TRIP REPORT - HUNGARY (Aug 2025)

PART 2 of 3

BUDAPEST, Hungary: 4 nights.

Aug 11 (Mon) – DAY 1: We arrived from Seattle via London (Heathrow) on British Airways at 1:10pm and were at our lodging by 2:45pm after riding Airport Express Bus 100E into Budapest.
No ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) was needed for our Heathrow layover BECAUSE both flight legs were on a single ticket (with our check-in luggage booked thru to Budapest) AND we did not pass through UK Border Control – even though we transferred from terminal 5 to 3. We did have to pass through security to reach our departure gate.

Dinner was at 6pm (reserved) at Pörc es Prézli, a 5 min walk from our apt. This restaurant was a worthy one-time introduction to Hungarian cuisine. Most other diners (at least those inside) were also tourists.

Aug 12 (Tue) – DAY 2: Leaving our apt at 9:30am we rode the M2 subway to the 10am 45min Parliament tour, joining with our advance-purchase tickets. We enjoyed this popular tour, especially viewing one of the rooms of parliament. Afterwards we lunched and then walked back to our apt via most of the Rick Steves Leopold Town Walk; descending to the 1956 Memorial was especially interesting as it was located inside one of the Parliament’s former cooling tunnels.

Using advance-purchase tickets, from 3pm we joined a 1 hour tour of the Hungarian State Opera House, where we would attend an opera 2 days hence. This was followed by a 90 min visit to the worthwhile House of Terror Museum.

Aug 13 (Wed) – DAY 3: In the morning we did Rick’s Downtown Pest Walk, ending at the Central Market Hall with its many tourists. Rather than dine there we had an excellent lunch at simple David’s Kitchen, after which we did Rick’s Jewish Quarter Walk.

That evening was an unexpected highlight as the weather was perfect for our table on the small open-air top deck of Danube Candlelit Dinner Cruise on Legenda City Cruises. As we had been the first to reserve (2 months earlier) we were assigned the most private table, and were grateful to NOT be on the covered bottom deck. This 2.5 hour cruise provided wonderful nighttime views of the Parliament building and other Budapest sites along the river, and the surprisingly good food/wine exceeded our modest expectations.

Aug 14 (Thu) – DAY 4: We left our apt at 9:30am and walked from St. István’s Basilica across the Chain Bridge via the remaining stops of Rick’s Leopold Town Walk, and then caught bus 16 to Castle Hill. Ticket checkers came aboard and caught a tourist family who had inadvertently not validated their tickets. (We also saw this happen another time.) Given my obvious +65 age I wasn’t checked, but my wife had to show her (paper) Budapest Pass.

PART 3 of 3

We did most of Rick’s Castle Hill Walk; due to much construction of buildings and monuments there were some detours. Avoiding all the crowded and pricy restaurants, we had a simple lunch on the uncrowded 2nd floor café of the tiny Prima supermarket.

Next we took the elevator down to take the historically interesting (from WW2 and Cold War perspectives) 1 hour Hospital and Atom Bunker Museum tour; afterwards we bussed back to our apt.

At 7pm we attended a 2.5 hour performance of the opera Don Pasquale at the Hungarian State Opera House, splurging months earlier for a 2nd floor balcony box. Brief report rich with responses is posted on the Forum: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/attire-at-hungarian-state-opera-house-quick-report

EGER, Hungary: 1 night

Aug 15 (Fri): Leaving the Budapest apt for the last time at 9:20am, we caught a 10am Eger-bound train at Budapest-Keleti train station, arriving at 11:52am (No assigned seating). I purchased my wife’s ticket on the MAV (Hungarian Railways) website 2 months earlier. (Being +65 I rode for free.)

Unlike Budapest, I needed some cash in Eger because we used taxis a few times and though I could pay the fare by credit card the tip had to be in cash; cash was also needed for the Eger farmer’s market. As for summoning a taxi, the Eger City Taxi App simply wouldn’t work; I also tried calling Eger City Taxi, but as I don’t speak Hungarian was unsuccessful. Helpfully, either our hotel or the winery we visited called on our behalf for the few times we needed a taxi.

We were checked in for our one-night stay at exceptional-breakfast Margaréta Vendégház after a short taxi ride, followed by lunch in Dobó István Square after a 10 min walk. Post-lunch we strolled about, including doing Rick’s Eger Town Walk in reverse.

Our main reason for visiting Eger was wine, and it had taken a few months to arrange for us to join a paired wine dinner by Thummerer Winery – a highlight of this European trip. At 5:25pm We left our hotel by taxi for the 20 min ride to Thummerer’s guest house, Magtar Fogado. Hosted by Eva Thummerer for long-time Hungarian customers, the dinner began at 6pm and ended at 9:30. As we were the only non-Magyar speakers, before dinner Eva wrote out the menu for us by hand and explained the dishes in English. The dinner consisted of dishes found in old Hungarian cookbooks, sometimes using substitute ingredients; each dish was paired with generous pours of two wines so we diners could compare. It was an outstanding dinner and a precious experience.

Aug 16 (Sat): Before breakfast we picked up train provisions at excellent and friendly Lipoti Bakery (sandwiches and pastries) and at the cash-only flourishing Eger farmer’s market (fruit). After our best-ever hotel breakfast, we left Eger on a 10:08am train for Vienna, Austria.

Vienna trip report starts here.

Nice report. I visited Budapest in Nov 2016 to see a young family I know from my area of the US who was living there. It was a quick trip. I think I was in Budapest only 3-4 nights and then back to the US. I took a checked bag full of stuff from the US to the family. It was November, so no 90 degree weather.

Things that stick out in my memory: The Terror Museum, a Context Travel Communism tour, Parliament lit up at night. Really... the whole city lit up at night. Castle Hill was also quite interesting.

I read a book about the 1956 Budapest Uprising before going on the trip. I remember walking to church on Sunday morning, looking to my left, and seeing a movie theater that looked familiar. I quickly realized that it was the theater in which students held up during the Uprising. I was walking with my buddy, and I said, "That's the theater the students held up in!" We crossed the street, and there were memorials all around the building. It was a cool find.

I always enjoy your reports. Thanks for taking the time to write them.

And i am certainly happy you enjoyed my little temporary corner of the world.

I'm glad you had a good trip and that my TR was helpful!