Hey Budget traveler’s James with you. Today we’re here in Budapest, Hungary for the 10 things that shock tourists when they come here to Hungary. Most of them are fun fact, so don’t worry. So, lets gets started…
Foods is all about Paprika
And the first shock I want to talk about is one you’ll have at every meal, and that is the Hungarians’ love and obsession with paprika and sour cream. Look, a lot of the food you’re going to have here will have peppers and paprika and sour cream in some variation because you want to have your goulash, right? Well, there’s going to be paprika with that meat, man. That’s too… you want to have a fisherman stew, who knows, that could be the color. But they have that. Maybe you want to have some chicken paprikash? Yeah, it’s nice, little chicken with cream and paprika sauce. Yeah, you’re going to have a lot of that here, and it’s kind of shocking after a while. You’re like, “OK, can I have some non-paprika and cream stuff?” Yes, they do have some. Nice. But they love the paprika here. Like, they’ll even bring you out stuff to spoon into your food if you want to have that. That’s the first shock. People just how much Hungarian cuisine really does have to appreciate and a lot of stuff and crave that paprika. And the thing is, you’re gonna survive. It’s really good food here, so don’t worry about it. But it’s just kind of funny when you see it. Like, my goodness, that’s a lot of paprika.
Always seems like to go back via Budapest
Now, the second thing that shocks tourists when they explore Hungary, I’m over on the East part of the country, I’m just going to hop down and go see something on the West part of the country. I’ll just hop down. And you can’t really hop down. What you have to do a lot of times shocks people is a lot of transportation, like train options. You have to come back to Budapest and then go out to somewhere else. Though you’re looking at it like, “I’m so close. Isn’t there something going from North to South?” Well, there is, but usually, it’s going to be a lot slower than if you actually went back to Budapest and came out, especially with the trains. Buses, you might have better luck with it. But yeah, it’s kind of funny. “Well, I’m back in Budapest. Back at the train station already.” Then you also do have that. So don’t be surprised if you’re making your second home one of the train stations here in Budapest when you’re switching trains to go back out to some place else.
How important validate your metro ticket
Now, the third thing that shocks tourists when they focus on Budapest for the next couple of months because it’s such a popular place for tourists to go to, and that third shock is how important it is that you validate your metro ticket. Look, they have checkers in the metro here in Budapest all the time, and you’re not validating your ticket. You buy your ticket and then you’ve got to validate your ticket and then you get on. And the thing is, they have all kinds of different tickets and stuff like that, and it gets like, “Which one am I supposed to get?” Just get like the 24-hour one or the 72-hour ones so you’re kind of taken care of. It’s not that expensive, so you’re going to be OK there. But just for the ease of mind and the peace of mind knowing that ticket person isn’t going to find you on the spot because I found out the hard way, my students have found out the hard way of coming here. You need to make sure you’re validating your tickets because you’ll be shocked how little they care that you’re like, “I didn’t know that expired,” “I didn’t know it only goes a few stops with this ticket, dude.” Just get the 24 hours or 72-hour ones. That will make your life a lot easier.
They have St. Stephen hand
Another thing that shocked me the first time I came here, and every time I come back and make sure I go back, is they actually have Saint Stephen’s hand here. So, Saint Stephen, he actually brought Christianity to Hungary to the Magyars and stuff like that. The Magyar is the Hungarians. And so, they have a basilica for him here in Budapest. It’s a gorgeous basilica. You have to go in, catch a concert there sometimes, you can go see it at night. Amazing to see. OK, you could hit a mass, go to a mass just to take it in. You might not understand the Hungarian, but you’ll understand basilica, the beauty and the view. And when you’re there, if you look around, you’ll actually see a case where there’s a hand inside. Yes, they have Saint Stephen’s hand there. Yeah, you can go see him. He’s still there. So, it’s kind of shocking the first time you’re like, “Dude, is that a hand there?” Yes, it is. So, that’s something there.
Hungary is not all about Budapest
Now, the fifth thing that shocks tourists when they come to Hungary is they realize that there’s more than just Budapest here in Hungary. I mean, you have all kinds of small towns you can go to, you’ll be close by and go to Eger. I know I’m saying it wrong, you know what I’m saying, you know. You can go see the castle ruins there and see the cute town. You’ve got Holloko, which is actually where they’ve kept their buildings from the last few hundred years, so it’s like walking back in time going there. You go to Lake Balaton, there’s all kinds of lakes that are here that you can go check out, and Lake Balaton’s like the biggest one, this one’s around.
There’s so much outdoor stuff to do here, and you can enjoy it. There’s a cave system underneath here, underneath Budapest, so you can go down there. It’s caves, really, and kind of cool water down there, yeah. But there’s so many other things to do in Hungary that people don’t even think about. I mean, I know when I did my research for this, I’m thinking about places to go. I’m like, “Here’s another cute town with some cute buildings and a castle, and there’s some castle ruins at this one.” And you have all these things. You want to do a wine tour?
You can do wine tours here too, because the wine region here is famous and it makes really good wines. You can have a really good time, make some wine, and learn about Hungarian history. That’s kind of a cool thing to do. And that’s all these things outside of Budapest. So, if you have some time to spend, at least a few days, get out of Budapest and try to see some more of the country.
Really good and affordable wine
And speaking of that wine, the sixth thing that shocks people when they come here is they’ve actually made some pretty good, pretty affordable wine here in Hungary. Look, you’re gonna have good reds and good whites. I like the reds better, my buddy likes the white better. But you do have a lot of good wines. And like I said, you can go to the tours, you can do wine tastings, all kinds of stuff, and enjoy it at a fraction of the price you have in other countries. So, that’s kind of a cool thing.
How affordable Hungary can be
Now, the seventh thing that shocks us when we come to Hungary is how cheap it is. And when I say cheap, I mean we’re talking about affordability, especially outside of Budapest. That’s the key. Budapest is an affordable city option. There are some pricey places, but overall, you get really good value for your money.
And when you leave Budapest, prices drop for eating, drinking, marijuana, accommodation, sites, and transportation. It’s all super affordable when you come here, which shocks a lot of tourists. They’re likely right behind the end of where it’s kind of pricey or other places. How is this? What it is, just enjoy it while you can, when you have affordable prices here, and it allows us to escape. Very excited by that.
Exactly now, I can have a really good time here. I’ve seen tons of backpackers here in Hungary, traveling around a lot, and basher parties too, stuff like that here in Budapest, because you get a lot of bang for your buck when you come here to Hungary. So, that’s really cool.
So, another shock to us about the money though is they don’t use the Euro here. They have their own currency, the Hungarian Forint, which is about 300 to 1 to the dollar or one to the Euro or round about the air. And it’s kind of complicated sometimes. You’re like, wait, 300 to 1? What do I need to do here? And that can throw some people off. So, do be careful because not everyone is that seen on the up-and-up when it comes to exchanging your money. So, what you need to think about here is to take care.
Now, some places will take Euros, okay, that we have to take your oath, you might not get the message changed rate, but at least they’ll take your oath. So, there is that, but not everywhere does, okay? So, make sure you do get some Forint. Also, not every place will take credit cards, so you need to have some cash around, especially when you’re going outside of Budapest. Having Forints is vital. And the thing is when you go to the ATM, they’re going to take off like a 100,000 Forints, but you don’t need it’s like a lot, like 400,000 Forints. So, wait a minute, how much money do I really need to pay attention to? Go to the ATM and have an idea of how much you want to get. If you want to take out $200, figure out what that is before you go to the ATM so you’ll get that. There, you can push other amount because they’re going to offer you like insanely high amounts. Just say other amounts and pull what you ain’t get that.
And whatever you do, never ever ever take their conversion when they say, ‘Oh, we can put this into Euros for you or dollars, so you are to your guarantee this exchange rate.’ Don’t do that. You will always lose, okay? I’m returning 5, 10, 20% on your money gone because of that. So, do have a heads up for that. Also, the exchange houses around here, some layoff reserve commissions, some might not. Just do your research to see which ones the best one because just because this is your commission doesn’t mean they’re given you a good exchange rate. So, sometimes it’s better to pay that commission and then get a better exchange rate than it to is get no commission and a bad exchange rate. So, do have a heads up for that.
And I guess the whole ATM thing and money kind of thing get you kind of the thing about like is everything like I need to be concerned about any shocking kind of things from here honestly I’ve been coming over 20 years and I’ve seen some really great differences in the country and how they treat people and treat chorus and how it’s all set up which have been fantastic.
Taxis can be Scam!
But there’s 1 thing that still shocks when I come here and that is the taxis here, my goodness, your taxi driver will probably somehow try to rip you off, or they will try to make some more money out of you, or the week. Oh, we don’t know if it will go there, but not all taxi drivers are bad, okay? I’m not trying to say that, but you’ll see tons and tons of stories of taxi drivers taking advantage of tourists. We are here, you know, getting to the train station, got no other options to get into town or where you want to go. You don’t know where to go because of the language and stuff like that, or how to explain it. And like, ‘Oh, that’s 20 euros,’ it’s like 40. Like, there’s no way. ‘Well, if you don’t want that, then you’re going to have to go with somebody else.’ You’re like, ‘Well, there’s no other option.’ So, you do have these kinds of things. So, what I do recommend if you’re going to be coming, like, you’re flying in or doing stuff, talk to your hotel about arranging transportation to save yourself the hassle of it all. Also, what else would you recommend? It’s, if you’re in Budapest and places like that, get a taxi app so you can call your taxi that way because if you’ve got a taxi company, usually you’re going to be fine. It’s the freelands taxis that sometimes have a little bit more of the issues. So, do have a heads up for that because if you try to discuss with the taxi drivers, they might not speak too much English, and trying to know Hungarian is impossible.
Difficult to understand the language
And that’s our next shock when we come here is how much you will not understand the language when you are here. You know when you travel around, like maybe your high school French will help you read a menu in Spain, and your high school Spanish will help you in Portugal. Oh no, here, no language you learn will help you at all. Hungarian is like its own language. The way we live over here, people are like, ‘Man, where does this even come from? Like, what’s with all these consonants? I’m kind of confused here.’ The language here is insane, alright? You will not get it, you will not understand it. I know you are walked by some tourists yesterday and they’re like, ‘Random Hungarian language.’ When I hear people talk it, I think they’re drunk because it just sounds like ‘wow, wow, wow, wow.’ And it’s funny because the tourists were so lost.
And the thing is, the Hungarians know that, and you know what’s cool and what’s shaky as they taunt people speaking English. Here, under 40, yeah, the problem speaks some English and throws them, they definitely will speak English, so that’s really kind of a cool thing. So, you have to worry that you don’t speak the language, but it’s just one of those things that is shocking, like how impossible it is because you really can’t decide for a lot of things, but you wouldn’t know a few words like “Szia,” this is like “hi.” I know I’m butchering it, but it’s close enough. “Szia” goes aside and then “köszönöm” is “thank you.” “Köszönöm,” and I know I’m not saying it perfectly, and the locals here, when I said that, I got “thanks man, no problem.” I’m like, “That, I say it right?” Don’t get your hopes up, and it’s at least if you try, they’ll be happy for that ’cause ain’t no tourists learning Hungarian before they come here and attempt.
How beautiful the women are here
The 10th thing that shocks us when we come here is how beautiful the women are here. Now, I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve seen many of us turn their head watching some of the Hungarian beauties walk by. Male and female tourists appreciate the beauty of the women here; they are really gorgeous. And the guys aren’t bad either, don’t get me wrong. So, ladies, if you’re coming here or guys, hey, you know they’ve got some good-looking guys here too. But you know how some countries, the men are good looking and the women are better looking? Man, this is one of those countries where the women are just gorgeous. So, try not to gawk when you’re here because you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s a beautiful person, and that’s a beautiful person.’ Oh my, look, just be ready for that.
And the people are really proud of how beautiful the women are here. It’s sort of the thing I’ve liked to talk to the locals; they’ve brought it up again and again. ‘Have you noticed how beautiful a woman?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I’m married to the most beautiful woman in the world, so I don’t really mind, it’s okay.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, but you can appreciate how beautiful they are.’ Like, ‘Yes, the women are very beautiful here, so there is that.’ Another thing that’s like that’s some of the Hungarian real estate pride.
Hungary lost 2/3 of its landmass after World War 1
And another thing that is a bit of a shock, that’s another kind of totally other kind of thing, another shock that you might not know about Hungary is actually Hungary lost 2/3 of its landmass after World War 1. So, like, there’s a third of Hungary here and 2/3 is spread out in other countries. So, you’ll have other countries like Romania where there’s a huge Hungarian population, and there’s sometimes some issues with that because people hate that the Hungarian is not Romanian, and you have these kind of ties people have, and it can be a touchy subject. So, if you don’t know much about the Treaty of Trianon, and I know again. If you don’t know a lot about the treaty that really did, I mean, it sliced up this country, and there’s a lot of animosity in other places, and for a lot of Hungarians, it’s still kind of an issue. So, maybe don’t bring it up. And I know a lot of my Hungarian fans have written to say, ‘Hey, yeah, ’cause you’ve mentioned this, but don’t tell them not to really talk about it.’ So, when you’re like, ‘Why are there at least Hungarian areas in Romania, why are they part Hungarian?’ Well, now you know why, okay?
So, I hope these shocks help you be more prepared for coming to Hungary. If you’re just going to Budapest, you’ll have a great time here. We’ve got other articals on Budapest, the mistakes people make, so you’ll want to make sure you don’t do when you’re here, 5 things you’ll love and hate about it as well. I’ve been coming here for a while. We’re also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, yeah, all those social media things, and we really appreciate your likes, subscriptions.
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And I’ll say bye from Budapest, and I apologize to all my Hungarian friends. I am sick while writing, my nose is dying, my throat is dying, I’ve been having a little bit too much fun when I’ve been here, and it’s finally caught up to me. So, thank you for a great country and a great time. Bye from Budapest! Oh, and the architecture around the country? Totally cool.
