners (two female Americans from California) was a little too much for the locals. They were not exactly exuberant about our presence in the hotel and very reserved, but again, this is just one of the cultural differences and something you accept when traveling abroad. The hotel was in short walking distance to the metro and main train station on the red line but it appeared to border the red light district. Next time, I would choose a hotel accomodation near Deak Ter metro line. This area appeared to be the center of Pest with lots of activities and restaurants. We did find traditional hungarian cuisine off of Deak Ter but western influences are everywhere (McDonalds, Burger King).
Overall, Budapest's public transporation was a plus and once you got the hang of it, you can travel back and fourth from Pest to Buda with ease. Budapest is going through a major westernization so you have a lot of the comforts of small cafes, sushi, mexican, and grill to choose from. Stop by the sushi/steak house on Raday utca near Deak Ter. Both my friend and I agree that they had excellent sushi and the miso soup was to die for (best we ever had). Hop on the tram and get yourself over to Buda side for the most spectacular views from Castle Hill and Gellert. A lot of the main attractions (monuments) were under renovation so we mostly walked around the exteriors. We went to the Museum of Fine Arts and saw the Caravaggio(sp?) exhibit which was great. They had the Rembrandt etchings also, but I would have like to seen his paintings and didn't read the fine print in the brochure. There is not much savings when spending money and remember to ask the waiter if he/she has included the tip before they run it through the mobile credit card systems. They prefer a cash tip. Always ask.
If you have a chance, stop by the famous Gellert mineral baths but caution, only take one towel from the ladie's shower area. The attendant scolded me for taking two towels when we decided to go to the main pool area and back to the baths. The culture is very conscious of wastefulness so keep that in mind.
Most people speak english but it is important to attempt Hungarian (difficult at best) and at minimum, speak with their greetings (hello, goodbye, thank you).
The Eurorail pass, we upgraded to First Class which means you get to sit in the special 6-people cabin. We had a cabin to ourselves which was great. It's about a 3-hour train ride to Vienna. They have beverage service in the cabin. If you are looking for international train information out of the Calleti (sp?) train depot, walk up to the platform, go left and follow the little stores and entrances. You will see a big blue sign that says "international train information", enter and go left. There will be a ticket office with schedules on the wall. Just look for the WeinBahnhof with times. You can also ask the attendent in the office (8:00-5:00) for information. We took the 9:30am train and arrived Vienna around 12:30pm.
Vienna (Wein):
Vienna is quite the contrast to Budapest in terms of modernization. The City is bustling and has a very elaborate public transportation system (it's also a bigger city in square miles). The metro map you get at West Banhof train depot is great but difficult to read the small print and all the street names start to blend in. Pick up a Vienna Card downstairs in the tourist office on the left. The card is good for 3-days on the public transportation and has discounts for museums and restaurants. There is a big pamphlet guide that comes with it. Again, it only needs to be validated once and your free to get on the U-bond, trams and buses without validating the ticket.
Hotel Harmonie (Best Western) was off a little side street which was hard to find on the metro map. We took the U-bond then popped up to the street level and got on a bus. Just remember Bus 30A and that should get you to the Hotel. Harmoniegasse was off Liechstenstein and near Schottenring and Wahringer.
The Hotel was charming and sat in a nice little neighborhood in District 9. Our room was high ceiling, it had a sofa to lounge, two comfortable twin beds, a desk, and a big bathroom with a large tub. The windows were big and faced out to the main street with vines and geraniums against the building. We loved our room, that's all I have to say. If you are gone for the day, leave the big key and clunky keychain with the front desk and just ask for your room number when you return. They have a free breakfast but not american style so stick to the hard boiled eggs, coffee with milk, toast, fruit and your ready to go. You can buy postcards and stamps at the front desk (it's not cheap to send a postcard). The hotel personnel were friendly and cordial and yes, everyone speaks english but we like to greet, say thank you, and good bye in the native tongue (german).
There is a pizza parlor at the end of the street that also sells snitzel (now I know what it is), you only need to order one platter and salad, it's enough for two people. Across the street is the Italian restaurant and that was also charming and good eats. If you want a pint, go down to the local watering hole (Flying Pigs) and say Hello to Paul. He is from England but has family in Austria so that is why he landed in Vienna.
My friend and I were comfortable enough to jump on the buses and trams that take you around Vienna. Make sure you read the tram line because we ended going northwest instead of inner circle system. It was a fun adventure that day.
A must if you have little time is to visit the Shonnbrunn. Get the Winter pass ($25.00) so you can get the grand tourn with audio, have access to oldest zoo in the world, etc. It's worth it compared to the $16.00 ticket to the Empire State Building Observatory with no audio tour, etc. You will spend the whole day at Schonnbrunn so make sure you set one day aside from your trip. The rest of our time was spent exploring the city and finding our way to museum row which is in walking distance from our hotel if you like walking. We spent some time in the Natural History museum; they had an excellent Egyptian collection.
The U.S. dollar is weak so keep in mind you are spending a little more for things. We ate Sushi again down on Wahringer near Schottenring. It was good but Budapest was better.
Overall, we loved our 7-day trip to these two beautiful and important cities in European history.
Thank you Go-today and we look forward to our next adventure.
-LANA
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Review Provided by:
Lana Getubig who traveled on 11/5/2006
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Average Rating: (4.5)
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