Eye Glasses, Shoe Repair, Cellphone near Oktogon?

petewsh61 wrote:

Looking for a reliable place to buy eyeglasses and to repair a leather boot near the Oktogon.  Anywhere in the Belvaros would also do.

Also, I lost my cellphone on the flight over here and I need a cheap cellphone.  In the US you can buy cheap ones you add minutes to as you need them.  Can I do that here and if so where near Oktogon?

Arrived here last night.  Glad to be back!

Thanks, Pete.

Hey, this is Europe, not the jungle. Everything is available here just the same. The GSM mobile phone system was invented in Europe. Best to use the phrase mobile or handy (this is a German phrase), because the term cellphone may not be as widely understood as it's a North Americanism.

You can buy a throwaway mobile at any Vodafone, Pannon or T-Mobile shop. They are everywhere. The service is the same, so there's no preference for provider. Take your passport and some money (you need to provide ID - no-one really cares though). You can add credit at most ATMs and of course, in the mobile phone shops, petrol (gas) stations and many other places. If you want an unlocked phone (which works on any network and quite probably the USA - e.g. Quad band), without a SIM card, you can buy cheap ones in Media Markt and elsewhere, then just buy a SIM card at the phone shop.

Boots/shoes can be repaired at Mr Minit - all over the place. Check the web.

Eyeglasses - depends if you need an optician? For the full service, check Vision Express (see web for locations). They can do glasses with prescription the same day (although I find them expensive). If you need reading glasses only, you can get a set of throwaway ones in Tesco hypermarkets and elsewhere for just a few EUR. Look for the big piles of glasses in the bargain section.

Welcome!

Sorry to hear about your travel complications.

Glasses: You might need the help of an optometrist to transcribe your prescription if it is anything special.
If it's a plain short- or farsightedness, you can probably rely on the in-shop examination. It's usually free.
Google tells me you might be able to see this place from your window:
http://www.oktogonoptika.hu/
EDIT: If you had your glasses, of course.

Shoe repair close to you:
http://www.cipeszmester.hu/cipesz-budapest.htm

Cell phones: Yes, there are prepaid plans (feltöltőkártya) at all 3 providers (Vodafone, Telenor, T-Mobile). For best coverage in rural areas, I recommend T-Mobile. For the record, the other two providers are perfectly fine for regular people staying in civilized areas :-)
The WestEnd plaza at Nyugati pályaudvar real close to you is a sure place.

Hey Pete,

I know a really good shoe repair man near Oktogon, they are cheap and work nice and good way. Reliable.
http://www.cipeszmester.hu/shoemaker-sc … ungarn.htm
You start to walk on the left side of Andrassy ut, direction of Heroes square and you'll find Izabella street. It's the 2nd or 3rd from Oktogon.

At Nyugati ter, Westend City Center, you will find phones (new and used ones, locked and unlocked  both. But at oktogon square, next to fridays restaurant, there's a GSM store (in an inner side of the house) where the guys are nice and helpful with many types of phones too.

Sophy

Thanks for all the great advice!