Staying in Budapest after cruise

[nancyevans]

Marlster, go to http://www.marriott.com. Look in the upper right hand corner for "Not a member". You can also read the info on what the benefits of membership are. i.e. free nights when you get so many points

The executive level rooms do cost more. You have to have a special key card to get into the executive lounge and onto the terrace. There is breakfast in the morning with hot choices, juices and various coffees; in the afternoon there were snacks, beer, soft drinks and actual bottles of liquor that you could pour yourself; later on there was more like a light dinner. More than enough food for us.

Go to Trip Advisor and read some of the hotel's reviews. Click on the option that says "executive lounge".

The hotel is convenient to some of the main sights. St. Stephens Cathedral and Parliament come to mind. We also took the hop on hop off bus to go farther afield. Also went to Szechenyi Baths which we loved but it was the only time we used our bathing suits on the trip.

[id4elizabeth]

Question about the Hilton on Castle Hill - How was getting around town? We saw the hotel - actually went inside and would consider staying there as we are Diamond members. However, we figured getting around town (the Pest side) would be kind of tricky. Did you use taxis or did Hilton provide some kind of shuttle? Any kind of public transportation? Thanks.

[Marlster]

Marlster, go to http://www.marriott.com. Look in the upper right hand corner for "Not a member". You can also read the info on what the benefits of membership are. i.e. free nights when you get so many points

The executive level rooms do cost more. You have to have a special key card to get into the executive lounge and onto the terrace. There is breakfast in the morning with hot choices, juices and various coffees; in the afternoon there were snacks, beer, soft drinks and actual bottles of liquor that you could pour yourself; later on there was more like a light dinner. More than enough food for us.

Go to Trip Advisor and read some of the hotel's reviews. Click on the option that says "executive lounge".

The hotel is convenient to some of the main sights. St. Stephens Cathedral and Parliament come to mind. We also took the hop on hop off bus to go farther afield. Also went to Szechenyi Baths which we loved but it was the only time we used our bathing suits on the trip.

 

Thank you, I joined and went on the website, and I dont know why some people are saying it doesn't look good from the outside, I thought it looked just fine. It is the one that is right on the river, right? I even saw a bbq on some terrace. I will wait awhile before checking into the rates for next year, a bit too soon I think.

Marlster

[Roz]

Elizabeth,

 

Don't know how mobile you are, but you can walk down the hill or take the funicular and then walk across the Chain Bridge to Pest. As I mentioned before, I stayed at the Sofitel Chain Bridge, and was able to walk to where I needed to go. My TA had set up some tours for me, and those involved walking a block or two to meet the bus.

 

I noticed the Hilton when I was up on Castle Hill. Being a Hilton Honors member, if I ever go back to Budapest on my own, I would consider staying there.

 

Roz

[OnTheJourney]

Elizabeth,

 

Don't know how mobile you are, but you can walk down the hill or take the funicular and then walk across the Chain Bridge to Pest. As I mentioned before, I stayed at the Sofitel Chain Bridge, and was able to walk to where I needed to go. My TA had set up some tours for me, and those involved walking a block or two to meet the bus.

 

I noticed the Hilton when I was up on Castle Hill. Being a Hilton Honors member, if I ever go back to Budapest on my own, I would consider staying there.

 

Roz

 

We are also planning an extra day or two in Budapest following our AMS-BUD cruise with Tauck. I see that they use the Ritz-Carlton so I imagine we'll go with that unless they change it by the time the trip rolls around. We have one free day for being repeat guests.

[id4elizabeth]

We stayed at the Sofitel too and I loved the location. The #2 tram was right out front and ran up and down the embankment, taking us to both the Town Market in one direction, and Parliament in the other. The #16 bus was just at the foot of the Chain Bridge and took us across the bridge and up to Castle Hill. The Metro yellow line was only a block and a half away and from there we could connect to anything in the city. I wasn't that impressed with the hotel though so was looking for alternatives for next time and the Hilton is certainly appealing, but was concerned about getting up and down the Hill.

 

I did notice the Four Seasons and Intercontinental were as well located as the Sofitel, but I don't have a zillion points with either of those chains. I have enough points to stay at the Hilton for weeks!

[jpalbny]

Question about the Hilton on Castle Hill - How was getting around town? We saw the hotel - actually went inside and would consider staying there as we are Diamond members. However, we figured getting around town (the Pest side) would be kind of tricky. Did you use taxis or did Hilton provide some kind of shuttle? Any kind of public transportation? Thanks.

 

Getting to the Hilton from Pest would be fairly easy...the 16 bus stops right at the Matthias Church next door. You can pick up that bus at the Pest side of the chain bridge, near the Four Seasons, or a few stops further inland at Deak Ferenc Ter - a major Metro station.

 

Coming down the hill - I'm not as familiar with that because we walked. It's less than a km, and all downhill. Batthyany Ter is a major transport hub on the Buda side and a good target. Google says 850 meters walking from the Hilton. We did that and most of the walk is pretty, with nice views. You can also descend the stairs at Fishermans Bastion, turn right, and walk back to the Chain Bridge. About the same distance.

 

You'd think that the 16 bus reverses it's route, but it doesn't, at least AFAIK. It descends the other side of castle hill and heads out somewhere else. We didn't find it useful to get downhill.

[Capt_BJ]

Question about the Hilton on Castle Hill - How was getting around town? We saw the hotel - actually went inside and would consider staying there as we are Diamond members. However, we figured getting around town (the Pest side) would be kind of tricky. Did you use taxis or did Hilton provide some kind of shuttle? Any kind of public transportation? Thanks.

 

 

we bought a two day hop on hop off pass and used that for basic transportation coupled with walking ...

[nancyevans]

Thank you, I joined and went on the website, and I dont know why some people are saying it doesn't look good from the outside, I thought it looked just fine. It is the one that is right on the river, right? I even saw a bbq on some terrace. I will wait awhile before checking into the rates for next year, a bit too soon I think.

Marlster

Yes, nearly on the river with a tram line and roadway inbetween but you do get great views.

Taxis are cheap in Budapest but do no hail one on the street. Have the hotel or the ship call one for you. We had some free time after we got back from the baths and wanted to go back up to the castle hill to go into St. Mathias church. We asked the cruise director about a bus but he said taxis are so cheap and the concierage called one for us. It was 7 forint from the ship to the church. We were able to walk back down the hill via Fisherman's Bastion to the ship which was docked nearly across from Parliament.

Edited May 10, 2016 by nancyevans

[xpcdoojk]

We stayed at the Marriott as well at the end of our cruise. We spent 4 nights there. Yes, it is a huge concrete building directly on the river, we had a view of the chain bridge and the castle from our room. Lovely at night. It was an ideal location to wander around the Pest side of the river. All the better shopping stores were located there, plus the giant market. Since we didn't book the post cruise or pre-cruise with Avalon, we were on our own. We stayed at the Avalon hotel in Bucharest, Hilton Athenee, I think we paid about $100 a night there with a wonderful breakfast and a cocktail each evening included. Since, we were in the cruise hotel, they provided transportation to the cruise port about a 45 minute bus ride away. After the cruise, we had them arrange a pick-up in a cab, so at 8:30 a nice new Mercedes took us the 5 blocks to the Marriott. We paid 134 euros for the first two nights and 113 euro the last two nights. We are Marriott Silver which didn't give us access to the club lounge. That said, breakfast was lovely, and there are tons of nearby restaurants.

 

So, after checking into the hotel at 10AM we met up with a pre-arranged local tour guide named Andraz who took us on a whirlwind walking tour for the next 7 hours. We went everywhere, and saw everything, he told us where to go back to actual tour inside, where to eat, what to eat, where not to go, etc. It was a great tour and left us well prepared to spend the next few days on our own. He even helped us collect our train tickets for leaving Budapest to go to Vienna on our own for another 4 nights there including two nights at the Park Hyatt which was a stunning 5 star hotel.

 

The Mariott is very nice. Nothing awesome but nice, views are great.

 

Bottom line, it is always cheaper to book your own pre and post cruise hotels. I figured that out in 2005 on a cruise to South America. Where the cost to visit Machu Pichu at the end of the cruise was literally more than double doing it on our own with us staying at the exact same hotels, and doing the exact same trips. That said, you are on your own, and for us that is great. For some people that would be a disaster, only you know your limitations.

 

JC

[danielrhall]

So, after checking into the hotel at 10AM we met up with a pre-arranged local tour guide named Andraz who took us on a whirlwind walking tour for the next 7 hours.

Hi JC. Do you have contact info for Andraz, and would you mind if I asked what that wonderful tour cost? My wife and I will be in Budapest in exactly two weeks and I'd love someone to guide us.

 

-Dan

[Marlster]

we bought a two day hop on hop off pass and used that for basic transportation coupled with walking ...

 

Did you buy your hop on hop off pass online or waited until you got there?

Marlster

[xpcdoojk]

Hi JC. Do you have contact info for Andraz, and would you mind if I asked what that wonderful tour cost? My wife and I will be in Budapest in exactly two weeks and I'd love someone to guide us.

 

-Dan

 

3 hours was 70 euro, 7 hours was 110 including a nice lunch and a coffee break in the afternoon. I am not sure I can mention the actual email address etc. This was October 2014.

 

Feel free to email me. My email is in my signature.

 

JC

[xpcdoojk]

There are reviews on tripadvisor about Budapest Essence

 

JC

[Capt_BJ]

Did you buy your hop on hop off pass online or waited until you got there?

Marlster

 

waited ... you can buy it ON the bus

 

note there are multiple companies that do this in Budapest. Recommend you pick up the map for each and then decide which to buy based on where you want to go . . .

[nancyevans]

Did you buy your hop on hop off pass online or waited until you got there?

Marlster

We bought ours when we got there. You can go to Trip Advisor and read the reviews of the various companies. You can look at the route maps and pick the one that suits you best. From the Marriott it was a four or five block walk through a nice area of shops and restaurants to a pick up point for at least two of the HOHO bus companies.

The area on the Marriott side is relatively flat and we walked back to the hotel from the big Central Market. Tip: the one meal we ate out was langos at the Central Market. This is a special type of bread with all kinds of toppings. The lady at the stall kept asking if I wanted other toppings. Look at the sign carefully and pick out your toppings before you order or you could end up paying more than you expect. That said, the plate had enough food on it that we shared. Very good.

Also, if you have time, this is an interesting area to explore some of the back streets. Some of the pre-war architecture is wonderful but crumbling.

Also you will occasionally see beggars. (although not as many as we saw in Paris) We kept seeing one very ancient bent over woman everywhere we went. The ones we encountered were not pushy like some in Paris.

[Mazin Mar]

Do you have the info for Andrez, the tour guide? We will be in Budapest in June 2016 and have been looking for a tour guide. Please email me at mwlandon@mindspring.com. Thank you

[xpcdoojk]

Do you have the info for Andrez, the tour guide? We will be in Budapest in June 2016 and have been looking for a tour guide. Please email me at mwlandon@mindspring.com. Thank you

 

I gave his email to someone on this thread earlier hopefully they will check in and let us know if he is still doing tours

 

jc

[danielrhall]

JC, the email address you gave me was a good one. I did hear back from András Urszán, who said he's been having problems with his website. His personal contact email address is aurszan@gmail.com. The rate he quoted me was 3 hours for 75 Euros (or its equivalent in Forints) or a more detailed tour of 7 hours for 130 Euros. Or he’ll do any length tour for an average of 20 Euros/hour.

 

Cheers,

 

-Dan Hall

Raymond, NH

[xpcdoojk]

JC, the email address you gave me was a good one. I did hear back from András Urszán, who said he's been having problems with his website. His personal contact email address is aurszan@gmail.com. The rate he quoted me was 3 hours for 75 Euros (or its equivalent in Forints) or a more detailed tour of 7 hours for 130 Euros. Or he’ll do any length tour for an average of 20 Euros/hour.

 

Cheers,

 

-Dan Hall

Raymond, NH

 

He is dependable and very nice. Enjoy

 

JC