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How To Make The Most Of A Stag Weekend In Budapest

How To Make The Most Of A Stag Weekend In Budapest

Some useful advice on avoiding the scams

A stag weekend is all about the stories you bring home, or rather keep to yourselves, and the further from home you go, the more fun there is to be had. Budapest is one of the hottest stag destinations right now – a beautiful city packed with things to see and do, great nightlife, cheap food and drink, and thousands of stunning women. All the same, there are a few things stag weekenders need to be aware of before they board their budget flight.

The trick that most groups fall into is stumbling into a strip club in the early hours and getting fleeced – Hungarian gangsters can ruin almost any night out. But although strippers are an essential ingredient for any stag weekend in Budapest, blowing all your money (or money you don’t have) in a seedy club doesn’t have to be. The truth is, there are only a couple of clubs that are safe in Budapest. As one forum user on English-language Hungarian portal www.caboodle.hu puts it, “Most strip clubs in Budapest tend to charge for ten bottles of champagne – even though you only had two beers – and then take you round the back when you refuse to pay.” And the bill can be in the hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds.

To see some of Hungary’s world famous women disrobed in a more welcoming environment, a better bet is to book a stripper to come to where you are. A reputable stag weekend organiser can send girls to almost any venue. An airport limo pick-up or riverboat cruise is the best way to see the sights of Budapest while taking in some sights of the other kind. On the stag night itself, a stag dinner followed by one or more dancers is also a great way to kick things off. Not only does it work out much cheaper than sitting around watching bored girls in an expensive strip club, it’s also much more fun.

Another notorious Budapest rip-off are taxis, but if you know what you are doing they are a cheap and convenient way to get around. It may not seem logical, but hail a cab off the street and drivers are practically free to set their own prices, resulting in a large bill for a short journey. Call in advance, and the dispatch centre logs your journey – so drivers play fair and you get the discounted, standard rate. Most staff at the other end of the phone speak English, but if you are not confident with the pronunciation of Hungarian street names, ask a local to help you make the call. Cabs generally arrive within five or ten minutes, so groups won’t waste much time and will save themselves a lot of money.

In reality, Budapest is not a dangerous place. Crime figures are remarkably low. You have to go to the cinema to see a fight and the parties go on until dawn, especially if you know where to go. To make the most of Budapest, it makes sense to read up on the hottest venues or pay a couple of extra quid for a guide to show you around, the nightlife is great but the city centre is too spread out for random bar hopping. With a guide, you not only get to see the best venues and meet the hottest women, you also avoid getting ripped off.

For more tips on how to make the most of your big weekend away, download Stag Republic’s “50 Tips for a Perfect Stag Weekend”.