Itinerary & Other Help Required.

Whether the Budapest Card makes sense for you depends on how many of the covered sights you are interested in seeing and find time to see. Budapest is not a small city, and the sights are fairly scattered, so a certain amount of time will be spent just moving around the city.

I used the card last year because I decided I wanted to take the two walking tours it covered (one of Buda, one of Pest). I liked the tours, and I did get my money's worth out of the card, but I had to work at it, and I had to squeeze the covered sights into the 4 days the card was valid. I had more time than that in Budapest, so I was still able to do some of the non-covered things I wanted to do. With only 3-1/2 days, I think a lot will depend on how many free or non-covered activities you are interested in. Budapest is a great city for just strolling around and appreciating the pretty architecture; the card won't help you there.

This is a decision you'll need to make for yourself, after consulting your guide book. I certainly don't think the card makes sense for everyone, and I suspect it won't make a great deal of difference either way.

You should verify the status of the top sights you anticipate seeing. As of last May, there were three major museums closed for renovation or relocation. That could affect the value of the card for travelers very interested in museums.

These may be a useful investment

https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/budapest-guidebook

https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/eastern-europe-guidebook

The 72 hour Budapest Card is 12,990 forints or about $48.00 https://bkk.hu/en/budapest-card-for-72-hours/

The 72 hour TravelCard is 4,150 or about $15.00
https://bkk.hu/en/budapest-72-hour-travel-card/

So you will need to get $33.00 worth of value out of it. The link for the card will show you how and where to use it and you can figure it out.

If you want a free walking tour you don’t necessarily need the card. Here are some: https://www.freetour.com/budapest?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=_Budapest%20-%20Free%20Tours&utm_term=budapest%20free%20walking%20tours&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtbnjBRDBARIsAO3zDl8bfIqi0UsTpKnUbsQUv4qCd9Br1wrMe9Ev7fPHFp0jaQbqZp6D6CUaAnL_EALw_wcB

Remember the Free Walking tours are not “Free” They expect to be tipped. I’ve never done one, but I think I would feel pretty cheap to tip anything less than 2,500 forints, or about $10.00.

For instance the Szechenyi Bath charges 6,000 forints and you get a 20% discount with the card. So that’s 1,200 forint saving or about $5.00. Go 7 times and you break even.

The Hungarian National Gallery is free with the card so that’s at 1,600 forint savings ($6.00)
If you did two such things a day for three days and got some discounts when buying souvenirs, I guess you break even.

For the beer, I would budget 500 forints (something less than $2). You will find cheaper (maybe 350 if you get out of the tourist pubs), but not much that is more expensive as long as you drink domestic.

Oh, since we are talking about the prices of things, this is interesting

Consumer Prices in Budapest are 34.20% lower than in Kansas City, MO
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Budapest are 37.10% lower than in Kansas City, MO
Rent Prices in Budapest are 44.24% lower than in Kansas City, MO
Restaurant Prices in Budapest are 50.57% lower than in Kansas City, MO
Groceries Prices in Budapest are 42.34% lower than in Kansas City, MO
Local Purchasing Power in Budapest is 57.24% lower than in Kansas City, MO

Interesting website: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Remind me not to go to Kansas City MO, way too expensive....

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your helpful replies and suggestions...

I have few further questions...

• Is the location of my hotel convenient. easy access to restaurants, main sights etc..

• is there any phone card ( international roaming) available that is Accessible in Vienna and Prague too?

• if someone can please suggest an itinerary for us during this 3.5 days please...

Thanks again...
Nitish

Is the hotel well located for tourism? You could do a lot better.

Phone sim?, I use TMobile, so can't help.

Itinerary? I will send you something.

Thank You all especially James for your reply...Due to some changes, our plan got revised. We now arrive in Prague and fly out of Budapest.

We arrive at Budapest on 8th late evening or 9th May early morning and fly out on 13th May early morning. Have booked our accommodation on AirBnB in Pest Area. Would be thankful if you could please advise an itinerary for us.

Im also looking at some other suggestions..a decision.which im a little confused to make...The itinerary is as below :

Day 1 - Arrive in Prague - Afternoon
Day 2 - Prague (Total 1.5 days)
Day 3 - Drive to Cesky Krumlov...See around CK and then proceed to Vienna. Night at Vienna
Day 4 - Vienna
Day 5 - Vienna
Day 6 - Now here's the confusion...We have Day 6 and 7 at our hand...and we have seen Salzburg...so can we do Innsbruck/ Bratislava/ Graz/ Any other.....Not able to make a decision.
Day 7 - ???
Day 8 - Budapest
Day 9 - Budapest
Day 10 - Budapest
Day 11 - Budapest (Total in Budapest is 4 days which as suggested by many was required..and hence have planned that way
Day 12 - Fly out of Budapest

Looking for help to sort this out for us please....

Thanks....

Maybe add a day to Vienna and use it to see Melk and the Wachau Valley. Then spend a night in Gyor on the way to Budapest and visit the Archabbey/Winery at Pannonhalma.

Or add both days to Budapest and use the time for an overnight trip to Eger or Pecs.

Dear James,

Greetings from Goa, India.

As mentioned above, our trip has been finalized and we are reaching Budapest on 9th May and flying out on 13th May morning. So we have 0.5 day on 9th, 3 full days on 10th & 11th & 12th. = 3.5 days.

I sincerely request if you could kindly suggest an itinerary for us...Will be thankful.
We would like to see all the main sights. We have booked our accommodation in 12 Holló utca . We hope we have made a right choice.
We love exploring and sampling local cuisines, culture etc... Would be thankful if i can get some suggestions on "Not to miss" restaurants, Beer gardens/ halls, places where the locals go etc...

Really appreciate and thank you for your time, passion and knowledge sharing on Budapest.

Thanks again,
Nitish

Your accommodations at 12 Holló utca are in the what was the Jewish Deportation Ghetto during WWII. Historic, very interesting and not too terribly far from transportation.

Do we need to take a Budapest Card. Is it worth it...or can we manage
without one.

There are two types of transportation cards, the BudapestCard and a TravelCard. Most people do much better with the cheaper TravelCard. Yes, a TravelCard will save you money and make the stay much more enjoyable.

suggestions where we can join some free walking tours

Google it. Here, the BudapestCard would save you money, but you would have to do a lot of other things discounted by the BudapestCard to come out as cheap as the TravelCard.

Are there any food tours available.

Yes, a number. Ive never done one so i cant recommend one in particular. Here is a list: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g274887-Activities-c42-t204-Budapest_Central_Hungary.html

What would be the approximate cost per person at at Ruin bar for say 2
beers, an appetiser and a main course. (This will help us calculate
our budget).

https://mazeltov.hu/en/menu#tid-59 and http://szimpla.eu/ will give you some idea. Both a little on the high end.

Dear James,

Thank you so much for your suggestions. They have been definitely helpful.
Will checkout on all the different tour options in Budapest.
As mentioned above, we are reaching Budapest on 9th May and flying out on 13th May morning. So we have 0.5 day on 9th, 3 full days on 10th & 11th & 12th. = 3.5 days.

Will be thankful if you could kindly suggest an itinerary for us...

Warm Regards,
Nitish

For tourists, the top cities in Europe are London, Prague, Vienna, Rome, and Barcelona. Places like Paris & Budapest don't come close. So I think your itinerary is not properly balanced. You need more days in Prague & Vienna and fewer days in Budapest.

Here is the list of the top ten visited: https://www.traveltrivia.com/most-visited-cities-in-europe/

As for proper balance, I can only say what I would do; and only you know what interests you and hopefully you have done your homework enough to make the right decision. Personally Vienna bores me and Prague is beautiful but too Disney like. If I were 25 years old, I would probably think differently.

kb1942 does not consider Paris one of the "top cities of Europe". He/she does love to be the contrarian, as I remember the many other destinations treated with disdain by this poster. Maybe Kabul would appeal?

You got 4 days in Budapest, 2.5 days in Vienna and 1.5 in Prague. How many day for each city? Everybody likes something else but generally it is said that each of these cities need at least three days. Four days for Budapest (if you have them) are of course OK. But you shorten Vienna by half day and Prague by 1.5 day. But ultimately it is your vacation and you have to decide.

If I were a young party person, I would rank them 1 Prague, 2 Budapest, 3 Vienna. If I were a museum hound, I would put Vienna first then Budapest. for food Budapest, then Vienna. For beauty Budapest is first Vienna and Prague tied at 5th place. For a cultural experience, Budapest, Vienna, Prague. For the things to the most people, Budapest is first. But it's all subjective.

Dear All,

We had a wonderful trip and i would like to thank you all for your suggestions and time. It was of great help to us.

Thank you all once again...Really Appreciate...!!!

Warm Regards from Goa,
Nitish