Welcome to Budapest, my hometown!
Sorry to hear what happened to you. Unfortunately, ripping off tourists is popular here. Also, take care with Taxis. I hate all the taxi drivers here, they are all douchebags, and most of them will charge more when they realize you are a tourist.
Like there was a guy who charged $150 from an Australian girl last summer at Sziget festival for a $5 ride. It went viral in local media.
Besides this, Budapest is an awesome city!
If you haven't been there, you should walk thru the Szabadság-bridge. It's closed from traffic, and usually, there are many cool programs there. It's 5 mins walk away from Vásárcsarnok.
Great! I plan to go back too! :) Glad I did not take any taxi. Szabadság-bridge noted.
Thank you local!!
I took a taxi in Budapest once, and at least I bargained the price before I got in. The number os 0s on the currency and the cheap beers doesnt make it easy to work out how much you are paying!
I second this, @ragnartheking and @deanliu.
I visited Budapest 8 years ago, and I was ripped off by a taxi driver who charged me like $50 for what should have been a cheap ride. Here's what my reaction should have been:
Unfortunately I was coming home from a party, was tired and didn't do the conversion math until the next morning.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine, who was staying in a fancier hotel than me. He got so upset that he brought it up with the reception of the hotel, demanding they took action. And they did: they contacted the taxi company and he actually ended up getting his money back. So there was def no doubt that he had been scammed.
I am sorry you got scammed with your meal. The scams aside though, Budapest is a beautiful city! Looks like you had a great time there. And seeing your images brings back some of my own memories.
Did you also visit the Szechenyi Spa Baths? I LOVED that place. So beautiful, and relaxing. Here's a pic I found from my when I visited the spa: