Since I just returned from my 5 day long stay in Budapest, I wanted to make a post with some information, opinions and advice for people who want to go!
The good:
1. The city is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful buildings at every corner, I especially loved the St. Stephens Basilica, hands down the most beautiful religious site I've ever visited.
The food is incredibly tasty, and there are many options on every corner. I especially loved Tüköry Étterem and Eggi Breakfast and Coffee, but I also had tasty Langos and sausage at Lehel market.
Budapest has an amazing tea house culture! I didn't know about it before arriving, but since I am a huge tea drinker, that was a huge bonus. My favorite place was 1000Tea ☺️
I really loved the baths too, I went to Széchenyi and Rudas and had a nice time people watching and relaxing. Just make sure to reapply your sunscreen so you don't end up looking like me. 😂
Honorable mention: I LOVE the nerdy bar Vault 51. Incredible place with amazing drinks.
The bad:
1. My biggest issue: lots of people working in customer service are incredibly rude. Now, I live in Germany, not the US, so I know cold and distanced, I am fine with it. You don't have to talk to me about your day or smile. But I had mostly awful experiences with waiters and cashiers in Budapest. I have been ignored (a lot) and even received such mean treatment that I actually left multiple businesses. I work in customer service myself, and if I would behave like this, I would be out of a job. Literally most places with decent service were Irish pubs, with Irish people working or really young workers from Hungary.
Budapest, except for flights and accommodations is very expensive, I paid the same prices for food and beverages as I would have in Germany. This definitely took me by surprise, since the average person makes much less than a German would.
Now, this last one... I was recommended Gettó Gulyás by basically everyone, but I found the food rather disappointing (actually disgusting, but I don't want to be mean). The meat in my stew was incredibly tough, you could have broken a tooth eating it. But maybe I just went on a bad day, since the tables next to me were having the same issue!
All in all: Budapest is a beautiful city with great infrastructure and many attractions.
But the treatment I received will definitely stop me from returning, which has never happened to me with any other place before.
