Top Hungary hotels
Sponsored Links
They will heap you with enourmous meals, enormous bill and enormous insults. Somehow the tourists find this place interesting because they serve meals in an old fashioned cast iron pan. The waiters and the service is extremely unfriendly and impolite- so who needs this when there are so many other places to enjoy in Budapest. You are better off at a good 'BecsiSzelet' Restaurant, see my tip in the restaurant section.
Corruption is common in Hungary. It happened to us several times that in spite of having valid train tickets we were told on the train by the ticket inspector that "the tickets were not valid and she/he would make us pay the fine"... Of course, if we had paid the fine, it would have landed in the inspector's pocket....But we did not pay and insisted that the ticket was valid.Beware of this, especially if you do not speak Hungarian, as soon as they find out you are a foreigner, they will try to exploit you.Not only foreigners fall into these traps, some of the less assertive Hungarians become victims too... Avoid travel by trains in Hungary, if you can.
In Budapest if you don't ask for your change you often won't get it.. Make sure you always ask if you get change before you purchase something.. The bus is the worst. They will only accept the exact change.. The easy way to combat this is to always carry lots of low demonination coins and notes as to always have 'schraps' to pay for things with the exact change.
I visited it for the first time in 22/7/2008 .. however I got cheated 550 Euros and 40,000 fohrin. I went to the park at the end of the Elizabeth bridge (opposite citadel) at 9.30am 22/07/2008 ... there is a "greek" tourist greet me and ask where I came from (he speak very fluent english), then he said he had walked for 1 hour and couldn't find a money changer .. he took out some euro from his wallet .. before I managed to answer him anything, a "local cop" arrived with some broken english and showed his "ID". he said "No exchange money in street, many fake money" ... he asked passport from the "greek" tourist ... after that he want to see my passport. Then he asked to check the money from the "greek" tourist. He check all the money carefully .. then he asked to check my money ... I didn't take out, but he keep on asking ... I got paniced and I took 140,000 F from my wallet, he just...
The tickets to/from Hungary bought overseas cost 3-4 times more than in Hungary. Besides there are numerous local discounts. stamp the train tickets bought overseas at the station invalidating them. Often it is better to get a hit and pay 15% penalty for returning unused ticket or railpass than to use it!Buy tickets locally afterwards. Ask on VT or while you in Hungary the locals about the discounts. Recently a traveler was quoted a schocking £33 one-way for Budapest-Vienna, when a round-trip bought locally would be a mere 29 Euro, including the 4-day local transportation pass in Vienna! Traveling with kids is esp. very discounted.
Don't fall for the "find the card" trick performed by professional money relievers stationed on various corners in the touristic parts of Budapest. I was only there for one full day. The best bang for your buck is a paid tour where your ride around on open-air buses, stopping for pictures at historical locals. Stay longer.
There is an everyday-scam in Hungary involving Hungarian ticket conductors on prime international trains. Most of the time foreign tourists are targeted. The scam is going on unpunished and silently encouraged since mid-60-s.The legal base for this scam: the REGULAR Hungarian international train tickets are MUCH more expensive than domestic ones for the same distance. This kind of ripp-off tarif is a common practice used in all "Socialist" countries: the few who are allowed to travel in the "West" as well as few West-Dollar-Toursts who are allowed in, pay much more than the "worker's class" for the same service.Years went on, but the practice is still there. Without exception, all railways of ex-(or present) Socialist countries use it. But: it is nowhere enforced, except Hungary. In other words, a travler in China, Slovenia or Russia is free to buy the least expensive ticket for the...
If you ride through Hungary by train the risk of meeting a corrupt conducter is high. Insist that you have the right ticket.Ask for a second conducter. If you have luck the second conducter is correct.If you are unlucky don't be nervous.Insist that you have the right ticket.If they say you have to get off the next station not be nervous.The same if they want to call the police.You are right. They are wrong. Use the bus. It has the same price and you don`t have the risk.
If you want to change Forint be careful.Some exchangers give you a better rate .At the end they take a service charge.If you have given them the money they won't take it back. Alway ask before you change. Sometimes there is only a short information. You ATM. There you will get a good exchange rate.The service charge depends on your bank.
In many countries the taxi mafia is active,If they see a tourist they see the dollars and try to cheat you.So don't be naiv, Get a feeling for the right price by asking other people.Always ask for the price before you get off.Always look what the driver does if he uses the taxameter.In Hungary they have sometimes a manipulated taxameter.If you drive by day be sure that he doesn't use the night tarif. Get off if you recognize there is something wrong.Pay and try to do better next time. Use public transport.
Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal Budapest
6 Reviews and 1653 Opinions Was booked in here as part of Insight tours, would recommend to the non-budget traveller
Hotel Palatinus Pecs
10 Reviews and 42 Opinions I used to work in the hospitality industry, so this is my professional opinion, but I did have...
Hotel Roz Szentendre
4 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Hungary attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Hungary sightseeing.
More Regions in Hungary
Q: Dear Travelers friends:-00! I'm now enrolled as a student in Vienna University and I'm about to come for 1 semester praktikum to...
A: something that you should considder in your case: Go to WGKK and ask for a paper stating that you had an insurance there already for some time. Otherwise it might happen...
Read 2 Replies
Sponsored Links
