Arranging airfare to Europe can require some effort if you want to get the best price possible. With the arrival of the Internet, choices have become even more numerous. Airfare websites may, but don’t always, have the best deals. The same with travel agents and even the airline offices themselves. However, some factors will narrow the search. While purchasing tickets directly from an airline generally is not the least expensive choice, some unannounced specials may arise which may not make it to an agent or the web. Since there is so much potential for variation of international airfare prices depending on source, dates of travel and route, you should generally consult the following sources; airlines, airline tour offices, websites, ticket consolidators and your favorite travel agent. Similar approaches apply for hotel booking as well. Frequently you will get a better price by purchasing a package for both airfare and hotel from the same source.
Budapest EggsOne of the options I recommend for North American travelers is to consider a direct flight to Budapest from the applicable North American city. Typically, when shopping for passage to an Eastern and Central European destination, you are offered an evening departure from the US to a Western European city (i.e., London, Frankfurt, Zurich) arriving in the early a.m. your time. There you will have to wait for a connection flight to Budapest. This type of route can offer the most selection and maybe a better price, but is lacking in convenience and ease. A nonstop flight can be booked with Malev, or its US partner Delta (which allows you more valuable frequent flyer miles) departing from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Toronto. If you need a connecting flight to one of these cities, changing over is a lot easier and less fatiguing in the afternoon or evening here before the major leg of your journey. A refreshing nap in your hotel upon arrival at an earlier time will be less likely to disrupt your ability to have a good nights sleep later that evening and minimizes the domino effect of jet lag. Malev has come a long way in overcoming past perceptions of unpopularity. They use the same wide body jet aircraft as the US airlines with the same associated transatlantic amenities and are no less comfortable. The return flight does have the possibility of a connection toward the end of the journey but is less debilitating because you depart in the morning from Budapest and arrive in the afternoon, local US time, without cycling through a “nighttime” period. Since you hardly notice it, wait a few hours and return to your customary sleep schedule renewed, rested and relaxed.
Currency: As of January 2003, one US Dollar equals approximately 273 Hungarian Forints. Check this before you leave, because the Forint has been known to fluctuate significantly.
Tipping: It is expected and appreciated. An entry for a tip will also be on your hotel bill at checkout. Although some consider it rude or lacking in etiquette to check a restaurant bill, do so anyway. Like some taxi drivers, waiters have also been known to take advantage of foreigners.
Telephones: The numbers referenced in this article include international area codes (011 361) needed to dial from the US. To dial them in Budapest, use only the digits not in parentheses. Calling North America from Hungary for some reason costs three times as much as the reverse. If you must call, it is easiest to use the credit card swipe pay phone in the hotel lobby and dial 001 then the area code. Local calls in Budapest are all charged per minutes of use regardless of distance. In other words, there is no such thing as local calling areas. Since this can put a crimp in surfing the web, you will find all computers rigged to only go online during the moment of transmission. Nevertheless, it is a lot cheaper to use email than telephone. For overseas communication, use an internet café or the Hyatt’s business center pentium work stations at five dollars for the first fifteen minutes. For local calling, purchase a phone card from the hotel gift shop and use the lobby payphones. As in the US, phone calls from your hotel room will have exorbitant surcharges.
Public Transportation: It is efficient, cheap and reliable. Between the underground metro, commuter trains, trolleys, streetcars and buses, one of them will be heading to where you want to go. A ticket costs about 70 cents and allows you to travel as far as you want on the vehicle you board. It is up to you to punch it in a device, which is periodically set to put three predetermined holes in your ticket. Most riders do not do this because they purchase a monthly berlet or pass. Do not be tempted to “let it go” because enforcement officers are consistent in their random and unpredictable verifications. Get a discount a book of ten tickets, from the hotel gift shop, useable for all forms of public transportation.
Restaurants: Much of Hungarian life and social interaction revolves around food and meals. While your choices are too numerous to discuss here, for convenience, avoid the over-priced tourist oriented restaurants. I suggest the Merleg Restaurant on Merleg utca (street). If you want an authentic meal in downtown (two blocks from the Hyatt), the Merleg will exceed your expectations. The menu is typically Hungarian, delicious, frequented by locals and three persons can stuff themselves for about $25.
Shopping: Consult your guides for the best shopping opportunities. While the Vaci utca downtown area is one of the most popular suggestions, beware of overpriced goods, pickpockets and prostitutes. If you need more common items for yourself or for gifts and yearn for familiarity or just an all day shopping fix, an efficient, but not necessarily better, alternative is a three level American style shopping mall called the Duna Plaza at the Gyongyosi utca metro station (website: http://www.plazaclub.com). Every kind of vendor you might want in one place is in the mall including a food court, movie theatres, casino, billiards, bowling, ice skating and fitness center. Value Added Tax (VAT) can be refunded on goods only in excess of 50,000 Forints. You must keep and present all receipts at point of departure (airport customs) which can take some time. You can also do it by mail. Detailed information on the procedure is available from the aforementioned tourist offices.
Hot Tip
Anytime you plan to be in Hungary for an extended period with a flexible schedule, check out round trip air travel to other destinations from Budapest by buying the airfare (and accommodations) in Hungarian Forints at a local travel agency. The prices in dollars are significantly less expensive even without advance purchase. For example, a “walk-in” price quote for next day departure from Budapest to Baltimore (my route in reverse) with connection in New York was approximately $400, two thirds less than most equivalent fares purchased in the US. Other similar fare bargains are available for other destinations. Depending on seat availability, the possibilities for a side trip from Budapest to, say, Spain, Russia or even Japan and back are numerous. If you are able to acquire “locally purchased” airfare in advance, the fare is even less. There are numerous walk-in travel agencies in Budapest which are surprisingly busy, well run with knowledgeable staff and manage crowds efficiently. They seem to have embraced the customer service aspects of privatization. I suggest the following two for starters.
Vista Travel Agency and Center Telephone; (011 361) 267 8600
Andrassy ut 1, 1061 Budapest Website including email: http://www.vista.hu/english
Vista proclaims on its home page to have the “best fares in Hungary from Budapest to anywhere” and also provides information regarding tourism, incoming travel services, concerts and events as well as a visitor center, booking for ground transportation, the “best currency exchange rate” and an internet café.
For familiarity, you can always rely on the American Express Travel Agency (and they do take American Express) two blocks from the Hyatt at Deak Ferenc Ut 10, 1052, Budapest, Telephone: (011 361) 235 4300.
Real Travel Adventures 