march-2013

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Budapest
hungary
9,958,453 +36 6°C
Forint (HUF)
three times daily
douglas allan
Spring arrives early in Budapest: shake off
winter with an outdoor thermal bath
FERENCVÁROS
(THE 9TH DISTRICT)
Often overlooked by visitors, this
district in Pest offers an authentic
slice of Budapest life, with a nod
to hipsterdom.
SLEEP Kalvin House (Gönczy Pál utca
6, (0)1 216 4365, kalvinhouse.hu, rooms
from €75/22,000 HUF) has huge,
individually furnished rooms in a
charming 19th-century building.
Maharaja Apartments & Rooms
(Ráday utca 49, 06 30 964 2465,
rooms from €20/6,000 HUF) caters
to budget travellers, and is known for
its friendly staff.
EAT Over the last 20 years, Ráday utca
has become a pedestrianised gastroenclave,
lined with eateries offering
Persian, Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean
and, of course, Hungarian cuisine.
CULTURE If experimental dance, music
and theatre are your thing, head for the
Trafó House Of Contemporary Arts
(Liliom utca 41). March’s line-up
includes pianist Brad Mehldau and
acclaimed percussionist Mark Guiliana,
as well as Icelandic dance sensation
Erna Omarsdóttir.
SHOP Nagycsarnok (Great Market,
Vámház körút 1-3) is Budapest’s
biggest food market, perfect for picking
up Hungarian souvenirs such as exotic
mushrooms and dried paprika.
LATER The colourful entrance to
Trapéz Kultikocsma (Imre utca 2)
INFO
Budapest Ferenc
Liszt International
Airport is 16km
south east of the
city centre.
Bus
The 200E to
and from the
Kőbánya-Kispest
metro terminal
leaves every 10 to
30 minutes until
11.46pm, taking 25
minutes. Tickets
cost €1/HUF 400.
Train
A train service
connects Terminal 1
to Nyugati Railway
Station. The journey
takes 23 minutes;
tickets are priced
€1/HUF 282.
Taxi
A taxi to the city
centre takes about
30 minutes – the
price is around
€22-€25/HUF
6,220-7,068. You can
also take the airport
minibus, from €10/
HUF 2,827.
Tourist info
The Tourinform
Central Offi ce is
located
at Sütő utca,
(0)1 438 8080,
budapestinfo.hu
FLY TO budapest three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
leads to a maze of nooks and crannies
where you can have a drink. KisErkel
Café (Erkel utca 14) is a quiet, arty spot
for an early evening tipple; depending
on how the night unfolds, you might
find yourself at Kakas Presszó (Üllői
út 2-4), which never closes.
TIP Möbelkunst (Földváry utca 4) is
a cross between a fleamarket and a
garage sale, held every Sunday from
10am to 4pm.
BELVÁROS
(THE 5TH DISTRICT)
Traditionally the business centre
of Budapest, downtown Pest has
recently developed more of a
cultural and retail scene.
SLEEP Palazzo Dorottya (Dorottya
utca 6, 06 30 44 55 750,
palazzodorottya.com, rooms from
€190/55,000 HUF) is an architectural
treasure designed in the 1820s by
Mihlay Pollack, which now contains 87
luxury apartments. For a stylish pied-àterre,
the Bohem Art Hotel (35 Molnár
utca, (0)1 327 9020, bohemarthotel.hu,
rooms from €60/18,000 HUF) is ideal.
EAT This district has several high-end
bistros, but Boom & Brass (Vigadó
Utca 4-6, (0)1 877 7788) is the newest,
delivering Hungarian cuisine with a
modern bent. Despite its French name,
Comme Chez Soi (Aranykéz utca 2,
(0)1 318 3943) serves Italian dishes in
convivial surrounds. Cash only.
Buy local paprika and honey
at Nagycsarnock market
LATER Drop Shop Wine Bar
(Balassi Bálint utca 27) has over
4,000 wines from all over the world,
including Hungary.
TEREZVÁROS
(THE 6TH DISTRICT)
Lined with smart shops and
restaurants, stately Andrássy
Avenue extends the length of this
upscale district, sitting equably
alongside the bohemian cafés and
bars of the inner district.
SLEEP The stunning Bauhaus
Mamaison Hotel Andrassy (Andrássy
Utca 111, (0)1 462 2100, mamaison.
com, doubles from €90/24,000 HUF)
offers easy access to the Széchenyi
Thermal Baths, Heroes Square and
Andrássy Avenue.
EAT Eklektika Restaulounge
(Nagymező Utca 30, (0)1 266 1226,
eklektika.hu) has good wines, smiling
service and a wonderful – if limited –
menu, which might run from veal
cheeks and fried dumplings to chicken
with quince compôte.
LATER Pótkulcs (Csengery Utca 65B)
may not be easy to find, hidden behind
an anonymous iron gate; once inside,
you’ll find a wonderful watering hole.
TIP In March, five of Budapest’s most
famous thermal baths play host to the
Night of Baths, when you can party in
the medicinal waters until 3am; see
visitbudapest.travel for details.
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