January in Budapest

Oh goodness.

Weather? Yes, probably cold. Short days.

But Budapest is full of culture.
Try the Hungarian State Opera House, the Operette, Eiffel Studios, The Hungarian House of Music, the Zeneakadémia, Opus Jazz Club, and so much more. (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/obus-jazz-club-dessert-only) . Then there are the concerts in various churches, including St. Stephen’s.

You can try out the thermal baths; the 2 art museums in City Park; the House of Terror; the Great Market Hall; Doheny Synagogue; the Hungarian National Museum; Parliament; or the little Underground Railway Museum.

If you have a sunny day, there are many other options. Check out Mr. É travel notes PDF on his profile page for tons more info.

I dont think the river cruise trips get enough credit. It can be anything but one hour up and down the river to dinner to a musical performance. Few things more beautiful than the views from the river at night.

Depending on your age and interests there are the ruin pubs and / or the wine bars .... Hungary is very big into wine and there are some pretty excellent wines. You dont see them on the world market much in part because so many are small family owned and dont have the production capacity to ship 500,000 cases.

With 5 days you have time for a day trip to Szentendre or Eztergon or even Gyor and the archabbey at Pannonhalma.

If you are into architecture there are a few good tours and a few places you need to look inside of. The Parliament (buy your ticket today .. if it isnt already too late), The done of the Basilica (not terribly old but interesing to see how such things are built), The Opera House, Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library, Dohany, Rumbach and Frankel Leó Synagogues ... Speaking of which if WWII and the Holocaust interest you, its hard not to trip and fall over that history here.

A sort offbeat museum I like is the outdoor railway museum. I keep going back to climb on the old steam engines....

If you know your dates, how you arrive and depart and where you are staying we can get really detailed with suggestions.

As for the temperature, there are the averages and then there is the reality of the last few years.

The average temperature is here: https://weatherspark.com/m/84771/1/Average-Weather-in-January-in-Budapest-Hungary#Figures-Temperature ........... and .............. here is January this year (and any year you want to check) https://world-weather.info/forecast/hungary/budapest/january-2024/ A tad warmer. And January is a fairly dry month here.

January in Budapest is wonderful -- different than spring or summer, but wonderful in its own way.

As you say, those cold days and early nights mean that heading inside for cafe life and wonderful Hungarian meals is a smart thing to do. The baths indeed provide a warm respite from the cold. And cultural life is thriving.

I find the cold winter months a fantastic time to visit Budapest. I hope you will have a great time.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful replies. For those who asked where I am staying, I will be at the Corinthia. I see that it is not too far from the opera house.

I would be interested in attending a live musical performance, classical or jazz. Is there a good website that would have this info?

I'm guessing Bolt is the rideshare service in Budapest? Although I will be certain to buy a transit pass.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful replies. For those who asked where
I am staying, I will be at the Corinthia. I see that it is not too far
from the opera house.

The Cornithia is a very nice 5 Star hotel not terribly far from the Opera House by foot or tram + metro.

I'm guessing Bolt is the rideshare service in Budapest? Although I
will be certain to buy a transit pass.

Bolt and Uber operate in Budapest. But, they operate as a taxi service. That means yellow cars, licensed commercial drivers and a meter. For the cost of a Taxi ride to river front from your hotel you can travel on the public transportation for 3 or 4 days, and get to the riverfront faster than the taxi. You would be wise to get a 15 day travel pass. Works out to $3:15 a day over five days.

I would be interested in attending a live musical performance,
classical or jazz. Is there a good website that would have this info?

Buy your tickets today. Things sell out fast. A lot I suspect is already sold out.

A few mucic venues

https://operett.hu/en Budapest Operett Theater
https://www.opera.hu/en/ Opera House and Eiffel and Erkel Theater
https://uni.lisztacademy.hu/ Liszt Academy
https://opusjazzclub.hu/ Opus Jazz Club
https://www.bjc.hu/home/ Budapest Jazz Club
https://zenehaza.hu/en/house-of-music-hungary Hungarian House of Music

In your hotel

https://orfeum.hu/ Sort of a vegas night club show sort of thing

I find the cold winter months a fantastic time to visit Budapest. I
hope you will have a great time.

The city becomes a wonderful new place.

Again, thanks for all the live music links Mr. E!
(In reading some of your posts, I gather you're a Texas A&M fan. Alas, I'm an OU fan suffering through our worst season in recent memory)

Greg, too funny, I am an OU grad and fan too. And you're right - what an awful year. Bring on women's basketball and of course softball !!

For classical, the two venues that you must find a way to go to are the Opera House and the Liszt Academy (Mr E's second and third in the list above). The Opera House is unequalled, and the Liszt Academy is more intimate. Both are centrally located and very easy to get to. So be sure to check those out !

Our seasons are always bad, you get used to it after a while.

From or to the airport, take a taxi from the taxi stand outside arrivals or the direct airport bus to/from Deak Fernec ter. Then the M1 3 stops and a short walk to the hotel.

From or to Keleti station, call for a taxi or take the M2 one stop, then the 4 or 6 tram 2 stops and you are pretty much in front of your hotel.

I already checked the programming at the Opera House while I'm there, not much appealed to me. However, I will definitely visit for a tour.

On the Liszt academy site, I'm not seeing anywhere a listing of upcoming concerts?

The only things posted for January are student presentations. There will be more later. You want something in the Grand Hall. https://uni.lisztacademy.hu/programmes

They do tours too, and it's worth it

The travel notes have a list of restaurants with music, some quite good.

So, a lot of questions (but that's what this forum is for I guess) - if I had to choose one of the thermal baths to visit, which one? I'm leaning towards Gellert or Szechenyi at this point, although if there was a less popular one closer to my hotel, I'd consider it.

I have only been to Rudas and Gellert, so can’t make a comparison. But the main outdoor pool at Gellert is closed so that might make a difference. Rudas is smaller.

Szechenyi, is the closest to your hotel. That and Gellert are sort of the icons of the activity. The best of the smaller ones Lukacs is a bit of a trip, and you need to visit Gellert and Szechenyi first.

If you are asking what is near what, then you maybe need spend some time with a map before you go. It is a very large city. The tourist part of the city is also very large; but the public transportation could not have been better designed for tourism if you can remember a few of the basic routes.

From where you will stay the M1 Metro line is about a 5 minute walk. It goes from Szechenyi to very near the riverfront where another tram will take you from Great Market Hall to Parliament. Along the way the M1 crosses another tram line that will take you from near the end of Andrassy ut to the Great Synagogue and on to the Great Market Hall and the Gellert Bath in Buda.

The trams all go through interesting parts of town and with your 15 day pass, when you see something of interest, you can hop on and hop off at will.

Also take the time to look at the travel video linked on my profile page. Its the best I have found and it will give you ideas. I also linked Anthony Bourdain's video of his impression of Budapest, but if you google you can find the full episode on YouTube that he references and it visits a few off the wall places that you might be interested in.

My favorite guide book is the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Budapest (Amazon). Its small enough to fit in a pocket, covers the basics really well from tourist sights to restaurants to day trips and museums.

Thanks for the detailed transit information. I'm guessing I can buy the 15-day pass at any metro station? Is there a photo ID component to the pass?

There is an ID requirement, for the 15 day pass. Any photo ID will work. You can buy the passes from the vending machines at metro stations and some tram stops (pretty sure), but a lot easier at a BKK office and there is one in the Airport arrivals hall and one at the lower level of Keleti.

The Liszt Ferenc Academy is very near your hotel. I took the tour of the gorgeous Art Nouveau interior in 2018. My tour included a short (15 minutes or so) performance by a solo cellist. I always struggle with the LFA website; I ended up just walking over there early in my trip to ask about the timing of English-language tours.

In addition to the info Mr. E has compiled, you'll find multiple threads on this forum with restaurant suggestions for Budapest. The restaurant scene is very good and prices are reasonable.

Ok, so now for some cuisine-related questions. I'm very interested in trying the fisherman's soup (halaszle, apologies for omitting the proper accents). Where are some of the best places in Budapest to try this?

These are a few of the places on my shortlist so far:

Pozsonyi Kisvendeglo
VakVarju
Retisas Vendeglo
Belvarosi Disznotoros
Frici Papa
Somewhere serving Georgian cuisine (which I absolutely love, I understand there are a few in Budapest)

Are these good choices?

Your list contains great brilliance and one ehhhhhhhhh.

• Pozsonyi Kisvendeglo: Interesting name. Never been. But in a great neighborhood away from the tourists. I have been challenged. Maybe I go this week. Its just down the street from one of my favorites https://maps.app.goo.gl/QRZM2UMsdD6XY7LJ7
• VakVarju: This is what Chili’s would be if it were Hungarian. Good solid menu but nothing to excited about. I go from time to time because its consistent and “good”.
• Retisas Vendeglo: You will take a taxi I presume. Or nearly an hour on public transportation. But looks like you found a great authentic Hungarian hideaway. That’s great.
• Belvarosi Disznotoros: Ha! Pick the right one (Károlyi utca) and pretend you are Anthony Bourdain.
• Kispiac: Do me a favor, delete this one. Its special and we don’t want the RS types finding it. I havent even told my best friends.
• Frici Papa: This place was a gem 15 years ago. It still has very good simple Hungarian food but it is in every guide book that hasn’t be rewritten in the last 10 years so the line of tourists is …..
• Somewhere serving Georgian cuisine (which I absolutely love, I understand there are a few in Budapest) This one has been here for at least 17 years that I know of: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kWn3DoK2dhzc9o4p6

I appreciate the notes on each restaurant! Haha, ok, the one place has been deleted from my post (however it's in the Lonely Planet guide, so I'm sure people who really want to find it will). Noted about VakVarju. And, yes, I realize Retisas is a bit out of the way but it does look amazing.

If you do happen to visit Pozsonyi, please give us your review!

Fish soup is sort of elusive. Read and try these maybe https://justbudapest.com/fishermans-soup-hungarian-food-speciality/

Another place that seems to be in keeping with your taste might be https://maps.app.goo.gl/Agxmya2d1MNCDKyi7

And I have a few ideas in my travel notes if you click on my name.

So one thing I'm still not quite clear about: if I purchase the 15 day transit pass, can I obtain that as a physical card, as opposed to an app? And if so, does it require validation or is it automatically validated at the time of purchase?

You can purchase a paper card. When you do, if you purchase at a BKK office, they will ask you for the start date and time and print it on the card. If you buy from a machine, you input the start date and time. Believe me, the BKK office is easier. There is one at the airport, the train stations and the Deak Ferenc metro station.

No validation required. Show it when asked.

Only thing is, I arrive late in Budapest on the 20th (10:45 pm). Would be BKK office even be open then?

Also, on that note, since I'm arriving late, I'll be staying at the hotel (Ibis Styles) right near the airport and heading into the city the next morning. Unfortunately the hotel where I am staying didn't have any vacancies on the 20th so I couldn't extend the stay.

And you can get the 15 day pass by downloading the BudapestGO app. That works too. Or wait till the next day. Tell me where you are staying and I can tell you the nearest office and how to get there. Walk or buy a single use ticket.

Ibis Styles? I guess since you are arriving so late, you miss nothing by staying out there. Grab a taxi in the moring to your hotel in town and leave your luggage as it will probalby be too early to check in.

You have received lots of good advice, but useless to you as it is, thinking of Budapest in winter I am reminded of my short trip to communist Budapest in February 1983. I was a college student and needed a visa which I got at Hungary’s embassy in Paris, where I was studying. A long delay at the Iron Curtain border, then on to Keleti station. Elderly ladies needing to make ends meet met travelers there. So I spent a couple nights in a big, but rather threadbare apartment in central Budapest. If you’ve seen the Third Man, think of Dr. Winkel’s place, kind of like that. My hostess was very kind, but reserved in the Central European way. But I knew enough European history to have a really good conversation with her one night about all she had lived through, from childhood in Hapsburg Budapest, through the hunger and tumult of the interwar period, to the terrible time of WW II, then communism and the 1956 revolution. Budapest then was gray, but with more liveliness than other East bloc places. As a student with not much money, I enjoyed having a very nice Hungarian dinner with wine in a good restaurant for less than $2.

So since I arrive in Budapest tomorrow night, one final question of great importance. Dreher, Borsodi, or Soproni? (Or none of the above??)

Borsodi....

More important

Tomorrow, 17:00 hours at the statue of Reagan.

Wait, you arrive really late. There is a vending machine for your 15 day pass located across the street from the Cornitia hotel at the tram stop.

Thanks for the tip! I'm staying out the first night by the airport since I'm arriving late, so will probably just buy it there. But now I have a backup plan, thanks.

Give me a call if you want, I'll buy you a beer.

@Mr E...so just finished lunch at the restaurant "that shall not be named", lol. Excellent meal. Yes, there were only about 6 of us in the place at the time, and 4 were foreigners. Very small capacity. But food was amazing.

Btw, didn't catch your last post until now. We'll see, I'm pretty busy last couple of days here. If I don't get the chance, thanks for all your help!

Another note, day 3 here, and I haven't seen Borsodi on draft once!

Borsodi, is the least commonly available. But I like it when I can find it. Soprani is remarkably good for the cost. Dreher is thought to be a little better.

For something special, not too far from your hotel at Kiraly utca 43 is Bajor Sörház - HB Traunstein Beer House. Not Hungarian, very good Bavarian.

Finally found Borsodi! Had to go to an Irish pub to find it, lol. Got a performance at the Liszt Academy in 2 hrs.

Near the Linzt, then I suspect it know the Irish pub. Enjoy the performance.

Well, my visit to Budapest (5 days didn't end up being nearly enough) was very enjoyable. There's enough I didn't get to do that will warrant a return visit someday. It was also great to meet up with Mr E. for a beer! Thanks again for all your help.

Thank you sir, it was a pleasure. Oh, by the way, it warmed up right after you left. Sweater weather today. See you one Spring.

So glad you had a great January visit, Greg !! And got to enjoy a concert at the Liszt Academy. And even meet Mister E !!

The real coup is the concert. Thats hard to time because there are not many in the grand hall. I am a little jealous about that.

By the way, the high today is 55F LOL