Travel Tips to Budapest: What guides books will never tell you

Guide books and tourism sites tend share select information to create the desire to travel and make you spend more to experience the city, but they seldom talk about the tourist traps or tips on how to get under the skin of the city and still keep it funny, interesting and cheap. If your home currency is stronger than the currency of the country you are traveling to then you quickly stop converting and tend to loosen your purse strings. But did you know that by being smart, wise and economical, irrespective of the valuation of your home currency you can save enough to book yourself on another trip? 

Budapest International airport is named after their famous musician Liszt Ferenc, but is it possible to explore the city for a song? Here are a few pointers to remember if you are traveling to Budapest. 

Best place to change money

Though Budapest is part of the EU, it has its own currency: Forint (1Euro is approximately 310FT). When you exit the terminal you will have money-changers entice you with boards that claim "no commission", but in reality the commission is only 0.5% of the FT value. You don't know this until you change money in the city. So, change a small portion of your cash that will get you to the city (1500 FT) and once you are in the city look around for good rates. Also, change little by little to protect yourself against volatility and remember that Hungarian FT is cheap and cannot be used outside of the country. 

Cheapest way to get to city center

Budapest proposes convenient transportation options, where trams, buses and underground rails are integrated to give you a seamless travel experience. When I searched online and looked at guides no one gave me clear picture on how to get to the city center. Cabs cost you anywhere between 24-30 euros, and I found a cheaper way to travel to the city center at one-fifth the cost. How?

The Budapest one-day travel pass costs 1450 FT and is valid for unlimited travel from the time of purchase and you can simply use this to travel from the airport to city center. The Bus 200E from the airport (just outside the terminal) gets you to Kóbánya Kispest and metro line 3 gets you to the center of the city in less than 30 minutes. But before you leave the airport, don't forget to pick-up a free city map at the airport. Once you arrive in the city, you can use the travel pass for a day to wander within the city, but beware that metros don't operate after 11.40PM.

Walk and discover the city

These bus trips are ideal for elderly folks, people with kids and people who can't read a map or when there is a bad weather. I was approached a half-dozen times by their staffs at popular spots to buy a pass (6000 FT/20 Euros 48 hours valid for 48 hours) and in fact he even offered me a discount and asked me to pay 5000 FT. But if you are a history and architecture buff, you must politely decline this offer and walk around to discover the beauty and neglected beauty of this city (thanks to the communists who ruled Budapest for 60 years).

On foot you discover various styles of architecture in the city: Barroc, Byzantine, Gothic, Roman, Renaissance, Neo-gothic, Florentine, etc. that reminds you of Florence, Rome, Vienna, Paris, Prague, and Barcelona. The city is truly the meeting point of the West and East, more so than Istanbul. Budapest remains untouched by many tourists and many of its architectural marvels continues be under neglect, and if uncared for this would soon become a city of ruins.

Navigate tourist traps at Turkish baths and therms

Hungary is home to some of the best spas in the world, thanks to natural thermal springs that come along with medicinal value. Winter temperatures are normally 15 deg C below zero and baths can be a best way to enjoy the winter and feel pampered.

There are a dozen spas recommended in guide books, and most of them are tourist friendly in terms of the packages and services they offer. I preferred going to Sźechenyi Furdo on the East side of the city. The bath is situated in a park area (Bois de-la-ville) which is houses a zoo, museum and a castle and metro line 1 takes you there in no time.

So, are these spas touristy and expensive?

The staff at the bath may convince you to go for their basic package for 45 Euros, but politely decline and just pay the basic entry fee and rent a cabin. I recommend that you go to the bath in the morning (8.30 am); if you arrive late you may not get the cabins to store your clothes. Don’t forget to pack a towel, bathing suit/swim trunks, a sandwich and a bottle of water with you.

The architecture at this baths will stay with you lot longer than the medicinal value. Once you exit the bath, you can soak yourself in nature at the back of the castle, a spot rarely explored by tourist and return home by sunset. This location also doubles up as also a nice picnic spot, and a peaceful place to read and ruminate.

How to eat cheap and healthy?

Restaurants and cafes proudly boast their Trip Advisor awards, and people with money blindly follow the advice of guide books, but no experiences are guaranteed. Luckily, Budapest is still cheap compared to other European cities and nevertheless, you can count their pennies and stretch your notes.  But is it possible to eat cheap and healthy at the same time?

As recommended by the Michelin guide, I ventured to Cafe Vian and the first experience was good. And on the second visit the terrance was full and waiters weren’t willing find us a seat inside. Disappointed with their service, I discovered another restaurant across from Café Vian that wasn’t mentioned in the guide book, but I was surprised with their Hungarian Cold Cherry Soup (here is the recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013699-cold-cherry-soup), though their Porcini Pasta was dry, but they quickly brought me a cup of white sauce.

As marketed in the guide, I also tested the Central Market Hall (outside at Fovam Ter metro) for lunch, where I enjoyed a fresh salad and homemade lemonade alongside live music by local gypsies for 1500 FT. The rip-off of breakfast place award goes to New York Cafe near Blaha Lujta Ter. Breakfast at this museum style café comes at a steep price of 7500 FT, where canned fruits are a part of the breakfast spread. So, you now know how not to spend.

Never fall for free breakfasts while booking your hotels or pay upfront for expensive breakfast because you never know the quality. Bakeries in Budapest offer you healthy breakfast for less than 700 FT (croissant, coffee and Yogurt). Spar, a local grocery chain offers fresh fruits, salads, yogurt, varieties of breads and decent wine that you can buy and choose a park from a half-a-dozen in the city to organize your lunch/dinner picnics.

You now know how it is possible to travel in Budapest for a song, and stretch your money to travel another country in Europe. And if you have more ideas and experiences to share, don’t feel shy to leave your comments below.