Things to do and things to avoid in Hungary for tourists
The website Lonely Planet has collected some good advice for those planning their trip to Hungary, especially Budapest. Before visiting Budapest, you should read this list of things to do – and things to avoid.
Learn a few words in Hungarian
Before you travel to Hungary, you might want to learn a few Hungarian expressions. If you know how to say “hello” and “cheers”, you will automatically be more liked by the locals. However, watch out for pronunciation. As The Lonely Planet points out, you can easily mess up the pronunciation of the word “egészségedre”. Make sure you get the accent right on the “é” in “egészségedre” (“egg-ees-sheeg-ed-re”), and don’t accidentally say “egészsegedre” (“egg-ess-shegg-ed-re”). The first means “to your health,” but the other is “to your whole ass.”
Read our article where we have collected some basic expressions if you want to start learning Hungarian.
Pack your own things if you visit a bath in Budapest
Budapest is full of beautiful historic thermal baths, so once you are in the Hungarian capital, you should definitely pay a visit to one. However, look out for the high prices. If you rent a towel and sandals, each could cost HUF 5000 (EUR 13,44). Therefore, if you want to avoid these exra costs, you might want to pack your own things when going to a bath. In addition, in Hungarian bathhouse pools, swimming caps are mandatory. This rule is important to prevent the pools from stray hairs clogging the pool drains.
Use transport and taxi apps for travelling
The Hungarian capital is famous for its exellent public transportation, and you can easily navigate with the help of the BKK app. You can discover the schedules and routes of the buses, trams, metro lines and trolley buses in the app. Moreover, if you prefer the taxi, it is also worth downloading one of the taxi apps, such as Bolt. Usually, locals do not hail taxis but use the app to call one. Once you have ordered your taxi via the app, it will be there within a few minutes.
Book museum tickets in advance
It is true for most big cities that are popular with tourists that it does not hurt to buy tickets for popular museums in advance, even online, especially during peak season. It pays off to buy tickets for the most famous museums in advance, beacuse you will not have to stand in line. The most popular museums and exhibitons in Hungary include the Hungarian National Museum, Hungarian National Gallery, Museum of Applied Arts, Hall of Art. If you are looking for more unique museums in Budapest, here is a list for you.
Avoid these areas in Budapest
Although Budapest is one of the safest cities, and was even voted Europe’s second-safest destination for women, there are some neighbourhoods you should avoid. The first are you should avoid is Hero Street in Budapest’s 10th district (Kőbánya). The horror district of Hős Street is one of the most frightening examples of slums in Budapest, with an extremely high crime rate. Next, if you want some peace and quiet, we recommend staying away from the party districts that are found in the 6th and 7th districts. In addition, during the night, you should be extremely careful or even avoid underpasses (if possible) and choose another more visible and adequately lit way to get home.
The worst underpasses at night are 14th district’s Örs vezér Square, at Kelenföld Station (11th district), Blaha Lujza underpass (7th district) and Nyugati Station (6th district).
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