Hello My Fellow Travelers,

It’s been long due to write about my travel adventures across Europe. I had the chance to visit a number of beautiful countries in my last trip and I just got to sorting out the pictures. My first stop on this trip was the very beautiful Budapest. Here is my short 2 day itinerary to make the most of your time and enjoy the city.

Here are some tips to visit the city:

• Carry at least 400 Forints in coins at any given time, in case you need to use a public bathroom.Unfortunately, unlike the US, the public bathrooms are not free.
• The hop on hop off in Budapest is a great deal as you get one day free with another day.
• We stayed at the hotel Ibis Centrum which was very centrally located. There were a number of cafe’s downstairs and we could catch the bus right from the street in front of the hotel.
• The offical taxi company of the airport is Főtaxi (www.fotaxi.hu). There is a basic fee of 450 HUF, Km charge of 280 HUF/km (cca. 20 km), waiting charge of 70 HUF/minute.
• For your food cravings, do try the ones below:
  • Ruszwurm Patisserie: One of the oldest cafés in Budapest. Their pastries are very good.
  • Gozsdu Udvar: Ruin bar with some great drinks.

Day 1

The city is divided into 2 parts Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube river. On the first day I decided to explore the Buda part of the city. Here are the places I visited:

1)Szechenyi Chain Bridge

The main attraction of Budapest. This is the bridge which connects Buda and Pest. I would highly recommend a walk across the bridge to take in the beautiful views of the city. According to a story we heard there, the sculptor, Marschalko János forgot to carve out the lions’ tongues. A boy made a remark about it at the opening ceremony. The sculptor became so distressed that he jumped off the bridge into the Danube.

2) Buda Castle

This is on top of a hill. There is no castle here, just a bunch of museums. But you can see some gorgeous views of Budapest from here.

4) Mátyás Templom/ Saint Matthias Church

Beautiful roman catholic church and definitely a must see.

5) Fisherman’s Bastion

One of the best Budapest attractions. It’s a beautiful lookout tower. From a distance, it looks like a fairytale walt disney movie scene.

6) Heroes Square

The monument consists of two semi-circles on the top of which the symbols of War and Peace, Work and Wellfare, Knowledge and Glory can be seen.  The niches are decorated by the statues of kings, governors and famous characters of the Hungarian history.

7) Szechenyi Baths

After an exhausting day of touring around, relax and unwind at the Szechenyi Baths. There are varying pools of different temperatures. I selected this bath amongst all of the ones in Budapest as I loved the architecture and this was unisex.

Day 2

After getting some much needed rest, I decided to explore the Pest side of the city the next day.

1)St. Stephen’s Basilica in Pest

It’s a Roman Catholic basilica built in the honor of the first king of Hungary.

2) Citadel

Excellent views of the city and Danube. There are also a bunch of souvenir shops on the way.

3) Parliament

This is one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen – both inside and outside. It’s huge and I would totally suggest booking a tour in advance. The Hungarian crown is still inside protected by guards working around the clock.

4) Shoes on Danube

This is a memorial to honor the people (mainly Budapest Jews) who were killed by militiamen in Budapest during the WW2. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank.

5) Vorosmarty Square and Váci Utca

This is a lively square with a lot of restaurants and shops. If you’re here in the summer, the ice cream from the street vendors is not to be missed.

7) Danube River Cruise

A must do while visiting the city. It’s about 2 hours and the tickets for this are included along with the hop on hop off. I would suggest taking this at night, so that you can see the city beautifully lit up from the boat.

Here are a few more gorgeous pictures of the city.

Thank you for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.

Love,

Ankita