Another guest report from Dan - this is part 2 of 2...

Day 6
...... Flew to Budapest, where I had to wait 4 and ¾ hours for Stu's plane from Gatwick to arrive. I occupied this time smoking and drinking but managed to restrain myself to just 2 x 500mL of Borsodi (quite a decent beer about 4.5%). After I met up with Stu. We got a taxi to our apartment hotel (Radio Inn). We had 4 beds a living room and a fridge (don't mention the cooking facilities little more than a teas maid with a brevel attached. Some rooms did seem to have full kitchens). After settling in we set off down the main road for a wander, beer and food. The Hungarians are very big on the café culture and after passing dozens we decided to stop have a beer and watch the world go by. Boy what a view we had: unbelievably good looking model type birds walking by every few seconds. Needless to say we stayed for another. We set off deeper into town looking for a pub rather than a café. Eventually found this weird little place with an aged clientele and a middle aged Goth barmaid who simply grunted at us as we ordered some beer (this turned out to be Paulener Weissbier from Munich). Once finished we quickly left and promptly got lost on a round trip to a traditional Hungarian eatery as mentioned in the guide book (Pozsony Kiveldev or similar). After a good 3 mile trek we found said eatery and it was worth the walk. The portions were massive and so cheap. We had a starter (bigger than many mains elsewhere) a massive plate of goulash and a few beers for about £8 each. Stuffed we called it a night.

Day 7
Today we did most of the sites of Buda: the castle, palace, Gelhert monument etc. Had a very good pizza at a bistro on Buda hill and a couple drinks. After a hot and tiring morning sightseeing we decided to check out a few of the featured bars from the guide book. We started with a big sports bar (can't remember the name) and also went to Cactus juice. Fairly impressed with cactus juice we started our evening here and went on to find a small locals pub/eatery were we had a very nice tuna lasagne. After it was back to cactus juice for another and then bed.

Day 8
The booze was starting to take its toll after a solid week so we decided to have a lighter day. After seeing Heroes Square, the park and zoo we heading back down to town to St Stephens Basilica where we had a very good meal and attractive service at a bistro restaurant (Again the name escapes me). Went back to the hotel stocked up on booze and after a good chill went to Cactus Juice for dinner. Came back and played cards over a couple drinks I got a bit carried away and had quite a few more.

Day 9
After a good lie in I met up with Stu in town and had lunch. Did some walking around pest, saw the parliament etc. Had lunch by the basilica again and generally just chilled out.

Day 10
Got up early and flew back stocking up with fags at the airport. Poor Stu had to wait about 5 hrs for his flight. As usual I got stopped at customs at Luton. All in all one of the best holidays ever.

 

Tips for Budapest
Always keep some coins as some ticket machines (for the metro) do not take notes.
When purchasing your Hungarian forints specify no notes larger than 5000, it is best to keep these to a minimum also as many waiters, booths etc. get the right hump with 5000 notes.
Cigarettes are usually the equivalent of £1.30 a pack
Beer costs about £1 for 500mL (if you go for Stella, Heineken expect British prices)
The City/Sights are all quite close so public transport is not always necessary.
Popular Beers: Dreher (Budapest brewed premium pils) Good
Gosser (Austrian Brewed premium pils) OK but not as good as Dreher
Borsodi (Weaker Hungarian Lager) Good, far superior to Fosters etc.