hungary for traveling tips!

August 6, 2009 10:21 AM

Things to see in Budapest & Berlin

I'm going to be in Berlin and Budapest this summer. Do you have recommendations of interesting or quirky things to see or do in either city? Any information about the sights, food, events etc in either city and traveling between them is much appreciated.

posted by MaddyRex to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

Berlin: Soviet Soldiers' Memorial.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:34 AM on August 6

You don't say how long you're going for, which makes a difference. But for the record, I've been to both cities and while I like both, Berlin is awesome. If you look carefully, there are tons of quirky things to do. I bought the bog standard travel guide and spent some time walking round the old part of East Berlin. we chanced upon funky little stores, markets, glorious, understated architecture.

Once you've done that and combined the obligatory trip to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate (and get there as early as you can, because once the coach parties arrive it is not as fun), Checkpoint Charlie and what remains of the wall, plus the galleries and flea market you can happily fill up a 3-4 days.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:37 AM on August 6

I mean the Soviet soldiers memorial in Pankow in Berlin, not the giant one in the cemetery or the Tiergarten one.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:37 AM on August 6

In Berlin, I really enjoyed a little tourist trip on the canal boats. You don't normally think of Berlin as having a canal but it's there. Very easy way to relax, watch the city go by, and enjoy a beer.

In Budapest, if it appeals to you at all make a visit to a Turkish bath. Gellért fürdő is both beautiful and relatively easy to navigate for a tourist. Széchenyi-gyógyfürdő is also great, but more like a water park / swimming pool in a nice park than a bathhouse.

I've taken the train from Berlin to Vienna. It's a long trip and at least back in 2003 or so the trains through Czech were quite slow. I doubt it's much different to Budapest. If you're really travelling point to point consider flying. OTOH, take the train and make a 3 day trip out of it and see a bit of Prague and Vienna.
posted by Nelson at 10:38 AM on August 6

From MeFi Projects, use HearWhere to see if any cool live acts are playing while you're there.
posted by mdonley at 10:40 AM on August 6

Spent 5 days in Budapest. I really liked St. Stephen's Basilica - Liberace levels of tackiness, and a terrifying yet amazing view if you head up through the dome and take a walk outside - seriously, if you are from a country where the words 'health and safety' are thrown around a lot, this is a pretty unusual experience. A small adult or medium sized child could easily slip through the balustrade, which is barely waist hight. Inside the basilica, you can drop a few coins in a box to turn on a light and get a view of the dead, shrivelled hand of some saint or another, which was pretty cool. One thing I missed that I wish I'd made time for is a park on the outskirts of town that now holds all the communist sculptures - giant statues of Lenin, etc.- that used to litter the city. I hear it's scary, surreal, and hilarious all at the same time.

I had a hard time finding good food there, though, with the exception of a small Indian restaurant with a name like Karma or Nirvana or maybe Kashmir- I will try to look it up. Everything else was kind of blah and kind of tossed at me with a 'here you go, eat your goulash you stupid tourist' kind of attitude. I didn't really get it, as I was quiet, unobtrusive, and made my best effort to use my small Hungarian vocabulary as much as possible when appropriate. Maybe they just didn't like my face. Or maybe they could tell that I thought their basilica was (awesomely) tacky.
posted by Wroksie at 10:53 AM on August 6

Oh there's fantastic food to be had in Budapest, Hungarian cuisine is great and there's a tradition of good cooking. Both main courses and pastry. I ate very happily back in 1997 and 1998, but then I had local folks showing me around and translating. It's been too long since I was there so I can't give any recommendations now. But don't expect just to eat crappy goulash!
posted by Nelson at 10:57 AM on August 6

The Soviet monument in Treptower Park (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal) is also worth seeing. It's built from pieces of Hitler's bunker!
posted by creasy boy at 11:03 AM on August 6

2nd-ing the public bath in Budapest. I went to Szechenyi in the middle of winter and it was a pretty neat experience.

Also, the Castle Hill Funicular Train is cool, and gives you a great view of the city.

The Great Market Hall is fun for poking around and eating Hungarian stuff.
posted by spilon at 11:05 AM on August 6

When I was in Berlin I really enjoyed walking around the artist lofts. There was a really cool contrast between bombed out building lots and hyper modern new structures. Still, traipsing about inside of the more dilapidated buildings where artists had made their workshops was really fun. I wish I could remember more. There was this children's playground that had been transformed into a twisted metal version. There were sharp rusty edges everywhere, and the whole construct was quite ominous. I also remember that it was next to a street with a lot of prostitutes and it was near our hostel.

Unrelated, but funny story about that. We hadn't realized the ladies standing on the street were prostitutes at first and we tried to get one to take a picture of us. She adamantly said "no pictures." Not thinking, we tried to explain that we wanted her to take pictures of us. She still refused, got a little upset and told us to quit bothering her. On the way back to the hostel we finally figured it out. I felt really bad for bothering her :(
posted by scrutiny at 11:40 AM on August 6

I had an extra day on a business trip to Budapest in June. So I didn't have time to discover all the little hidden corners of the city but I can wholeheartedly recommend the Budapest Opera House. I saw a production of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet there and it was one of the most amazing venues I've ever been in. Splurge and get tickets for the balcony boxes if there's a performance. Even if there's not a production to see, it's worth taking a tour of the building.

The old historic part of town on the Buda side is also interesting and provides great views of the Danube and the Pest district.

I also had the same experience as Wroksie regarding food. It was either bland or just outright bad and was inevitably served with a side of indifference by the wait staff.

Otherwise Budapest is a fascinating city. I'd love to go back when I had more time to spend.
posted by cptspalding at 12:20 PM on August 6

It's a copy of a previous post, but my advice for a nice time in Berlin :

(I'm not posting a lot of information about the various museums, but the Pergamon, the Technical Museum, (Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin), and Reichstag/Bundestag tours are pretty interesting, if you're looking for sightseeing, drive by the Kaiser Wilhelm's Gedaechtniskirche (the big bombed out church near the Zoo), but there's not terribly much to see, and it's a pretty big tourist trap).

If you enjoy being outdoors, take the S-Bahn (or the regional trains) the half hour to Wannsee. The beaches are delightful-- a huge lake, beautiful place to spend a relaxing afternoon, and you can get off at either the Schlachtensee or Krumme Lanke if you want a smaller lake with more forests around you.

I cannot recommend the Liquidrome Berlin highly enough: it's a sauna/massage/swimming/relaxation center. In addition to a full service sauna (with hourly Aufguss), they have a steambath, an outdoor hottub, indoor hottub, and a pool (I can't describe the architecture of the pool except this picture) In addition, they provide facilities for tanningbeds, massages, and offer drinks (and I think, fingerfood. Don't remember). Easy (five min, max) walk from UBahn Moeckernstrasse, or just a hair longer (six min, max) from S Bahn Anhalter Bahnhof.

Olivin Sauna/Lounge (Schönhauser Allee 177, 10119 Berlin ) is a low-key, relaxing just-a-sauna and garden (with massages, juices offered) in Prenzlauer Berg, and it's next to a biergarten. Friendly staff, nice cozy atmosphere.
(During the month of the World Cup or EM football championships, it was amusing to be completely relaxed in their bamboo garden... and still hear a tremendous cheer for good plays/what have you)

If football/soccer interests you, see a BSC Hertha game at the 1936 Olympic Stadium-- the stadium's a pretty interesting example of monolithic architecture, and the Bundesliga season starts tomorrow. Hertha made a very strong showing last year, ending the season in 4th place.

The Berlin Adler are the GFL (American) Football team for Berlin, and their season's coming to an end.

There's an outdoor pool called the Badeschiff (Literally, bathing-ship) that's kind of interesting if you're looking for water in the old East Berlin (Freidrichshain, I think). They also have a club and what have you attached- in the winter, they have a large covered portion that is pretty interesting to check out.

Savignyplatz is a great place to enjoy a relaxing evening meal- if the weather isn't too bad, just wander around and find a place for dinner/drinks. If you're looking for more raucous fun, head up into Prenzlauer Berg, and enjoy the clubs/nightlife.

If you're on a budget, or just want to have a quick city tour, use bus route 100-- it goes from the Zoologischer Garten to Alexanderplatz, passing all the monuments in Mitte-- the Siegessäule, the Reichstag, the Brandenburger Tor, and up Under den Linden (so you see the Museuminsel, State Opera, and the Dom as well).
Feel free to me-fi mail me if you have specific questions/requests.
posted by Seeba at 1:49 PM on August 6 [2 favorites]

Always a good tip for english information on berlin, events and such, is the expat magazine Exberliner.
posted by kolophon at 3:48 PM on August 6 [1 favorite]

In Budapest you MUST go to Szoborpark and the Gellert Bathhouse. If you want to take some flakeout time and a break from sightseeing, go to the shopping mall at Nyugati City Center and there's a movie theatre on the top floor.
posted by asockpuppet at 9:33 PM on August 6

drive by the Kaiser Wilhelm's Gedaechtniskirche (the big bombed out church near the Zoo)

See it for sure, but I'd suggest walking past it while it's dark. They light it up from the inside and it is breathtaking. Since you are near the Zoo, see the giant panda (and polar bears, Knut is one of them). KaDeWe is close to it as well.

If you are at the Brandenburger Tor, see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It's a large city block covered with stone slabs. Abstract but moving.
posted by soelo at 9:18 AM on August 7

Further, seeing the square building next to the Kaiser Wilhelm church *from the inside* during sunny daylight hours was amazing. You will find a lot of good Turkish food in Berlin. We also literally stumbled over some of these.
posted by ersatzkat at 9:28 AM on August 7

In Budapest: If you've got a taste for the bizarre, take half a day to visit the Hungarian Agricultural Museum in northern Pest. It's a strange place, but there are quite a few interesting stuffed animals and animal skeletons, as well as plenty of tractors to look at. The building itself is spectacular (a late-19th Century faux-medieval castle) and outside is a statue of Anonymous, that is supposedly quite famous. It isn't to everyone's tastes but it was one of my favourite things in Budapest.

The House of Terror - a museum about the fascist and communist eras in Hungarian history - is interesting, but more because of the style of the exhibits (some of which are stunningly well-designed) than the information they provide, which is a bit sparse. If you're interested in that era of history, it is worth the visit.

The Hungarian Opera House is wonderful regardless of what's on, although feel free to leave at the interval if you're getting bored – many Budapest natives do and it's not a problem at all. Be warned that subtitles will, naturally, be in Hungarian, so it's worth getting a fairly detailed summary of whatever you go to see beforehand and bringing it with you. Tickets can be bought in the upper circle for the equivalent of a couple of euro online, so it really is worth a try even if you're not usually into that sort of thing.

Budapest is a really interesting city, but a lot of what makes it so interesting (its relative lack of tourists, for instance) can be a double-edged sword. As Wroksie said above, the food is often terrible, and price is no guide to quality. Service can also be quite poor, so don't take it personally. Besides that, there's a lot to love about Budapest. Enjoy your trip.
posted by cloudbuster at 2:46 PM on August 7