A Weekend Away: Exploring Budapest
Danielle Taylor
22.10.14
What is this city that I'm so keen on visiting, you ask?
Budapest, Hungary.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, and even though there's a common misconception that Hungary is a cheap country to visit, a better word to use would be affordable. Because Hungary doesn't use Euros as its main currency, when I begin budgeting for this weekend getaway, I'm going to have to convert all my expenses between Euros and forints. Most smaller business don't accept credit cards, so I'll have to be sure to have cash on hand just in case.
But how am I getting there, and where am I staying?
A round-trip train from Giessen to Budapest is going to cost around 210 Euros, and a plane would be around 237 Euros, so a train would probably be the more practical choice. As for rooming options, 4-5 star hotels would cost somewhere from 100-150 Euros, but there are plenty of budget hotels for 30-50 Euros. Since I'm not fond of the idea of staying in a hostel, I'll probably select one of the budget hotels. I anticipate I'll be traveling with at least one friend, so hopefully we'll be able to split the cost of the hotel room so it's even cheaper for the both of us.
Eating out in Hungary is actually rather affordable. Meals range anywhere from 3 to 39 Euros (39 Euros being at one of the nicer hotels in the city), so I wouldn't have to be concerned about spending too much on food while I'm in the country. I would probably try not to go over 20 Euros per day on food just in order to reserve some of that money for leisure spending.
Even though there are a multitude of things to do in Budapest, there are just a few attractions that I know I have to see before I leave. I'd want to go to Matthias Church and BudapestEssence first, and then visit Szimpla Kert, one of the most renowned bars in Budapest. I would also want to do TONS of shopping in the Szimpla Sunday Farmer's Market and the West End Shopping Center. The final attraction I would like to go to see is a performance at the Budapest Operetta Theatre. I would probably put aside at least 200-300 Euros for the attractions and shopping solely because visiting Budapest is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.
So what does the grand total come to? Accounting for all the most expensive possibilities, my budget for this weekend should probably be somewhere around 650 Euros. It's a bit pricey for a college student like myself, but the price is well worth the chance to live out one of my biggest dreams while I'm abroad.
Where does the budget come from? Where would you stay? What would day 1 look like? What would day 2 look like? How do you plan your time? How do you stay within your budget?
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