SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains in J

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

The HEL Hilton is an easy 5 mins walk from the terminal with a bit of a snaking walkway and the need of an elevator.
Though it is covered you are not enclosed. So you will absolutely need your winter coat if traveling during Xmas / NY.
This is where the benefit of HLO worked well as we could just exit the airport and not be concerned about big heavy bags.

Check-in was fast an efficient.

As a HH Gold (via status match) we were upgraded from an entry level room to a room with Sauna + exec lounge access + full breakfast in the main restaurant.


Bathroom


Yeah with a bath as well as proper shower (I hate shubs)


2 to 3 pax Sauna in room


Another Sauna shot (the Sauna has a view into the bedroom)
We made good use of the Sauna to unwind the (not so) stressful J flight pre evening drinks.


If we had the option again, I'd try and snag a Sauna room.

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Time to head up to the exec lounge for some pre-dinner drinks and nibbles.

It was nothing flash, but did the job well enough considering it was complementary


Exec lounge seating


More exec lounge seating


Breakfast time in the main lounge. The usual Hilton spread was on offer of eggs, breads, cereals, fruits + Asian dishes of noodles, dumplings etc.


Shot of the lobby bar


Well it was time to check out.
The Hilton Helsinki looked after us well. Status was recognized and rewarded.
The room was quiet and temperature consistent. Water pressure was solid.

TBC ...

 

[homemade]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Probably a few pics too many.

no such thing as too many pics! I'm really enjoying them

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Next flight: HEL-BUD with AY on an A320 in J.
Departing 09:30 with arrival into BUD 10:50

Leaving the HEL Hilton was a cool +3 deg c.
So the winter coat goes on and we rewind the snaking path back to the terminal with ease.

A few mins later and we are snug and warm inside the terminal. The airport feels busy (like a Monday at SYD domestic)
As we already had our BPs (from BKK that day prior) we didn't need to check-in. Thought it seems it wouldn't have been too much of an issue.


In the distance from the pic above you can see the security line ... oh cough I thought as walked up to it. "I hadn't left as much time as may be I should have" crosses my mind. As we approach I remember HEL is a oneworld hub / home-port of AY ...

I then quickly find the priority security line (J & WPs welcomed). We skip the horror show of the general security line and have cleared security within 2 mins - yes 2 mins.
It seems there are less Elites / Premium cabin pax this day. I kept an eye on the general line and it did seem to move quickly enough. HEL security is thorough compared to BKK. Shoes didn't need to be removed.


Security cleared (no customs as we were Schengen to Schengen), we trot off to find the AY 'domestic' lounge


In we go


Lounge shots


Some dining seating - reminds me of QF Dom J island dining


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

More lounge seating


Even more lounge seating


Last lounge shot - promise

The lounge was very quiet compared to the airport which was a surprise. We weren't complaining.
The wifi was easy to connect to and extremely fast.

Time to head to the BUD flight.
Leaving the lounge was an easy enough walk ... except the terminal was now very busy, so we just walked slowly to the gate.
Being Boxing day it seems the Finns were out to travel.

At the gate ... flight going to to BUD ... check.


Boarding time. The gates are so cute.
Priority boarding was called for J & Elites.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

J on these intra-EU flights are nothing special.
3-3 Y seating on an A320 with mid seat blocked out as space.

We picked row 1 bulkhead as I don't like people reclining into me.
For short flights (and the price) I'm ok with this.


Standard engine-attached-to-wing shot ... check


The view ... a joy to be alive and a privilege to see the world from above.


Now feeding time ... this was tastier than it looked. There was no choice. Omelette worked well.


The flight was uneventful and quick.
The J cabin had only 6 of us in it (Y was 99% full) and the toilets were policed with Y cabin people sent back
Service was attentive and we were constantly asked if we wanted coffee or water.
Our coats were also taken and hung up.

Landing into BUD was smooth.

Yeah time to exit the terminal and find a taxi.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

A taxi is easy enough a BUD. There is a regulated booth you buy a ticket from and tell them your destination. As there are a few Hiltons in BUD they were very clarifying in making sure we were going to the right one. They then estimated the price for us. I made sure the taxi took CC.

The taxi driver spoke no English ... so enroute I did a quick check with the GPS and maps on my phone he was not running us round in circles. All seemed good and the price was a few dollars less than the estimate (light traffic). The CC swiped fine (I had taken out local currency from the ATM at the airport from my citi debit card just in case).

Check-in at BUD Hilton was fast and efficient.
Even though we were there about 11:30am we were fine to check-in with the room ready.
A basic room was booked and we were upgraded (HH Gold) to an exec room. I checked if breakfast was permitted in the main restaurant and that was A-Ok.
The hotel checked if we were first time visitors (yes) and as such provided maps and suggestions for tours (paid and free).
Staff were very friendly at check-in.


Room shot


View


Another room shot


Bathroom


TBC ...

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

This is a wonderful and extremely well illustrated TR, but seeing the AY business class reminds me of how vastly superior railway sleeping berths are to airline J or even F class. I just hope for your sake that you get or got to experience a CityNightLine sleeping berth in one of the double deck cars.

The photos of your hotels are terrific with remembering to take a photo of the in room sauna a highlight and a feature that I have never experienced on my Scandinavian travels, so well done.

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

This is a wonderful and extremely well illustrated TR, but seeing the AY business class reminds me of how vastly superior railway sleeping berths are to airline J or even F class. I just hope for your sake that you get or got to experience a CityNightLine sleeping berth in one of the double deck cars.

The photos of your hotels are terrific with remembering to take a photo of the in room sauna a highlight and a feature that I have never experienced on my Scandinavian travels, so well done.

Thanks for the positive comments.
Having used this forum I made a mental note to try and take pics wherever possible that may help people with their journey in the future.

The trains ... all the stuff we did was short haul of usually 4 hrs or less. So just standard 1st class I'm afraid.

And the Sauna .. that was a real surprise when at check-in the agent said the room had an in-room Sauna. We first thought that may be there was a Sauna on the floor and not actually IN THE ROOM. I will admit, when we first saw it we were both like little children and I dumped the bags and turned it on full blast to warm up whilst we unpacked a few things. I'm sure the novelty would wear off quickly, but for these little black ducks, bring on the steam and set it to broil.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Your reaction upon seeing the sauna in your room would be similar to a great many Australians. I'd be as 'childlike' in that situation as you suggest you were, much like mainland Chinese might be when they see a penguin near Cowes, Victoria.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

no such thing as too many pics! I'm really enjoying them

The old "picture's worth a thousand words" applies to TR's, I reckon. Thanks, Nonpop.

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Full size bottles ... when travelling with SWMBO that has a lot of long hair it saves having to call house keeping 47 times.
Plus, being HLO we relied upon the toiletries at the hotel to keep us looking young and beautiful
And due to the dry conditions of air conditioning, we always made sure we had the body lotion with us (and asked for more from house keeping when we saw them in the morning).


And a proper bath separate from the shower.


Gym room which also had a full sized sauna attached to it.
The gym room was on our floor so we filled our water bottles when we were too lazy to go to the lounge plus they had a bowl of apples


Exec lounge - the lounge was well stocked and had basic spirits available alongside wines and beer. Food was always topped up. We had 1 breakfast in the lounge which was the standard bacon / eggs.


More exec lounge


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Breakfast in the main restaurant (as a HH Gold this was permitted) with no coffee tax. Machine made coffee brought upon request vs the thermos.
The usual hot buffet was available as well as made to order eggs.


Lots of bread ... and there is even a cake which we had to sample (yes for breakfast, again, don't judge me as it is holiday time).


That is a big wheel of cheese you can see dead ahead.
People were hacking off big chunks of it at breakfast time.


More cold cuts


One of the Hotel bars. It had several scatter around.


This hotel had a large conference area and I suspect gets used heavily for such events considering the excellent city location.
It is a few mins walk to a metro with nearby lots of restaurants, a convenience store and a Westfield type complex.

Would I say here again? Yes indeed. We were looked after very well and nothing was an issue. It represented great value for money we thought.

Next up ... some random pics of BUD

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

When we checked into the hotel, they suggest we visit the thermal baths as a great way to relax and spend the afternoon.
Seeing as we had our swimmers (we always travel with them) we ticked the box.

So we got instructions on how to use public transport and we made our way there.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Outside the building. The pubic transport drops you right out the front.


Inside the entrance where you get your tickets. Then you also need to rent a towel (if you don't bring your own).
We opted to rent a locker. This place is set up so you can just show up and the 'machine' does everything else for you. We loved how it worked.
Tick ... HLO was working out.


The outdoor baths


Lap pool


There are also a series of thermal baths indoors through the complex. So you effectively thermal bath hop just like you airline lounge hop. It was a lot of fun.
Then when done, you shower, dress, hand in your towel and get your deposit back (minus the rental fee).

A great way to start the afternoon ... 3 deg C outside and the water was 25 to 28 deg depending upon the bath. We had a ball of a time. And there didn't appear to be too many tourists either. So as we were laughing we got some interesting looks.

From there we found an ice skating rink nearby out in the open as we were just walking.
We paid our few coins and rented some skates and did the deed. We walked away with sore bums.
Another fun experience.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

A few random pics of BUD.

We had a really foggy day or two. It was wonderful as the city felt 'old'. It was Europe in winter.

A monument


A castle building


Another castle building


Some castle thing

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Inside one of the churches




City from above


City on a clear day

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Walking along ... all of a sudden I get the need for sugar and low and below ... mmm sugar


We sampled this a few times. A local snack.
In simple terms ... fry some dough, add some topping, eat.
We like it with a garlic sauce and cheese. 1 is enough to share with a glass of hot wine.


A city street. I couldn't resist.


Inside Hungarian State Opera House


Danube river by night. We took a dinner cruise which was great value for money and the food perfectly acceptable for mass-market tourist trap.


Budapest is a sensational city to visit.
We saw a tonne of stuff, saw some really cool stuff, ate out ever night with never a bad meal and drank too much local beer.
Language was never an issue.

And Uber X worked very well (we used it each night for dinner transport) and was exceptionally cheap compared to Sydney standard.
Tip: The driver never spoke English ... so provided you did a fare estimate before booking, then you were good to go.
I just pointed to their Uber map each time and gave the thumbs up signal as I realized they didn't speak English.

Their public transport system works like clock work and no need for time tables.

We give Budapest 5 stars out of 5.

Oh and for refugees ... we didn't see one. Not one.
We used the metro, main train station etc. So anyone concerned that Budapest is one big UNHCR camp, sorry to disappoint you.

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Speaking of public transport.

Here are a few quickies of Budapest metro and trains.







Time to say good bye to Budapest and move on to Vienna.

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Leaving the Hilton Budapest we head off to the main station, keleti.

Train: Railjet Bud to Vie



Roof shot


We had purchased our Bud to Vie tickets online. But you actually need to collect them from the station at special machines.
At Kelti we looked for the blue ticket machines ... and low and behold we found one. Punching in our ticket booking number, it then printed 2 x train tickets. Too easy.

Seats were selected at time of booking.
The tickets showed which carriage and seats we were meant to be in (though not in English on the ticket, so we used a bit of deductive logic).


Our train waiting for us as we arrive at the platform. When I saw it was red I thought of the old Sydney red rattlers I grew up with. But this was sure to be a little more comfortable and faster ( I hoped).


Onboard ... are we on the right train and in the right carriage ... seems so.
I've come to learn that sometimes trains can split up so always good to just double check.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

1st class seating.
When booked in advance the price difference is trivial.
The overhead space took our HLO bags very well and there are hooks near the window for your jackets.
There is also cabin service where they come and take your dining cart orders. We didn't order anything as we took some fruit from the Hilton breakfast buffet (were not lunch eaters).



Seats are comfortable with some recline


Cabin


A mix of 4 seating and 2 seating





TBC ...