Hungarian GP - worth of visiting?

Planning my year 2011. What about Hungarian GP?

Ever been there? How was it? The race? The facilities? Transportation? Everything..

Thank You in advance!

Nobody ever been there...?

Edited by Sammyosammy, 14 June 2010 - 19:45.

I went last year and would recommend a visit. We took the train from central Budapest as that was most convenient to where me and my wife were staying (castle district). The transport was not perfect as the train stopped what seemed like a considerable distance from the track in the sweltering temperature (30C+ all weekend!) so it was quite a trek getting from the train to the track. There were Shuttle Buses as well but having waited for an eternity after Friday practice we decided to walk to the nearest train and stuck to that for the reminder of the weekend.

Inside the circuit the atmosphere was fantastic, even if the food and drink was expensive. The Hot Dogs were delicious though and the heat required plenty of liquid. The crowd was made up of lots of very loud Finns and Poles although the Finns might not go this year for some reason... The rivalry between the fans was always friendly and good humoured though. The track was very easy to walk round and there were some good views around the track - the fast esses at the back of the track being my favourite. I found the security stewards could be a bit heavy handed shouting at fans for advancing over an imaginary line they had created and which was no where near the fence. I guess it made them feel important. Our grandstand seat was high up above the final corner and gave good views of most of the track. One point though is that the timing on the big screens were difficult to read so we needed to buy a set of binoculars from outside the track.

On top of this Budapest is one of the most wonderful and beautiful cites I have visited and its well worth a visit on its own.

Overall I don't think it compares with the likes of Spa but the atmosphere was great and its definitely worth a visit if you have not been yet. Don't forget to take sun block!

Hungary is a great venue. Close enough to Budapest to have a free bus service or a reasonably priced taxi (assuming you share between four). Atmosphere really is amazing. We took the train like you on one day, les, and it was an utter pain. Not only is the station diametrically opposite the first corner where our seats are but it was sweltering. Many blisters were earned on that day...

But when you're not at the race, the city of Budapest is well worth spending time in. Free opera in the city square, open air baths to relax in, and loads of sights and sounds.

Thanks Guys, appreciate Your replies. My answer will be short - just finished 17 hours day at job hosting clients in Tallinn in Estonia (great city by the way)
I know that hungarian GP is guite "finnish" one. That´s why wished opinions from forumists.. Glad You liked it, encourages me to plan a trip there..

I have visited Budapest but it was back eighties (yeah, I´m history). One friend of mine who has his wife´s relatives living in Hungary has also visited in GP. He is quite...eeeeh.. scrimpy in everyday life but he recommended taxi from Budapest. He insisted taxis have some kind of "green line" out of traffics..? I´d be glad to pay some extra to reach track area easily. Trekking and training is another case..

Anyway, cheers both of You - got to grab some sleep.

Definitely worth a visit. Budapest is a magnificent city - it takes a least two days to see it.
And the race is boring only on TV. On the circuit there are hordes of Polish and Finnish fans chanting, drinking and having fun.
Besides, Hungary has the best General Admission of all tracks.
It is a huge area with some spots with very good view (e.g. turns 10,11 and 12).

Some tips for you
1) If you want autographs of drivers - a lot of them stay in Kempinski.
2) It might be very hot, so in the evening I highly recommend visiting famous Budapest baths - these are open swimming pools with thermal water. Local go there very often.
For example, Széchenyi baths look like a palace.
http://www.transitio...henyi-Baths.jpg
3) Be careful of hookers! Budapest is unofficial Eastern Europe sex capital, and there are a lot of tricks aimed at tourists and involving women.
For examle, if you see a woman inviting you to a bar and asking you to buy a drink - most likely she has an agreement with the bar, and the bar will charge you insane amount for a simple cocktail. So always check the prices in the menu if you buy anything.

Edited by Galka, 23 June 2010 - 07:13.

Definitely worth a visit. Budapest is a magnificent city - it takes a least two days to see it.
And the race is boring only on TV. On the circuit there are hordes of Polish and Finnish fans chanting, drinking and having fun.
Besides, Hungary has the best General Admission of all tracks.
It is a huge area with some spots with very good view (e.g. turns 10,11 and 12).

Some tips for you
1) If you want autographs of drivers - a lot of them stay in Kempinski.
2) It might be very hot, so in the evening I highly recommend visiting famous Budapest baths - these are open swimming pools with thermal water. Local go there very often.
For example, Széchenyi baths look like a palace.
http://www.transitio...henyi-Baths.jpg
3) Be careful of hookers! Budapest is unofficial Eastern Europe sex capital, and there are a lot of tricks aimed at tourists and involving women.
For examle, if you see a woman inviting you to a bar and asking you to buy a drink - most likely she has an agreement with the bar, and the bar will charge you insane amount for a simple cocktail. So always check the prices in the menu if you buy anything.

Cheers Galka!

I used to work for a Hungarian company and spent a lot of time in Budapest, and hosted clients at the GP a couple of times.

Taxis: Be very wary of smart looking Mercs and BMWs, they are well known for being rip-off merchants (a colleague of mine was charged 10,000 HFL for a 5 minute ride), one of the most reliable and reasonably priced taxi companies is City Taxi, call 0612111111 from your mobile, and use them from the airport too. Just give them your name (use an easy one like "John" to avoid miscommunication ) and only use them from a telephone booking as the charges are higher if you just jump in a cab on the street.

The taxis have a back entry to the circuit, avoiding the traffic, through some of the farmers fields! Definitely the fastest way in and out of the circuit without a helicopter. Ticket prices at the circuit are among the cheapest, in 2001 I had grandstand seats at the last corner (Silver 5) for just 150 Euros for the weekend, I think they are about 250 now.

Pole dancing clubs: Avoid like the plague, all are run by the Ukrainian mafia, and charge extortionate prices for drinks. My ex boss ended up with a night in the police cells after refusing to pay a bill of over £400 for a couple of beers...

Pubs: some really excellent drinking places, my favourite was Becketts, an Irish pub which tends to host quite a few team members, check out the pictures of EJ and others on the walls. Just ask a taxi driver to take you there.

Night clubs: If you are young enough, there are a couple of really lively open air clubs to the south of the city on the Buda side (Cafe del Rio was one), right under the Petofi Bridge. Open until breakfast time!

Food: some great restaurants, but avoid the ones on the main Vaci Utca shopping street, which don't publish their prices on the menus outside. They are rip-offs. The local food can be really good if you find one used by locals, and not a tourist trap.

It's a great city, well worth a visit, don't miss the baths and a walk along the Danube, or take a boat trip for a better view. Or take a cab up to the Citadella for an amazing view of the city, then walk down through the park.

Cheers Galka!

You're welcome!
Budapest used to be the "second capital" of Austrian-Hungarian empire, so the imperial splendor is very much there.
I recommend taking a "hop-on - hop-off" bus tour - there is some company with red buses that does it.
Museum of Fine Arts is also worth visiting.

I support every word of what BrendanMcF said: foreign tourists suffer a lot from local conmen, so if you go to a restaurant, bar or club, always start with checking the prices in the menu. If they refuse to give you the menu, you'd better leave.

As for food - I recommend trying goulach (spicy meat soup) and other meat meals - Hungarians are great at them.
And traditional Hungarian food is rather spicy.

You may also want to buy some food and water with you to a GP in advance - the prices on track are high.

Edited by Galka, 06 July 2010 - 07:23.

I am planning going to Hugarian GP and have a few questions if anyone knows the answers.

The local currency is the Forint(?), is it worth changing to it or are they happy to deal in Euros?

Which is easier, buying a ticket at the track or online and collecting it at the track?

How hot is it in the evenings and overnight?

I am planning going to Hugarian GP and have a few questions if anyone knows the answers.

The local currency is the Forint(?), is it worth changing to it or are they happy to deal in Euros?

Which is easier, buying a ticket at the track or online and collecting it at the track?

How hot is it in the evenings and overnight?

I suggest you keep some money in forints (not much - just for food and drinks) and some in euros, because sometimes local shops do not accept euros, or accept under unfavourable rate.
But the tickets on track can be easily bought in euros, and hotels and accept euros.
About the ticket - if you want General Admission, it's easy to buy it on track.
It IS hot overnight, so make sure your hotel has air conditioning.

Edited by Galka, 09 July 2010 - 02:57.

One other touristy thing worth doing is the children's railway which runs through the hills on the Buda side of the Danube. Operated and run by the best performing kids in the local schools as a 'reward' for their hard work, it's a real treat. A communist era left-over which somehow feels right. Some great views to be had across the cities from some of the stops. Only open at the weekend though so not much good if you plan attending both days.

MajorTom's story of a few years ago
Wonder if it is the same as when I went in 97?

Have fun
Jp

I'm going to Hungarian GP, unfortunately only general admission so I will have to sit on grass. Can anyone suggest where? So that I could see as much as possible, and have some screen in sight... I thought the space between silver 2 and silcer 3, closer to silver 3, will be ok, am I right?

I am planning going to Hugarian GP and have a few questions if anyone knows the answers.

The local currency is the Forint(?), is it worth changing to it or are they happy to deal in Euros?

Which is easier, buying a ticket at the track or online and collecting it at the track?

How hot is it in the evenings and overnight?

it is better to have local currency. large shops accept euros at selected cashier desks, but not at a very good rate.
economy is a bit down so you get 285 huf for 1 euro (it was around 240 last year) so it will be cheaper for you this year.

i always bought my ticket in advance, but you can buy them at the track, no problem.

last week it was very hot, but nowadays it quite managable around 25c daytime, and 18c in the evening.
it is getting hotter though, sunday about 30c, see more at: weather

I'm going to Hungarian GP, unfortunately only general admission so I will have to sit on grass. Can anyone suggest where? So that I could see as much as possible, and have some screen in sight... I thought the space between silver 2 and silcer 3, closer to silver 3, will be ok, am I right?

i suggest you try sitting next to silver one, by the chicane. you will see the long straight, the mansell corner, chicane and some of the esses behind.
you will also have limited view at the big-screen for silver1

i dont know the place between silver 2 and 3 i have not been to the track since the changes to that section.

you may also try the hill next to the bronze tribune, as you will see the cars from behind entering the fast corner.

try those places on friday, so you can choose your best for qualy and race

i suggest you try sitting next to silver one, by the chicane. you will see the long straight, the mansell corner, chicane and some of the esses behind.
you will also have limited view at the big-screen for silver1

i dont know the place between silver 2 and 3 i have not been to the track since the changes to that section.

you may also try the hill next to the bronze tribune, as you will see the cars from behind entering the fast corner.

try those places on friday, so you can choose your best for qualy and race

thanks a lot

I'm going to Hungarian GP, unfortunately only general admission so I will have to sit on grass. Can anyone suggest where? So that I could see as much as possible, and have some screen in sight... I thought the space between silver 2 and silcer 3, closer to silver 3, will be ok, am I right?

If your there for the weekend move about and find a spot you like. Its not big and doesn't take long to get about and has some excellent GA points. In my experience the best viewing point at the track is around the Bronze and Silver 2 stands around the fast esses. Enjoy.

Taxis: Be very wary of smart looking Mercs and BMWs, they are well known for being rip-off merchants (a colleague of mine was charged 10,000 HFL for a 5 minute ride), one of the most reliable and reasonably priced taxi companies is City Taxi, call 0612111111 from your mobile, and use them from the airport too. Just give them your name (use an easy one like "John" to avoid miscommunication ) and only use them from a telephone booking as the charges are higher if you just jump in a cab on the street.

yep always use large taxi companies, with their logos displayed on the car. and always order them by phone, since they give you better prices, and you can report any problems with the dispatcher - there are some very strict rules with large taxi companies.
i usually use taxi4 +36-1-444-4444, but citytaxi (see above) is also good

I attended the 2010 race. General admission is good and a spot between silver 2 and 3 should be ok. Get there early, though, and stay planted. The spots go early. The space between silver 3 and gold 3 is excellent, too.
As for taxis, it is a good idea to call or book on-line. Another hint: when you taxi in from the airport keep the chit that is given to you at the airport taxi kiosk. That way you can show the driver that you used the same taxi company that you used them for both trips. This helps with the fare, too.

Hungary was great, Budapest is a wonderful city and quite inexpensive. There is a lot of walking involved at the track, though, and a lot of hills. If you're staying in the city it is best to use the free bus service provided by the race organizers. You can get to the stop using the city subway system. The bus ride is half an hour in good traffic and they drop you in a small town near the track. Then you start to walk...

I too attended the 2010 race. Typed a reply on return and then lost it in the computer, so here goes again. We got there lunch time and had no problem buying a ticket. We stayed in Gyula near the Romanian border on the saturday night. Bought the ticket a from booth on way into track while the car was stuck in the queue. It was e15 to get the tickets posted, but you did get a set of ear plugs. Getting round the track was murder and finding out how to park was a bit difficult, but we now know how. Lots of space where we were and the porta loos were much better than we had been used to for the previous week, but the beer was a lot more expensive.

No audible commentry where we were, but I had taken my own stop watch and managed to work out most of what happened. Though we never worked out why the safety car came out. Getting out wasn't that bad till the satnav took us back in.

Comments from the race. "these Cosworths sound like a bag of spanners" , but still better than the Mercedes pace car.

If Silverstone was going to lose its race through poor access, then how does Hungary have a race?

Great weekend for the Aussies though, they won on Saturday as well.