Quote from: holy ghost on September 17, 2018, 02:51:01 AM
Just bumping this thread in the off chance anyone has any additional suggestions for Budapest - I'll be there late September/early October and hoping to check out some cool local record stores, shows, bars etc.
Already got a line on the tourist stuff but any "mainstream" suggestions as welcome. Museum of Terror and the Garden of Communist Statues are already on my list.
Just got back from Budapest. I'd never been before and I liked it a lot. Didn't really find any record shops but I didn't look very hard. Yes, go to the Memento Park. Really worth it, I found the direct bus with travel to/from plus entry into the park to be pretty worth it. Dunno if it'll be finished by the time you go but there is a work in progress exhibition in the basement of Stalin's boots and when we went they just had busts of Lenin and Stalin sitting around unguarded on the floor and on pallets waiting to be properly stored. Highly surreal.
You'll also see little bazaars and antique/junk shops which are crammed full of cheap, interesting artefacts of the communist era plus a few shitty records which will be worth it if you'd like some fairly mainstream Hungarian Prog/Metal/Hard Rock (I do).
Wouldn't normally have gone in for this kind of thing myself but we went to the Rudas Baths which was actually great and I'd do it again in a flash. Loads of pools with varying temperature, saunas and so on. There is a hot pool on the outdoor roof which allows views of the river and sights, really great. Go at night for the best/least busy experience. It's a tourist thing to do but so is almost everything else in Budapest, you get used to it.
Plenty of craft beer in the old jewish quarter. Can recommend a cool pub called Macska too which is a bit more hidden and local, has a very good drink selection. I didn't go but there is apparently a Manowar pub run by the manager of the band not too far from one of the main squares.
Edit - oh yes! I did note with some sadness that it was after our stay that this event was taking place at the end of September:
http://trafo.hu/en-US/uh_fest_2018-09-30