2 Night Hotel Stay in Budapest

The hotel is in a pretty okay location for a 2 night stay. 2 tram stops or a 10 min walk to the river Corso where the restaurants are. Very convenient gor the Market Hall and Parliament via tram.. Not terribly convenient to the Jeeish District or Andrassy, but if you are not adverse to a little walk and a tram and a metro ride, its workable.

Yes, 65 and over, just smile and walk past the metro cops if they are out checking tickets (and carry your drivers license), but I have never been asked and I ride no less than 4 times a day, every day.

My wife and I were checked a couple of times last time we were there. I shouldn't look so young for my age 74.

Amazing. I am literally on no less than 1 bus, 2 trams and 1 metro line every day and I have never been asked, not in the last 2 years. I say good day in Hungarian and smile and keep walking.

Thank you, Mr É and David for your replies. That's amazing that public transportation is free for seniors.

Mr É, I saw in another posting where you recommended Hotel Moments. It looks lovely and doesn't cost much more than Prestige Hotel. It will get us close to Andrassy, which you indicated is a beautiful part of the city. And close to public transport. I'm thinking we will stay at Hotel Moments. What are your thoughts on this plan?

I'm wondering about how much local cash we need to have. If we take a taxi from the airport kiosk, can we pay with a credit card? Do we tip the taxi driver? We have euros but no forint. Will that be a problem? Should we get some forint before we depart the US? Can euros be used for small items, such as gratuities?

Thank you!

I would prefer the Hotel Moments location. I think you will enjoy the convenience and atmosphere a bit more.

Taxis take credit cards. Of course if you stay at the hotel moments the express bus from the airport stops about a 3 minute walk away.

Tipping is usually just rounding up, or maybe as much as 10% if you have a reason. But no hard feelings if you don't.

No one will turn down tips in euros, but euros are not convenient for purchases .... when they are taken, it's not at a good exchange rate.

Everyplace you are likely to go will accept your credit card. I'm old fashion and like to carry a little cash for tips, etc. If you are the same, go to an ATM and pull out 9.000Ft. 9.000 will get you 4 bills of 1.000 each ($2.75) and a 5.000 note. Use the 5.000 note to buy a beer and you have another 4, 4.000 ft notes for tips.

I stayed at the Hotel Moments. It was very nice and you can't beat the location.

Wonderful breakfast and they have a coffee machine and filtered water machine in the lobby that is free to use.

As for cash, I hardly used it. In fact, I purposely used it just to get rid of it. I still have a bunch of Forints so I guess I'll have to go back to Hungary.

My wife and I stayed in Budapest for two nights last spring and liked the Prestige Hotel a lot. Room, service, location were excellent.

I should add that a good restaurant very near Prestige Hotel is Hungarikum Bisztrot (not sure the spelling is correct, but something like that), which is in the RS Budapest book I think. You need reservations there which we made online well in advance. We did get some forints at the airport which came in handy. The ATM there was that kind of sketchy non-bank kind so I just changed some cash dollars at an exchange booth. I had some left over but it was easy to change them back to euros or dollars when departing.

Here is a funny anecdote on ATMs. Often the bank ATMs are in inside vestibules. Often you need to swipe a card to open the door. Any card with a magnetic strip will work.

I once watched two people in a row try to get in to one with no luck. They swipe a card and pull the door handle and the door appeared to still be locked so they walked away. Most often doors here open in. So push. (I figured out what was going on and helped the second person).

This features a nice hotel. Wait! $200 a night? Never mind.... Sorry

https://youtube.com/shorts/sd4bXVX7SLY?si=gAuaK2r-i8qlHmZJ

Thank you, all, for sharing your experiences. I am very excited to visit Budapest. There is so much to see, do, and eat, that I believe we will have to return for a longer stay. We have decided to stay at the Hotel Moments. I believe we will enjoy the hotel staff and amenities and the area and all it offers. Thank you for helping us make our decision.