Budapest

[Nobody Soup]

ok, I noticed Zetic wasn't going to make a Berlin thread so I think I'll sneak in and make one about Budapest. I'm going at the end of September for a 4 days, wanted longer and wanted it to be over a weekend but work has been a pain this year with holidays so this is all we can manage.

anyway because we're on limited time I don't want to spend the whole four days going to art galleries and attractions, I'd like to do the must sees and try some other unusual stuff. think we're going to rent an apartment rather than book a hotel too so any ideas where the best place to stay is, preferably somewhere with good transport links but with it's own little cafe and pub scene near by but with nice surrounding arcitecture. I stayed in montmatre when I was in paris and it was ideal as it was more about the cafes and pubs and stuff and the sacre couer was nearby and it made it seem quite special and it didn't bother me hopping on a metro to go to all the places tourists go.

just general tips and stuff would be great. or have we made a terrible mistake and it's horrible (I know it's not, everyone I know that's been has said it's wonderful).

[thugler]

Go to the massive steam bath place, it's mad, the size of a huge swimming pool and when we went there was a band playing and a bar. There's odd smelling baths inside as well which are lovely.

[Ronnie the Raincoat]

I'm going too next week!

[Nobody Soup]

I'm going too next week!

make a mental not to bump this thread and tell me all the good stuff. I'm quite excited having just booked the tickets.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Ill be in Budapest Sunday to Wednesday.

-Szechenyi Public Baths -simply one of the best experiences
-New York Café
-Fishermans Bastion
-The islands
-Ruin Bars. Ruin Bars. RUIN BARS
-Porkolt not Gulyas
-Try the river fish they are delicious
-Take the yellow route on the metro for the glorious victorian/steampunk mass transit
-House of terror (if only to tap into the nationa psyche)

I havent been to Rudas baths yet, taken the funicular, the market, communist sculpture park, and plenty of undiscovered ruin bars.

Then I'm off to Keszthely, Varazdin, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Bled, Koper and Trieste.

Going to be an amazing two weeks

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Go to the massive steam bath place, it's mad, the size of a huge swimming pool and when we went there was a band playing and a bar. There's odd smelling baths inside as well which are lovely.

Do what he says

[Nobody Soup]

yeah, jealous of it being 2 weeks, sometimes with city breaks you think over 5 days is pushing it but everyone I've spoken to says it's not nearly enough time with budapest, would have been quite happy with 7-10 days. annoyingly as well because the flights are the real expense, once we're there the places we're looking at staying are cheap as chips.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

It impressed me most through it's sheer obvious importance but also through being unique architecturally. It's such a blend of styles. In terms of size and breadth it rarely creates what I'd describe as picturesque views, yet wherever youre stood theres always something odd or fascinating in view. Ornate but not quite gothic or baroque. This weird detailed, slightly gnarled brown everywhere.

Also

-Szimpla Kert
My favourite bar in the world. Please go.

[the science eel]

Yeah - there's a style that's theirs alone, sort of borderline-kitschy. That, combined with the lingo (easily the most difficult in Europe) gives the place a really appealing, odd feel. And those very very wide, very very straight boulevards, trams trundling up and down. Exciting.

And the Hungarians are the friendliest of the old Eastern Bloc nations.


GO:

Gellert Baths
Heroes Square
Cafe Muvesz (the best coffee and cakes place I've ever visited) - http://muveszkavehaz.hu/
Cafe Gerbeaud
Statue Park
House of Terror (see the film about Imre Nagy - it made me weep)


I can't be arsed to check if this is still true, but the old Commie street signs were still there in some places and all they've done is crossed out the old names with red paint and put the new ones below. So you see 'Lenin Boulevard' ('Lenin krt.') with a thick red slash through it, for example.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Seriously though- RUIN BARS

http://weloveruinpubs.com/take-a-look-at-the-booklet

http://ruinpubs.com/

First link looks a bit lager loutish but that is a genuinely good deal and most of the places are like funky gardens built in derelict buildings, stocked to the brim with bric-a-brac and graffitii with people just chilling out- some of them turn into clubs later on in the night- much later- which is a little irrelevant as those coupons are only good until 11pm.

I've been to Szimpla, Ankert, Instant and some others I can't put a name too. They were all great. It seems as though- slowly- this sort of thing is catching on in the United Kingdom. I went to a couple of places in London which weren't anywhere near as daring but were giving it a go. Belgrave Music Hall and Trinity Kitchen in Leeds have an eye for it as well- albeit with another eye on being a british media cunt.

Go to some. The atmosphere is universally friendly, laid back and inclusive.

[Nobody Soup]

yeah, the ruin bars is what I've been told about a lot, (we're partly going because my girlfriends parents are obsessed with  budapest so we're going to meet them out there) our apartment is on the same street as that first pub. I don't want to spend the entire time minced out my bin but I probably will.

[small_world]

Yeah man, one of these threads I can involve myself in.
Went on a visit there for work (fucking some whores).

Budapest is a fantastic two cities.
Ruin Bars are a fucking nightmare if you like a drink. Brilliant places. We ended up in this massive one, no idea what it was called, but they had a wine cellar/store room (all I remember was crates) and people were drinking in it. It was like the place the barmen went for wine. But everyone was in there. Bit like a kitchen at a party.

Architecture is amazing. Loads of little things that seem out of place, bit like a toned down Portmeirion, but on a large scale.
It was my first time there and while I've always wanted to do a tour or even canoe down the Danube, and while I know a bit about the history, it's still hard to combine the fact that this is a city in an Eastern European country with the fact that it used to be the fucking centre of Europe.

The river fish is great.
For me, I love spice and they do this dish, it's like a hot (spicy, but a nice warm spice) soup. Fucking fantastic.

Also, Befsztyk tatarski (I'm sure that's wrong, Shoulders'?) Steak tartare, but I don't know, it was proper cheap and fucking fantastic.

What a place.

Oh, and a big shout out to the girls.
Take plenty of money! Sexy time.

[Pit-Pat]

I went to Trap Budapest (Trap stands for Team Race Against Puzzles apparently) when I went recently. It's almost like a Crystal Maze type thing to solve in a group. It's great fun and doesn't feel like a stupid touristy thing but like something put together by people with real imagination and craftsmanship.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Awesome! That looks ace!

[poo]

Budapest? More like anal pest - eh sex tourists??!!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Fisherman's Bastion in Buda is the place to go for any scenic smooching



You do get the best views of the city up there, and that bit is free, although I think you have to pooey shitty pay money to access the whole of it.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Assess your bathing options:

http://visitbudapest.travel/activities/budapest-baths/

The great thing about Hungarian bathing culture is how it is a social event rather than the grim congested slog off idiots with inflatables and supersrs lane swimmers that populate English leisure centres.

The old and the young are all there chilling out in their usual haunts and generally not being knobheads. At Szechenyi the old guys sit around in the pool playing chess and turning into prunes, the young go into the saunas and sit around in the indoor pools shooting the breeze. It instantly gave the impression of habitual familiarity. Just before I went I was reading In Praise of Older Women by Stephen Vizinczey, which has several scenes as he's growing up set in the Budapest baths.

Vinnie 01 will be interested in the victorian swirly wave thingy at Szchenyi bath:



Pulses of water drag you into that horseshoe and the momentum pulls you all the way around, in a rather stately fashion. It's fun and also classy. If you're a fan of accidentally groping bottoms and boobies involuntarily (who isn't) I would recommend it as that's what tends to happen.

It's about 8 pounds to get in,-that's for however long you like, so may as well make an afternoon of it.

[Hank Venture]

I went to Trap Budapest (Trap stands for Team Race Against Puzzles apparently) when I went recently. It's almost like a Crystal Maze type thing to solve in a group. It's great fun and doesn't feel like a stupid touristy thing but like something put together by people with real imagination and craftsmanship.

Flipping heck, that looks like the best thing ever.

[Nobody Soup]

doing that.

[Pit-Pat]

You won't regret it! We were only there a few days and we decided to go back to do the Ancient Egypt one having done the Medieval one.

Apparently you can do these things all over Europe now, and even in London in Kings Cross. The UK one is, predictably, extremely expensive though.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Szechenyi baths were amazing this afternoon.

I usually find saunas unpleasant but decided to ride out the first few minutes and found it quite pleasant. A dip in the 20 degrees pool after sorted it all out.

It's such a good experience and leaves you with a inside out feeling of relaxation and you can't beat that on holiday. Plus breasts and bums lads, tanned breasts and bums. Don't get that in fucking Doncaster do you?

New York Cafe earlier, it was beautiful in there. I've been here less than 24 hours and it's going very well.

Going out for porkolt in a while!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

http://www.lathatatlan.hu/en/where-to-go/

The Invisible Experience - please please try this if youre in Budapest.

You are placed in the dark with five other visitors and can only rely on your other senses to navigate. The guide is a young blind girl who largely leaves you to it. It isn't just dark. It is black. You see nothing from beginning to end.

The experience is intense and frequently found myself verging on panicking. The rooms are all a lot different and its not safe- if you arent very careful you will bang your head or your legs or into the others. This doesn't sound great but yet here I find myself strongly recommending it. To gain perspective on blindness, to have all light shut out creates an intimacy and co-dependency between you all and it really restores your faith in human nature.

The guide, who I am a little bit in love with, strikes just the right tone and is unbelievably gentle. She took me by the hand during a challenge where we had to cross the road and the sheer black space and loss of bearings became overwhelming. I felt helpless and there was no judging, just a delicate rescue.

It also ends in a pub so you have a beer in the dark and talk about the experience. It was hard to call it enjoyable, but it was deeply enriching and valuable and the sort of experience you are poorer for not having done. It's only about four quid.

[small_world]

Failing that, come to the sex clurb with Small_World and have a bosh in the dark room.

[Tairy_Green]

http://www.lathatatlan.hu/en/where-to-go/

The Invisible Experience - please please try this if youre in Budapest.

We did this today, I think with the same guide you had. Absolutely amazing, thank you so much for the recommendation. I acheived a weird sensation of serenity about five minutes in, the tour guide was open, honest and wonderful and it was an amazing off-tourist trap experience.

I look forward to the opening of a London franchise.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yay! Pleased to read you got something similar out of it.

Im in Varazdin, Croatia now so that ends all useful info about Budapest. Would've tried more ruin bars but was struck down with trapped wind and that meant a painful early night.

[the science eel]

I'm moving there on Saturday.

Hope rents are reasonable.

[Trojan_Jockey]

It's worth going to "The House of Terror". It used to be the headquarters of the Gestapo after Germany invaded in WW2. When the Russians moved in and took it over it became the headquarters of the Communist secret police. Quite a grim place, they used to torture and murder people in the cells in the basement, but fascinating if you like modern history. Spoiler: You might not enjoy it if you think communism is good idea.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I'm moving there on Saturday.

Hope rents are reasonable.

Wow! Yes apparently among the cheapest city centre rents but if you're on a Hungarian salary you may find it worth compromising..

Huge two bed apartments slap bang in the centre of the capital for 700-800 quid a month.

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

Anyone know what the weather is usually like in late October?

[Paul Calf]

It's worth going to "The House of Terror". It used to be the headquarters of the Gestapo after Germany invaded in WW2. When the Russians moved in and took it over it became the headquarters of the Communist secret police. Quite a grim place, they used to torture and murder people in the cells in the basement, but fascinating if you like modern history. Spoiler: You might not enjoy it if you think communism is good idea.

I'll second this. It's really grim, though, so go for a strong drink nearby afterwards.

About 30 rooms full of communist atrocities, one room of Nazi exhibits.