Know before you go : Budapest Edition

In this article, I’ll make an overview of everything useful to know before going to Budapest, including some travel tips.

You’ll find : 

Hungary is a landlocked country located in Southeast Europe. It shares borders with 7 countries : Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Slovenia and Croatia.

The capital is Budapest, and the largest city in Hungary as well. The city is located inland, in the north-central part of the country. Budapest is situated on both banks of the Danube, at the foot of the Buda hills.

The city covers 525km² and Budapest’s population is around 1,78 million.

The best time to visit Budapest would be on the shoulders seasons, so either in Mars-June or September-October.

We went in mid-February and it was a cold (8 to 12°C) but absolutely beautiful weather ! I would not recommend trying to come in November-December as it gets quite cold but above all it’s rainy and gloomy.

The currency in Hungary is the Forint (HUF) and the current exchange rate (February 2024) is 1 HUF equals 0.0025 € (to give you an example, a very good burger in a nice restaurant costs 3990 HUF, which is around 10€).

Most restaurants, bars and museums accept the card for paiements.

The prices for restaurants vary depending if you go to touristy areas or more local places, but overall it’s not expensive : we tried different types of restaurant and cuisine and the most expensive was something around 20-25€ per person for a main dish and dessert. But if you want to spend less you can definitely have a nice meal for 5-10€.

Regarding the places to visit such as the various monuments or the different churches, the entrance was less cheap : 15 for Parliament, 27€ for the Synagogue, 9€ for the National Museum, and around 30€ for the thermal baths.

Regarding accomodations, you can find most Airbnb / hotels in downtown Budapest around 50€ per night for two people.

Clothing : I would suggest packing something for the cold because even in June it can be as cool as 15 degrees in the evening or early morning.

Adapter: Hungary uses Type C and F power outlets, like most European countries. Travelers from outside Europe will need a plug adapter. A power bank is also handy for keeping your devices charged during a long day of exploration !

There’s a lot to bring back from Budapest !

Food : First of all, paprika is to be found everywhere, as well as every paprika-derived product you can think of.

For a sweet treat you can buy the renowned Stühmer chocolate, or if you are on the savoury team, you can buy instead the Hungarian sausage. They can be made from different types of meat, but most importantly – you guessed it – paprika.

Drinks : Alcohol-wise, you can bring back Pálinka (fruit brandy), Unicum (herbal liquor), or even Tokaji, a famous Hungarian white wine.

Traditional items : Hungarian dolls are world-famous and you’ll even find some at the Central Market hall, among all the embroidery, traditional clothes and other typical souvenirs.

The official language is Hungarian (it is written using the latin alphabet), however you can manage in English.

But here are a few words you can use :

Hello : szia [see-ah]

Thank you : köszönöm [kur-sur-nurm]

You’re welcome : szívesen [see-vesh-en]

I understand / I don’t understand : Értem / Nem értem [(Nem) ér-tem]

Sorry :  Elnézést [El-né-zést.]

My name is… : a nevem… [ah nev-em..]

Yes / No : igen [ee-gen] / nem [nem]

As we came from France, our mobile plan included internet and calls in Hungary.

However if you need to buy one upon arrival, Vettel has great options available for tourists and it’s not expensive at all : for 3,8€ (1500 HUF) you get 3GB and 3000 HUF worth of voice credit.

If you are planning on visiting only Budapest, you absolutely don’t need a car. But if you plan to visit more of Hungary, I suggest booking one in advance.

Now we personally did not rent a car, but if you do, I recommend booking via Kayak or RentalCars. I find it to be the best comparative tool for booking a car abroad.

There’s a lot of things to see in Budapest ! You can spend a day in visiting Buda, another day Pest, if you have even more time you can discover the countryside…You won’t be bored a second !

Here’s a list of the best things to do in Budapest :

That’s it for my Budapest travel tips ! To have a lot more information and pictures about these places, you can read my ultimate Budapest itinerary.

I have also made a detailed post about the food specialties to try out in Budapest.