Budapest Trip Proves a Three-Day European Holiday Can Still Cost Just 1,500 Shekels

Reporter Itai Galon was sent to Budapest to test whether a full European city break, airfare, three nights of lodging, food, attractions and nightlife, could still be done on a hard cap of 1,500 shekels. The article says the challenge was prompted by soaring hotel and flight prices in Europe, and by the need for a budget-friendly alternative for Israeli travelers after the pandemic and inflation.

Galon arrived in the Hungarian capital in the early evening and began with his accommodation, a centrally located apartment near Váci utca that cost 350 shekels for three nights. From there he explored the city mostly on foot and by public transport, buying a 24-hour transit pass for 2,750 forints, about 26 shekels. He reported a cappuccino for 1,500 forints, about 14 shekels, a Ferris wheel ride priced at roughly 53 shekels that he skipped because of the budget, and a chimney cake bought for about 15 shekels instead of nearly 23 at a more touristy spot.

His route included Fisherman’s Bastion, which he noted was free and offered a view of the Danube and Parliament, the Chain Bridge, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Jewish Quarter, and Nyugati station’s McDonald’s, where nine nuggets, fries and a Coke Zero cost 23 shekels. He also ate a large noodle dish for 23 shekels, drank gin and tonic for 33 shekels a glass, and later paid 44 shekels to enter the Great Synagogue on Dohany Street. A meal of hamburger, fries and Coke Zero cost 30 shekels.

The report also highlights Budapest’s appeal for Israelis. One traveler, Roni, said prices were clearly lower than in Israel, sometimes nearly half, while another, Shoshana, said, “There are only Israelis here.” On the final evening, Galon checked the receipts and concluded the mission succeeded: an El Al flight cost 747 shekels, lodging cost 358, and spending on attractions, food and extras came to 395, bringing the total to exactly 1,500 shekels.