BUDAPEST - fapipa

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Budapest on a Budget
Public Transport
You will save money
and time by purchasing a
booklet of 10 or 20 transport
tickets, or a three or
five-day travel pass, valid
for all Budapest’s bus,
tram, metro and HÉV
(suburban train) services,
except the Buda Castle
Funicular. If you stick to
buying single tickets,
public transport can be
fairly expensive.
Budapest Card
Costing about Ft4,700
for 48 hours and Ft5,900
for 72 hours, this card
offers free travel on all
public transport for the
holder plus one child
under 14. It also allows
free admission to many
museums. Several
restaurants offer discounts
to card holders.
Beer
If you’re looking for
cheap beer, then you’ve
come to the right place,
though ensure you stick
to local brews, as imported
beer is expensive.
Good, local brews seldom
cost more than Ft200 per
bottle or large glass and
include Arany Ászok,
Kπbányai and Dreher.
Food
It is still possible to
eat well and cheaply, but
only just. For a cheap
lunch, try the Kosher
restaurant Hanna (see
p79), or one of the
Fornetti sandwich shops,
where hot pastries and
sandwiches cost next to
nothing. Also try the
falafel bar on Paulay Ede
utca, where you can eat
as much falafel as you
can stuff into a pitta for
around Ft350.
Accommodation
Hostels are your best
option for cheap accommodation.
A list of some
of the best is on p117.
Short-term apartments
are also a good budget
option (see p116).
Student Travel
Holders of valid
International Student
Cards benefit from reductions
on certain trains.
For international travel
bargains try Vista Café
(see p108) or Wasteels in
Keleti Station, both specialists
in discount travel.
There are no discounts
for international students
on public transport.
Museums
The entry fee for
most museums, churches
and other institutions is
low enough to suit even
the most penny-pinching
visitor. However, many
of these places offer discounts
to students who
possess a valid student
ID. Note that entrance to
the Hungarian Parliament
(see pp8–11) is free for
EU citizens. The thermal
bath houses do not offer
student discounts.
Opera
The State Opera
House (see pp26–7) offers
discounted tickets for
seats with obscured
views for as little as
Ft400. Note that while
your view may be limited,
the sound quality is
superb everywhere in the
auditorium. Also, the cost
of a ticket is far less than
that for a guided tour –
the only other way to see
the inside of the building.
Concerts
Classical concerts are
cheap, as subsidies keep
prices low. The Academy
of Music Liszt Ferenc is
home to the Hungarian
Philharmonic Orchestra,
and concerts can cost as
little as Ft300. The
Budapest Philharmonic
Orchestra, based at the
State Opera House, also
offers fairly cheap tickets.
Clubbing
Even popular clubs
have free entrance on
most weeknights, with
only Thursday, Friday and
Saturday nights commanding
entry fees. Bahnhof
(see p56), next to Nyugati
Station, is free every night,
and drinks are cheap too,
if you stick to local beers.
Directory
Youth Hostels
• www.youthhostels.
hu
• www.backpackers.hu
• www.mellowmood.
hu
Academy of Music
Liszt Ferenc
• VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 8;
462 46 00
When travelling by metro, you will need to buy a new ticket each
time you change lines unless you buy a ticket that allows transfers.
Streetsmart
109