Itinerary help November 29 to December 3

Saturday 29:
15 Day Travel Card: If I didn’t do it on the BudapestGo App (and I wouldn’t because it more trouble than I want to deal with), then I would buy a paper one in the arrivals hall of the airport. The BKK office is on your left as you walk out of the baggage area.

The pass does not cover the cost of the 100E Bus.
There is plenty to eat at the Christmas markets, unless you want a proper sit down meal in which case Gettó Gulyás is next to your hotel. Never been there but gets great reviews and the prices appear to be very good.

The markets are not too terribly far from your hotel, but it is a bit of a walk. Here is your hotel to the Vorosmarty ter market, the River for the views and then the Basilica Market. https://maps.app.goo.gl/pdn6v1dCCvK7BBkaA and there are vendors along most of the route.

Sunday 30:
You have most excellent ideas. Part of visiting the zoo and the House of Terror is the walk up Andrassy ut. Very nice this time of year. Save the M1 for if and when you get tired.

Monday 1:
For Szechenyi I have always just bought the regular ticket at the door. Its early on Monday, I could be wrong, but I would not expect a crowd.

Tuesday 2:
Head back to Heroes' Square and City Park to check out some of the museums, wander Andrassy ut on the way back downtown. Today you might also check out NY Café or the TimeOut food court, just to get off the beaten track a bit. Maybe visit Keleti, its all in the same general area and the 4/6 tram between that and Andrassy ut is sort of interesting.

You are going very lose, I like that. You have the “Travel Notes”, correct? Because the identify a couple of streets with interesting (or at least I think) points of interest. Some food, some antiques, some architecture. Like old book stores full of art prints from the turn of the century to mod stuff from the ‘60’s and 70’s. Fun and the books are good too.

Wednesday 3:
Buda side in the morning. TexasTravelMom can tell you about Rudas, my choice would be Lukács Baths, very real and very local. The Buda Castle hill of course but also the river front from Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge) to Margit híd (Margrit Bridge). A lot of local, a lot of great view, food of course, wine of course, the baths, the Castle Bazaar / Garden complex.

Enjoy the opera house. I love getting dressed up and going to the opera. But admittedly its been about 3 years.

Thursday 4:
Call your own cab the night prior. Call city taxi https://citytaxi.hu/ Best to download their App, but not essential, but do call yourself. For a 6 am flight it would be a 3:30 to 4:00 pickup. It depends on your tolerance for timing. 35 minute ride to the airport. That gives you 90 minutes to two hours advance.

I've taken note of many of the restaurant recommendations on here and in Mr. E's guide. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the options.

I will send you a PM. We talk about it.

Mr. E, this is all super helpful, thank you!

Yes, I have your travel notes - I think I got Muzeum Krt for antique shopping from there?

I’ve downloaded the City Taxi app - it looks like I don’t need to enter my credit card information in advance. Not sure if I still pay the driver or if I pay in advance on the app. Either way I’ll probably call them for 3:45 or so. I will be checking a bag, so want to leave myself enough time for that.

You mentioned the River cruise in your PM - I was thinking Monday evening, but I can be flexible with that. I’m assuming the boats are enclosed? Though I’ll probably still want a clear night to be able to see the sights, so I’ll play that by ear depending on the weather.

The bookstores (not open on Monday or weekends) are along here https://maps.app.goo.gl/6bA8Ukkd89W9pus67
More great antique shops here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/35gKXxAgumeTsf9d8 Look for Pinter and their basement.

Both can be worked into a walking tour. V
You don’t have to give City Taxi your credit card info. You can pay with a card or Forints in the car.

Good plan on the river cruise. Yes, enclosed.

You just spurred me to go ahead and write this up, based on my taxi experiences.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/taxis-in-budapest

Thanks, TexasTravelMom, this is super helpful info about taxis.

Mr E, google is showing most of the bookstores along Muzeum krt as open on Mondays, just not the weekend. Is that information accurate? If not, maybe I’m better off exploring that area on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The experience of TexasTravelMom was why I said call your own. Never heard of that happening before, but there is no need to even come close to it. If you call for a taxi, even if an empty taxi is parked in front of you, then the order goes into their system and is recorded in some detail. So the driver has no choice but to do it correctly. And City Taxi for about 20 years now has never let me down, but I suspect FoTaxi is equal and probably some of the others as well.

I hate it when I tell people wrong. I got careless. I should have checked. I just had a memory of being down there one Monday and being disapointed because the bookstores were closed. But maybe it was a Sunday. I would trust Google before me. A few have websites you could check the websites as well.

Colleen.

I will do this over the next day or so. When i plan somehting out like this, its always Plan B. The main plan is wander and enjoy but if you run out of things, I have this backup plan. So think about it like that.

Saturday:
Arrive airport, pick up luggage, walk into arrival hall, look left for BKK office and buy a 15 day Budapest Pass https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/15-day-budapest-pass/ . Exit to sidewalk look right and see the 100E bus stop. There will be a couple of employees helping the customers. You can pay with a credit card. They will assist you with that. Get off at second stop: Astoria. Google Maps to walk to hotel.

Check-in, drop bags and go eat lunch at Gettó Gulyás and have your first Hungarian meal. https://maps.app.goo.gl/XZkjXEkMiYMKT2wH9

Walk to the Vosormarty ter market, then to the river for the views. Then walk to the Basilica Market and maybe tour the Basilica. https://maps.app.goo.gl/VJpcDhjMN4iknhTTA
While this is point to point directions there is a lot of wandering available along the route.

Scenic way back to your hotel to see some of the lights. https://maps.app.goo.gl/EVMikVcZ48JThXHn7 You get to see a bit of Andrassy ut, the Opera all lit up, Kadarka Wine Bar (optional), and the Gozsdu Courtyard (now the map above takes you around it, but you will want to walk through it). You end up at your hotel.

Clean up then dinner at Macesz Bistro https://maps.app.goo.gl/AyK5ZKPSP6B3n5Dd7 A bit of a splurge but your one excellent Hungarian dinner.

Sunday:
After a 8am breakfast at Levante https://maps.app.goo.gl/yivuDjVCVBmTURNq5 visit the gift shop at the Dohany utca synagogue. Great stuff. Buy him a Kippah, then do the Official Jewish District Tour at 10:30. It lasts 90 minutes and hits the three most popular synagogues and points inbetween. https://jewishtourhungary.com/en. It ends at noon at the Kazinczy utca Synagogue. Now to the Klauzál Market Hall to see a smaller local version of the Great Market Hall. Then out the back door to Mazel Tov https://maps.app.goo.gl/yivuDjVCVBmTURNq5 for a light lunch and to experience the inside of this place. https://maps.app.goo.gl/sYiKz4J3v6TFucHD7?g_st=ac.

After lunch head back over to Abdrassy ut and walk up admiring the architecture as it goes from high end retail to majestic apartment blocks to mansions; all in the style of 1880 to 1920. The first stop is the House of Terror Museum. Then further up to Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum).

If its not 6pm yet, visit the castle and the ice skating in the lake. At 6pm head over to the zoo for the Chinese lanterns.

Now, back down Abdrassy ut ... but take the M1 metro to tge Oktogon stop. From there walk down Andrassy to number 38 which is the Monarchia Royal Luxury Christmas Salon. Tell me that's not worth the time to see!

Dinner at Cork Breakfast & Wine then home. https://maps.app.goo.gl/gb1ZCqTT6rHvmugc6. This is sort of Hungarian/Ukrainian fusion. A consistently excellent menu and great service.

Monday:
For breakfast why don’t you try Stika. It’s on the way to the bath house. Try the Palinka spiked raspberry lemonade. Great way to start the morning. From Stika walk over to the W Hotel across the street from the Opera House on Andrassy ut https://maps.app.goo.gl/2oHkxx1wtQUFwhn77 and take the M1 to the bath house https://maps.app.goo.gl/fEVvxR1qvDumCQV27. You have in your possession instructions on how to use the bathhouse that were written by another RS person. Just follow what’s there. It is never a bad idea to bring a swim cap and flip flops and a towel.

Now for a new way home and some new things to see. Take the M1 in the direction of Vorosmarty ter and get off at the Oktogon and change to the 4/6 Tram marked to Újbuda-központ (4) or Móricz Zsigmond Körtér (6). Sit on the left so you can see the NY Café as you pass it. You will go 3 stops to Blaha Lujza tér and get off. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Dupqe1RqF2iCcxVz5

Now you have two choices. Lunch at the NY Café $$$$ but a once in a lifetime thing https://newyorkcafe.hu/ . Or Lunch at the TimeOut Market. The map below goes to the TimeOut Market. Here some of the best restaurants in Budapest, some with Michelin stars, have gotten together to do a food court sort of experience in a renovated historic building. https://www.timeout.com/time-out-market-budapest Just carry your wet clothes appropriately LOL.

Now it’s a short walk home: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DHDNKi7o4otFPpxk6

Drop your things and head back out. Now a walk to the Spicery and all of those bookstores, https://maps.app.goo.gl/thhAT4pYaGwixnAZ7
Then a quick ride (or you can walk) on the 47/49 tram to the Great Market Hall. https://maps.app.goo.gl/MCzHiHFUrRFJVMvU8 It is open until 5pm today. Be sure to visit the basement and follow your nose to the pickles and the fish.

Come back out and look to the river. You will see stairs going down. Take the stairs. At the bottom you will see the 2/2B/23 Tram. Might even be lit up for Christmas. https://youtu.be/zO8Lfmp065w?si=mg2Z9lUJnGem1uWP Get on running left to right. This is one of the most beautiful tram rides in Europe so ride and if you see something of interest, get off and look. I think its early enough for you to take it all the way to the Parliament building, Sit on the left to see the Buda Castle.

Tonight, you are doing a river boat. Look at Legenda. Maybe the 18:00 cruise. It will be plenty dark for the lights and you will finish early enough for a good dinner. So from the Parliament your stop for a Legenda Cruise is https://maps.app.goo.gl/yix3sgp76vSKUtJo9 or if you are running late and going to the cruise right after the Market Hall, then https://maps.app.goo.gl/bP3iy1ooGrXJQt6J6 So you have a lot of flexibility.

After the cruise dinner at ……….. hmmmmmmmmmmm……….. Okay, a few to choose from. All very good and all on the 2 Tram or the 47/49 tram which is how you will go home. Georgian https://maps.app.goo.gl/MzsUUZmGnWLpJHpCA Steak, but I mean steak done right in sort of a laid back family atmosphere and you get to pick your chunk https://maps.app.goo.gl/5R47fkxC1ihibfYy7 Spanish like you wont hardly find in the US https://maps.app.goo.gl/LbHYN3SXfTdheXq47 Here is a sort of hidden, very nice Hungarian with pretty fair prices. One of my hideouts https://maps.app.goo.gl/xu6M8LCfGxRjDFkaA Finally, a tad out of your way because you have to cross the river, but worth it. Might be one of my top choices from this list https://maps.app.goo.gl/zQsqCsbzEVPrJ8qy6 Do the Hungarian fish soup. There are a few here that I have never printed before. Copy them because I will erase the list 😊

After dinner the 2 Tram to the 47/49 Tram to Astoria and a walk.

Tuesday

Breakfast .... hmmmmm .... give me time.

In case you havent noticed, your hotel isn't the best connected. After breakfast walk to and across the Chain Bridge. Then take the Funicular up to the top. On a budget? Take Bus 16 or 216 from Clark Adam ter to the Fisherman's Bastion instead of the Funicular. Then buy a ticket for Mathias Church. There is so much construction on the hill these days, after that I would walk down through the Castle Garden / Bazaar and get on the 19/41 Tram to Batthyány tér. Get off and lunch at Nagyi's Crêperie (Nagyi Palacsintázója) https://share.google/bc8Z6OxiX6fRihnkX. By the way, crepes are a very Eastern European thing.

Now get on the H5 Comutter Train. There is a ticket office at the bottom of the stairs where you buy a cheap extension ticket in both directions. The nice lady at the ticket window will explain after you show her your 15 day Budapest Pass. Be sure to validate it on the train.

45 minutes later you are in Szentendre. Get off the train and follow the others under the highway and into the old town. Enjoy their Christmas Markets.

This is all so helpful, James, thank you! I will need to take some time to go through all of it.

Regarding the hostel - I know it's not quite as convenient as most of your recommended hotels, but at less than 90 euro total for 5 nights, I figure I can handle some extra steps and then spend more on food and wine :)

I'll let you know if I have any questions after I have time to digest all of this. Thanks again!

I still have a bit more to write but it may be a day or two. Like I said, this sort of planning for me is Plan B for when the aimless wandering hits a wall.