Budapest Tourist Guide

Creating Budapest Tourist Guide kept Erzsebet Dobos from having to return to work as an environmental engineer when it was time to put her son in nursery school.

WhyVancouver would like to thank Erzsebet for sharing her journey with us in this interview and providing some great information about Budapest Hungary.

WhyVancouver.com: Please tell our readers a little about yourself and what inspired you to create Budapest Hungary Travel Guide?

Erzsebet: My name is Erzsebet Dobos and I live in Budapest, Hungary with my husband and 5-year old son. After a couple of months my son was born I decided to search for work at home /online business opportunities. That’s how I found SBI in June 2005. I read the case studies, browsed the SBI forums in order to gather as much information as possible about Site Build It! to find out whether I could build a profitable website using it. I discussed it with my husband and we decided that it was worth a try. I especially liked the SBI success stories about travel websites and since we’d been living in Budapest for a couple of years at that time I’d thought that a site about Budapest was a great idea.

I love this city with all of its quirkiness so I thought that writing about it won’t get boring. And there are the added bonuses: going for long walks in the inner city to take photos for future articles, testing coffee houses and restaurants. I enjoy being a tourist in our capital city.

It wasn’t easy in the first weeks-months though. Reading all that information, trying to create a structure for the site, researching and writing articles were quite overwhelming. But luckily we didn’t give up even if we hadn’t seen any monetary results in the first months.

I like to work from home because it gives me flexibility in organizing my days (taking my son to nursery school, staying home with him if he gets sick, doing household errands, etc.). That’s why in 2007 I decided not to go back to work but work at home full time.

WhyVancouver.com: Share some tips with us about Budapest that someone wouldn’t normally know about the city or Hungary? (Unless of course they were on your site!)?

Erzsebet: Budapest consists of two very different city parts divided by the Danube: Buda and Pest. Buda is calmer with more green areas and the Buda Hills rolling behind the Castle. Pest lies on a flat area and is way busier than Pest with lots shops, restaurants, bars and clubs, but historical and cultural attractions also abound.

One of the practical tips visitors to our site find the most useful is about Budapest’s public transport system: type and price of tickets and passes (they change quite often), where to buy them, how to validate tickets, major public transport services and lines etc. Most parts of the city center are easy to explore by walk especially if one stays in a downtown hotel, but if one plans to visit attractions farther from the center then using the public transport system is highly recommended. So it is a good idea to plan one’s visit to Budapest well to decide what type of ticket/pass to buy.

WhyVancouver.com: While Budapest is a year round vacation destination what is the best season to visit?

Erzsebet: Budapest is surely a year round vacation destination because the city offers a wide range of events and programs in every season. There are many cultural festivals, concerts, wine and gastro events throughout the year. In winter tourists get discounts in hotels (3 for 2 nights) as part of a campaign titled Budapest Winter Invitation launched by the Hungarian Tourist Board. Although the cityscape is not the nicest in winter and it is mostly cold and cloudy there is still a lot to do and see in Budapest. For example a visit to one of the city’s famous thermal baths (Gellért or Széchenyi Spa) is a must. While soaking in the hot healing waters you can admire the beautiful turn-of-the-19-20th centuries architecture.

In my opinion the best season to visit Budapest is either April-May or September-October. In April-May the city isn’t crowded with tourists yet but the weather is already nice and warm. Perfect for sightseeing or a long walk on Margaret Island. In September there are still many tourists but not as many as in July-August and the International Wine and Champagne Festival is held during the first week in Buda Castle.

WhyVancouver.com: What advice can you offer visitors to Budapest about booking various kinds of accommodations and their benefits?

Erzsebet: There are many hotels in Budapest in all star and price categories. For visitors coming to Budapest for 2-3 days a central hotel is the best choice close to all the major sights, restaurants, cafes, and shops. For a longer visit renting an apartment can be a better choice over staying in a hotel. A wide choice of apartments for rent is available both in the centre and in greener parts of the city. Before booking I recommend reading traveler’s reviews on Budapest hotel experiences and doing a price comparison on large booking sites (e.g. Hotelscombined.com) to find the most favorable rates. It is also a good idea to check the official site of the individual hotels because they often offer special discounts and/or packages for various holidays.

WhyVancouver.com: What kind of feedback do you get from visitors to Budapest?

Erzsebet: People often comment on the rich history and culture of Budapest and they appreciate the grand architecture of the city too. Budapest managed to preserve many of its Jewish monuments including the Central Synagogue in Dohány Street which is one of the largest in the world so many Jewish visitors come to the city every year.

The vivid nightlife with so many bars, clubs and pubs is also part of the allure of Budapest.

WhyVancouver.com: What kinds of Hungarian dining and wine selections are available and what's a favorite that you’d recommend?

Erzsebet: Budapest’s restaurant scene is undergoing a revolution and there are many new good-value dining places in the city. For tourists I always recommend trying the Hungarian cuisine and wines. A wine restaurant is the best place for this purpose. The best ones (and our favorites) are Bock Bistro along Grand Boulevard next to the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal (address: Erzsébet körút 43-49 . and the Borbíróság Restaurant at Vámház körút near the Central Market Hall. Both places offer traditional Hungarian dishes and a wide selection of Hungarian wines at reasonable prices.

WhyVancouver.com: What types of activities, special events and sights are there to do and are there any specific tours that you’d recommend visitors to Budapest should take?

Erzsebet: I’ve already mentioned the spas and baths of Budapest. The spas get the water from underground natural springs that are extremely rich in minerals and have healing qualities.

Tickets to museums are fairly inexpensive and there are many interesting temporary exhibitions all the year round.

A boat tour on the Danube with dinner and live music is one of the most pleasant and romantic way of sightseeing in Budapest.

A cheaper alternative to the boat tour is a ride on tram 2 that runs on the Pest Danube bank. The route offers a fine view of Gellért Hill, Buda Castle and the Danube bridges (the route is currently broken into two sections due to the construction of the 4th metro line, hopefully the service will be back to normal by the end of 2010 )

WhyVancouver.com: What memory do you most want people who visit Budapest Hungary and your site Budapest-Tourist-Guide.com (http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.com)to take home with them and if you could sum up Budapest in one phrase, what would that be?

Erzsebet: It would be great if people would remember Budapest as a vibrant, multilayered city with quaint yet modern atmosphere which makes one want to come back. Although “Budapest the Paris of the East” phrase is not my own creation but it perfectly sums up how I and hopefully most visitors feel about the city.

WhyVancouver.com: What would you like our readers to know about the rich history and culture of Budapest?

Erzsebet: During the so-called Golden Ages (approx. from 1873 till 1914) Budapest was a flourishing city comparable to Paris or London. Large-scale building projects were launched and many of the architectural gems of the city were built during that era (Andrássy Avenue, Millennium Underground, Opera House, Parliament, St Stephen’s Basilica). Coffee house culture was an essential part of Budapest at that time. Unfortunately the two world wars and the following communist regime put an end to the heyday of Budapest.

WhyVancouver.com: Any suggestions on the ways to get to around in Budapest and what kind of shopping can visitors expect to find and what about a suggestion or tow of places to shop for various kinds of products?

Erzsebet: I suggest using the extensive and quite efficient public transport system of the city if one wants to do lots of sightseeing. The 3 metro lines and the tram service along the Grand Boulevard (trams 4, 6) are the most important means of public transport for tourists.

For shopping authentic Hungarian souvenirs and non-perishable food stuff (Hungarian paprika, salami, wines) I recommend the Central Market Hall at the Pest end of Liberty Bridge.

Váci Street is a famous pedestrian shopping street of Budapest packed with shops, outlets of international brands, cafes and restaurants, but it is a bit overpriced. It is worth taking a walk in the street since many historic buildings are there, but budget-conscious tourists are better to do their shopping elsewhere in the city (there are several Shopping Centers with countless shops at one place with more favorable prices).

The construction of Fashion Street (Deák Ferenc utca) in the city centre was inspired by London’s Regency Street. The historic buildings were renovated and today give home to shops of famous brands.

Andrássy Avenue with its beautiful historic buildings is also a great place for strolling and shopping.

WhyVancouver.com: Erzsebet, thanks very much for taking the time for this interview about Budapest Hungary and your site.

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