Eyewitness Travel Guide to Budapest

by Barbara Olszańska, Tadeusz Olszański

Truly the guides that show you what others only tell you, this book features stunning 3D and cutaway views of museums, cathedrals, and other must-see sights; detailed street maps; a handy phrase section; advice on the best places to eat, drink, shop, sleep, and be entertained; and a Survival Guide to help the traveler sort out essential information such as currency, transportation, and communications. As world traveler and TV personality Michael Palin says, "the Eyewitness Travel Guides are irresistibly seductive.... They also deliver where it matters most -- uncluttered and accurate information." Headed to the capital of the Republic of Hungary? Then take along the most comprehensive travel handbook to seeing the sights of this remarkable city -- DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide: Budapest. More than 700 color photographs, precise street-by-street maps, and vivid 3-D illustrated aerial views guide you through the city's six districts, leading you to major sights along suggested routes that direct you past key architectural wonders and monuments. The Hungarian National Gallery is showcased in a four-page feature complete with floor plans, photos of its major artworks, and summaries of the institute's collections. Additional special features spotlight Mayas Church, the Gellert Hotel and Baths Complex, Parliament, St. Stephen's Basilica, the Hungarian National Museum, and the State Opera House. Beyond Budapest, the Further Afield chapter highlights the remains of the Roman town, Aquincum, and offers day or overnight excursions to the charming villages beyond the city. The guide includes two fascinating guided walks, one taking you through Obuda, and the other around Margaret Island, in themiddle of the Danube River. From its ancient Roman beginnings through occupations and revolutions to its contemporary rebirth, Budapest's turbulent history is showcased in an exceptional chapter complete with timelines, overviews of each significant era, and illustrations and photos of major artifacts. Other informative features spotlight Hungarian cuisine, intoxicating spirits, traditional folkcrafts, and much more. No trip to Budapest is complete without DK's entertaining and educational travel guide--an impressive gateway to the treasures of this fascinating eastern European city.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Hungary

264 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1999

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great complement to TOP 10 BUDAPEST!

Great organization, eye-catching photography, well written narrative and superb cartography! DK Eyewitness Travel guides have got it all but, for me, it's the photography that really separates them from the competition. And BUDAPEST covers it all - restaurants, music, beer halls, walks, art galleries, museums, spas, architecture, palaces, hotels, cafés, theatres and churches. And all of the information is organized by neighbourhood in the city so I can make the most effective use of my time once I'm in a certain area.

Here's my "best practices" strategy. Read TOP 10 BUDAPEST first. Make some basic choices, get your mind wrapped around Budapest's geography and begin to localize your choices to certain areas. Fine tune your choice and plan your attack day by day by reading BUDAPEST. Familiarize yourself with some of the local customs by reading the basic country information in the back of the larger BUDAPEST guide - currency, communications, etiquette, food, beer and wine, local transportation and specialized hints like local tipping practices.

Why not five stars? Frankly, with the internet now providing so much current information, I can't see the value in attempting to include lengthy (and probably outdated) lists of hotels and restaurants in densely packed small print index lists at the back of a book like this.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

DK books are stupendous: they appear to be the slickest and most beautifully printed travel books I've ever encountered. If you are a fan of architecture (like me), Budapest is a must. Every time you turn a street corner, you run into a different set of architectural styles. The city is a beauty, and my favorite from my many travels. And because of this, Budapest is a popular place for film makers all over earth. And if you are a architecture enthusiast enjoying the luxuries of extended baths, you'll like it even more. AND, if you are a gay architecture bath house lover, you might just pack up and move there. And if you're a republican, you might consider that age of consent is 14 in Budapest, so book your tickets: after all, the US Congress does nothing but scream at sexually abused ladies, no doubt a factor on your places to visit bucket list. But text me you're going, I'll schedule my trips to Munich and Vienna as you 'tour' this fabulous city. I've read this book several times (it has lots of pictures for you republicans that can't read) and am planning my next architectural tour of Europe.

[Zeynep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Budapeşte'ye gitmeden önce şehir hakkında genel bir bilgi almak adına okudum. Türk bloggerlar ya da vloggerlar genelde yaptıkları alışverişleri, gittikleri kafeleri anlatıyor ama şehrin tarihinden, mimariden ve kültürden bahsetmiyorlar. Bu rehber kitap, tarih ve mimari kısmı için iyi bir başlangıç. Kültür özelinde pek bir şey yok, onu da artık Google'a sormak gerekecek.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the Eyewitness Travel Guides. The format is appealing -- a lavishly illustrated introductory section expounding on the history and key features of the city followed by color-coded sections, each devoted to a different area. For those in a hurry to get an overview, the brief introductory section on history and "Budapest's Best" (museums and galleries, churches and synagogues, palaces and historic buildings, baths and pools) makes an excellent "quickie" blueprint for planning a trip. The next sections give more details and include some more specialized and off-the-beaten track sights.

The rear of the book is devoted to practicalities such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. Since it heavily relies on pictures rather than words, it's easy to pick up a guide, thumb through it, and let a striking photo serve as inspiration for where to go or what to do. The text on even the major sights is succinct, so if it's the full monty you're after, supplement this guide with something more substantial like a Blue Guide. However, if you want to get a quick sense of what a destination has to offer, an hour or so spent with one of these guides is probably one of the most effective ways to do background research.

One quibble is that since the Eyewitness Guides are printed on nice, heavy stock, they're not that light. Perhaps in the future another format - digital? - will get around this problem.

[C.E. Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

More in-depth about city sights than the internet, and an easier-to-understand historical section than lofty books I've been reading.

The 2017 version seemed rather old-fashioned, with no mentions of Uber or AirBnB, and a bit of outdated information on international cell service.

Good advice for gay tourists.

[Josep Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saved my trip :) These guides are absolutely wonderful if you're the kind of person that dislikes the messiness of the Internet webpages. A book like this allows you to have all the information you might need during your trip in only one place.

[Nicole Charlton-nauroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info! Now on to making the schedule!

[Laurie Byro · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022 edition and really good as all the guides.

[Tim Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and heritage-conscious part of western Europe; if you are contemplating a trip to this atypical part of the European Union, read and study all of the sentences, paragraphs, sections on pages 208-9 titled "Practical Information"; especially about how it is a largely conservative society that has the toughest anti-smoking regulations and no one may drive after consuming any alcohol. It is a zero-tolerance anti-drug government. Possession of even the smallest amounts of illegal substances can land you with a large fine or even a prison sentence. You must always carry your passport with you at all times and present it to the police if asked to do so. You will be asked to present ID when checking into accommodation, including private apartment rentals. on the positive
site when visiting Budapest, page 209 mentions that you can use a Discount "BUDAPEST" card that entitles you to use most city transport free of charge along with discounts at spas, restaurants, and many cultural events. I have never been there but enjoyed as a 20ish college student a lot of Austria and W. Germany and much in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is par with excellent European travel and civilization/cultural appreciation. Best to you if you travel there!

[D'face · Rating 2 out of 5]

A useful guide to Budapest which accompanied my recent rtavel there. It is very focussed on the history of Budapest and yet fails to convey, to me at least, a coherent sense of the historical periods that have swept over this beautiful but troubled city. Some of the material was clearly out of date, which is to be expected and the maps were not as detailed and as useful as I would have hoped. Fantastic cut-away illustrations of various historic buildings around the place. I gues I would have liked something a bit more chatty and contemporary, like what you hope for in an entertaining tour guide.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

The maps aren't great, but the three-day itinerary at the front of the book hits some unmissable spots.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I last traveled to Budapest in 2001, so this book very relevant for that period. I'm sure it is now quite out of date, but the DK Travel Guides are some of the best (in my opinion).