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Vivid headgears worn by Minorities @ Sapa Market

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A Blue & White (青花) Vase displayed @ Forbidden City

Budapest (Sep '10) - Overview

Went to Budapest (布达佩斯) with my colleagues over the weekend from 10 Sep (Fri) to 12 Sep (Sun). Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary (匈牙利). It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits. The name 'Budapest' was given to the new capital in 1873 after united from three cities, namely Buda, Óbuda, and Pest. Budapest also became the co-capital during the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867 to 1918).

The central area of Budapest along the Danube River, including the Buda Castle Quarter, are classified as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The same UNESCO list has been extended in 2002 to further include the Andrássy Avenue and its surroundings (Heroes' Square, the City Park, historic inner city districts and public buildings), together with the Millennium Underground Railway (including Metro Line 1).


Leisure trip at a glance

Country: Hungary
Period: 10 Sep to 12 Sep 2010
Flight timings:
10 Sep: EZY 1331, GVA–BUD, ETD 0815 ETA 1000
12 Sep: EZY 1332, BUD–GVA, ETD 1000 ETA 1155
Air tickets:
Return tickets at CHF 217.90 per person (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation:
Centrál Dominik Panzió Hotel (10 to 12 Sep)
Currency exchange rate:
CHF 1.00 = HUF 186.10 (Sep '10 period)

There is no time difference between Switzerland and Hungary; both countries are in Central Europe time zone. Total damage was about SGD 400 including flight tickets, airport taxes, transport, food and hotel, excluding personal expenses.

Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:

Day 1 – Morning flight EZY 1331 from Geneva International Airport (Switzerland) to Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (Hungary). Took Bus Service to nearest Metro Station, then Metro to hotel. Explored Heroes' Square and City Park. Next, we visited St. Stephen's Cathedral. Joined a "Free Communist Walk" tour. Visited the Opera House and had dinner nearby. Took a stroll along Danube Promenade.

Day 2 – Queued up at Parliament Visitor Center for tickets at 8am. Visited the Opera House, again. Tour the Parliament Building. Had lunch nearby. Took bus to Castle Quarter and visited Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. Relaxed in Szevhrnyl Thermal Baths. Had dinner near 'Vörösmarty tér'.

Day 3 – Had breakfast at hotel, then took Metro followed by bus to Airport. Boarded flight EZY 1332 to Geneva International Airport.

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, or Budapest Ferihegy Nemzetközi Repülőtér in Hungarian, is the international airport serving the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. The IATA code for this airport is BUD.

Budapest Airport has two terminals: Terminal 1, 2A and 2B. Terminal 1 served only low-cost carriers (left photo below). Like terminals for budget airlines, passengers would have to walk out of the terminal to board the flight (right photo below). Fortunately it was sunny on our last day before the flight.
Transportation

Transport Tickets

We bought 24-hour Travel Card instead of a single trip ticket, and here were the reasons:

  • Don't want to waste our time buying tickets before every ride
  • Will not forgot to validate the single trip ticket
  • Able to use any means of transportation and as many times as needed per day
  • Avoid any possible penalty fares

Following were the two 24-hour Travel Cards we each bought during our trip (photos below). Note that as it had 24-hour validity, the second Travel Card bought also covered the transport fare on our last day to the airport in the morning. Each Travel Card cost HUF 1550.
The Travel Card can be bought at the airport (left photo below) or at any of the Metro Stations (right photo below).


Getting in/out from the Airport

Getting in/out of the airport is easy. In front of the Terminal 1 building (left photo below) there is a signage indicating the bus stop (right photo below).


We took Bus 200E (left photo below) which ended at Metro station 'Köbánya-Kispest' of Metro Line 3 as final destination. Bus was clean and relatively spacious (right photo below), and we all managed to grab a seat throughout the journey. Likewise on the last day, we followed the same route back to the airport.


Budapest Metro System

Budapest Metro has the oldest electrified underground railway system in continental Europe, and is only pre-dated by the London Underground and Liverpool's Mersey Railway. The Budapest's line 1 was completed back in 1896.

As part of the extension in 2002, Budapest's iconic Line 1 has been added to the same list, together with central area of Budapest along the Danube River, as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Budapest Metro has three lines: M1, M2 and M3, and interestingly all intersected at 'Deák Ferenc tér' Metro station. Train design are rather outdated (left photo below) and its interior seems to remain during the communist times (right photo below).
The platform area of some Metro stations reminded me of the run-down train stations I saw in Manhattan, New York (photos below).
However, some of the Metro stations are modern in design (left photo below). The 'Deák Ferenc tér' Metro station has a depth of 38-meters and passengers will need to take long escalator up / down when interchanging between the Metro Lines (right photo below).
Budapest Metro opens every day at 0430 hours and runs until 2300 hours. The trains pass every 2 to 15 minutes depending on the time of day.

Accommodation

Centrál Dominik Panzió Hotel

Centrál Dominik Panzió Hotel (photos below) is located at Szív Utca and just 2-mins walk from 'Kodály Körönd' Metro Station. I could not remember the price we paid for this hotel as it was booked by my colleague.


It was quite a budget hotel where the bed and pillows were lumpy and quite uncomfortable (photos below).
There was 24-hour reception (left photo below) and breakfast was provided (right photo below).
Only limited selections of bread, cereals, hams and beverages were provided, therefore choices of my breakfast were rather similar on the second day (left photo below) and third day (right photo below) of this trip.
The hotel had changed its name before this write-up. From the reviews of most booking websites, this hotel seems to have overwhelming of negative comments. Personally, I would not recommend this hotel; not even for budget travellers.

Interesting Observations

  • Transportation Map of Budapest do look complex and complicated (photos below). However, we only took mainly Metro throughout our trip.
  • Artistic sculptures can be found inside the Metro stations (photos below). It really transforms the boring stations into an Art Gallery.


  • Buskers were seen at the Fisherman's Bastion (left photo below).

  • Old school phone booth was spotted along one of the streets in Budapest (right photo below).


  • Nice graffiti works on the railings along the walkways (photos below).


Suggested Souvenirs

  • Definitely spoiled with choices for souvenirs in Budapest. There are varieties of figurines (left photo below) and hand-painted plates (right photo below) to choose from.
  • Souvenir Coins collectors surely will not be disappointed; there are coin machines located in almost all major tourist attractions (photos below).

Travel Tips:

If you're staying in Budapest for more than 2 days and a museum-lover, then it is worth the money to get a Budapest Card (left photo).

This Budapest Card, in 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120-hours, provides free entry to over 30 attractions, unlimited use of public transports and many exclusive deals. For a 24-hours, it cost EUR 22, while a 48-hours cost EUR 33. Do check out the website to find out more to take the full advantage of this card.

Some useful links:

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