Customer Reviews

Budapest: A Critical Guide (4th edition)

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If you are going to Budapest for more than a day, you have to buy this book. I am a bit of a connoisseur of guide books, so I brought a few with me to Budapest. All of them included walks, but only this book had walks that made you feel like you were understanding what makes Budapest tick. All of the guide books talked about what to do, but only Mr. Torok carefully tells you what people in Budapest do, and what tourists in Budapest do. We carried this book around with us everywhere. I also carried the Eyewitness Budapest guide with me for its pretty pictures. If you buy one book, I suggest Torok's guide; and if you buy two, one has to be Torok's guide. Buy a couple books on Budapest, you can always sell it here on Amazon when you get back.

I came across this little gem in a small bookstore while strolling down Andrassy Ut. in Budapest. It's essentially a loving and learned essay on the city slyly disguised as a guidebook. Of course he's got the requisite walking maps, addresses and practical information, but what he really does is to capture the soul of the city and its denizens, past and present. It's clear that his evocative observations and opinions, laced with wit and candor could only have come from one clever guy who's truly lived the life in Budapest. You'll read every page of this book as though it were a novel.

As a true city-lover, I found this book invaluable. Not only will you learn what it is you're looking at, but why you should care, and what makes it interesting. The friendly narrative style is truly entertaining, and all the recommendations are spot-on. It's full of enlightening sidebars by a variety of cultural figures, including "Directors Picks" for some of the major museums. Other guidebooks to Budapest don't do the city justice, but this is the book I wish I could write about my big-city hometown. I completely empathize with Mr. Torok's passion for Budapest--large cities can be just as nurturing and familiar as a small town, particularly when it's your own. If you love exploring cities, and trying your best to unearth their individual personalities (suspecting that it's impossible, but being driven to at least scratch the surface), this book is a must. My only regret was that I only found this book while I was there and already half-way through my visit.

I visited Budapest several times from 1997 through 2001 and am very glad I purchased this guidebook at a bookstore in that city (and I'm happy I still have the copy, especially considering the prices people are asking for it these days). It stands apart from all the other travel guidebooks I know -- Andras Török's humor, literary flourishes and, above all, in-depth knowledge of his native city make it delightful reading even if you're not in Budapest, but the author never forgets that he's writing for travelers whose time in the Hungarian capital is likely limited and who are therefore keen to make the best use of that time. The detailed walking-tour maps are the best of their kind I've ever seen, and the short articles on such topics as the local language and viticulture further enrich the reading experience. Budapest has changed so much over the past six years, however, that I'd recommend obtaining the latest edition (published in 2007 by Park Könyvkiadó) -- and since it's nearly impossible to obtain outside of Hungary at this writing unless you're OK with paying ridiculous shipping fees, I'd recommend buying a copy as soon as you arrive in the marvelous city of Budapest.

The best guide to Budapest without question... Anyone would be lucky enough (as I was) to procure the most recent 2011 edition of this fantastic work now in its 7th printing. Lucky I say because without it I would have been amazed but directionless upon my arrival in downtown Budapest. Using this thorough and insightful guide, laid out primarily in the form of five walks (though following these exactly is hardly necessary), one is able to develop an inspired plan for taking in this stunning city. Prior to touching down in Hungary I was infected by the richness of Budapest's history and culture through Torok's tome of knowledge. Only a true native with a dedicated heart and skillful talent for English prose can lay bare his love for a city in such a way as this book conveys. Often humorous and consistently engaging, Andras Torok's 7th edition of Budapest A Critical Guide is the perfect means to finding your direction around Budapest. Moreover, it will awaken and excite all of the possibilities you face as you plan your trip to this great city.
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This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever encountered. Not only was it informative and enlightening, but it was extremely amusing and entertaining.