Hungary vs. Romania vs. Malta - the verdict

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We arrived safely and happily back home (I heart you, Canada, you polite, clean, glorious creature...mwa mwa mwa). After three weeks packed with touristing, if I had to pick one of these destinations to recommend, which would it be? All had their strengths, so here’s a report card on the basics.

Transportation

Budapest is a dream to get around. Imminently walkable, clean, safe. Magnificent underground and lots of public transportation options (buses and trams abound).

Driving was easy - clearly marked highways and roads in great shape. Use a navigation app, though. If you miss a turn it helps you get back on track. The gas station we went to had full service - noice! Haven’t seen that back home in ages.

In Romania, transportation was only ok. The trains we took all left on time, but 2/3 arrived a good chunk later than scheduled. There aren’t announcements or info on the train about upcoming stops, but an offline map app (I used “maps.me”) let us know where we were at all times so we could get off at the right place. There was no predicting if snacks would be available for purchase (our train to Suceava had someone pass 4 times, but the return train - nada). It was also really hard to find information online about any of this - locals probably have all the ins and outs down pat, but for tourists it’s not as user friendly as trains elsewhere in Europe. But for the price, it’s worth the inconveniences. One-way 1st class seat to get to Suceava was about $33 CAD. Just bring your own snacks.

Taxis are plentiful in Romania, but ask how much first as many are not metered (or will refuse to use the meter) and there are warnings posted in train stations etc. about sketchy taxi practices. Travel sites (and even the front desk at our Bucharest hotel) also warn travellers about the potential risks with taxis in Bucharest. We overpaid twice, but not by so much that it was hugely offensive (both times at the Bucureşti Nord train station, so take note).

Driving is frustrating in Bucharest, but the main roads connecting the towns we went to were in great shape - generally easy driving in the countryside. The Carpathian mountains had the bonus of beautiful scenery, but it’s never completely relaxed driving because other drivers don’t seem to adhere to traffic signs (like no passing, no stopping, the speed limit was just a suggestion, etc) so we always had to be on alert for that - especially as most roads were single lanes and we experienced lots of “Holy crisp, did you just see that?!” too close for comfort passing when there was oncoming traffic.

In Malta we used the public bus system exclusively and it was well organized, meticulously clean and efficient. It helped that we were super close to the main terminal as it was the start of the line for the buses we took. The times at the stops en route, however, are estimates so best to be a bit early so you don’t miss it. Twice our bus arrived at a stop earlier than posted and since one of them came by only once every hour, it was good we were there early. Driving is on the left, so if you’re used to the right side it may take some getting used to if you rent a a car. I had to keep reminding myself to look right when crossing the street (I know, I know, you’re supposed to look *both* ways).

Advantage: Budapest. Hands down.

Food

Budapest has everything you could dream of eating and it was delicious with very few exceptions. Every type of cuisine and every price point from cheap eats to super fancy was available. We had some cheap eats (like langos), and some mid-range (I leave the super fancy eatin’ to other folks). Highlights were langos, goulash, seriously yummy hummus with warm fluffy pitas, my spicy Hungarian pizza that I still reflect on with fondness, the best cafe latte I’ve had (at our hotel’s breakfast no less) and most items were (somewhat) less expensive than back home. For example, a fancy gourmet burger might have been about $16 CAD in a menu at a certain place back home, I paid the equivalent of about $12 CAD in Budapest at a comparable type of resto. A beer and a Coke Zero cost the same (the beer is cheap). We could generally eat a full meal for about $20ish for food, a non-alcoholic drink, tax and tip. Lunch might run you $12-15 all in.

Romania has been a lot less expensive than back home. Dinner for four at a nice place in Suceava (including wine for the mamas) was $34 CAD (before tip). A 9oz glass of house wine ranged from $2.30 to $3 CAD throughout Romania. At our beloved Paul, breakfast of an omelet (“complet” with mushrooms, ham, cheese), salad (just lettuce) and latte was was about $6 CAD. T and I went for a fancy chilled dessert for supper (possibly twice, ahem) and it was under $6 CAD which was a bargoon - it was magnificent (check out the pic!). We’ve had a few misses in Bucharest (usually a fail because a number of dishes, especially the meat, landed on the overly bland side rather than bad tasting), but we had some big hits with their consistently excellent traditional soups.

In Malta we didn’t eat out as much, but did really like “Ftira” (a tuna sandwich with olives, butter beans and some kind of tomato paste), but in general things were just good, not great.

Advantage: For sweets and soups, Romania. For everything else, Budapest.

Language

In Hungary almost everyone we encountered spoke English (in fairness, we were mostly in tourist areas so that often makes it more likely) but as a consequence (and not for the better) we didn’t have to learn many Hungarian words. On the plus side, it makes everything easy for English speakers because Hungarian was otherwise really hard for us to grasp - even reading street signs was tough. I think it’s respectful when you are visiting another country to at least learn the basics of their language and the pervasiveness of English makes it really easy to be lazy about that in Budapest.

The Romanian language has been easier than Hungarian and a lot more fun. It’s Latin-based, with lots of words similar to French, and since we’re all French speakers, it made it much easier to pick up the basics. Still, it did help to have a translation app and a Romanian/English dictionary (with audio for the pronunciation) on our phones for the not-so-obvious ones (like, multumesc = thank you).

Malta’s co-official language is English so everyone everywhere we went spoke English. The names of locations, streets, etc were in Malti, but except for the Air Malta safety announcement, I don’t think I heard a single person speak it while I was there.

Advantage: Romania. Because part of travelling is about learning new things (I mean, I can *still* remember how to count to ten in Portuguese, obrigada very much), but it’s nice when the vocabulary is not so hard to learn that you can ask for butter and be confident you didn’t accidentally order tripe soup.

The charm factor

Budapest and Valetta had it in spades, albeit in different ways. Budapest was more traditionally charming - beautiful architecture, lots of public squares, gardens, parks and a general vibe that was cool and relaxed. Malta’s architecture was almost monochromatic, with the exception of the odd pops of colour from painted doors or wooden balconies, as the buildings were made of (or built to look like) the local limestone. It was also replete with forts and walls (those Knights loved their forts) so there was always this sense of being enclosed unless you ventured out to open sites like the temple complexes. Romania’s most charming spots were the small medieval towns which were all outside Bucharest and of those Braşov deserves special mention.

The one minus in Budapest and Bucharest is that there is lots of smoking everywhere. Malta not nearly as much, but it may be that we weren’t there long enough, or had gotten more accustomed to it by then, to notice. I've encountered prevalent smoking on other trips, but I’m so used to home being essentially non-smoking in public areas, that it always takes a little adjusting when I travel.

Advantage: Because the inner city on the Pest side and the stretch along the Danube on the Buda side were relentlessly pretty, Budapest wins this one for me. My fellow travellers might give Valletta equally high marks as both were lovely, but for me the green spaces in Budapest give it a definitive edge.

Sights

Although our Hungarian visit was mostly focused on Budapest, there was plenty to see in town and our venture further afield was easily done as a day trip and well worth it. The sheer concentration of sights to check out in Budapest proper was impressive. We were there 5 days and I could easily have spent another 5 and still had lots of things to see in, or close to, the city.

I love me some medieval anything, so Bran Castle and the Painted Monasteries (near Suceava) in Romania were a huge hit. Still, Suceava was far and we needed essentially a day to get there and one to get back to see 4 Monasteries. We spent more time in Romania, so I feel like I’ve seen everything I was interested in seeing and can just check it off my list as “done”. Knowing what I know now, I might have planned the Romania portion differently and spent less time there in favour of Hungary or Malta. Although charming, the little towns in Romania got repetitive and I was fortified towned out by the end.

Malta has some gems all over the islands and the diversity in the types of things to see (Neolithic temples, medieval fortified towns, exotic swim spots) make it really appealing. Malta also has magnificently organized heritage properties (shout out to St-John’s Co-Cathedral for the gold star worthy audio tour and Hagar Qim/Mnajdra for, besides the magnificent temples, having a fun “4D” movie and museum included with your ticket). Malta is also pretty compact so you can get to all these sights as day trips.

Advantage: Although I’d very happily go back to Malta (for the Hypogeum, Gozo and the Blue Lagoon), I left Budapest thinking I’d *have* to go back, and for longer, to see more of Hungary. Too close to definitely call between these two, but I might give the edge to Malta on diversity of things to see and Hungary on volume of sights to take in.

Paying for stuff

Both Budapest and Romania had restos and shops that would only take cash, but more consistently in Romania they wanted exact cash/would not give change. For someone travelling, you end up with larger denominations out of the ATM - especially if, like me, you don’t carry around huge wads of cash and get some along the way as you need it. The down side is you end up having no choice but to pay with larger bills. I get that in the areas we go there are lots of tourists probably all in the same situation so change gets to be a rare commodity, but it’s the reality of the sitch.

In a resto, if you are several individuals at a table, expect that you won’t be able to pay separately in Romania. With one bill, cash is easy to throw into a pot (assuming you have smaller denominations - note comment above), but if you want to pay for your meal on a credit card, it’s one transaction or nothing. In North America it is a common practice to get separate bills (or to use different forms of payment for one) and anyone who has been out with a group knows it’s never an issue, but in Romania (especially) - no go. We just stopped asking at one point. We had a couple places in Hungary that were happy to do it, and getting change wasn’t as big a problem as in Romania, but just know what to expect.

In Malta, paying was a breeze. Valletta and the main tourist spots were packed with tourists, but it was only on the rare occasion that someplace asked for a smaller bill when we were paying cash. It seems like all places in Malta take credit cards (which wasn’t the case in our previous stops), including museums and heritage sites, so the lack of small denominations was never a problem. Plus, in Malta the ATM didn’t give out large bills (10 and 20 euro bills only) so that certainly helped.

Advantage: Malta. They make it super easy to spend money there. Clever, Malta, verrrry clever.

The Verdict

For me, Budapest would be my overall recommendation to my peeps back home. It has everything - including being easy to get to from Canada. Malta would be an easy spot to get to from Europe, but from Canada - not as much. Budapest has perfect sightseeing weather in the fall, tons of great stuff to see, and was just completely lovely. Way to be awesome, Budapest! Applause.

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Photos

“Mamaliguta cu branza framantata la cuptor”
Basically polenta baked with super salty cheese

“bruschetta” trio - Budapest
Feta cream, tuna something and avocado

Lunch in Szentendre, Hungary
The globs are eggplant dip and red pepper dip. Pitas were warm and fluffy.

Hungarian pizza
Spicy perfection

Typical breakfast
This one in Braşov