Budapest

Hi Pompelmo, I was just curious to know in which context Rick has said Budapest can be "difficult?" We found Budapest to be a cosmopolitan city that is fairly easy to get around in (via public transportation and on foot) and we had very few issues with communication. If you could share the context in which Rick said it is "difficult," perhaps we (anyone who has visited) could try to shed more light on the matter?

Indeed, a context is almost necessary. I think it was in an introduction to a guide book of his.
I'll see if I can find it.

This isn't the quote I was looking for but Rick writes in the 2008 guide:
Budapest is "complicated and challenging... Novices are sometimes overwhelmed..." but I can't find examples of what makes the city complicated etc.

Hmmm... interesting. I've been sitting here trying to decide if I felt Budapest was any more challenging to navigate (in terms of finding sights, eating, choosing lodging, communicating, etc.) and I honestly didn't find it to be any more difficult than being in any foreign country where I didn't speak the native langague. As a matter of fact, we found that most of the locals we encountered could speak at least some degree of English, which made asking for directions, buying train tickets, etc., fairly straightforward. Of course, I'm speaking more toward the usual tourist haunts/areas, and less about getting away from the city center and into neighborhoods in the outskirts. I, too, would be interested to know if anyone out there felt Budapest in particular was a challenge (moreso than, say, Prague, Paris, Rome, etc), as I'm at a loss to explain why Rick would feel compelled to bestow that honor to Budapest.

I never found Budapest anymore challenging than any other major city. Public transit is efficient, easy to use, and goes almost everywhere. The city is laid out as two concentric "ring roads" near the center of the city, with several major "spokes," which makes it easier to keep track of directions. Tourist attractions are well labeled and easily accessible by public transportation. Hungarians are well aware (and proud) of how difficult their language is (my students told me I was better off studying Cambodian); this seems to make them all the more willing to help out. There are nearly always English translations or tours available. Even in restaurants in the main areas of town, there were usually English translations of the menueven if the server didn't speak English, it is easy enough to point to the number next to the dish which correspond to the Hungarian menu. Even so, most people I seemed to encounter were able to speak at least some English and are more than willing to do what they can to help. Maybe because I've always lived in smaller citiesto the point of living in a village of about 3,000 in Eastern Hungary, but Budapest was certainly no more intimidating than any other big city. Regardless of whether I was there or in Chicago or Istanbul, once I realized where I was and the steps to get where I wanted to go, things were easy enough. If nothing else, I wandered until I could see a major landmarkthe castle, Parliament, the Duna to set myself straight. Well now. . . that was significantly longer than I intended. All to say that there is no real problem. But the driving--you're right about the driving. Don't even think about it ;-)

Budapest is a wonderful visit. We didn't find it 'difficult' at all.

We found nothing to be difficult in Budapest. Easy to use the trains and trams, friendly people, great taxi system from the airport, and the food was great. Along with Portugal, this is a very affordable place to visit. We hope to return soon. We liked Budapest better than Prague.

I think Rick is wrong on this one. We didn't find Budapest difficult at all; among other things, their subway system is good and easy to learn.

The only thing "difficult" about my trip to Budapest was dealing with the disappointment that we waited til the last day of being in Budapest to visit the thermal baths. I walked into Szechenyi bath house with rip roaring low back pain that was soaring into my leg and walked out with none. Had I known how awesome the experience was going to be, we would have been there daily on our 4 day trip.