Budapest

You have already picked Budapest, and now the trip needs planning. This is usually when the practical questions come up: how many days to allow, which bank of the Danube to stay on, which tickets to buy in advance and how to get in from the airport. This section is built around those decisions, from choosing a season to your last day in the city. Each guide answers one such question and does not require you to read the others.

Most of the guides cover what to see in the city and how to get into the popular places. There is a general list of sights with opening hours, plus separate guides to the Hungarian Parliament, the thermal baths, a Danube cruise, Margaret Island, Pest, parks and museums. We cover the Parliament in detail: how to get inside, when to buy a ticket and what you see once you are in. The guide to the baths explains what to choose while Gellért is closed and how to compare entry prices.

The itineraries are planned for one day, three days and five days, with transport and the order of stops on both banks of the Danube. There are also day trips from Budapest by train and bus. We break hotels down by neighborhood and scenario: in the center, with a Danube view, budget options near the metro, spa hotels and hotels with thermal pools. The selections are split by star category, which makes it easier to find something that fits your budget.

The practical part covers getting there and money, that is, the things you settle before you fly. We compare the ways to get from the airport to the center and break down the trip budget and the seasons month by month: weather, crowds, prices. There are pieces on street food with dishes and addresses, on souvenirs and on things to do with kids. A separate guide collects the mistakes that make a trip more expensive: it is worth reading before you buy tickets and accommodation.

Every guide opens with a short answer to the main question, and the details come below. Then come the practical blocks: tickets, opening hours, transport, how much time to allow for a visit. We check prices and timetables against official websites and state the source and the date of the check. We name the downsides plainly, including those of hotels and popular places, so that you see the whole picture.

The section is meant for independent travelers who want to make their decisions before they fly. It works for a first trip and for a return visit, when you already know the main sights and want parks, museums or trips out of town. If you are still choosing between countries or cities, start with the sections one level up. There is no city history and no travel essays here: only what you need for planning.

A good place to start is the guide on when to go, along with the price overview: that gives you the season and a rough budget. Next choose a neighborhood and a hotel, then the itinerary for your number of days: it shows what you can realistically fit in. Leave the guides to individual sights for last, once you have a plan: they help you decide which tickets to buy in advance. Before you fly, open the piece on getting in from the airport and the list of common mistakes.

Budapest belongs to the "Hungary" section. Head there if you are planning other parts of the country as well as the capital. One level up is "Europe", and all regions are gathered in the "Destinations" section. Budapest has no subsections, all guides sit in a single list, and the easiest way to find the one you need is by its headline.

Prices, opening hours and entry rules change, so we go back to published guides and update them. We check the data against the official websites of museums, baths, transport companies and the airport itself. The date of the last check is given in the guide, next to the figures. Still, take a look at the official website before you buy a ticket: the timetable or the price may have changed since our check.