Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Budapest Card
Centre
Light Hungarian beers
Right
Orchestra, Academy of Music
Budapest on a Budget
!
Public Transport
you can eat as much
falafel as you can stuff
into a pitta for around
Ft350.
discounted tickets for
seats with obscured
views for as little as
Ft400. Note that while
your view may be limi-
ted, the sound quality is
superb everywhere in the
auditorium. Also, the cost
of a ticket is far less than
that for a guided tour -
the only other way to see
the inside of the building.
You will save money
and time by purchasing a
booklet of 10 or 20 trans-
port tickets, or a three or
ive-day travel pass, valid
for all Budapest's bus,
tram, metro and HÉV
(suburban train) services,
except the Buda Castle
Funicular. If you stick to
buying single tickets,
public transport can be
fairly expensive.
%
Accommodation
Hostels are your best
option for cheap accom-
modation. A list of some
of the best is on p117.
Short-term apartments
are also a good budget
option
(see p116).
^
Student Travel
(
Concerts
Classical concerts are
cheap, as subsidies keep
prices low. The Academy
of Music Liszt Ferenc is
home to the Hungarian
Philharmonic Orchestra,
and concerts can cost as
little as Ft300. The
Budapest Philharmonic
Orchestra, based at the
State Opera House, al so
offers fairly cheap tickets.
@
Budapest Card
Holders of valid
International Student
Cards beneit from reduc-
tions on certain trains.
For international travel
bargains try Vista Café
(see p108)
or Wasteels in
Keleti Station, both spe-
cialists in discount travel.
There are no discounts
for international students
on public transport.
&
Museums
Costing about Ft6,450
for 48 hours and Ft7,950
for 72 hours, this card
offers free travel on all
public transport for the
holder plus one child
under 14. It also allows
free admission to many
museums. Several
restaurants offer dis-
counts to card holders.
#
Beer
)
Clubbing
Even popular clubs
have free entrance on
most weeknights, with
only Thursday, Friday and
Saturday nights command-
ing entry fees. Bahnhof
(see p56)
, next to Nyugati
Station, is free every night
of the week.
If you're looking for
cheap beer, then you've
come to the right place,
though ensure you stick
to local brews, as import-
ed beer is expensive.
Good, local brews seldom
cost more than Ft300 per
bottle or large glass and
include Arany Ászok,
Kőbányai and Dreher.
The entry fee for
most museums, churches
and other institutions is
low enough to suit even
the most penny-pinching
visitor, and the permanent
exhibitions at the big
museums are usually
free. However, many of
these places offer dis-
counts to students who
possess a valid student
ID. Note that entrance to
the Hungarian Parliament
(see pp8-11)
is free for
EU citizens. The thermal
bath houses do not offer
student discounts.
*
Opera
Directory
Youth Hostels
• www.youthhostels.hu
• www.backpackers.hu
• www.mellowmood.
hu
Academy of Music
Liszt Ferenc
• VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 8;
462 46 00 or 462 46 79
$
Food
It is still possible to
eat well and cheaply, but
only just. For a cheap
lunch, try the Kosher
restaurant Hanna
(see
p79),
or one of the
Fornetti sandwich shops.
Also try the falafel bar on
Paulay Ede utca, where
The State Opera
House
(see pp26-7)
offers
When travelling by metro, you will need to buy a new ticket each
time you change lines unless you buy a ticket that allows transfers.
109
