Europe, 2019 Diaries Chapter -1 Budapest,Hungary

Budapest, the capital of Hungary is a fairytale city where every building and every street screams of art and beauty. The people are friendly and easy going. The currency used is the Hungarian Forint and this city is easy on the pocket. I spent 5 idyllic days here and to tell you the truth could have spent many more, had time permitted. I have listed down for you my itinerary with details of accommodation, food, shopping, transport etc. Hope it helps.

Let’s begin with- Where to Stay

The area I chose and I think most tourists should is the Parliament House District… Next to the river Danube. The reasons are obvious- it’s safe, picturesque and central – so we just walked everywhere.

stayed at

mailto:anabelle@bedandbreakfast.hu

It was right next to the Hungarian Parliament, next to one of the best money exchanges called Haneefa, next to a Spar(super market) and next to the Danube promenade. I had a wonderful experience at Anabelle. I highly recommend it. Please note that I have received no discounts from them for this blog post.

Day 1: Reached by evening by a flight via Zurich. I had requested for an airport pick up from the apartment- fantastic experience there with good , professional , English speaking taxi driver. However, you could easily book a Fo Taxi which is the official Budapest taxi, once you exit the airport…that would be slightly cheaper.

At the apartment, Mr Joseph was waiting for us with a map of Budapest and he sat us down to explain everything to us. We ate at some of the places recommended by him and I have given all a full 10!

Next- money change. Budapest is notorious for ripping off tourists as each money exchange gave a different rate. Haneefa which is next to the apartment too was very good.

With Forints in our wallet, we then set out to do what we always begin a city with- join a city Orientation tour. However, we were late as the tours had already begun so, we decided to just walk down the promenade and take in the cityscape- which was just AMAZING!!!

What we saw….blew our breath away. We were on the Pest side and could see the castle and Gellert hill across the Chain bridge- on the Buda side. We quickly bought a ticket for the sunset cruise on the Danube and hopped aboard the vessel for an hour and a half long cruise along the river. In front of us we saw the Sun go down and both sides of the river light up- the view and experience was unimaginable…. An evening cruise on the Danube is an absolute MUST. Please don’t bother pre booking it as you will be spoilt for choice with the number of options you find.

Days 2,3&4:

After a sumptuous breakfast in the morning, armed with our bottles of water and sun shades, we headed out to the Budapest -eye at Elizebeth Square(  Budapest Erzsébet tér – Budapest Eye ( Ferris Wheel, 1051 Hungary) to join our Free walking tour. The link is: http://www.triptobudapest.hu/

I highly recommend it as most of the free tours are done by young , passionate students( mostly of History/Archaeology) and are a better way to orient oneself to a city rather than by the HOHO bus(my opinion only!). This walk took us across the Chain Bridge, up the Gellert Hill and then the Buda Castle. It ended at the steps of the spectacular Mathias Church with its mosaic-tiled roof! A long walk, but so satisfying- we stopped at every turn en route as our guide Audrey told us little stories which added so much meaning to every structure and every building we saw. She regaled us with Hungarian History and stories from their mythology which added meaning to the statues of mythical creatures that we saw and without which, it would have just been yet another pretty statue carved in stone! I would not take away your fun and kill the surprise by narrating the stories- you need to hear it from a Hungarian!

A visit inside the Mathias is a MUST! The city panorama from the Fisherman’s Bastion is just gorgeous!

Although, one can take the funicular up to the castle, but believe me you will miss the gorgeous views as you walk up- the choice is yours of course!-also, you get to save some Forints!

After having stayed on till evening, we began making our way downhill to cross over the bridge to the Pest side- but not before we promised ourselves to come back to the Buda side again to explore the Castle quarter some more!

We ended our day with some delicious Hungarian Goulash and grilled Salmon with hand made pasta. For food please try the 6th October Street- absolutely recommend.

We meandered our way back after an early dinner (washed down with some good Hungarian Beer) down the pretty promenade with stories of the Magyar chieftains creating images in my head…

Please note: Hungary is known for superb wine and Schnapps( called ‘Palinka’ locally. The beer is still the forte of the Germans and the Czechs!)

Day-3: We started the day with the Parliament visit. The Hungarian parliament is a visual treat with baroque architecture and history. However do remember to pre book your tickets online atleast a month or two in advance. One needs to present oneself 15minutes before the slotted time and an official tour guide will take you around. We ofcourse chose the English tour. A little tip here – the cafeteria at the visitors Centre is very good so maybe you may may decide to try it.

Next on our list was the Jewish Quarter. Hungary had the second largest Jewish population in Europe and therefore a visit to its Synagogue is a must. We walked around the Jewish Quarter and after the Synagogue visit, enjoyed a few drinks and lunch at a Ruin Bar called Szimpla. A Ruin Bar in Budapest is another must- do experience. The Nazi era led to the Soviet occupation and once the Russians left and property prices were at an all time low, the people here decided to buy and convert the jews’ houses into ‘Ruin Bars’ or pubs, decorated with stuff found in these ruins itself as a grim reminder of the Holocaust and a tribute to the victims.

We walked back once again, via the beautiful promenade along the Danube. Of course, a few stops for shopping( for Paprika and Palinka) was naturally a given! We then stopped at the Stephen’s Basilica where a music carnival was on. We sat ourselves down on stools with some good coffee and enjoyed some Hungarian Folk music.

We had dinner at a Chinese place close to the apartment this evening… Good food! However a word of caution here: Boiled momos( we assumed were steamed)- turns out was boiled in oil 😂- delicious though!

Day 4

We started our day even before sunrise. We walked across the Danube and climbed up to the Castle even before the Sun had risen. We were mesmerized by the view that met our eyes as the reddish golden globe slowly bobbed up across the horizon and up the Danube! It was enchanting. Then, with fresh coffee in hand( Hungary grows and drinks one of the best coffees in the world!) we walked around the up scale rich neighborhood of Buda- the architecture there is old and magnificent!

We slowly( reluctantly) made our way across the Danube and headed for Heroes Square. It is indeed a beautiful place which leads out from the famous Andrassy Avenue- very touristy though. After a few photo ops here, we headed out to the Great Market Hall which again is a must visit while in Budapest. This morning we used the metro service of the city. Budapest has a good public transport system and is easy to use. However, what we found fascinating were two things- the depth of the tracks with extremely steep escalators which are of a different era and the train compartments which resemble old and quaint carriages Viz a Viz the contemporary, modern ones we are used to! The steepness of the escalator at the Kossuth Lajos Ter Metro station is definitely worth mentioning! We loved the experience.

• After a hearty lunch( you guessed right!) Of Goulash, sausages and rice at the Market Hall, our tired feet made their way to the Szechenyi Bath. The architecture of the place is beyond marvellous! Our tired limbs soaked in the goodness of the thermal spa. The experience is yet another must do in Budapest.
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• We soaked in the thermal spring till late evening and finally made our way back to our apartment that evening with a heavy but satisfied heart! However, before we turned in for the night, we could not resist spending yet another evening on the banks of the Danube with it’s cool waters lapping at our feet while our eyes tried to (maybe for the last time) soak in the illuminated beauty of the city that is- Budapest!

So, while we travel to Slovenia and meet you there, let me wish you joyful travelling…

Do remember to leave your comments below and also let me know of your experiences and queries if any.

Ciao