How to Travel for Free in Hungary

We visited Hungary in the off-season to avoid the crowds, so we thought. Turns out a lot of other people had the same idea. Hungary is a vast country. Instead of trying to see all of it, we based ourselves in Budapest for three weeks, with only a few side-trips.

And yes, we did travel for free. You can too, maybe. On our first morning, we went to the transit office to buy monthly passes. The clerk looked at us and immediately asked our ages (is it that obvious?). In Budapest people of our “vintage” ride for free. Buses, trams, subway, regional trains and regional buses. All free, no tickets required.

Budapest

The Best Part of Budapest

The best part of our Budapest experience was not the tourist sites. It was our neighbourhood. We originally booked a nice penthouse apartment overlooking the Danube. A week before our arrival, the host cancelled the reservation. It’s seldom that a last-minute cancellation is a blessing, but in this case it was.

We scrambled for replacement accommodation. We found an apartment in Buda. An older building, no view, not close to the tourist sights, not a trendy area. We took it. It was fabulous. It was in a 1910 Art Nouveau building originally known as the Ziegler Palace. The building itself has seen better days, but our apartment was recently renovated. The rooms were huge, with 14 foot ceilings, crown mouldings and herringbone hardwood floors. The kitchen was updated and had everything we needed.

What we liked most was the location. A block away was Fény Street Market, a large local market with fresh produce, meats and cheeses. There were two supermarkets, several bakeries, three wine shops and a pedestrian-only street with coffee shops and restaurants. A major transit hub for trams, buses and the subway was right around the corner. There were few tourists. Most stay on the Pest side. It was a perfect location to get the feel of living like a local. Shopping at the market could be a challenge since few of the vendors spoke English. Once they got to know us though, they humoured us.

The Tourist Trail

The history, architecture, food and arts in Budapest are on par with any major European city. As we said, we visited in the off season to avoid the crowds. Were we ever mistaken. The touristic areas were swarming with tourists. Outside those pockets, life was normal. Of course, the tourist hotspots are (usually) hotspots for a reason. We joined the crowds.

The term “must see” is overused, but in the case of a cruise on the Danube in Budapest, it applies. We took an evening cruise to see the city lit up at night. Most of the major buildings are illuminated. The Neo-Gothic Parliament Building dominates the cityscape. It was spectacular. The cruise was an eye-opener though. The ramp down to the boat was a feat in itself for some, as the water level in the Danube is so low the ramp was very steep. A lot of sand bars are appearing in the river. Rain is desperately needed.

The Parliament Building is impressive from the outside. The tour of the interior is equally impressive. We did not realize you have to book in advance. We tried to book online. The entire three weeks we were there were sold out. Tour companies buy out the tickets in advance to sell at a steep mark-up. The only alternative is to line up in the morning to buy same day tickets. George hates line-ups, but there we were at 7:45, fiftieth in line, waiting in the cold to buy tickets. By the time we got to the front of the line, the first available slot was 2:45 p.m.

A Very Expensive Breakfast

The New York Café is an opulent café which opened in 1894. A century ago it was a meeting place for Hungary’s writers and poets. Today its reputation as the world’s most beautiful café attracts swarms of tourists who want to enjoy a coffee and pastry in the grandeur of frescoes, marble, bronze statues and crystal chandeliers. People line up for hours to get in. Since we had lots of time on our hands, we visited early on a Sunday morning. (Did we mention George hates lining up?) We got there before 8 a.m. Even so, there was a short wait before we got one of the last tables. By 8:30 a.m. the line up was halfway down the block.

The staff are notoriously unfriendly. We can confirm that. They run a very tight ship. It is an experience, but an expensive one. We had an Egg Benedict (only one, so just “Egg”), a bowl of porridge, one dessert and two cups of drip coffee (€11 each). It came to €88 ($127.00 CDN). A 15% service charge is automatically added to the bill. The waitress steered us to add an additional tip on the credit card machine. She was miffed when George pointed at the “Service Charge” line on the bill and asked what it meant. Nothing like a little tourist gouging.

Taking a Bath

Budapest is known for its thermal baths. The most famous is Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Europe’s largest. It is a spectacular Neo-Baroque complex built in 1913. There are three massive outdoor pools, 15 indoor pools, steam rooms, saunas, a beer spa (seriously) and more.

You can buy a day pass just to hang out around the pools. We splurged on a Private Spa. We entered via an exclusive entrance and were whisked to our private room. After sipping a glass of the complimentary sparkling wine, we explored the pools before returning for our couples massage. The rest of the morning was spent relaxing in the various pools, each with different temperatures and mineral composition. If you go, we highly recommend the Private Spa treatment.

Etyek

Our first excursion was to the village of Etyek, about 30 km from Budapest. It is known for its wines, especially white and sparkling wines. There are over 20 producers. Most of them have their wine cellars and tasting rooms along the cobbled Újhegy street, a veritable wine row.

We could have paid €178 each for a private daytour with lunch. Instead we hopped on the local bus (free) and booked a night at Rókusfalvy Wine Hotel. We arrived at noon on a Friday, ready for an afternoon of wine tasting. We walked the few blocks to Újhegy street only to have our preconceptions dashed. This was not wine-tasting à la Napa Valley. The rudimentary tasting rooms are in rustic old buildings fronting caves carved into the hillside. Worse, none of the wineries or restaurants were open. They were all busy setting up for Etyek Piknik, a bi-annual wine festival being held that weekend. We couldn’t get anything to eat, never mind a sample of wine.

A waiter at a restaurant near our apartment had recommended Etyek Kuria Winery. It was on its own about a kilometre from the other wineries. We took the chance and walked up the road in the hope it would be open. We were in luck. It had an elegant restaurant and modern tasting room overlooking the town and valley. After a long lunch, we headed back to town. We wandered the few streets, had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and that was Etyek. Saturday’s wine festival was sold out so hopped the bus home.

Eger

A two-hour train ride (free) and we were in Eger, another wine town. The walk from the train station took us past rows of brutalist design, Communist-era apartment blocks. The old town though was a totally different world. Most of the old town dates to the 18th century. There is a picturesque square lined with restaurants, and a massive 13^th century castle looming above it.

We climbed up to the castle to explore its ramparts and take in the panoramic view. Next we wandered the narrow streets of the old town, sampled some local chocolate and visited the impressive Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle. We finished our visit with late lunch on the square to sample the local food and wine. Lunch started with glasses of their signature white wine – Egri Csillag. Eger’s claim to fame though is it’s red wine – Egri Bikaver, “Bull’s Blood”. It paired perfectly with Maria’s wild boar goulash.

Szentendre

A 45-minute train ride (free) from Budapest to the picturesque town of Szentendre made for a perfect day trip. We had a relaxed day wandering the old cobbled streets, the weekly farmers’ market, small shops and many churches, though most of the churches were closed.

Many of the stores still have historic store signs that were either carved or made from wrought iron with enamel or porcelain plates. The small town square and pedestrian street are lined with restaurants and bakeries. During the summer they are probably busy. Luckily for us on a nice fall day there were few tourists around. We had no problem getting a table and had a wonderful lunch of Hungarian food. Later we over-indulged at one of the bakeries. Dobos Torte and Esterhazy Cake are popular Hungarian desserts. Naturally we had to try both.

More Food Pics

Not exactly. These are photos from Budapest’s Central Market Hall. It didn’t have the character that our little local market had. What it lacked in character, it made up for in sheer scale and grandeur.