Welcome to Hungary!!

Will be there 3/25/2014. Thanks for your immense knowledge of Budapest and your willingness to share information. We're staying across the street from the Central Market above an Argentine Steakhouse in an apartment.

March is a great time to visit. Let me know if I can help. You will become intimately familiar with the 47/49 tram and the number 2 tram which is the great one that runs along the river front. The 2 loads under the bridge so look for stairs going down near the bridge. Get comfortable with it and use it and enjoy it. Also be sure to go to the market basement and follow your nose to some great pickled vaggies. Don't eat in the steak house downstairs from your apt. I have been there and It is expensive and does not hold a candle to American quality beef. If you want a good steak in Budapest the best I have had was in this wonderful 100 year ol restaurant: Haxen Király Étterem. Also great Hungarian food. A little high end but very "local" and its unusual to find other tourists there.

• From your apartment take the 47/49 tram away from the river to its
  final stop near Deák Ferenc tér. Pay attention because you pass
  great architecture and the Synagogue. Now you have a short walk
  across the street (towards the river) to the M1 Metro Station at Deák
  Ferenc tér. The M1 is the oldest underground metro line on the
  continent of Europe and riding it is more of an amusement park ride
  than transportation. Even has Mario Brothers game music when it
  starts and stops. This is a major hub where the M1, M2 and M3 meet.

  Follow the yellow signs to the M1. The metro directions is always
  identified by its last stop. You want to go towards the Mexikói út
  stop which will be clearly indicated on the directional signage.

• Now get off about four stops up at Vörösmarty utca. The names of
  the stations are on the walls of the stationos as you pull in. This
  is the same stop you will use if you want to go to the House of
  Terror (outstanding museum, despite the name).

• Come up the stairs and you will see you are on one side of Andrassy
  ut. Great street and great architecture at that particular location.
  For bearings, if you stand and face the street, Hero's Square is to
  your right and the River is to your left.

• Now turn down the nearest side street on your side of Andrassy ut.
  At the second intersection you will be at Kiraly utca. A great
  street closer to River but a lit worn and tired at this end.
  Depending on if you went up the side street before or after the M1
  stop the restaurant will be one or two blocks on your right on Kiraly
  utca.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Less than 30 minutes and every bit of it is sight seeing and experiencing Budapest so none of it is wasted. For the trip back call "City Taxi"; not that walking in the evening is dangerous. This is a very safe city. You might even consider walking back down the length of Kiraly utca. It ends near Deak Ferenc ter.

I was about to start a thread to kick start this new Hungary section of the forums, but I see you took care of that. :) Thanks, James!

Sorry......

Thanks, James.

Hi James,
Need your help. Wife and I will be taking the 2 week Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam - Budapest. We will be arriving in Budapest June 22 and de-boarding the ship the morning of June 23. We plan to take the train to Prague and spend 3 days.

My questions relate to taking the train from Budapest to Prague. I think the river cruise will dock on the Pest side between the Elizabeth and Chain Bridges. We decided to take a train via Hungarian Railways (MAV) website.

My questions relate to where to find the actual train station location and how to take the train.

1) Is there more than one train station location in Budapest and

2) How far from the Viking Cruise port is the closest train station it if we are on the Pest side?

3) We understand that we can book tickets in advance on the web (MAV) website around 60 days ahead?

Any advice you can give will be most helpful.

THANKS,

Steve K

You are actually going to arrive in Budapest and sleep the night on a boat and then get on a train? I bet you will regret that once you see the city. Depending on your interests there is always a chance you will get to Prague and wish you were in Budapest. Okay, I am extremely biased. Ignore me.

There are three train stations in Budapest. The trains to Prague leave out of either the Keleti Station or the Nyugati Station. The trip to Prague takes about 7 hours. That’s an entire day of vacation lost to a pretty uninteresting train ride. Since you will have luggage the best way to get to either of the train stations is to call a taxi. I like City Taxi http://www.citytaxi.hu/index.php?lang=en . The fare might be as much as $10.00. If you want to use public transportation then ask for directions to Deák Ferenc tér (maybe a 10 minute walk). There you will find a metro station. Then M3 line goes to Nyugati Station and the M2 goes to Keleti Station. The fare will be about $1.50 a ticket. And of course you know I am just yanking your chain a little about not staying longer in Budapest. I hope you guys have a really wonderful time in Prague

Budapest: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mNWEFmbE3KY/T5EdNadG-OI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/je2sBiCy1ys/s1600/budapest_by_night_2012_2.jpg

Yes, you can purchase tickets on the website about 60 days in advance. I generally tell people to buy them at the station when they get to Budapest; because 2 or 3 days in advance is plenty. But in your case.....

Nyugati Station (designed by Eiffel of the Paris tower fame) http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/90124833.jpg

Keleti Station: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/BudapestKeletiStation.jpg/1280px-BudapestKeletiStation.jpg

You can locate anything you want in Budapest using Google Maps and Google Earth. Even travel directions.

I was in Budapest several times but only once after fall of iron curtain. I had 3 days and I had to skip many things which I wanted to see. I will have to come again. I hope you got more than one day. Take a taxi to the station. Public transport while carrying heavy luggage is too much hassle. All direct trains to Prague leave from Keleti Station. Those which leave from Nyugati go to Warsaw and you would have to change trains in Breclav. Direct trains take almost 7 hours. To arrive to Prague not too late you would probably think about trains leaving Keleti at 9:25 or 11:25 am. Be ready to get off the train in Prague (Praha hlavni nadrazi), train continues to Berlin. I have this funny story: once I went from Berlin to Brno. Train stopped in Praha hlavni nadrazi. Some American girl asked me: When will be Prague? I had to tell her that Praha means Prague and she made it with no time to spare.

On the random date I picked to check for Steven.dl the trains out of Nyugati changed in Vac. Steven, Vac is almost a suburb of Budapest and a great and fascinating place to visit on your next trip back to Budapest. But there is only 6 minutes between trains so you would have to be light on your feet.

http://www.mav.hu/english/

To check schedules

I once met a young lady from the Mediterranean part of the world that was in Houston looking for the San Jacinto monument. No one understood her until I explained that in Texas San Jacinto was pronounced San Jacinto. You would have to be from Texas to understand that.

Yes, the quickest way by train from Berlin Hbf. to Keleti pu station goes througn Prague ca. 10 hrs. direct. That would be a very interesting ride using the central route.

Good battlefield monument at San Jacinto.

Fred, involves the pronunciation of the "J"

Yes, I am aware of that, I went there.