Budapest tourist traps

Budapest is attracting more and more tourists every year with its stunning architecture, major wine and gourmet festivals, music concerts and worldwide famous events. If you have been travelling for some time, you are most probably familiar with some of the tourist traps in different parts of the world. In this blog post we will unveil the most popular traps for tourists so you can save your money, time and keep yourself safe whenever in Budapest.

Taxi Scam

This is one of the most popular tourist traps in the world. Sometimes it might be hard to find right and reasonable prices for the taxi ride. This problem was assessed in Budapest in 2013 when different companies were charging various tariffs. Since that time, only licensed taxies with fixed rate system can operate in the Hungarian capital. (Yes, there is no Uber in Budapest).The official taxies are yellow and have the charges written on the door. However, we still get to hear sad stories in our office when tourists had to pay twice the usual price.

So, first of all, don’t take taxi on the street, better order one by phone. If you still decided to take cab on the street, go only for official taxies! (Once again, they are yellow, and rate system is written inside and outside on the doors of the car)

Second, make sure to ask the approximate price of your trip beforehand. The official taxi charges are the following: 450 HUF basic + 280 HUF per kilometer. Thus, if you check the amount of kilometers from point A to point B, there is no rocket science to calculate the amount you should pay for your ride.

Third, even though you can’t use Uber, Taxify is still available in Budapest. So you might consider installing another app to your smartphone.

Louis Vuitton and IPhone on the streets

Well it seems quite obvious, but if random people approach you on the street- most probably that’s another tourist trap. Don’t talk to them, don’t go with them, and don’t buy anything from them. No contact with strangers is your key to success. This situation can have plenty of forms and variations but it in the end it’s all scam: whether pretty random girls ask you to take them to the bar, a guy sells incredibly cheap Louis Vuitton scarfs or IPhones, or someone offers you to take part in any kind of game for money. The outcomes of these situations are predictable: the girls will refuse to pay or disappear leaving you with a huge bill, the electronics bought on streets will stop working, and you will find out that winning in the shell games is impossible after being ripped off.

No jokes, these situations happened so many times to our clients and we for sure don’t want same things happen to you.

Money Exchange

In Budapest as in many cities you might face some issues to find the currency exchange office with no commission and good exchange rates. But common sense and some of our tips will help you stay out of trouble.

Make sure to find out all the information about exchange rates before your arrival. The approximate up-to-date rates you can check here. We don’t suggest you to change money in the airport, train and bus stations, banks, touristy spots and especially on THE STREETS from suspiciously looking people. Be sure to ask for the amount you will get before giving your money to the cashier. Don’t ask for the rate; ask for the exact amount as there can be hidden commission applied. Use only trusted ATMs, and if possible pick an option to be charged in local currency (HUF in our case).

Now you can easily avoid at least those three tourist traps we have mentioned. Wish you all safe and pleasant trip to Budapest!

Xoxo

Segway King Team