IT is fast becoming the most popular destination for a debauched stag weekend thanks to its “open-air ruin bars, stunning Eastern European women and filthy cheap booze”, according to one travel website.
And the European city dubbed the Bangkok of Europe was Adam Peaty‘s destination of choice for a pre-wedding blowout with the lads.
Adam’s trip to Budapest ended in a homegrown scandal when his brother James Peaty, 34, was arrested for making threats against the star following a fall-out over his December nuptials with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Holly, 25.
And there is nothing to suggest that father-of-one Adam, 30, did anything other than enjoy a few beers while ogling the Hungarian city’s historic architecture.
But experts warn that Budapest is a den of fraud and crime where visitors risk being targeted by honeytrap girls, corrupt barmen and even fake police officers intent on stealing their cash.
The internet is awash with shocking videos of other people’s outrageous stag weekends.
Footage posted online includes a British reveller baring his bum in public, another being groped by a person with dwarfism on a night out and a number of examples of hilarious fancy dress, including one stag dressed as a Jet 2 flight attendant serving drinks on a plane.
Government official Iván Radó warns: “It has become a well-known fact, especially among English tourists, that anything is possible in Budapest.
“Accordingly, everything from crawling on tram tracks to screaming outside the opera house happens.
“The residents can’t stand the behaviour and there are a lot of accidents because the tourists don’t take care of themselves.”
The risks associated with getting carried away in Budapest are very real.
In 2014, TV fitter Paul Bush was found dead in a stairwell in a notorious sex den, or ”place of consortium”, while on a stag do in the Eastern European city.
He was seen on CCTV entering the building in Budapest with a prostitute after a drunken night out.
Minutes later she left the building with a man and another woman.
An air of mystery continues to surround his death as British coroner Sheriff Payne refused to rule out foul play.
This despite Hungarian police insisting that Paul, 36, from Weymouth, was the victim of a tragic accident.
Honeytrap robberies
Sun chief feature writer Oliver Harvey visited Budapest and found that the Jewish Quarter party district remains a den of vice, fully justifying its ‘Bangkok of Europe’ tag.
Stretch limo rides with lap dancers were touted at the airport along with boat tours with strippers and lesbian shows costing £150.
Prostitutes operate in private apartments and clandestine brothels where they charge as little as 50 euros an hour.
Despite Hungarian police taking a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, Class As including cocaine and ecstasy were hawked by street dealers outside the many ‘ruin bars’ in abandoned buildings, where a pint of beer costs as little as £1.
Former chief investigator with the Budapest police Tibor Teplan warned that Western tourists were firmly in the criminal’s crosshairs.
He told The Sun: “Anyone really drunk is a potential target.
“If they see one or two women trying to lure a guy away from the group they should insist he stays with them.
“I had many cases where a woman would lure a man away to rob them, or to waiting men who beat them up.”
Fraudsters are even posing as police officers to steal from tourists, according to the US embassy in Budapest.
One scam involves flashing a fake ID before insisting on counting the victim’s cash. The money is returned but with the larger notes skilfully exchanged for “smaller or worthless pieces of paper.”
Men pretending to be police officers have also been known to issue fake fines, according to a local newspaper report.
Scammed in clubs
Another common scam involves a young lady, acting as a honey trap, luring a male tourist into a bar or restaurant, or sitting at his table then ordering drinks that are charged at 20 times their real value.
Teréz Vadán, Vice Consul at the British Embassy, told the Hungarian press that visitors should be wary of “a pretty lady with a map in her hand”.
However, these dangers do not seem to put off Brits from visiting Budapest.
The Last Night of Freedom website says the sheer number of bars and nightclubs, along with the open air thermal baths, makes it a must visit for thirsty stags.
A post on their website states: “The Hungarian capital is constantly creeping higher and higher up our top stag do destinations, seriously popular with stag groups from all over Europe.
“You’re going to want to head down to the iconic Jewish Quarter that boasts huge, open-air ruin bars, stunning Eastern European women and filthy cheap booze (pints costing the equivalent of just over a quid).”
Official UK government advice is less enticing. The Foreign Office warns: “Some bars, clubs and restaurants might charge high amounts for food and drink.
“Tourists have been taken to cashpoints with demands for the money to pay the bill.
“Always ask to see the menu and price list before ordering food and check your bill carefully before paying.
“Be wary of establishments where menus do not properly display prices. Report any incidents to the police.
“Some taxi drivers are part of these frauds. They may receive a commission to recommend certain bars, clubs and restaurants to passengers.
“If a taxi driver offers to take you to a bar or club, or you are approached on the street with an invitation, be cautious. Use taxis from a reputable local company.”
Prostitution is not illegal in Hungary, but tourists don’t know this and they are afraid of calling the police, or they are ashamed
Dr Bátki Pál
Hungarian lawyer Dr. Bátki Pál frequently represents foreign visitors that fall victim to the scams.
He told The Sun: “A typical crime against tourists is that clubs, restaurants and taxi drivers commit fraud by giving a bill 20 times more than the regular price.
“They hope they will pay it because they don’t want to get hurt.
“They will threaten to call the police and they even have a different menu to show the price you are being charged is correct.
“The British Embassy sometimes publishes blacklists of these restaurants and clubs.
“My advice to tourists in this situation is to immediately call the police. Sometimes people don’t want to do this because they have taken drugs or been with a prostitute and they worry about getting into trouble.
“British tourists are known for drinking a lot and doing things they would not do at home and not being a gentleman.
“Prostitution is not illegal in Hungary, but tourists don’t know this and they are afraid of calling the police, or they are ashamed.
“I’ve had many cases involving prostitutes and it’s a typical grey area where both the client and the prostitutes claim to be a victim.
“I had one client, a businessman, who was a good customer of a prostitute but when he told her he was going to stop using her, she managed to take illegal photos and videos of him and blackmail him.
“She said she would notify his wife, who lived abroad, and the media because he was quite well known. This could happen to anyone.”
