Hungary

Budapest has a lot of tourists. Near the train stations, you can’t throw a palinka bottle without hitting a youth hostel. Hungarians like to joke/complain about it. You can even buy shirts saying (in Hungarian), “I’m Hungarian not a tourist.”

Although Budapest is far-and-away more touristy than, say, the Ukraine, it isn’t anywhere near Prague’s level. English-speaking people who like absinthe provide Prague with about half its income. Budapest still looks and feels like you’d think a Central European city should. Most of the buildings in Budapest look older than communism—it’s like a grimier version of Vienna. This is especially amazing when you consider that 75% of the city was destroyed in the Second World War. Thankfully, Budapest was spared the gray concrete-on-gray-concrete style that dominated the region between 1945 and 1989.

Also like Vienna, it’s full of coffeehouses where people take two hours to go through three packs of cigarettes and drink a cup of shockingly bitter espresso, while relaxing with some friends and discussing the meaning of life (which most Europeans believe is soccer).

If you’re the kind of person who likes to check out old churches and castles, you’ll have fun in Budapest. Don’t miss St. Stephen’s Church, one of the nicest in Eastern Europe. The castle here is one of Europe’s most memorable. It’s a huge complex, built in stages over hundreds of years, sprawling over a mountain overlooking the river.

The Terror Museum is another must-see. It’s about the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi and Communist regimes. Most of the videos are only in Hungarian, but there are flyers in English that’ll help explain all the exhibits to you. That place really gives you a lot of respect for what the Hungarian people have been through. And there’s the Heroes Park, and the Parliament, and the National Museum…it’s too much to describe it all. Even the bridges here are of historical interest.

If you get bored, or if it’s too cold for you, go to one of Budapest’s many bathhouses with their healing thermal waters. Or just head underground. Buda is built on over 200 caves, and they stay warm all year. There is a huge complex of wine cellars and dungeons under the castle. Wine cellars were so popular in the Middle Ages that it is not always known which caves formed naturally and which were dug by humans.

Budapest is chock-full of bars—traditional Hungarian ones, Irish pubs, places with weird creative themes. Finding a place to drink should never be a problem. If you’re staying at a youth hostel, just ask around there for where to go. Discos are common, too, and the city has a healthy gay scene. Like elsewhere in the world, many of the discos here have a snobbish ambiance—if you want something more laid back, try one of the city’s jazz clubs.

Casinos are popular too. Bear in mind that many of them require formal attire, so if you’re the sandals-and-cargo shorts type, pack some slacks and a button-up if you plan on gambling. Most of them only accept hard currency, so bring a full wallet. Poker is popular here, Caribbean stud in particular.

Budapest is cheaper than Prague and cheaper than anywhere in Western Europe, but it’s shockingly expensive to Hungarians – food and drink are two or three times more here than in the rest of the country. Another reason why it’s called “The Paris of Eastern Europe.”

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