Hi to all of you searching for an escape from pandemic madness!
I hope all your plans haven’t been ruined too much by the current situation in the world. To cheer you all up I have prepared another Itinerary for your weekend getaway in… Budapest! But honestly, this city is so amazing, packed with entertainment, history, architecture and great restaurants that weekend might be not enough for you to be able to fully experience what it has to offer! I am absolutely in love and would like to show you why!
Day 1 - I have never walked so much!
The river Danube (Duna) separates Buda on the hilly west back from Pest on the eastern side. They used to be two separate cities up to 1873 and you can tell they are different from one another just by looking at it! Buda is the older, dominated by Castle Hill on which you can find Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and St. Matthias church and couple other well worth a visit places like Dracula Labyrinth that we have also visited and that was nice and chilly self-tour in the underground tunnels!
Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias church - Amazing, quite new neo-Gothic buildings in Var district - Free to visit when we were there last time, in amazing weather and pretty early in the morning. Visually? Amazing. Picturesque? Of course. Worth a visit? Totally.
Buda Castle - Baroque Palace built in XVII century for the kings of Hungary is a part of smaller complex first built in 1265! Renovated in 2006 serves as a Hungarian National Gallery and Szechenyi Library. Today this majestic building is a symbol of Castle Hill and memorial for a great Hungarian history and art. The front of the castle as you walk down has beautiful gardens to offer along with amazing view on Pest and the river Dune. You can use funicular to go up and down but a walk is highly recommended if you fit!
Gellert Hill - Amazing place packed with people during the sunset. The bottom of the hill welcomes locals and tourists with amazing waterfall called Gellért-hegyi vízesés on google maps for you to check it out. I would definitely start to climb the hill from this point!
Once you are on the top of Gellert Hill you can relax with your friends looking at amazing panorama of Budapest until the sun go down! On the peak of the hill (235 m) you will find a Liberty Statue to memorize those who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom and independence of Hungary.
Day 2
Margaret’s Island - Hungarian people definitely know how to relax! Quite a walk along the riverside to Margaret’s Island was a highlight of the day with a night cruise as a cherry on top. The island is actually connected to the mainland by the bridge and It looks like a mole on the huge river Dune. It serves as a recreational area for locals and those who wish to escape a busy city life for a moment. You will find there plenty of electric bikes and carts and small stalls to keep you hydrated. The heartbeat of the island is the fountain that dances in the rhythms of your favorite songs couple of times a day. The show is free and brings big groups of people, especially soon after sunset.
Parliament - It would be hard to be in Budapest and not to pass, walk through, see or mention the most recognizable building in the entire city - Parliament. Ridiculously big and impressive located in Kossuth Lajos Square on Pest side. If you would like to visit inside make sure you make a reservation well in advance. Also, you won’t be able to take any photos inside. Everyone probably have at least 10 photos of this building but have you ever seen what’s on the other side? ;)
Szechenyi Baths - Another super popular spot within tourists, even more popular when there’s a foam party going on every Saturday! That richly decorated look-like-Palace is a bit outside the city in a lovely park. The water supply comes only from two natural thermal springs and their main components are sulfate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and a significant amount of metaboric acid and fluoride. The water is constantly warm and to be honest - it doesn’t necessary smell too nice.. But this is what you get in exchange for natural spring waters.
There’s plenty of big and small pools to check out and you may spend the rest of your day there since Baths are opened until late in the evening!
Day 3
Terror House - Let’s make this trip a bit more informative. Let’s find out about the dark side of the city from times where the communism and fascism knocked in the door of some eastern European countries. Hungary unfortunately was one of the victims. This house is full of memories and interviews with survivors and their families as well as exhibits and it serves as a bitter memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in this very building. It wouldn’t be right to take photos in such place but I recommend everyone who has any interest in the history to visit this place.
St Stephen’s Basilica - Named in honour of the first king of Hungary - Stephen I. This Roman Catholic basilica is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary. Neo-Classical architecture build on Greek-cross ground plan would bring the eyes of the most fussy art critics. The internals of the church are just breathtaking. Today, Basilica is playing and active role in musical life of the city hosting numerous organ concerts.
Honorable mentions if you still have energy!
Heroes Square
Budapest Eye on Elizabeth Square
Ruin Pubs
New York Cafe
I miss Budapest so much! There's huge amount of photos I would love to show you and there's so much more to see than I was able to so this city definitely will see me back in the nearest future.
Have you been to Hungary? What do you think of this country? Let me know on Facebook page or Instagram, maybe you can recommend me something that didn't make the itinerary!?
Kisses and hugs for everyone!
