I'm thinking about taking an 10-12 day trip there this December and staying with a friend? How is it there, any suggestions on where specifically to visit? Is it fairly safe?
I'm thinking about taking an 10-12 day trip there this December and staying with a friend? How is it there, any suggestions on where specifically to visit? Is it fairly safe?
ignore the link. sorry.
I spent a 3 day weekend there while on overseas deployment in 1992/93. I couldn't recall what was worth visiting. I remember there were some cool art galleries, fancy old churches with more art, good food (dinner happens late at night like in much of southern Europe) and good beer. I vaguely remember visiting some underground bunker/tunnel complex built and used by the Nazis, which was interesting. The city is the result of the amalgmation of two cities on either side of the river - Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht).
I just emptied the Budapest section of my brain, that's all I got.
As for safety, ask more people, but I know I never felt unsafe as a single guy, even late at night/early morning walking back to the room.
I stayed there for about 4 days during a backpacking trip in 2001 and had a great time. It was really cheap and the city is very nice aesthetically...a lot of old structures kept in good shape and nice bridges over the river separating the two "cities." There's a decent park for running also, if you wanted to. People were really nice and I never felt unsafe - but then again I am from Atlanta, so it's all relative. I would recommend it.
I spent a semester there, in December you can expect there to be snow, so if you're into skiing or other winter sports there are places to do that. As far as attractions, the open markets are pretty cool to visit where they sell all kinds of food and cheap but nice souvenirs (Vásárcsarnok, the central market). There's also the Fisherman's Bastion (Buda) and Hősök Tere (Pest) for sightseeing, and you can take this lift thing up the side of the mountain (forgot what it's called) near the Bastion. Finally, if you want some open space try Margitsziget (Margaret Island) or take the 21 Black bus in Buda all the way to the top to walk around some trails and enjoy a nice skyline view of the city.
You'll want to get a short term metro/bus pass, even if you have access to a car. They're really cheap and quite useful (gas is fairly expensive). Overall the city is pretty safe, although you'll see some poverty and begging in the city centers, so if you don't wanna get pestered don't dress too nice and avoid staring at people. Lots of people smoke too.