Discover Budapest

From the Discover Budapest website “We are an independent stand alone private enterprise in Budapest registered as a legal travel agency and tour operator. We operate both our own tours, programs and services as well as we work with reliable quality partners and offer their special programs and services to provide a wide variety of possibilities to choose from to visitors of Budapest. All in one single location! Our staff is very friendly and eager to help you with anything. We are here to help Budapest become a better and more tourist-friendly city.” So, it’s a tourist agency.

Does it also serve as a place to buy travel cards for the Metro, maps
etc.

A travel agency will probably only offer something called the BudapestCard. Generally not worth the money unless you are going to spend your entire trip inside museums and all your cash at souvineer shops (where the card gets you discounts). The better idea is usually to get a TravelCard. That you can purchase at the ticket window in the Opera House Metro Stop (stairs on the street leading down).

My favorite map is the one that comes in the Eyewitness Top 10 guide for Budapest. Actually the guide is my favorite book for Budapest. https://www.amazon.com/Top-Budapest-EYEWITNESS-TRAVEL-GUIDE/dp/146541035X/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502909026&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=budapest+eyewithenss+top+10

Some pretty nifty little fold up maps are available at the information office in the Deak Fernec ter metro stop and the information office on the lower level of the Keleti Train station.

Our Hotel is right across the boulevard from the Opera House &
Discover.

The travel agency and the opera are on opposite sides of Andrassy ut (the boulevard), so you cant be across from both of them. This is the building directly across from the Opera; note it is abandoned. I hope that’s not where you are staying? https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5026491,19.0590783,3a,75y,186.2h,99.83t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOITO1dizP4f7pi_22-ursw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DOITO1dizP4f7pi_22-ursw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D286.94617%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Just kidding. I bet you are staying at the K&K?

And this is from an earlier post, but it belongs here in the event someone else has the question:

There are individual tickets for 350 forints each or ten for 3000 forints

There is the Budapest Card. If you plan on going to a bunch of museums and the zoo and spend a lot of money in tourist shops, it might pay for itself.

Budapest Card for 24 hours HUF 5,500
Budapest Card for 48 hours HUF 8,500
Budapest Card for 72 hours HUF 10,900
Budapest Card for 96 hours HUF 14,500
Budapest Card for 120 hours HUF 17,500

And there are TravelCards. They are real bargains.

Budapest 24-hour travelcard HUF 1 650
Budapest 72-hour travelcard HUF 4,150
Budapest 7-day travelcard HUF 4 950

Most can be purchased in vending machines, but the 7 day TravelCard requires you to go to a ticket window and show identification.

Thank you James. You are a mountain of information. Have you considered becoming a RS tour guide?
We are actually staying across the Boulevard from the Opera House at Casati Hotel. Since we will not arrive at the hotel until 5PM I did want to get a travel pass but will ask the hotel for a few Metro/Tram tickets to start out. I am trying to find an earlier flight out of Venice to Budapest but Ryan Air do not go there and Easy Jet only has one flight a day. All other airlines are connecting and they are 10 hours or more. I will wait for the late fall to see if any others crop up. The train is 13 hours. If you have any other suggestions I am listening.
Again thank you for your info.

Me, a tour guide? Too funny. I don’t like people….

The “Boulevard” is Andrassy ut and its one of the most beautiful streets in the world. Take the time to walk it from one end to the other. Your hotel is on a parallel street one block south.

You don’t see me recommend hotels often because I have only stayed in three in Budapest over the last 15 years. Oddly enough one of those hotels was the Hotel Pest, now the Casati. There is no resemblance between what it was and what it is now. Let me know what you think. As for the location. Here’s a way to judge my opinion of the neighborhood; my chosen accommodations for the last 10 years are about 175m away. Between the hotel and where I stay is a restaurant called el ASADOR de Pata Negra; okay, it’s not Hungarian food, its Spanish, but it’s one of the best places in town. About 100m further down Vasvari Pal utca, at the corner of Kiraly utca, is the famous Kadarka Wine Bar (it’s famous because I brag on it all the time).

For your metro tickets. The hotels rarely have anything other than something called the BudapestCard. It is generally not worth the investment. You can purchase metro tickets in the Opera metro stop which is 150m from your hotel. They have machines and a window. The machines are easy to use and take any bill smaller than 20.000 forints. Failing all else, if there is a guard in the metro he will sell you a ticket for about 500 forints.

James
I am so enthralled by your knowledge I even looked up your favorite wine bar. Low and behold it is not too far from our hotel Yahoo. I am saved. I also had noted from previous posters including yourself of a couple of the restaurants. We were looking for one close to the hotel upon arrival and I will note the Spanish one you suggest (if that meets the approval of the other half of this equation). Thanks again.
One more thing- We are taking a taxi to the hotel. I believe the travel time from the airport to the hotel is an hour is this correct?

First check your private messages for a couple of links to things in the neighborhood.

Then the taxi.

Exit your plane and if you are just entering the EU go through passport control. If you changed planes in the EU this step isn't necessary. Pick up your luggage and head out the door marked nothing to declare, then through the glass door painted black. Then about 50 feet across the arrivals hall and out the door to the drive area. You may have to doge a few guys selling taxi rides. If you get lost, look down and follow the black line on the ground. It will take you to the FoTaxi Kiosk. The only recognized taxi company serving the airport. At the kiost tell them the name of the hotel (you might want to have the name and the address written on a piece of paper to show) and the person in the kiosk will give you a slip of paper which you will take to the taxi curb about 40 feet away. There someone will make sure you get in the right taxi, help with luggage, etc..... All very civilized. The taxi driver will ask to see the slip, also to be sure you are the right person (he already knows where you are going as when you got the slip of paper your ride showed up on his map in the car). Then sit back and relax. Depending on traffic it will take between 35 and 45 minutes. The maximum you can be charged I believe is printed on the ticket. The bill will be between 7.000 and 8.000 forints. You can pay cash or credit card. They will also take Euros at a pretty miserable exchange rate.

In the center of Budapest all the streets are one way, the wrong way, and none of the intersections will let you turn the way that you want to turn; so the ride is interesting. Don't let back alleys and odd narrow streets bother you.