Travel Details
TRAINS Where only InterCity are given, there are also slightly slower express services to the same destination. Deli Station to: Balatonfured (every 1-2hr; 2hr-2hr 15min); Balatonszentgyorgy (every 1-2hr; 3hr-3hr 30min); Dombovar (7 InterCity daily; 1hr 30min-2hr); Pecs (6 InterCity daily; 2hr 30min); Siofok (every 1hr June-Sept, otherwise 8 daily; 1hr 45min); Szekesfehervar (every 20-30min; 1hr); Szekszard (5 daily; 2hr 45min); Szombathely (5 InterCity daily; 2hr 45min); Veszprem (7 InterCity daily; 1hr-1hr 30min); Zalaegerszeg (5 daily; 3hr 20min). Keleti Station to: Bekescsaba (hourly; 3hr); Eger (5 daily; 2hr); Gyor (hourly; 1hr 30min-2hr); Miskolc (hourly; 1hr 45min-2hr 15min); Sopron (7 daily; 2hr 50min); Szolnok (hourly; 1hr 30min); Tata (every 2hr; 1hr). Nyugati Station to: Debrecen (hourly; 2hr 30min-3hr 30min); Kecskemet (12 daily; 1hr 30min); Nyiregyhaza (hourly; 3hr-3hr 30 min); Szeged (11 daily; 2hr 30min); Szolnok (hourly; 1hr 30min). BUSES With Budapest's bus stations in a state of transition, it is advisable to check beforehand which station your bus departs from. Arpad hid to: the Danube Bend: Esztergom via the Bend (every 30-40min; 1hr 15min) or Dorog (every 30min; 55min); Szentendre (every 30min-1hr; 30min); Vac (every 30min; 30min); Visegrad (every 30min-1hr; 1hr). Etele ter to: southern Transdanubia: Dunaujvaros (hourly; 1hr 20min); Harkany (2 daily; 4hr 30min); Mohacs (3 daily; 4hr); Pecs (5 daily; 4hr); Siklos (1 daily; 4hr 50min); Szekszard (hourly; 3hr). Nepliget to: Lake Balaton and northern Transdanubia: Balatonfured (5 daily; 2hr-2hr 40min); Gyor (every 30min-1hr; 1hr 50min); Heviz (3 daily; 4hr); Keszthely (3 daily; 3hr 40min); Nagyvazsony (2 daily except Sun; 3hr); Siofok (7 daily; 1hr 35min-2hr 10min); Sopron (5 daily; 3hr 50min); Sumeg (3 daily; 3hr 40min); Szekesfehervar (every 15-45min; 1hr 15min); Szombathely (2 daily; 4hr 25min); Veszprem (every 10-50min; 2hr 10min); Zalaegerszeg (6 daily; 4hr 45min); Zirc (3 daily; 2hr 30min). Nepstadion to: northern Hungary and the Great Plain: Aggtelek (2 daily; 5hr); Baja (every 1-2hr; 3hr 15min); Balassagyarmat (every 1-2hr; 2hr 10min); Bekescsaba (3 daily; 4hr); Eger (hourly; 2hr); Gyongyos (hourly; 1hr 35min); Kalocsa (every 1-2hr; 2hr); Kecskemet (every 10min-1hr; 1hr 45min); Kiskunfelegyhaza (8-10 daily; 2hr); Matrahaza (every 2-3hr; 1hr 50min); Szeged (6 daily; 3hr 25min). INTERNATIONAL TRAINS Bookings are required on all international routes. Some international trains may not have buffets so check and bring supplies if necessary. Deli Station to: Ljubljana (2 daily; 8hr); Venice (1 daily; 14hr); Vienna (2 daily; 3hr 30min); Zagreb (1 daily; 5hr). Keleti Station to: Arad (7 daily; 5hr 30min); Belgrade (3 daily; 7hr); Berlin (3 daily; 11-12hr 30min); Brasov (4 daily; 11hr); Bratislava (3 daily; 3-6hr); Bucharest (7 daily; 15hr); Cologne (2 daily; 13hr); Dresden (3 daily; 10hr 30min); Frankfurt (2 daily; 10hr); Istanbul (1 daily; 30hr); Kosice (3 daily; 4hr); Krakow (1 daily; 11hr); Leipzig (3 daily; 12hr 30min); Munich (3 daily; 9hr); Novi Sad (3 daily; 6hr); Nurnberg (2 daily; 10hr 30min); Poprad Tatry (1 daily; 5hr 30min); Salzburg (3 daily; 7hr); Sarajevo (1 daily; 16hr); Sighis¸oara (2 daily; 9hr 30min); Timis¸oara (2 daily; 6hr 30min); Venice (1 daily; 13hr 30min); Vienna (5 daily; 3hr-3hr 30min); Zagreb (3 daily; 6hr). Nyugati Station to: Arad (1 daily; 5hr 30min); Baia Mare (1 daily; 7hr 30min); Berlin (1 daily; 15hr); Bras¸ov (1 daily; 11hr); Bratislava (7 daily; 3-6hr); Bucharest (1 daily; 15hr); Chop (1 daily; 7hr); Cluj (2 daily; 8hr); Katowice (2 daily; 8hr); Leipzig (1 daily; 12hr 30min); Oradea (3 daily; 5hr 30min); Prague (5 daily; 11hr 30min); Sighis¸oara (1 daily; 9hr 30min); Warsaw (2 daily; 11hr 30min). INTERNATIONAL BUSES Tickets should be booked 24 hours in advance. Note that the international bus station is due to move from Erzsebet ter, probably to Nepliget. Erzsebet ter to: Amsterdam (5 weekly, 21hr); Berlin (June-Sept 5 weekly, otherwise 3 weekly; 15hr); Bratislava (1 daily; 4hr); Copenhagen (1 weekly; 24hr); Dresden (June-Sept 5 weekly, otherwise 3 weekly; 12hr); Graz (June-Sept 2 weekly; 6hr); London (June-Sept daily, otherwise 3 weekly; 26hr); Munich (4 weekly; 10hr); Paris (2-3 weekly; 22hr); Prague (4 weekly; 8hr 30min); Rome (2-3 weekly; 20hr); Stockholm (1 weekly; 36hr); Venice (2 weekly; 12hr); Vienna (3-4 daily; 3hr 20min); Nepstadion to: Athens (5 weekly; 30hr); Belgrade (1-2 daily; 9hr); Cluj (1 daily; 9hr 30min); Krakow (2 weekly; 11hr); Levice (2 weekly; 3hr); London (1 weekly; 26hr); Manchester (1-2 weekly; 30hr); Oradea (2 daily; 7hr); Poprad Tatry (2 weekly; 6hr 30min); Stockholm (1 weekly; 37hr); Subotica (2 daily; 5hr); Targu Mures¸ (3 weekly; 13hr); Timis¸oara (1 weeky; 8hr 10min); Zakopane (2 weekly; 9hr). HYDROFOILS AND FERRIES Ferries operate from April to October or November, as weather permits, with more running June to August. Belgrad rakpart international landing stage to: Vienna (April-Oct 1-2 hydrofoils daily; 6hr). Vigado ter pier to: Esztergom (1-2 ferries daily, 5hr 20min); Szentendre (1-2 ferries daily; 1hr 40min); Vac (May-Sept 1 ferry daily; 3hr); Visegrad (2-3 ferries daily, 3hr 20min).
Rudas Baths - wreckedCJB says "An Article Submitted to Various Travel Mags.
A few weekends ago I went to Budapest to sample the famous 450 year old turkish baths. There are three main ones - Rudas, Rac and Kiraly. (Sorry for the lack of accented Hungarian spellings). As might be well known Hungary has recently joined the European Community and is now spending vast sums of Euros to upgrade its tourist facilities. Unfortunately this has meant that the atmospheric turkish baths - unchanged for centuries, and still with the patina of use by thousands of customers over the centuries - are now being gutted and modernised.
Certainly the Rac Baths - the only building left in the now demolished Jewish quarter by the Castle - has now been so gutted that is now resembles a bombed out shell. Gone are the baths, the steam rooms, the dry heat rooms, and everything else. The only thing that now circulates the windowless shell is the cold damp air blowing up from the frozen Danube. The Baths will now be turned into yet another clinical and sanitised 'spa' devoid of all ancient turkish history.
Unfortunately the Rudas Baths have already been given this treatment over the last two years. I was there on the opening weekend. We queued for about 20 minutes - this was a popular opening. There were three security guards at the turnstyles. There was another outside. Security guards at a turkish baths?!!! The cashier couldn't understand my request in English for admission for swimming (in the 18'th baths) and to the turkish baths. It seems that modernising for the tourists does not mean learning English (or even having any signs in English). Eventually I was sold a credit card size plastic security pass, and was grudgingly allowed to pass through the first turnstyle by a gruff looking security person. I was then directed to the turkish baths (what remained of them). There another turnstyle had to be negotiated. No towels or sheets were offered - luckily I'd brought my own. The changing rooms were all modernised cubicles just like any swimming pool. The cubicle staff were as aggressive as usual. Each cubical door was locked from the inside by using the plastic card. This released a key from the outside to be kept tied to one's swimming costume. Ah - yes - swimming costumes were mandatory - everything was co-ed now. The ancient turkish bath part that used to be for men only is now for families including screaming kids. Then I entered the turkish baths proper - and horror of horrors - the whole building had been gutted and rebuilt with garish red marble!! NOTHING remains of the original 450 year old baths except for the roof. EVERYTHING was brand spanking new. And GONE was the etheral and steamy atmosphere that had endured for so many centuries. Even the drinking fountains (taps) had been replaced by electronic proximity devices to turn the water on and off. Needless to say in the humid atmosphere these failed to work properly. The four pools of varying temperatures around the main pool had also received the dreaded red marble treatment. And believe me the newly cut marble edges were SHARP. Everything was bathed in bright light, and the coloured glass openings in the old domed roof had been removed. The dry heat rooms were tiny and now boasted plastic doors that didn't close properly. The steam rooms had been removed. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. Obviously this is how the Rac Baths were going to end up. But worse was to come. I wanted to get something to eat and drink - but nothing was available. To visit the Cafeteria I had to pass through the second turnstyle, and to do that I had to surrender the credit card pass. And - no - I couldn't re-enter the baths. Feeling VERY upset I then decided to visit the 18'th c. smimming baths. But despite having paid for this with my credit card pass I was not allowed in. What an rip-off.
I hear that the Gellert Hotel - dating from the late 1800s/early 1900s has also just had a refurbishment - so I hope that they haven't also gone for the red marble treatment too.
Luckily the Kiraly Turkish Baths nearby have yet to be refurbished. So do visit them before they too get a makeover for the tourists from the EEC."
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