Europe's spa island and world's best ice cream, Majestic Buda Castle on one side and the most beautiful Hungarian Parliament on the other, bisected by river Danube and united by Chain Bridge - no wonder Budapest has become one of the major tourist attractions in Europe over the years.
Quickies:
1. Hungarian Forint (HUF) is the official currency in Hungary. Most of the places do not accept euros. INR is almost 4 times more than HUF. We even managed to get a note of 20,000 HUF (crazy isn't it?). Budapest is pretty cheaper than most of the major European cities. 2 days in Budapest will cost you 60,000-100,000 HUF or approximately 200-300 euros (excluding airfares).
2. Budapest Card is the cheapest way to explore the city. You can avail any public transport with the card. You also get free or discounted entry to many tourist places including a bath. You can book your card online and collect it at the airport or directly buy there.
3. Hostels are probably the best way to stay in Budapest, if you are on a budget. Just ensure to stay near a metro station. Don't forget to read all the details and reviews before booking your hostel.
4. Budapest is the city of Spas and visiting one of the thermal baths is a must do thing. Hence don't forget to carry your swimsuit.
Earlier Buda and Pest were 2 different cities on either side of the river Danube. Later both were combined and Budapest was formed. Both the sides remain distinctively different and we are going to start with the "flat" Pest.
The Budapest Eye and its surrounding area are quite popular and full of touristy crowd. You can walk around this place for a while and then visit the St Stephen Basilica, which is a Roman Catholic basilica.
If I want to visit Budapest ever again, it would majorly be for Gelarto Rosa. It is an ice cream shop near the basilica that makes the best ice cream in the world (not kidding).
You might want to stroll around the area or just sit down and enjoy your ice cream. You also get a glimpse of the "hilly" Buda here.
Budapest is unimaginable without its iconic Change Bridge. That is the first picture that is popped up in the internet, if you search for Budapest. However, you cannot simply miss Liberty Bridge which connects two popular squares of Budapest. Visit Dohány Street Synagogue on the way.
At the Pest side of the bridge you have the Great Market Hall, which is a good place to shop gifts and souvenirs. The Market Hall and its surrounding area is a nice place to wander around.
Cross the bridge (preferably on foot) to get to the other side of the city. The first thing you will come across is Gellért Hill Cave. Liberty Statue is built at Citadella fortress, which is on top of the hill and it provides a nice view of Pest, the river and the bridges.
Take a tram (or walk along the bank if you have time) to Castle Hill Funicular. Take the funicular ride, which is not included in the Budapest Card by the way, to get to the Castle. The Castle district is huge and you need a lot of time to explore its historic corners.
Buda Castle (AKA Royal Palace) offers a spectacular view of the Chain bridge, Parliament building and Pest. Several parts around the castle provide panoramic views of the city. You can take the stairs beside the Iron Gate, which will take you to a quaint place with good photo oppourtunities. You cannot miss the view from the other side of the castle as well. Changing of Guards is also an interesting thing to see and it takes place every hour by the hour. Don't miss the big statue of the mythical bird Turul. If you wish to the enter the Castle, you will find a library and 2 museums inside it.
You will find plenty of gift and souvenir shops in this area, if you haven't shopped in the Great Market Hall already.
Moving on, you can take the bus no 16 or simply walk to the Holy Trinity Square (Szentháromság tér), where you will find the Holy Trinity Statue and Matthias Church. next to it.
Behind the church you will find the beautiful Fisherman's Bastion. It looks like the logo of Walt Disney films. The view from the towers is my personal favourite.
If you fancy having a meal with the best panoramic view on the side, you must come to Halászbástya Restaurant. Ever since I saw pictures of this place, I wanted to visit it and the live music was cherry on the top.
We were really tired at this point. However, the fairy tale vibes of the Bastion, the stunning panoramic views and the lively Holy Trinity square worked like magic.
On the contrary, you can keep Day 2 a bit relaxing. We started with House of Terror. It is a museum that contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorships in Hungary. We did not go inside, but found the architecture really fascinating.
Our next stop was the historic Heroes' Square AKA Hősök Tere, surrounded by Museum of Fine Arts and Hall of Art.
You can check about your free bath whilst collecting your Budapest Card or can visit Széchenyi Thermal Bath, which is one of the biggest spas in Budapest. Budapest card holders can get discounted price here. You can take a locker to store your luggage or a private changing cabin along with your ticket.
It is totally up to you how much time you want to spend here. You can finish early and take you free walking tour (if you have a Budapest card) or you can try all the thermal baths in Széchenyi for as long as you want.
That night we decided to explore the city when it was sleeping and there was no other soul around us. We visited the empty squares of Pest, took pictures of closed bars with epic captions and finally walked along the river bank. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and the Chain Bridge and Castle District were not fully illuminated, but they were looking nothing less that magical. The silence, beauty, serenity - we had them all to ourselves. However, you, being normal, can visit them in the evening. Heroes' square, Hungarian state opera house, Parliament building, shoes on the Danube bank look stunning in the evening. If you have time, you can catch a show at the State Opera House.
Walking along the bank of Danube and admiring the Chain Bridge is always a good idea and nobody can have enough of this.
Budapest has a lot of quirky sculptures (e.g. shoes on the Danube) here and there. You can search in the internet and add them to your itinerary.
I think of all the things, I loved the ice cream from Gelarto Rosa and the view from Fisherman's Bastion the most. The city turned out to be way more gorgeous than I expected it to be. Thanks to Budapest, my love for old towns continued to grow.
2 days in the city:
Day 1:
Earlier Buda and Pest were 2 different cities on either side of the river Danube. Later both were combined and Budapest was formed. Both the sides remain distinctively different and we are going to start with the "flat" Pest.
The Budapest Eye and its surrounding area are quite popular and full of touristy crowd. You can walk around this place for a while and then visit the St Stephen Basilica, which is a Roman Catholic basilica.
If I want to visit Budapest ever again, it would majorly be for Gelarto Rosa. It is an ice cream shop near the basilica that makes the best ice cream in the world (not kidding).
You might want to stroll around the area or just sit down and enjoy your ice cream. You also get a glimpse of the "hilly" Buda here.
Budapest is unimaginable without its iconic Change Bridge. That is the first picture that is popped up in the internet, if you search for Budapest. However, you cannot simply miss Liberty Bridge which connects two popular squares of Budapest. Visit Dohány Street Synagogue on the way.
At the Pest side of the bridge you have the Great Market Hall, which is a good place to shop gifts and souvenirs. The Market Hall and its surrounding area is a nice place to wander around.
Cross the bridge (preferably on foot) to get to the other side of the city. The first thing you will come across is Gellért Hill Cave. Liberty Statue is built at Citadella fortress, which is on top of the hill and it provides a nice view of Pest, the river and the bridges.
Take a tram (or walk along the bank if you have time) to Castle Hill Funicular. Take the funicular ride, which is not included in the Budapest Card by the way, to get to the Castle. The Castle district is huge and you need a lot of time to explore its historic corners.
Buda Castle (AKA Royal Palace) offers a spectacular view of the Chain bridge, Parliament building and Pest. Several parts around the castle provide panoramic views of the city. You can take the stairs beside the Iron Gate, which will take you to a quaint place with good photo oppourtunities. You cannot miss the view from the other side of the castle as well. Changing of Guards is also an interesting thing to see and it takes place every hour by the hour. Don't miss the big statue of the mythical bird Turul. If you wish to the enter the Castle, you will find a library and 2 museums inside it.
You will find plenty of gift and souvenir shops in this area, if you haven't shopped in the Great Market Hall already.
Moving on, you can take the bus no 16 or simply walk to the Holy Trinity Square (Szentháromság tér), where you will find the Holy Trinity Statue and Matthias Church. next to it.
If you fancy having a meal with the best panoramic view on the side, you must come to Halászbástya Restaurant. Ever since I saw pictures of this place, I wanted to visit it and the live music was cherry on the top.
We were really tired at this point. However, the fairy tale vibes of the Bastion, the stunning panoramic views and the lively Holy Trinity square worked like magic.
Depending on how tired you are, you can continue visiting Mary Magdalene Tower, Vienna Gate, Swan House and exit the Castle district from the other side, or you can take the same bus from Holy Trinity Square to Buda Castle, take the funicular ride back to come down and cross the Change bridge on foot to come back to Pest.
If you have managed to visit all these places on day 1, you deserve an easy evening. If you have loved the bridges, the Castle district and the Parliament building during the daytime, wait till the evening. When all of them are illuminated, that sight will blow your mind. We spent the rest of the evening strolling around Change bridge and eating some delicious food in the Deák Ferenc Square (Deák Ferenc tér). In addition to its ice cream, the food in Budapest was also mouth watering. No wonder, #hungryinhungary was my favourite hashtag during our stay in Budapest.
Day 2:
On the contrary, you can keep Day 2 a bit relaxing. We started with House of Terror. It is a museum that contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorships in Hungary. We did not go inside, but found the architecture really fascinating.
Our next stop was the historic Heroes' Square AKA Hősök Tere, surrounded by Museum of Fine Arts and Hall of Art.
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| Museum of Fine Arts |
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| Hall of Art (captured in the evening) |
Behind Heroes' Square there is a city park named Városliget and Vajdahunyad castle. This area is quite refreshing. Cross the bridge to get to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. On the way you will notice a bench with We ❤ Budapest painted on it.
It is totally up to you how much time you want to spend here. You can finish early and take you free walking tour (if you have a Budapest card) or you can try all the thermal baths in Széchenyi for as long as you want.
That night we decided to explore the city when it was sleeping and there was no other soul around us. We visited the empty squares of Pest, took pictures of closed bars with epic captions and finally walked along the river bank. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and the Chain Bridge and Castle District were not fully illuminated, but they were looking nothing less that magical. The silence, beauty, serenity - we had them all to ourselves. However, you, being normal, can visit them in the evening. Heroes' square, Hungarian state opera house, Parliament building, shoes on the Danube bank look stunning in the evening. If you have time, you can catch a show at the State Opera House.
Budapest has a lot of quirky sculptures (e.g. shoes on the Danube) here and there. You can search in the internet and add them to your itinerary.
I think of all the things, I loved the ice cream from Gelarto Rosa and the view from Fisherman's Bastion the most. The city turned out to be way more gorgeous than I expected it to be. Thanks to Budapest, my love for old towns continued to grow.
I have upcoming trip to Budapest.. This blog has covered places and will visit them as your pics are awesome !!!
ReplyDeleteThanks.. and all I need is an ice cream from Gelarto Rosa in return ☺️
ReplyDelete