00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page i Budapest & the Best of Hungary 5th Edition by Joseph S. Lieber & Christina Shea with Erzsébet Barát Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s: “Amazingly easy to use. Very portable, very complete.” —Booklist “Detailed, accurate, and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.” —Glamour Magazine “Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.” —Des Moines Sunday Register “Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.” —Knight Ridder Newspapers 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page ii Published by: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright © 2004 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. 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Manufactured in the United States of America 54321 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page iii Contents List of Maps viii What’s New in Budapest & Hungary 1 1 The Best of Budapest 5 1 The Best Little Adventures in 4 The Best Places to Kill an Hour Budapest . .5 in Budapest . .8 2 The Best Places to Enjoy a 5 The Best Experiences Outside Sunset in Budapest . .6 Budapest . .8 3 The Best Off-the-Beaten-Track 6 The Best Hotels in Budapest . .9 Museums . .6 7 The Best Dining Bets in Budapest . .10 2 Planning Your Trip to Budapest 11 1 Visitor Information . .11 8 Planning Your Trip Online . .25 2 Entry Requirements & Customs . .11 Frommers.com: The Complete 3 Money . .13 Travel Resource . .27 The Hungarian Forint . .14 9 The 21st-Century Traveler . .27 What Things Cost in Budapest . .17 Online Traveler’s Toolbox . .28 4 When to Go . .17 10 Getting There . .29 Hungary Calendar of Events . .18 11 Packages for the Independent Traveler . .35 5 Travel Insurance . .20 12 Escorted General-Interest 6 Health & Safety . .21 Tours . .36 7 Specialized Travel Resources . .22 13 Recommended Reading . .37 3 Getting to Know Budapest 39 1 Orientation . .39 2 Getting Around . .45 Hungarian Address Terms . .41 Fast Facts: Budapest . .54 Neighborhoods in Brief . .44 4 Where to Stay in Budapest 64 1 The Inner City & Central Pest . .66 6 The Buda Hills . .78 2 Central Buda . .72 7 Margaret Island . .81 3 The Castle District . .75 Staying in Private Rooms . .82 4 Outer Pest . .76 8 Youth Hostels . .83 5 Óbuda . .78 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page iv iv CONTENTS 5 Where to Dine in Budapest 87 The Check, Please: Paying 5 The Castle District . .101 Your Bill & Tips on Tipping . .88 6 The Buda Hills . .102 1 Restaurants by Cuisine . .89 7 Northern Buda & Óbuda . .103 2 The Inner City & Central Pest . .90 8 Traditional Coffeehouses . .104 3 Beyond Central Pest . .97 Our Favorite Sweets . .105 Snacks on the Run . .98 9 Cafes & Bistros . .107 4 Central Buda . .100 6 Exploring Budapest 108 Suggested Itineraries . .108 Bábszínházak (Puppet 1 The Top Attractions . .109 Theaters) . .130 2 More Museums & Sights . .118 5 For the Music Lover . .130 Where Have All the Statues 6 Organized Tours . .131 Gone? . .120 7 Spa Bathing & Swimming: Did You Know? . .122 Budapest’s Most Popular Thermal Baths . .133 3 Parks, Gardens & Playgrounds . .124 Taking in the Waters . .135 4 Especially for Kids . .127 8 Outdoor Activities & Sports . .136 7 Strolling Around Budapest 138 Walking Tour 1: Pest’s Inner Walking Tour 4: The Jewish City . .138 District . .153 Walking Tour 2: The Castle Walking Tour 5: Tabán & District . .143 Watertown (Víziváros) . .156 Walking Tour 3: Leopold Town & Theresa Town . .148 8 Budapest Shopping 162 1 The Shopping Scene . .163 2 Shopping A to Z . .164 9 Budapest After Dark 175 1 The Performing Arts . .176 4 Gay & Lesbian Bars . .181 Music on a Summer’s Eve . .178 5 Hungarian Dance Houses . .181 2 The Club Scene . .179 6 More Entertainment . .182 3 The Bar Scene . .180 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page v CONTENTS v 10 The Danube Bend 183 1 Exploring the Danube Bend . .183 4 Esztergom . .190 2 Szentendre . .184 Prímás-sziget: A Bridge 3 Visegrád . .189 over Troubled Waters . .191 11 The Lake Balaton Region 194 1 Exploring the Lake Balaton 4 Szigliget . .201 Region . .195 5 Keszthely . .201 2 En Route to Lake Balaton: An Excursion to the Thermal Veszprém . .196 Lake in Hévíz . .202 Herend: Home of Hungary’s 6 Lake Balaton’s Southern Finest Porcelain . .199 Shore . .204 3 The Tihany Peninsula . .200 12 Northeastern Hungary: Traveling into the Hills 205 1 Hollókó: A Preserved Palóc An Excursion to Bükk Village . .205 National Park . .210 2 Eger . .206 3 Aggtelek: An Entrance to the Caves . .211 13 Southern Hungary: The Great Plain & the Mecsek Hills 212 1 The 2,000-Year-Old City of 3 Bugac & the Puszta . .220 Pécs . .212 4 Szeged: Hungary’s Spice 2 Kecskemét . .218 Capital . .221 Appendix A: Help with a Tough Tongue 227 1 Menu Terms . .227 2 Basic Phrases & Vocabulary . .229 Appendix B: Hungarian Cuisine 232 Index 234 General Index . .234 Restaurant Index . .242 Accommodations Index . .241 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page vi List of Maps Hungary 7 Walking Tour 4: The Jewish District Budapest at a Glance 46 155 Where to Stay in Central Budapest Walking Tour 5: Tabán & Watertown 68 (Víziváros) 157 Where to Dine in Central Budapest The Danube Bend 185 92 Szentendre 187 Central Budapest Attractions 110 Lake Balaton Region 196 Óbuda and Margaret Island 125 Eger 207 Walking Tour 1: Pest’s Inner City Southern Hungary 213 139 Pécs 215 Walking Tour 2: The Castle District Szeged 223 145 Walking Tour 3: Leopold Town & Theresa Town 149 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page vii About the Authors All four of Joseph S. Lieber’s grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, settling in New York City, where he was born and raised. Mr. Lieber lived in Hungary in the early 1990s, teaching English and researching the first edition of this book. He lives in Boston now, where he is a housing lawyer. Christina Shea served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Hungary in the early 1990s. Subsequently, she directed Peace Corps language-training programs in Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan. She is the author of the novel Moira’s Crossing (St. Martin’s Press 2000). A resident of Boston, she teaches at Lesley University and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Erzsébet Barát was born in Kunhegyes, a small town in the Great Hungarian Plain. She currently splits her time between Szeged, where she is an associate professor of English at Attila József Uni­ versity, and Budapest, where she is on the faculty of the Gender Studies Department at Central European University. She earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics from Lancaster Uni­ versity, in England. Her dissertation concerns the oral histories of Hungarian women. This book is dedicated to the memory of David M. Shea, a man of boundless intellect, deep compassion and faith, and an abiding curiosity about the world. Acknowledgments The authors, as always, wish to thank their many friends and helpers in Hungary, includ­ ing Linda Silaghi, Kata Pócs, and the Bereczki family. And finally, we wish to acknowl­ edge Aryeh T. Lieber, Marcel M. Lieber, and Raphael S. Lieber for being such curious and bright-eyed boys. 00 549944 FM.qxd 3/18/04 10:42 AM Page viii An Invitation to the Reader In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to: Frommer’s Budapest & the Best of Hungary, 5th Edition Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 An Additional Note Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially true of prices.