Budapest pre cruise

Spending two days pre cruise Viking Budapest to Amsterdam early August.

Can someone who has done this tell us what to see and do in these 2 days?

It is our first river cruise. Thanks

we bought the two day Hop on Hop Off bus pass and went all over the city.

There's more than one company that does this so I recommend you get the maps of their routes and compre b4 you buy ... but we were very happy using this as a way to see a good bit on our first visit.

Viking had us in the Hilton in Fisherman Bastion of the Buda side ... very nice and walking distance to a bunch to see right there .... Here's the view out our window

We stayed three nights in Budapest at the stunning Corinthian Hotel (we're Wes Anderson fans 😀). We got the Budapest Card prior to leaving and we spent our time knocking off all the attractions listed. The Card comes with a free walking tour that was actually quite good. And free admission to one of the famous thermal baths, even better!

Budapest card with public transportation can help. Depending on how fast you are...Castle Hill one day, including Mathias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. Then you have decisions to make... Parliament? Margaret Island? Heroes' Square and City Park? Markets? Mix and match the second day based on what interests you.

We spent two days pre-cruise and a third day docked in Budapest after embarkation in April of this year. You can see exactly what we did in that time, if you have a look at my trip log. The link is in my signature.

We had a walking guide for the first day we were there, and then we spent 3 more nights there. Lovely place plenty to see and do in a couple of nights. There are still lots of things I would like to do that we didn't.

Enjoy. Be sure your hotel whether in Buda or Pest has a view of the river and the bridges.

JC

There have been a number of local guides recommended on this site. We really felt we received an excellent education and insights into many of the sites with a private guide. Make sure to pre-arranged english tour of Parliament. Go to the Market and if time permits enjoys one of the Baths.

We loved Budapest!!!

Budapest card with public transportation can help. Depending on how fast you are...Castle Hill one day, including Mathias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. Then you have decisions to make... Parliament? Margaret Island? Heroes' Square and City Park? Markets? Mix and match the second day based on what interests you.

 

We spent two days pre-cruise and a third day docked in Budapest after embarkation in April of this year. You can see exactly what we did in that time, if you have a look at my trip log. The link is in my signature.

Thank you for sharing you blog and pictures. We'll be in Budapest for 2 days pre-cruise next month. Your pictures have it all the more real and exciting as we prepare for a new experience. It's our 1st river cruise and we'll be on Viking Gefjon from Budapest to Amsterdam. Now to hope Mother Nature cooperates and the water levels in the rivers aren't an issue.

There have been a number of local guides recommended on this site. We really felt we received an excellent education and insights into many of the sites with a private guide. Make sure to pre-arranged english tour of Parliament. Go to the Market and if time permits enjoys one of the Baths.

 

We loved Budapest!!!

Do u have a guide to recommend? We have 4 days pre cruise at the end of July and are investigating our options for touring. Prob just do on our own, but I haven't yet found out how expensive guide would be.

Did the Budapest Tuk Tuk tour 1st morning. Fantastic. Private 2.5 hour tour. List of places on website. Paid when we met tour guide. Did not do inclusive cruise since we were going on cruise. Got an extra 1/2 hour tour. Went to Margaret island on tour instead of going around parliament. Got dropped off at market. Prearranged parliament tour at 10am before boarding ship. Time fills up fast. Stayed at Starlight Suiten suites behind chain bridge and four seasons. Very convenient to everything. Doesn't matter where you stay restaurants are good and sitting outside was better. I did not do a report but did same as JP and did different things.

we used Gabby 2 years ago http://www.privatetoursbudapest.com/ and it was great!!! there were 6 of us one day and 8 the other...wish we could duplicate her style and enthusiasm at all of our ports!!!

We love Budapest - have been there 3 times (pre/post cruises) and extended each time. Would love to go back...

So much to see and do. The Market is a must. But - go early, and it isn't open on Sundays. The Church in the Cave. Hospital in the Rock. The House of Terror. The Shoes on the Danube.

We booked a Trabant tour - and went to Statue Park. My DH got to drive the Trabant on the way back - and he was ecstatic. Gellert Hill. We have had no interest in the Baths, but people that went enjoyed it.

Enjoy!!!

Fran

Headed to Budapest in a week. What thermal bath did you do? That's on my agenda!

The highlight of our post cruise 2 days in Budapest was our tour and shopping trip to the market followed by our cooking class. If you want info, let me know and I can email you the contact info, or check on Trip Advisor.

We also enjoyed our visit to the Gelert Spa. Incredibly beautiful and very relaxing. Due to some sort of event, we were not able to tour the Opera House which wasn't high on my list UNTIL after we walked into the lobby...WOW. Really sorry we couldn't see the rest of the building.

I second those who suggest getting a day pass...we went all over the city on the subway as well as the trams....never did a bus.

Has anyone actually attended an opera in Budapest? I'm thinking with 3 nights pre-cruise we might be able to fit it in. The building looks stunning and their calendar at least for 2016 has plenty of offerings in late November.

Suzy, are you sailing from Budapest on August 12th on the Gefjon?

Suzy, are you sailing from Budapest on August 12th on the Gefjon?

No....we're sailing on July 15 on the Gefjon. Are you on August 12?

No....we're sailing on July 15 on the Gefjon. Are you on August 12?

Yes we are Suzy. Our first river cruise

Did the Budapest Tuk Tuk tour 1st morning. Fantastic. Private 2.5 hour tour. List of places on website. Paid when we met tour guide. [ATTACH]388756[/ATTACH]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of doing this. Now booked for a tour on our first full day in town. Looks like a lot of fun and good orientation.

Did you take the one with the included boat trip?

Yes we are Suzy. Our first river cruise

Our 1st River Cruise too. In case you haven't seen it here's a great blog from someone who did the Grand European Tour. A few different ports but so much great information and pictures.

http://www.aswesawit.com/viking-grand-european-tour-2/

Our 1st River Cruise too. In case you haven't seen it here's a great blog from someone who did the Grand European Tour. A few different ports but so much great information and pictures.

 

 

 

http://www.aswesawit.com/viking-grand-european-tour-2/

Thank you! Just reading about the Tuk Tuk tour too! Hmmm, must look into it!

Thanks, I hadn't thought of doing this. Now booked for a tour on our first full day in town. Looks like a lot of fun and good orientation.

 

 

 

Did you take the one with the included boat trip?

Yes. http://www.budapesttuktuk.com

As I said, exchanged cruise for 1/2 hour extra. Skipped parliament, added Margaret island, didn't get off at Heroes square but did take pictures. Got dropped off at market which to me was a must. You can see both sides from chain bridge and 1st night of cruise we repositioned to town center so skipped cruise.

Yes. http://www.budapesttuktuk.com

As I said, exchanged cruise for 1/2 hour extra. Skipped parliament, added Margaret island, didn't get off at Heroes square but did take pictures. Got dropped off at market which to me was a must. You can see both sides from chain bridge and 1st night of cruise we repositioned to town center so skipped cruise.

Well after reading all the excellent reviews on Tripadvisor for Budapest TukTuk Tours, it's an absolute must!

Yes. http://www.budapesttuktuk.com

As I said, exchanged cruise for 1/2 hour extra. Skipped parliament, added Margaret island, didn't get off at Heroes square but did take pictures. Got dropped off at market which to me was a must. You can see both sides from chain bridge and 1st night of cruise we repositioned to town center so skipped cruise.

Yes you did say that about cruise, reading comprehension is slipping ;)

I even asked about extra time from Tuk-Tuk if we skipped the cruise, and I had gotten the idea from you!

They are very flexible to work with so far. I asked about going out to Momento Park, they said no problem, but since it is 30 minutes off of the usual route, it would be a little extra. I like the idea of being able to switch up on the fly. We were in Budapest at the end of a cruise a few years back, so can skip some of the areas. Our hotel is a block from the market and we're showing up 3 nights pre-cruise, so we'll have plenty of opportunity to stop in.

Maid Marion- I agree, the reviews on trip advisor look great. I loved the one from a group of 7 who took 3 vehicles. Half way through they decided they wanted to grab a drink from a bar, so no problem; they parked, they drank, the guides waited, and then the tour started back up.

 

They are very flexible to work with so far. I asked about going out to Momento Park, they said no problem, but since it is 30 minutes off of the usual route, it would be a little extra. .

Momento Park isn't very big - but worth the trip. We were lucky with our Trabant tour as our guide came into the park with us and provided commentary on the history of the statues... where they were originally, what they represented etc.

I didn't know about the TukTuk tours - definitely need to look at that if (?when) we return again.

Fran

Also if you go to Hospital in the rock, JP gave public transportation instructions on their River Beatrice tour. I found most cab drivers English was not very good. So if you want to go to specific area or place, show them a picture of where you want to go. Take a hotel card in their language. Uniworld's front desk thought I wanted to go to hospital instead of hospital in the rock. By the time they got an English speaking cab, I missed the tour. At Fishermans bastion there was a sign saying Hungarian history in 14 minutes. 3D. Old chapel and go down winding staircase. Wasn't bad. I also had the cab driver come back for me.