Customer Reviews

Frommer's Budapest & the Best of Hungary (Frommer's Complete Guides)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was given numerous guidebooks to Budapest and Hungary as I prepared to move to Budapest for the 2002-2003 academic year. I never found any one of them gave me all the information I needed, but together, they helped me to get acclimated to the incredible city I still consider "home." I have returned several times since and hope to do so again this year. Although I have friends in the city, I wanted to purchase a new guide so as to have something in hand which could tell me about changes in the transportation system as well as restaurant updates and other pertinent information.

I perused a number of guides before settling on the Frommer's Budapest and the Best of Hungary 7th edition. The 4th edition was among those I'd been given in 2002, but I find this update to be far superior. Not only did I get the transportation and restaurant updates I was hoping for (and agreed with the reviews for the restaurants I'd already been to, including Alfoldi), I read about a number of smaller museums and interesting sites which I'd somehow missed during my year there. This edition also included more information than the previous edition on one of my favorite activities in Budapest: going to the movies. For the cinephile, it is an exciting city to visit.

The suggested itineraries and walking tours are all really helpful, especially if you only have limited time and want to hit some highlights, and the suggestions for trips out of the city are good, too. I've been to every place described, I think, with the exception of Eger, and they are all worth the trip, depending on your interests. Besides the wonderful sights to be seen, the marked difference between Budapest and everyplace else in Hungary is really worth experiencing.

The writing in this edition is very accessible and comes across as very genuine; knowing that the author is an American who now lives in Budapest gives the reader confidence that their perspective as a foreign visitor is understood and their interests and needs being addressed, no matter how varied they may be.

You're going to struggle with the language, but no fear, in central Budapest you will find lots of English speakers and English signs (many more than when I lived there!), and out of the city you will find a way to manage. Grab your Frommer's 7th edition and enjoy this beautiful and historic city!

This book was a backup choice because the new edition of Lonely Planet Budapest isn't out yet. Aside from a two-page essay about the history of Jews in Budapest, there is not much historical or cultural information. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the Lonely Planet format, but I appreciate the chapters they include on a country's history and culture, as well an etiquette section in the appendix--I find it gives me much-needed context for understanding different cultures. In Frommers, there are some cultural tidbits throughout, but that's not easily searchable when you're on the go. (There were also some fairly useless sections, such as explaining to the American audience how to apply for an American passport or how to navigate an international check-in at an American airport.) I'll likely buy a different Budapest guide before I take off.

This is a very useful book for traveling through Hungary, especially if this is your first time. People who have traveled through Hungary before can still find this a useful tool.

Una excelente guía con información práctica pero sin caer en la excesiva descripción. Los datos son supremamente actualizados y su manejo es muy sencillo. Buenos mapas.

the book was new, as promised, and came within the time frame specified by the shipping terms