Budapest Guide, Author at Budapest Guide

Buda Castle Beer Festival 2018

Posted on August 6, 2018March 3, 2023 by Budapest Guide

Between August 23rd and August 26th, the annual Buda Castle Beer Festival will be arranged again. Are you in town? Check it out!

The Buda Castle Beer Festival is supposed to be an annual event and it has been so for many years, with an exception in 2017. This is the place to go for beer lovers who want to taste different beers and drink it while enjoying a stunning panorama.

But, the beer festival isn’t only about drinking beer, it is also about food. Hungary is well known for its tasty (and sometimes fat) food, and at the beer festival, you can taste all sorts of food. Some people like to eat a traditional Hungarian sausage with their beer, while others just eat a sweet chimney cake. The possibilities are many. If you haven’t been to such a festival before things are even better, as all tastes are new, meaning that you have a lot of tasting to do!

There will also be live concerts taking place in the festival area, but no information has been given so far about which artists will perform.

The entrance fee is 2500 HUF if you buy the ticket upon arrival at the festival area. To get to the castle area we suggest using bus 16 or 16A from Deak Ferenc Tér and travel with it to Disz tér.

Cannot come to the beer festival? Why don’t you taste some great beer as you join us at a brewery visit instead?

Budapest by night from a drone

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Budapest Guide

Would you like to see a beautiful Budapest by night picture? This has got to be one of the most stunning of them all!

A few days ago, we shared an article from Steemit on our Facebook page. It contained a beautiful Budapest by night picture, taken from a drone. The post turned so popular, and since the picture actually is a freebie, we decide to share it here in our own blog as well.

Isn’t this simply a stunning picture? We have seen lots of pictures from Budapest throughout the years, but this has got to be one of the nicest of them all. Kudos to Andras Kovacs for making this fantastic picture.

On the picture, you can see the Chain Bridge, the Elisabeth Bridge, the Liberty Bridge, the Petofi Bridge, the Rakoczi Bridge, and quite a lot of beautiful buildings, including the National Theater and the Palace of Arts in by the “last” bridge.

If you like the picture, share it with friends and family. It will for sure inspire people to pay Budapest a visit in the near future.

Budapest Christmas market dates 2018

Posted on June 6, 2018June 6, 2018 by Budapest Guide

When will the Christmas markets open in Budapest in 2018? When will they close? Where are the most popular Christmas markets located?

We get questions such as these all the time, and especially from people looking to buy plane tickets, but they just want the dates confirmed before they press confirm on the booking page. So, what are the dates for the Christmas markets in Budapest in 2018?

You will find lots of dates on other websites, but the truth is, no official dates have been given yet. So, it is impossible to know the dates for the Christmas market at Vörösmarty square, and for the Christmas market by the St. Stephen’s Basilica.

But, if you want to know something, then December is a safe month to visit Budapest. Both markets will for sure be open throughout December. The real question is when they will open in November. Based on the earlier years it could be that the market at Vörösmarty square will open already on the November 9-10-11 weekend, but if not then, almost for sure at the following weekend. The market by the St. Stephen’s Basilica is most likely to open on the November 23-24-25 weekend.

But, these are guesses made on the activities in the last years. We will update the article once we have the final dates. You can read more information in general about the Christmas markets in Budapest right here.

How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Budapest?

Posted on May 25, 2018April 21, 2024 by Budapest Guide

I would love to watch the FIFA World Cup in Budapest, and wonder how and where it can be done?

It is very easy to watch the FIFA World Cup in Budapest. There are lots of sports-pubs all around town that will show the matches, and during such large events, restaurants also install large TV-screens on which visitors can watch the matches. But, if you want to be sure, check out with your restaurants, or plan to visit a sports-pub instead.

You can also watch the different matches on a TV in your hotel room. The TV channel M4 in Hungary will broadcast all the matches live (for free), so turn on your TV and look for M4!

Some recommended sports-pubs in Budapest

Champs: Dohany Utca 20
John Bull Pub: Apáczai Csere János u. 17
Becketts: Liszt Ferenc tér 11.

Public screening of the FIFA World Cup in Budapest

Would you like to watch the FIFA World Cup together with hundreds, and maybe thousands of others? The best place to watch the FIFA World Cup in Budapest is at the Szabadsag square (Liberty Square), located between the Hungarian Parliament and the St. Stephen’s Basilica. Here you will find two large screens, and it is an amazing place to watch the matches. Besides that, you will normally find a large screen next to the Allee mall, but we haven’t got it confirmed yet if it will be so in 2018 as well.

Watch the World Cup online

If you want to watch the FIFA World Cup online on your tablet, telephone or computer, visit mediaklikk.hu, click ELO in the right corner (upper) and press M4. You can then see the free live stream of all the matches.

But, if you miss the English speaking commentators, you can also watch the FIFA World Cup on BBC/ITV online, or maybe on German TV, Swiss TV, or Dutch TV online. It might be a bit more complicated, but you can read more on how to stream the FIFA World Cup online here.

Enjoy watching the FIFA World Cup in Budapest!

Downtown beerfestival 2018

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Budapest Guide

Come to Budapest and enjoy the Downtown Beer festival at the Szabadság square (Liberty square) between June 6th and June 10th in 2018.

The Beerfestival was earlier known as the Buda Castle beer festival, but they probably realized that larger crowds will come if the arrange the festival downtown, and it is also cheaper to rent space downtown compared to the castle area. And, the Liberty square is simply awesome, so you better check it out just for the sake of being a tourist. But, if you first visit the Liberty square, why not taste some cold Hungarian beer in the heat?

Read more about the beer festival here.

If you come to Budapest some other time and want to taste delicious Hungarian beer, why not join us at a brewery visit. There you can taste quite a lot of beer, taste some Hungarian fruit-spirit (Palinka), and you even get a lot of food? You can read more about the brewery visit in Budapest right here.

Election in Hungary on April 8th

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Budapest Guide

On this upcoming Sunday, on April 8th, it is time for elections in Hungary. Do you need to know anything about the election if you come to Hungary?

If you come to Hungary as a tourist, you will most likely not even notice that it is election day. You will for sure see political posters and commercials here and there (Vote for me etc…), but nothing else besides that. But, as the results are made public, you might start to see some reactions on the faces of the people.

Fidesz, the party led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, are the favorites to win the election over again, and thus continue their reign in Hungary. They have led the nation in the last eight years, and due to changes they made to the voting laws, it is very hard to get rid of them. Lots of changes have been made, but on Sunday the most important change might be that the opposing political parties cannot create coalitions after the vote, only before. In other words, if Fidesz ends up getting 40% of the votes, Jobbik gets 15% (the right extreme party) and all left side parties get a total of 45% of the votes, then Fidesz has won in the given area. In that way the force the opposition parties to cooperate before the voting, but that is very hard, and thus this is strengthening the position of Fidesz in Hungarian politics.

The most important subject in the political campaign (of Fidesz) leading up to the election has been migration policy. They are very condemning the political statements given from the EU headquarter in Brussels, and they are clear that Hungary will not be invaded by dangerous migrants destroying the Hungarian culture and religion. But, a lot of people consider these political statements as more of a way to scare the Hungarian citizens (which will result in them voting for Fidesz), than how much it has to do with reality and what’s going on.

What to expect after the election?

It can turn out in any way. Some people believe people will go to the streets if Fidesz loses the election. Other people believe the opposition will go to the streets if Fidesz wins again. It is hard to predict, but pay attention to the news wherever you might be to get a final update on the election results! Some people also predict that Hungary might be forced to leave the EU if Fidesz continues their reign, but it is truly hard to understand what is going on. Media in Hungary is in large part controlled by friends of the government, and for that reason, the news we are served are heavily filtered (except for a few places). We have an old article here called “An introduction to Hungarian Politics.” It is a bit out of date, but the basics are still the same. Read it if you have the time and want to understand more about what’s going on in the country.

If you have comments or questions, use the comment field beneath.

Can a Hungarian movie win an Oscar again?

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Budapest Guide

Two years ago the movie Son of Saul won an Oscar as the Best Foreign Movie. This year another Hungarian movie is nominated for the same price, On Body and Soul.

In order to win an Oscar for Best Foreign movie, it needs to be in some other language than English. So, if you miss the Hungarian language, watch the movie On Body and Soul, and you will combine listening to our beautiful (and complicated language) with watching a movie that is fantastic.

On Body and Soul isn’t an easy Hollywood movie, but it is the story of two people who share the same dream. But, a beautiful dream (and one they both have), doesn’t mean that everything works out perfectly in real life as they meet.

Take a look at the trailer beneath and see if the movie might be something for you.

If you want to watch the Academy Awards live on the Internet, find instructions on how it can be done here.

Can I pay with Bitcoin in Budapest?

Posted on February 13, 2018August 2, 2022 by Budapest Guide

Would you like to pay with Bitcoin during your trip to Budapest? Is it possible? Are there many stores and restaurants in which you can pay with Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the biggest and most famous cryptocurrency in the world. But, that does not mean that it is the best for doing small purchases. If you would like to make a purchase of a cup of coffee in Budapest paying with Bitcoin, you will most likely end up paying a higher transaction fee than the price for the purchase itself. But, let us not jump ahead too quickly. Because, in order to pay such a high transaction fee, you first need to find a place accepting Bitcoin in Budapest, and that might be harder than you think.

If you search the Internet for information about places in Budapest that accept Bitcoin, you will find a couple of names, but no important places, meaning that you can most likely forget about your cryptocurrencies while in Budapest, and spend some FIAT instead. What is FIAT? That is a currency issued by a government, like for example, the Hungarian Forint. Even though you cannot spend your BTC in Budapest, you can still have fun with it. Why not visit CoinMarketCap or check Blockfolio on your mobile to see how your cryptos are progressing. You can also visit one of the popular crypto-exchanges online to do some trading, and hopefully finance your trip to Budapest with money earned as you do some day-trading during your lunch break in Budapest?

Really eager to use your cryptos in Budapest?

If you are totally devastated by the lack of places accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Budapest, you might want to attack the problem in a different way. Maybe you should get yourself a payment card which will work as a VISA/MasterCard, but you will use your Bitcoin (or other currency) as you use it. Doesn’t that sound cool? There are several companies working with this, and some of the most famous are Monaco and TenX.

If you want to find a Bitcoin ATM in Budapest, then one can be found in Anker Klub, and another one not far from Anker Klub, outside the Regency Suites Hotel at the Madach Imre square. If you first visit this area, you might find it nice to know that Anker Klub is one of the few places in Budapest that actually accept payments with Bitcoin.

Places accepting Bitcoin in Budapest

Anker Klub
Paprika Hostel

Do you know a place accepting Bitcoin in Budapest? Please write a comment beneath, and we will add it to this list, and hopefully, it will become long and comprehensive as time flies! If you find a place on the list above supposed to accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, that doesn’t, please write a comment to let us know, and we will remove it from the list.

Enjoy the snow in Budapest!

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Budapest Guide

If you didn’t know it already, it is currently possible to enjoy some snow in Budapest. As a tourist, you might not enjoy it, but the local population still try to rejoice in the snow.

Every year you have a couple of days with snow in Budapest. We are never speaking about extreme amounts of snow, but simply a thin layer that makes the trees look green, and the kids able to throw a couple of snowballs. At the moment it seems as if January 14th, 15th, 16th and who knows how many more days will be those days in 2018 in which we enjoyed some snow.

What should you do on a cold winter day like the one today in Budapest? We have written an article on that earlier, so if you want some suggestions, check out this article. The article referred to is about the Christmas markets, but it contains general advice on what to do in Budapest on a snowy day.

Do not forget that you can enjoy hot sprints outdoor in the Szechenyi thermal bath, also on a snowy January day!

Do not forget that the Winter Olympics will be arranged in South Korea in a month from now. The Hungarians don’t care about Winter sports, but you might care about it, so if you want to watch the Winter Olympics while in Budapest, you better turn on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 on the TV in your hotel room, and you will most likely be able to watch all the highlights. For more information on how to stream the Winter Olympics online, check this article.

The Hungarians in the Winter Olympics

Based on the information we have just found, it seems as if there will be a total of 12 Hungarians participating in the Winter Olympics 2018. 10 of those will take part in speed skating (5 women, 5 men), one in ice skating and one stand alone in speed skating. We can for sure forget about medals, but at least there will be someone from Hungary taking part in the Winter Games.

Star Wars. The Last Jedi premiere in Budapest today!

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Budapest Guide

Are you a Star Wars fan in Budapest? Had you already ordered your tickets to Budapest, and then discovered that you would miss out on the Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiere at home? What can be done? Is there any place to watch the movie in English?

The cinemas in Budapest are showing Star Wars: The Last Jedi from December 13th. The most famous cinema in Budapest is Cinema City, and they have complexes in several of the biggest shopping malls in Budapest; WestEnd, Allee and Arena Plaza. Normally all movies are dubbed in Hungary (almost), but with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, most cinemas show it in the original language (English), with subtitles (Hungarian) a couple of times a day. You should there have the chance to watch the movie in English if you want to. The bigger problem is the fact that all tickets are bought for the first performances (almost), but there is one exception if you are eager to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi live in Budapest on the opening night.

Campona, a shopping mall on the Buda side, quite a distance from the city center, has loads of free tickets available for the performance in English at 21.00 tonight. You will have to buy the tickets at the Cinema City website, but if you want to, this is a chance.