TRAVEL
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest - February 2019
I could go on and on about Budapest, my favorite city in the world so far, but I’ll try to keep it short-ish. We took the train from Vienna and travelling through the countryside, and well, it is pretty much what you’d imagine the Hungarian countryside to look like. Lots of nothing and the few towns and cities had a prevalent communism influence with un-maintained, large concrete buildings. However, the train station in Budapest was a perfect glimpse into the city’s architectural beauty that would follow. There are no Ubers or Lyfts in Budapest, so we did what everyone warned us not to do and took a taxi form the station. Luckily, we had enough Forints and Euros to get us to our hotel in the Jewish district (District VII). Once you are in the city, it is extremely walkable and the transit system is easy too.
Budapest is split by the Danube river into two side - Pest (more hustle and bustle) and Buda (beautiful castle and more residential.) A tip is if you are looking down over the river, you are in Buda, looking up, you are in Pest. The Jewish district itself is beautiful, historic and hip all in one. It houses old synagogues down the street from the famous ruin pubs (which are a must - I recommend doing one of the ruin pub crawls.)
If you walk down to the Danube, you can cross the Chain Bridge to the Buda side and see the castle and magnificent Fisherman’s Bastion. On top of the Buda hill, there are fun shops and restaurants and some incredible views of Pest, especially the Parliament building. Also on the Buda side is the Gallert Thermal Baths. A cool baroque style Turkish bath (there are many of these in Budapest), I recommend going early in the morning before the crowds. It was an easy bus ride from the Jewish district that stopped right at the baths. Back on the Pest side, there is the really powerful Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial to honor Jews killed in WW2.
We spent 3 days in Budapest and felt we hadn’t even come close to seeing all the city had to offer. You could spend a whole day walking around, getting lost, but they offer some really great free walking tours in case you are crunched for time. It is a remarkable city and I will be back sooner rather than later.
Favorite Food or Beverage Place – Belvarosi Disznotoros - Traditional Hungarian deli. Very Vibrant with great, cheap, authentic Hungarian food - recommended by Anthony Bourdain! For dinner, Getto Gulyas was really good and an interesting take on goulash. Goulash soup, stew-dishes paired with Hungarian wine. Also, mentioned above, you have to do the ruin pubs, either in a pub crawl or for a late night palinka drink.
Favorite Touristy Thing: Thermal Baths - St. Gellert - The baths are a given in Budapest. Gellert and Szechenyi are the famous ones and get crowded so get there early. I recommend renting an individual changing room or locker for your stuff.
Favorite Road Less Traveled Place: Night Time Dark History and Vampire Walking Tour at the Castle - a quirky, spooky and enjoyable tour through the Buda Castle learning about the dark history of Budapest. The tour guide, dressed in an old-school cloak carrying a lantern, told us about murders, battles, rumored vampires and other interestingly dark stories of Budapest.
Best Views of the City: St. Stephen’s Basilica - A well known church in the heart of the city, but what not as well known, is you can pay to go to the top for spectacular 360 degree aerial views of the city. Mentioned in my Prague post, no matter where you are, always look at the top of buildings to see if there are rooftop or overlook views. We found these in every city and never crowded. After St. Stephens, go next door to the High Note SkyBar. This trendy, rooftop bar atop the Aria hotel compliments the views from St Stephens all while enjoying a cocktail.
