You always want to go to the best places, eat the best foods, smell the architecture of the city, taste the finest wine, but also pay as little as possible. Is it possible? Not always. However, what you can do is know where you can save money, either because you want to invest it in a different aspect of your trip or because you can’t afford to spend more.
In every destination we choose, we always wish we knew what to avoid or the habits of the locals that are of better quality and cheaper than the tourist traps we usually fall into. Below, I will give you tips on how to save time and money, which accommodation to choose, which restaurants to appreciate, and what not to do.
Visit to Fisherman’s Bastion
Don’t take the little train that takes you up. You’ll have to pay for two rides to go up and down. The path to follow is to the right of the train, you’ll go up the stairs and follow the path. The route is much more beautiful and you’ll save money.
Transportation
If you stay for three days in Budapest, the best ticket you can get is the 72-hour one for 4150 HUF (€10.86), which you can use for all public transportation as many times as you need.
Food
Food in Budapest can be quite an expensive hobby if you don’t know where to go. Obviously, there are tourist traps like the Magic Restaurant with a Harry Potter theme, where you pay for the experience it offers, but there are also very affordable restaurants. It’s good to know that Caravan offers many options, but the prices are three times higher.
Two restaurants I visited with great prices are Frici Papa, where the staff was very polite and the food was very fair with Hungarian cuisine, and the second option is Drum Cafe, which has cheap food, but they automatically add a 10% tip for the staff. It’s something you can’t avoid, but the prices they offer are much lower than many other places. Note that I have never made a reservation at either, and I always found a place to sit.
Accommodation
Unfortunately, I can’t provide a definitive recommendation here because it depends on individual needs. Personally, I choose hostels because I like meeting people and the prices are unbeatable. For those who don’t want to stay with others in the same space, Airbnb is the way to go.
Payments
Payments with cards from Greece incur very high fees, and you’ll end up spending a significant amount just on that. So, you have two options: either bring cash from Greece and exchange it in Budapest (note that there are exchange offices with no fees), or load money onto your Revolut card where the fees are almost non-existent.
Margaret Island
There’s no need to rent the pedal cars which will cost you at least the equivalent of four meals during your vacation. Opt to rent a bicycle, which you can find at the entrance to the island. You’ll enjoy your ride in nature more, take photos, and not be pressured by time to return.
Danube River Cruise with Daily Cruises
Do thorough research on which company you choose for your cruise. There are companies whose prices are up to three times cheaper than most. Don’t get too excited by the promises they make, as everyone is ultimately trying to make a profit.
Don’t Go to Bar Crawls
The organized Bar Crawls, usually held as events by hostels, are very expensive and the only experience they offer is socializing, which you can easily do for free via group chats.
Thermal Baths
Everyone knows that Budapest is famous for its thermal baths and certainly everyone wants to visit them. If you’re one of those people, I suggest bringing your own towel and flip-flops, which are mandatory for being in the area. If you don’t, you’ll unfortunately have to buy them there, and the prices aren’t very pleasant.
