What budget to travel Budapest? Money and currency

What budget for activities and outings Budapest?

Visiting Budapest won't break the bank, even if entrance fees have risen considerably in recent years. Most museums are permanently free for children under 6 and over 70. Those under 26 and/or students presenting an ISIC student card are entitled to a reduced rate, and admission is free on the third Saturday of the month at the National Gallery (among others). Over 62s and children under 14 are also entitled to the reduced rate. Family" tickets are available for two parents and two children. The Budapest Card from the tourist office is a good option if you're planning several cultural visits (reduced entrance fees) as well as free public transport. On national holidays (March 15, August 20, October 23), admission to museums is often free.

Budapest is a city of water! Swimming pools and thermal baths, or kayaking/stand-up paddling (SUP) on the Danube are all affordable in the city (as long as you go early in the morning or late at night for the baths, and avoid weekends, when tickets are more expensive). You'll get the most out of the baths in the Romái part area, which is also full of little huts selling fried fish on table corners. The Danube, again, is used by a variety of boats, with cruise boats offering tours at dusk or during the 2-3h day, but you'll get almost the same spectacle from the boats of the public transport company, the BKK, for 750 Ft.

When it comes to food, shopping in the traditional market halls is inexpensive (even in the large, admittedly touristy, central market, where you'll find fruit and vegetables at Hungarian prices). Go in the morning, especially early on Saturdays, to take advantage of the presence of small producers. To stock up on trendy crafts and design (including textiles), go to WAMP, a designers' market held one or two Sundays a month from 11am to 7pm, or from 10am to 6pm in winter at Millenáris and on Erzsébet Square from April to September. Hundreds of designers come here to sell their wares (jewelry, clothing, interior design, etc.). There's something for every taste and every age! For more information, visit www.wamp.hu. In the Passage Gozsdu (Gozsdu week-end market), a small market of designers and antique dealers is held every weekend.

Club tickets may be free (especially for women), but if they're not, they'll cost you around 1,500 Ft (€4). The same applies to art-house movies. Concerts, plays, operas and other shows are far from costing a fortune in Hungary. A concert costs €10-30. Discounts are systematically available for pensioners (on presentation of their card) and students. In the MUPA's Bartók Béla Hall, tickets are 500 Ft for students who purchase them 1 hour before the concert. The Budapest night owl's guide. Handy, although you'll need a dictionary to decipher them! Napi bontás recommends the best nights out day by day, Klubadatok A-tól Z-ig presents an alphabetical classification of hot spots, zene is devoted to concerts, színház to theater and mozi to cinema. There's also the free monthly English-language magazine Funzine (www.funzine.hu).

Ruined bars and kert often offer decent food at reasonable prices.

What budget to eat Budapest?

Doggy bags are available in some establishments, and since the Covid-19 pandemic, all establishments have started offering takeaway food. Traditional canteens serve lunches at ridiculously low prices. Many establishments, including gourmet restaurants, offer lunch menus (starter-main course-dessert) for around €12-18. Take advantage of this, as the bill goes up in the evening! When it comes to eating on the go, establishments have sprung up in all the world's cuisines. For a taste of Hungarian charcuterie, why not try lunch at a butcher's? That's right, these butchers grill beautiful sausages that you eat with a slice of white bread and tarragon mustard. Sandwich culture as we know it in France doesn't really have an equivalent in Hungary, and bakeries are often devoid of them (except for artisanal bakeries and baristas' cafés), but you'll find plenty of rather good kebabs, often run by Turks. Two Hungarian specialties to try out on the street: lángos, fried doughnuts topped with garlicky crème fraîche and grated cheese, and kürtőskalács, those "waffle" pasta cones that are caramelized over the embers.

A drink/coffee will not cost you more than 3 €. Hungarians like to drink beer by the pint (less than 3 €), knowing that the most famous Hungarian beers - Soproni, Dreher, Arany Aszok - are rather light blondes. But craft beer has made a nice breakthrough in the capital. Hungary is also a great wine country: wine lovers, you will be served! Keep in mind that clubs and bars, even cafés and tea rooms do not always accept payment by credit card (increasingly rare).

What is the budget for accommodation Budapest?

Budapest has accommodations for absolutely every budget, from ten euros a night in a youth hostel dormitory to 5-star palaces. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of boutique hotels, which are modern, often charming, design-oriented and ultra-comfortable establishments with less than forty rooms. Pensions are often paid for in cash only in Budapest.

Travel budget Budapest and cost of living

Budapest is an inexpensive city. Entrance fees and services are moderate (museums, shows, concerts and baths can all weigh heavily on the budget). Beware of the bill in luxury restaurants, which can easily rise. All these services remain expensive for most of the population, with an average salary of around €600 per month in Budapest. For the visitor, it's accommodation that's the most expensive, even if, out of season, you can get by with a bed in a hostel for €12. There's a plethora of accommodation on Airbnb and other platforms at €12 per person for a small room (double that in high season), but here as elsewhere, unscrupulous short-term rentals have consequences for the vitality of the area and access to housing for locals.

To give an idea of a small, detailed budget per day for one person, you need to allow 4,500 Ft for two meals in a restaurant (small canteen), 7,000 Ft for one night's accommodation and 4,000 Ft for visits and transport, i.e. 15,500 Ft per day.

For a medium budget, allow 12,000 Ft for two meals in a restaurant, 20,000 Ft for one night's accommodation and 5,000 Ft for sightseeing and transport, i.e. 37,000 Ft per day.

For a large budget, allow 20,000 Ft for two meals out, 50,000 Ft for one night's accommodation and 6,000 Ft for sightseeing and transport, i.e. 76,000 Ft per day.