Budapest: recommend me places to see.

Hi guys, going to Budapest for a weekend in January was wondering if anyone on here has been and if so what places should I go and see. Any decent bars or clubs and also what to be careful of.
I will be on my own so I can go almost anywhere in Budapest.

Cheers
Ste.

Luckypants & Speedy Claire went there a while back, there's a thread knocking around somewhere with the report of their trip, might be worth looking up...

I went a few years back for a couple of days at New Year and it was an amazing city. There's an amazing contrast between the new and old cities on either side of the river.

I would definitely go & see the old walled city and the palace there, then take a walk along the hills along that side of the river, you can see right out over the new part of the city including the parliament buildings. Talking of which, go & see the parliament buildings - I didn't get the chance while we were there so I'd love to go back.

For drinking & eating out, I'd stick to downtown Pest and there are lots of good bars & restaurants serving good Hungarian dishes like Goulash etc for half the price of what you'll pay in the old city (which is the main tourist-y area so the prices go up accordingly).

There's some good spa's too that are worth a visit, one hotel is particularly famous for its spa but I can't for the life of me remember it's name.

Oh, and there's a tram system that runs in a circular route right around the whole city (both sides of ther river), it's a great way of getting around and you can pretty much just hop on/off wherever takes your fancy.

Anyway, there's loads to see, take a guide book and you can't go far wrong.

Some of my pics from when I went, mainly of the views you get from the hill walk we went on...

Wow fantastic pics, brings back a lot of memories

I`d agree with all El Saxo says.... my favourite place was the Castle district (the walled city) and that is well worth a visit. Unfortunately though that is the pricer part of Budapest! Spectacular views once you`re up there and a very nice cafe/bistro where you can sit and admire the views.

Have a fantastic time both of you x

[JediGoat]

If you fancy a treat of a meal out, try the wonderful Russian restaurant Arany Kaviar.

Lovely food and smashing vodka (they freeze the bottles in large blocks of ice, and serve it from them).

The Astoria Hotel also has a good restaurant. I stayed in that hotel a few years ago, which I believe used to be the communist headquarters, and it really felt like it still was

A trip to the Gellert Spa is a nice way to relax. There is the famous indoor spa pool, plus outdoor heated pools (make sure you don't go in the 'no swimwear' times, unless you prefer that). It is a short walk from Castle Hill.

There was a great bar just along from the Gellert (standing with your back to the Gellert, the river in front, go to your right, over the tram tracks, and down a small street on your right. It's a dingy little place, but I loved it (and if you find the glass topped table with a small London Underground map shoved under the glass near the middle...it might just be the one I pushed in there

Jo

Don't go by bike! It's got a horrendous one-way system - at one point, if you want to turn left, you've got to turn right, go across a bridge then turn back on yourself and recross the bridge to then do the left (i.e. 3 rights make a left).

...And the entire city is full of opportunistic wannabe bike thieves.

Like the photos, thanks for the info.
This is the hotel i'm staying at http://www.carltonhotel.hu/eng/hotel_budapest.htm Pretty
The hotel is pretty much central and is quite near downtown, so hopefully i'll get to see pretty much everything.

Cheers
Ste.

Went once. AGES ago. All I can remember is a really good steak & Go Kart racing - and that really is all I remember.

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