Category: Activities

Five reasons to join a running competition in Budapest!

Five reasons to join a running competition in Budapest!

Posted on by Budapest Guide

There are lots of articles online telling you six reasons to visit Budapest, ten hidden gems in Budapest, seven mistakes not to make in Budapest, and 33 things you must eat while in Budapest. If you eat all those things, you will probably get stomach problems and have difficulty traveling home, but the intention behind it is good! This article, however, wants to give you five reasons to join a running competition in Budapest. Are you ready to be inspired?

Not many think about exercising and running as they plan their trip to Budapest. Instead, they read about the fantastic attractions such as the Hungarian Parliament, the Gellert Hill, and the Castle district. Then they read about those amazing activities such as a river cruise on the Danube, a relaxing bath in the Szechenyi thermal bath, and a wine tasting in a wine cellar or in a wine bar.

But, let us turn things around and make your trip to Budapest even more interesting, inspiring, healthy, and challenging!

Things get better when you invest your time and energy!

It is a well-known fact that things get better and more interesting if you invest. A football match becomes way more interesting if you bet 1 euro on the outcome compared to just watching without anything at stake. If you spend three hours reading about Hungarian history before your arrival you will understand much more when you see the different buildings and hear about the different kings and historical incidents on guided tours, during your river cruise, or elsewhere. In other words, investing time and energy gives you more in return… that is a general principle!

But, what does that have to do with joining a running competition in Budapest?

1. You have a goal with your trip to Budapest!

If you register for a running competition in Budapest you visit the Hungarian capital with a vision. The goal isn’t just to arrive, have fun, and leave, but it is about more. You want to accomplish something. Maybe your goal is to run a 5km race? Or are you coming to run 10k, or maybe a half-marathon or a marathon? There are many possibilities, but they all mean that you need to pack your clothes differently. You need to make space for running shoes, some running clothes, and maybe your lucky drinking bottle.

If you run in a competition in Budapest you suddenly get a different perspective. Your trip isn’t just about consuming, it is about experiencing, giving, and most of all, living!

2. Your trip starts months before you travel to Budapest.

If you come to run in Budapest, your trip starts months before you fly to Budapest (or travel by car, train, or bus). From the first moment, you will start to think about your future travel and prepare for it. As you run up and down the streets of your hometown, as you visit parks, lakes, and mountains to prepare your body, you will have Budapest on your mind. This will give a special focus on your trip, and you will also spend lots of time meditating on what you can expect during your days in Hungary.

New Chain Bridge in Budapest

3. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet with locals!

Running competitions are fantastic. They have a special atmosphere, and it is a fantastic way to meet locals. Many running competitions have after-parties in which you can dance, sing, drink, and have fun together with the other runners. Even though there are lots of internationals partaking in the different competitions, most runners come from Hungary. As a result, it is a wonderful chance to have a chat with locals, ask them about politics, get some authentic recommendations, and maybe drink a cold beer together with your new friends.

Maybe your running experience in Budapest will mean the start of some brand-new friendships.

4. It is healthy, and maybe a start of something new in your life!

Moving your body is healthy. It will have a good effect on your body, and there are many other benefits to running. Did you know that running is good for your brain and for improving your memory? Running releases endorphins in your body, by many referred to as the happiness hormone. Your heart will also be happy to pump blood at a higher pace in your body. If you are brand new to running, you might want to consult a doctor or some other professional before you start, just to get some good advice on how to start training and preparing for the running competition in Budapest.

After running in Budapest, you will most likely fall in love with running competitions. As you return home, it will only take a few days before you start looking for more running competitions; maybe in Budapest or maybe in some other city in Europe? There are lots of running competitions all across Europe. If you like Budapest, you will probably enjoy the city of Prague with all its running competitions as well!

Maybe this is the start of a new era in which you travel all around the world to run in all sorts of running competitions.

5. You get to explore the city while running!

As you come to Budapest, you probably plan to see the most important sights and buildings in the city. Did you know that many of the running competitions take place in the center of Budapest? As a result, you will see the beautiful attractions and buildings while running up and down the streets of Budapest. It is also very common to use the lower roads along the Danube, which means you can enjoy the magnificent Danube panorama towards the Buda and the Pest side while running. If you join one of the evening races, you might even see the magnificent buildings of Budapest beautifully illuminated while running. Believe me, it will give you an extra boost that will make it even better and more memorable to run.

running in budapest
Above you can see a picture from a night running competition by Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Do you feel inspired to register for a running competition in Budapest? You can read more about upcoming events in our Budapest calendar. There you can also get information about concerts, festivals, and other things that will happen in the Hungarian capital in the future.

Ordering from Amazon to Hungary - How does it work? VAT? Shipping costs?

Ordering from Amazon to Hungary – How does it work? VAT? Shipping costs?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Would you like to order products from Amazon to your address in Hungary? Hungary doesn’t have an Amazon store, so you must choose between Amazon.com, Amazon.de, and Amazon.co.uk. Which is the best for you? Which is the cheapest? Everything you need to know about ordering from Amazon to Hungary.

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, and it is an incredibly successful company. Not only do they sell products made by others, but they also create devices and products themselves, like the Kindle, Fire tablets, and much more. What can you do if you want to order from Amazon? It depends on which product you want to buy.

shop on amazon.de to hungary

Order from Amazon to Hungary.

You will find very similar products on Amazon in Germany, the United Kingdom, and in the United States. So, where should you order from? In general, the best and easiest solution is to order from Amazon in Germany. Why is that?

Why is Amazon Germany the best solution for Hungary?

There are several reasons why you should order from Amazon.de if you live in Hungary.

  • It is the closest location to Hungary. This makes the delivery faster and easier, and often cheaper!
  • Since Germany is in the European Union, you don’t have to pay additional VAT or other costs as the goods arrive in Hungary.

These are the main reasons why you should order from Amazon.de to Hungary. You might find products cheaper on Amazon.com, but when you add the shipping fees, the VAT, and the waiting time, you will discover that it isn’t worth it.

What about Amazon.co.uk? You could consider it, but seeing the United Kingdom outside the EU and the strong British Pound, you will most likely do much better ordering from Amazon Germany instead.

Do you need to know German to order from Amazon.de? Not at all! You can search in English, and you can set the platform language to English. It will often translate your search request to German, but you will normally see all the necessary information about the products in English.

How much does it cost to ship products from Amazon to Hungary?

For the purpose of this article, I created an order of three products that I want to send to Hungary from Amazon.de. I added a nice Samsung monitor that I can use while writing articles in the Budapest Guide. Even though I am a computer nerd, I need to smell good so I added a bottle of Hugo Boss perfume as well. Since it is important to read, I also added a brand new Kindle from Amazon to my shopping basket.

my amazon order

I was quite lucky with this order because all products are dispatched and sold by Amazon. As a result, they can group all products into one order and package. This makes shipping cheaper.

It is worth noticing that the price of certain products often increases the moment Amazon realizes that it is sent abroad. As a result, the price of the three products suddenly became 291 euros instead of 273 euros when I reached the checkout. Shipping is then added to the order, making the final price 313 euros.

amazon order to hungary
The good thing is that when you see the final price, you know that no more costs will be added. You don’t need to fear hidden costs, nor that your package will be stuck in customs until you pay VAT.

What about products that Amazon doesn’t send to Hungary?

Most products can be sent to Hungary from Amazon in Germany and from Amazon in the United Kingdom and the United States. But, sometimes, there are exceptions. I have often seen that Amazon is unwilling to send its own products, such as Fire tablets, Echo loudspeakers, and the Kindle to other countries. What can you do if you experience that?

There are solutions that you can use to solve such problems as well. It is very easy, and you normally pay only for additional shipping.

You can visit any of the three sites above and get a free storage address in the UK, the United States, and in Germany. It is entirely free. You will immediately receive a postal address in that given country. This can be used as you order products from Amazon in that country. Since you are delivering products within the country, you will pay less for the products and for shipping.

As the package arrives to the address, you will receive a notification in email. You can then have the package sent to your home address in Hungary. The cost depends on the site and the weight of the package, but it normally doesn’t cost more than Amazon would make you pay to send the package to Hungary.

Eager to go shopping on Amazon? Use the links below.

Is it worth ordering from Amazon to Hungary?

It is possible to order from Amazon to Hungary, but is it worth it? Many people expect it to be very cheap in Hungary. Some products are cheap, but not all products. You will be surprised if you go to a fashion store and see a price tag with prices in different currencies. What will you discover? The price in Forint is very similar to the Euro price, sometimes identical, sometimes cheaper, and quite often, more expensive. As a result, you don’t find similar products cheaper in Hungary than elsewhere.

If you compare the prices of computers, monitors, and accessories, you will often see that the price are a little bit cheaper in Hungary, but not much. If you want to know for sure, go ahead and compare the prices of an exact product, and you will immediately see whether it is worth it or not.

There are, however, certain products that you cannot buy in Hungary. It is obvious that you order such products from Amazon (if they are available). Examples of such products are Amazon products. You can also find giant discounts on Amazon around Black Friday and Easter, and then it is absolutely worth shopping on the platform.

I hope this article has answered many of your questions about ordering products from Amazon to Hungary. If you have further tips, insight, or questions, use the comment field below.

Is it dangerous to travel on the river Danube in Budapest?

Is it dangerous to travel on the river Danube in Budapest?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

During the summer of 2019, a terrible accident happened on the river Danube as a ship with more than 20 passengers sank after a collision with another boat. This leads many people to ask whether or not it is actually safe to do a river cruise in Budapest? Here you will find the answers and the information you need!

If you have ever seen a picture of Budapest, you have most likely seen the beautiful Danube as well. It is amazing as it divides the city of Budapest into Buda and Pest, and it can be crossed on one of many bridges. The most famous of the bridges is the Chain Bridge, the first bridge that was built. It was finished in 1849. But, do you know why it took such a long time for a bridge to be constructed at all? Because of the current! There is so much water floating down the river at all seconds, making it a much harder river to control than, for example, the Charles Bridge in Prague (a bridge that was built more than 500 years earlier).

Budapest by night - a beauty for the eye and for the soul!
River cruise in Budapest – is it safe?

There is a lot of water passing by at any second, and the normal rate is somewhere between 2500-3000 m3 per second. But, in times of flooding (which it was during the time of the accident), the amount of water can increase to around 6000 m3 per second. The most extreme amount ever measured was more than 10,000 m3 per second.

Swimming in the Danube

The quality of the water in the Danube has improved lately, and at some locations, people do swim in the Danube. But, that is not in the main river, but at smaller extensions of the river without the strong current. There is an annual competition in Budapest where one can swim across the Danube by the Liberty Bridge, but every single participant is followed by a boat in order to be able to pick them up in case they do not manage. In other words, if you do not have great swimming skills, the Danube can be a really scary river.

If you are a great swimmer, it can still be dangerous, especially close to the bridges where underwater currents can pull you down towards the bottom before you are pressed towards the surface once again. During normal circumstances, the deepest parts of the Danube within the borders of Budapest is around 6 meters deep. But, when the river floods, it can easily reach 10 meters and more.

The conclusion is: Do not swim in the Danube when in Budapest, do not even try to swim, and warn any others that even consider getting close to the river.

River Cruise Budapest

What about a river cruise in Budapest?

There are many river cruises available in Budapest, and lots of companies working with providing awesome tours that give tourists fantastic memories. You never hear much about them, simply because they get no attention, and because there are no accidents. The only time you hear about them is when something happens. Luckily, that is very seldom, and that is why you never heard about it before the accident on May 29th in 2019.

As long as you stay on the ship (and not in the water), there is no problem and no need to worry before you board a river cruise in Budapest. The ships are also well equipped, meaning there are safety vests available for all passengers. During the accident on May 29th, things went so fast that they didn’t have time to get any such equipment. The accident was caused by human error, something that might just as well happen on a bus, in a taxi, or in an airplane.

The conclusion is: You shouldn’t worry at all about taking a river cruise in Budapest. It is very safe, the boats are controlled and well-equipped, and it will give you a memory for a lifetime as you enjoy the view and the food/drinks served on board.

Maybe it sounds dangerous considering the strong current. Of course, it does. But, doesn’t it sound dangerous to sit in a box of metal at 10,000 meters? Wouldn’t be fund to fall out from there either, would it? In other words, stay on the plane and stay on the boat, and you will be safe and have an enjoyable time!

What are your thoughts/questions?

These are some pure facts and thoughts related to whether or not it is safe to go on a river cruise in Budapest. Do you have some experience that you would like to share? Or do you have a question related to the river Danube or some specific river cruise in Budapest? Write your question or comment in beneath!

Tokaj Harvest Festival 2019

Tokaj Harvest Festival 2019

Posted on by Budapest Guide

A few days ago we received an email from someone curious about the dates for the Tokaj Harvest Festival in 2019. Here you have them!

Tokaj Harvest Festival 2019

The Tokaj Harvest Festival, also known as Tokaji Szüreti napok in Hungary, is arranged every single year, and it is a big celebration of the grape harvest in the region. Tokaj is the most famous wine region in all of Hungary, and especially the Tokaji Aszu wine is popular and famous all across the world. But, Tokaj is much more than just sweet white wine and dessert wines, and if you decide to visit Tokaj for the Harvest Festival in 2019 you will discover that for sure.

Tokaj Harvest Festival 2019

The dates for the Harvest Festival in Tokaj in 2019 will be October 4-6.

We do not have much more information than this currently, but you can now start booking your flight tickets, find a local hotel in Tokaj, and do more preparations.

Wine festival in Tokaj

If you want to enjoy more wine experiences while in Hungary, we can warmly recommend one of our many wine programs in and outside Budapest. You can read more about the different wine dinners and wine programs at our wine tasting page.

It might be that Tokaj is the most famous wine region in Hungary, but there are lots of other interesting regions in the nation as well. For some, Eger and their famous Egri Bikaver is the symbol of Hungarian wine, while a very upcoming and popular wine region now is the Villany region. But, why taste wine from only one or two regions, when you can enjoy wine dinners and wine tastings in which you can taste wine from 5-6-7 different regions at the same event? Does that sound cool?

Is it possible to do river cruises on the Danube now?

Is it possible to do river cruises on the Danube now?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Yesterday we received a question from one of our website visitors asking whether it is possible to do river cruises on the river Danube in Budapest this summer due to the flood.

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Everything is back to normal state in Budapest and has been so for 5-6 days. Again this means that all river cruise boats are operating as usual with normal schedules and programs. All roads near the Danube are open for traffic, which again means that taxis, buses and cars can drive you all the way to the different boats.

Enjoy Budapest 2013
Enjoy Budapest during the summer of 2013 – also on the Danube!

All in all everything is set  and ready so that you can enjoy your summer holiday in Budapest in 2013. If there is something you should be warned about it is that the amount of mosquito’s in Budapest often rise quite a lot of floods, and based on observations the last few days it seems to be true in 2013 as well.

Where can I find the schedule for the Hungarian State Opera?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Thank you for the question. If you want to find a schedule and buy tickets for the Hungarian State Opera I recommend that you visit Jegymester. There you will find an overview of performances and you will also be able to order tickets online for any performance.

Notice that the Hungarian State Opera has a long summer break so from end of May/June until end of September there are no performances available in the State Opera. If you still want to visit the building there are guided tours every day at 15.00 and 16.00 in this period!

Enjoy and hope you find what you are looking for.

Ask your Budapest question!

Cezanne exhibition opening hours and ticket price

Posted on by Budapest Guide

I’m interested in Cezanne exhibition in Museum of fine arts in Budapest. Which are the days and hours when this museum is open and what are the costs of the tickets?

Thank you for the question. You can read further information about the exhibition in our special article about the Paul Cezanne exhibition in Budapest. The entrance fee if you pay full price is 3200 HUF per adult. If you buy the tickets online beforehand the price is 3000 HUF.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest where the exhibition can be seen is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10.00-18.00, but the ticket desks close one hour before closure. On Thursdays the museum has a longer opening time and is normally open until 22.00 in the evening.

Enjoy the exhibition and enjoy your stay in Budapest.

Ask your Budapest question!

Where do Hungarians go to do winter sports?

Where do Hungarians go to do winter sports?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

I am going to move to Hungary, but I am wondering where I can continue doing winter sports, as I am a big winter sport lover. Thanks for all your help!

Luxury Ski Deals
Luxury Ski Deals

This is a good question, and we thank you for asking it. First of all it is not a coincidence that Hungarians now very little about Winter Olympics, and you will never see a winter Olympics broadcast at the normal national television in Hungary. The reason is that they are not really even there, and the results are not at all good. The main reason is that there are very few places in Hungary ideal for practicing and for winter sports in general. Still, if the Hungarians want to do some ski sports, the poor and easy version is to visit Normafa in Budapest. Here you can do some sliding and normal skiing is also possible.

For those interested in luxury ski deals we normally recommend to leave Hungary and travel to Austria. There you can find large areas and skiing opportunities. One such option is for example to visit Semmeringen. Here you can find 14 kilometres of ski runs during the day, 13 kilometres of ski runs at night, 3 kilometres Zaug adventure toboggan run, Split Park for Snowboarders and Free-style skiers, Kinderareal, Fast, comfortable lifts, FIS world cup arena and of course bars, hotels, restaurants and lots of other cool activity possibilities.

Another option only 350km from Budapest is Annaberg. There you can find different length of ski tracks (4-20km) and the alpine runs have a height difference of 600metres. It is also family friendly making it ideal for families coming with smaller children. The alpine area has a total of 9 elevators. The price for a day ticket is about 30 Euro per person, but if you come with children under 6 years they go free in company with an adult. Annaberg also has a small childrens land, making it even more attractive for the little ones.

These are just some suggestions, but for some good deals on such programs, you better go abroad, and the most luxurious and popular versions can be found in Austria.

Is there a hop on hop off bus in Budapest?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Is there a hop on hop off bus in Budapest ? And if, what route does it go.

First of all, thank you for the question. Of course there are hop on-hop off buses in Budapest, in fact there are several companies arranging such tours. The largest companies are Program Centrum (Hop on – Hop off tours) and City Tour Hop on Hop off Kft (Giraffe Hop on Hop off). The newest on the market in The Big Bus Company with their Big Bus tours.

The companies have somewhat different routes, but the main stops are all the same. This means that they all stop at the Gellért Hill, the Castle Hill (Disz tér), by the Elisabeth square, Parliament, State Opera, Synagogue, Heroes Square, Citypark and so on. You can find more information about the different companies at their respective homepages, but in general all three companies work fine and should be pleasing to most visitors. What makes the difference is sometimes what kind of extra services they include if you buy a ticket for their hop on-hop off service.

Good luck!

If you want a private tour in Budapest or maybe an excursion to Szentendre visit our page about Tours and fun where you can see all the different private tours in our register.

May I pay for your airport transfer service in Euros or must I convert to Forints?

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Thank you for the question! It is possible to pay our drivers in Euro, but normally recommend arranging with the payment in the local currency, the Hungarian Forint. The reason is that on the fly our drivers will always say a higher Euro fee than the actual HUF fee, making it better to pay with Forint. Since you anyway need HUF to pay in shops and restaurants elsewhere in Budapest, you should just as well arrange with getting the local currency at once, thus being able to pay our drivers as well with Hungarian Forint.

If you still want to pay with Euro, ask the drier for the current rate.

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