We travelled from Vienna to Budapest by fast train, like most of Europe the rail system is very good. There is no Uber in Hungary, so we grabbed a cab from the station and were definitely scammed. It cost around $40 for a 10 min ride to the hotel. I had read warnings about it but still got done.
Our Hotel was in the Jewish quarter, on the Pest side of the river (BudaPest was originally two places – Buda and Pest). We checked in, grabbed some lunch and then walked around the city.
The streets of Budapest were buzzing and we quickly realised that it was a bit of a party town. The vibe and the architecture were in stark contrast to the pristine sensibility of Vienna. While there were still the beautiful buildings, particularly in the centre, and amazing architecture, many of the buildings a few blocks back were in disrepair, and were often interspersed with Soviet style blocks.
Once we were in the city centre we jumped on the Eye (a small version of the London eye) to get a better look over the city.
From here we headed down to the river Danube to see the Széchenyi bridge and look across to the castle (Buda side).
That evening after dinner we went on a Ruin bar tour (pub crawl). Ruin bars are underground bars that popped up in ruined parts of the city after the fall of the iron curtain, they were generally shut down by the authorities but eventually they gave up and now there are many of them throughout the city, primarily in the Jewish quarter. The tour guide took our group to 3 different bars, with shots taken at each one and then roughly 45min for drinks and mingling. It was a fun night, the bars are great. Often in disused bunkers, with live music and being a Saturday night, filled with people.
After a very late night it was tough getting up for our walking tour of the city Monday morning but very much worth it.
The tour took us from one end of the central city to the other, using the underground to cross town. We started with a trip to Hero’s Square.
The square shows the history of the founding of Hungary, with the 7 tribes that (mythically) migrated from Siberia in 896ad, and then the crowning of St Stephen in 1000ad to formalize it as a kingdom. It then shows the hero’s of the following wars and the present time peace.
From here we wandered through the gardens past the castle (Pest side). The lake in front was being drained ready to be made an ice skating rink.
And then across to check out the thermal baths in the park, Széchenyi baths. Very impressive, like a swimming centre.
We jumped back on the underground and headed to the city centre to see St Stephen’s Basilica. Stephen is the major figure found all over the city, the Basilica is therefore very impressive.
His mummified hand is stored inside and brought out to be paraded on special days. Interesting….
Next was a stop at the Strudel house for Strudel and much needed coffee. Lots of different varieties of strudel. Our favourite was the cherry and poppy seed. They also had cabbage filled pastries that tasted a bit like Chiko rolls.
From here we made our way to the Széchenyi bridge and up the hill to the Buda Castle. Along the way we stopped at a Jewish monument that was being protested.
And a dome over there series of bunkers built in the Cold War.
Once we reached the top the guide left us for the day, free to explore the castle area. He had given us a great appreciation of the city and the changes in Hungary, particularly when it was broken up post WW1. In his family’s case they became part of Romania – so they were foreigners in their own country. He also spoke a lot about the changes post Soviet times.
Before exploring we grabbed lunch
and then wandered the streets. St Mathias’ church and the Palace were the key features, as well as the view back over the city.
We explored until about 5pm and then made the long walk down the hill and back home. We were both exhausted so just grabbed a kebab for dinner and crashed early.
Monday was a free day and our last in Budapest. We had a list of things still to do, so we worked our way through them starting with bacon and eggs for breakfast, Bel was craving a “normal” brekky.
From there we made our way to Parliament House, which was spectacular- built for a much larger Hungary pre WW1.
Next, not far from there was the Jewish shoes monument by the river. It is in memory of those executed on mass by the river.
We then made the long walk across the river to the Gellért baths. It was worth it. Budapest is renowned for its thermal springs bath houses, and Gellért is one of the most beautiful.
After bathing in a few of the pools we grabbed some lunch in our robes, very opulent.
Next on our list was to hike up to the Gellért hill to the liberty statue. It was recommended by our guide the day before, with great views over the city. It was a long way up, but worth it.
With the climb done we had earned enough calories to head back to the city centre and try two local delicacies we had heard about. First was Langos – the traditional version is sour cream, garlic and cheese on fried dough.
And then a Square donut! Ours was filled with raspberry cheesecake. Yumm.
All that was left was to find a place to enjoy dinner on our final night – a hot stone steak house.
Bel had clocked up 21k steps on the day and 56k in our 3 days exploring Budapest which had been wonderful. A great spot to visit, and also learn about the history of Hungary and it’s people.
PS, they also set a new record for the toilet 1 Euro ($1.63)
Slippery dip looked fun!
It was fun!! They had little trampolines too.