Hungary | Budapest
Budapest is a really cool city! If you haven’t been, you need to go. Even if it isn’t on the top of your list of places to go, you should go. Budapest is an awesome mix of old and new. Also, it feels like a mix of European cities; a bit of Paris, a bit of Prague, but it is all uniquely Budapest.
View of the Danube River (Looking at the Buda side of the city from the Pest riverbank.)
Fun Fact: Budapest is bisected by the Danube River. One side, Buda, the hilly side, is home to Castle Hill–Buda’s Old Town. And Pest, on the other side of the river and the flat side of the city, is filled with great restaurants, bars and shopping.
Valerie Note: This was my second time to Budapest. I spent a weekend in Budapest with some friends when I was living in Slovakia in 2002. This was a different experience than the first time in the city, but it reminded me what a rad city it is!
Special Guests!
Roman, Ulrika, Valerie and Jeremy on the evening boat cruise.
We had some special guests explore Budapest with us! The lovely Ulrika and Roman, from Slovakia, took the train down for the weekend to explore Budapest with the Hannahs . Valerie knows Ulrika from her days teaching English at Berlitz in Kosice, Slovakia (cir. 2002). We saw Ulrika and Roman for a few days while we were in Barcelona, Spain, and it was really lovely to see them again and spend some quality time with them in Hungary.
Ulrika and Valerie in front of a Berlitz in Budapest. Note: This is not the Berlitz we taught at.
Our Budapest Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly in to Budapest, Hungary from Istanbul, Turkey. Check-in to the hotel and get settled
Day 2: Lagree workout for Valerie and a Welcome! pub crawl with Uli and Roman
Day 3: Szechenyi Baths and Boat Cruise on the Danube River
Day 4: Lagree workout for Valerie and lunch with Uli and Roman to say good-bye
Day 5: Valerie and Jeremy explore Buda and fly from Budapest, Hungary to London, England.
Budapest Highlights:
Széchenyi Baths: The Széchenyi Baths are one of the largest and most popular thermal bath complexes in Europe. Constructed in 1913, the building itself is an architectural marvel, featuring ornate statues, frescoes, and elaborate decor that reflect the grandeur of early 20th-century Budapest. Széchenyi Baths are famous for their thermal waters, sourced from hot springs, which are believed to have therapeutic properties. It is a great way to spend a day in Budapest. You get to take in the beauty of the city and relax at the same time!
Szechenyi Baths
Szechenyi Baths
Szechenyi Baths
Danube River Cruise: Valerie LOVES a boat cruise/tour! Anytime there is an option to see a city via the water, Valerie is in. Hence, we spent a lovely evening exploring Budapest via the Danube River.
Budapest Parliament Building: One of the largest and most beautiful parliamentary buildings in the world.
Fun Fact: The Danube flows through numerous countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Moldova.
An evening Danube River cruise is a wonderful way to see Budapest. The city is similar to Paris in that it is beautifully lit up and looks even more stunning at night than during the day. It is a chance to experience some of the highlights, rich history and vibrant culture of this Hungarian city.
Buda Castle: A historical palace complex that provides a stunning backdrop, especially when illuminated at night.
The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle is the church and bell tower on the left. In front of it is Fisherman’s Bastion: Known for its terrace and fairytale-like turrets, it offers panoramic views of the city.
Valerie and Jeremy in Budapest
Buda Exploration: Seeing Buda from the Danue River at night is great, but it needs to be explored during the day too. The whole palace complex is worth seeing, but two things (in our opinion) not to be missed.
The Funicular! Who doesn’t love a funicular?! While not that steep, or long, the views of the Danube River and Pest are worth a ride to the top on the funicular. Besides, funiculars are fun!
The funicular up to Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary.
The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle. The tile design and colors on the roof are so vibrant!
St. Stephen’s Basilica. We are told that St. Stephen’s mummified hand is on display inside.
The Changing of the Guard! Who doesn’t love the pomp and circumstance of a changing of the guard ceremony?! Not the most impressive we have seen, but definitely not the worst ceremony. (Yeah, Athens, Greece. We are looking at you for that honor.) If you time it right, and get to see the charming ceremony it is worth a look.
Things We Learned in Budapest:
Don’t clink glasses when cheering with beer.
In Hungary people don't clink beer glasses (cockails, wine, etc. clink away!). Legend has it, that when Hungary's 1848 revolution was defeated, the Austrians celebrated in Budapest by toasting and clinking their beer glasses loudly. The Hungarians were obviously devastated at the loss and now this insult to injury, and vowed not to cheers with beer for 150 years. While that time frame is over—Hungarians still don't 'cheers' with beer.
No one expects you to learn Hungarian.
It is a tough language. As always, we do our best to learn some basic phrases (hello, please, thank you, etc.), but we found Hungarian to be much harder to grasp than other languages we have experienced. For the most part, everyone speaks English and is happy to do so. And, locals even told us that no one expects tourists to grasp the language, it is too hard. The general rule is: learn the basics and do your best.
The food is great, and it’s not all Goulash
Budapest has a very vibrant and diverse restaurant and bar scene. You can get just about any type of cuisine you can imagine, but yes, a popular native dish is goulash. Jeremy thinks it gets a bad wrap! He had it and quite enjoyed it. Another popular local dish is Halászlé, which is a fisherman’s stew - Jeremy also tried this and enjoyed it very much! The last thing that we think (most) everyone can get behind are Lángos. Think about a savory funnel cake without the sugar, covered in sour cream and a whole lot of cheese!
Valerie and Jeremy standing up at the Fisherman’s Bastion with a view of the Danube and the Parliament building in the distance.
That is a snapshot of our time in Budapest, Hungary. Cheers (Egészségére!) to a wonderful experience and Uli and Roman for joining us!
Now…Where To Next?
