Hungary – Budapest

Budapest, Hungary

Grand old city, majestic big buildings, world famous Parliament building, biggest Synagogue in Europe and the impressive Chain Bridge over the huge Danube river. One of my favourite cities …. Don’t forget to try the Thermal baths and luxuriate in the hot waters and then try the beetroot Borsch soup anywhere in town …. delicious!

So where do I begin in this amazing city. It is one of my all time favourites and despite the fact that I haven’t been back for a while, it is one of the few places I have on my list of reruns to visit whenever I can.

Not many pics on this trip I’m afraid as it was one of my earlier ones and I hadn’t quite gotten into the habit of photo taking to reveal all on this blog !

Budapest was the last leg of my tri-city trip that involved flying into Vienna, Austria, (blog post here). Then onwards by train to Bratislava, Slovakia, (blog post here) and finally by train to here. If you want a guide as to how to travel between these cities by train, click here for my post on just that

Quick history lesson on Budapest.

So a quick history lesson as it is a very old city and the periods have shaped its form and buildings of today. From its start as a Celtic town in 3rd Century BC, taken over by Romans in 12 BC lasting 300 years, (there are some roman ruins left), then native Hungarians in the 9th Century, invaded by the Mongols in 1241.

It underwent a Renaissance upheaval in the 15th Century, Ottomans from 1541 for 150 years. then came the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with both sides of the city – Buda on the west and Pest on the east – uniting to form “Budapest”. Then the invasion in WW2, revolution in 1956, and the fall of Communism and into the present day ….. Wow what a journey….. and much of this history is in small pockets all over the city.

Budapest is a record breaker !

A few facts, as this is one important city for achievements – consistently ranked in the top 10 world cities for charm and beauty, has the second oldest metro in the world , second biggest Synagogue in the world, 80 geothermal springs (and you can indulge in the via several world famous baths), sits on the second longest river in Europe, and has the third largest parliament building in the world …… it’s a record breaker !

Buy the Budapest card.

Budapest is very walkable and even though it has a Metro, I found the tram/bus system so quick, efficient and charming to use and see the city fly by from one stop to the next. I found the Budapest card, click for info here), a really good buy. (check if anything on the card has changed since this post). It gets you free use of all trams, Metro, buses, water boats, city train services, a bus from the airport, free entry to the most visited Museums and discounts on many other sites and places.

It saves you trying to find the cash for each entrance fare and is so simple to have for transport trips. You can order online and pick it up at Budapest info points at the airport or at the main office in the centre of the city. It is validated from when you first use it, not when you buy it, by writing the date on the back and your name, so the start time is flexible.

Beware, attendants do check the pass and the very first time I used it on the bus it was checked to see it had the correct start date, so be aware. Prices start from 22 Euros for 24 hours, 48 hours at 33E, 72 hours at 44E, and 96 hours at 54E. As you see it gets cheaper the longer you have it (prices as at 1 April 2019).

Just look up Budapest card online for the full info.

Where I stayed in Budapest.

What to see in Budapest.

I did a several walking routes that took most of each day but they are virtually straight lines it enabled us to see most sights in one day and then go on to the sites that were a bit more scattered throughout the city. From my hotel I took the Metro to the Városliget city park. I am not usually one to spend lots of time amongst foliage but I had heard this was a different place altogether.

Heroes Square, Budapest.

I got off at Heroes Square and saw the huge column and memorial to those who have fought in wars for Hungary in the centre and statues of kings that adorn a double colonnade on one side.

The Square can be difficult to get into as there is a fair amount of traffic that flows around it. However my main interest here was the Museum of Fine Arts to one side . A big neoclassical columned building with excellent displays of art, statues, Egyptian relics, painting and modern art in equally grand interiors. There was also a really nice café inside that we took a break in after seeing everything.

City Park, Városliget, Budapest.

Now on into the park and this was just sightseeing as it is full of walkways, scenic views of a lake and old fantasy castle of Vajdahunyad. It is a myriad of a semi fortress with parapets, towers, gatehouse, cathedral like entrance all in a heady architectural mixture of fantasy. I didn’t go inside as the museum is a minor one but the gardens and exterior are worth the walkaround. There is an enormous lake beside the castle, which gets drained and turned into an ice rink with the Xmas market staged here every winter.

Walking across the park you come across the Széchenyi Thermal Bath, one of the several famous geothermal hot spring baths that dot Budapest. It looks very grand with its stone driveway but thermal baths are not my thing so I gave it a miss to spend the time on further sightseeing . It’s here nearby that the city’s zoo is also located.

Here are also Housed the Transport Museum and the Zoo/Botanical Gardens, neither of which are a great draw for me in any city.

Museum of Fine Art. 

A walk back to the entrance and you can catch a contemporary exhibition at the Kunst Halle on the opposite side of Heroes Square from the Museum of Fine Art. I did go in the Museum of Fine Art, (click here for info), and whilst it was interesting, there are not many well known works of art here and it felt quite small for a major venue. Nice enough to see but it did not impress me.

From here I carried on walking down Andrassy Avenue, a street built to impress with big and impressive houses and hotels from the 1850s onwards.

I loved walking and seeing the diverse buildings here, some awaiting repairs, some being repaired to return it to its former glory – alternatively take the Metro from the square 5 stops down to Opera metro station to see … The Opera House.

There were also many up market cafes and restaurant around the Opera so a drop off for a coffee is a must do here!. A little further down the Avenue and then to the right of the junction is St Stephen’s Basilica

You can buy tickets to go up the tower to see over the rooftops of Budapest and other areas of the Basilica so check out what you want to see first.

From here I did my own thing and something that others may not want to do but I love to just wander areas and look at the buildings, where people shop, work, study, and generally take in the atmosphere. I hopped on a tram going south and just watched out the windows at the buildings and people until I reached a stop near to The Great Synagogue or Dohany Street Synagogue, as its known locally, where I got off for a visit

It has quite a history too. It is the largest in Europe and the 2nd largest in the world holding 3000 worshippers and in the basement has a moving Holocaust memorial. There are tributes to history with a weeping willow, in a memorial park at the back, with silver leaves with the names of everyone who died in the Hungarian Holocaust and a mass grave of over 2000 people from the Nazi imposed Budapest ghetto of WW2. The interior is colourful and interesting and a must see on any visit to Budapest. Tickets must be purchased to go inside however.

Walk along river embankment.

I got back on the tram to the Petofi bridge over the Danube. I then walked north along the embankment walkway with the Danube seeing the wooded area in the distance on the opposite riverbank, walked past numerous art galleries, the University, restaurants, saw the bridges over the Danube coming up, as the evening lights were turning on and the bridges lighting up in fairy lights.

I diverted off to the side to visit the Great Market Hall (a huge renovated old food central market), visited the lovely twin towered Budapest Inner-City Mother Church of the Blessed Virgin, apparently one of the oldest buildings in Budapest dating from 1046, and on to the Vigadó Concert Hall seen from the outside. There were masses of river going boats tethered to the quaysides and I ended up the little park between the Gresham Palace (Four Seasons Hotel) and the famous Chain bridge. This was just a walking sightseeing tour but I so loved just taking in the splendour of these buildings and the delightful, almost traffic free walk alongside the Danube.

Next day was another walking tour and I simply went back to where I left off the last one – at The Gresham Palace building, opposite the famous Szechenyi Chain bridge.

Chain Bridge.

Opened in 1849, built and designed by two men, both coincidently called Clark, it was the first permanent bridge over the Danube in Budapest.The walk across the Chain bridge feels strange as the bridge itself has only two carriageways and the pedestrian walkways on either side and not very wide so at busy times it can be difficult to get a person free photo shot of the bridge while on it.

It was actually destroyed by the Nazis during WW” so much of it (apart from the towers) is reconstructed. It is an elegant structure and I am amazed at how busy it still is today.

There is a big road tunnel that goes straight through the massive escarpment that the upper town area of Buda is built on. It was built at the same time as the Chain bridge to connect under the hill to the other side of Buda. On the Buda side of the bridge is the Buda funicular, to the left of the tunnel entrance. it is a cogwheel rising tram that transports you up the very steep slope to the top of the plateau that forms the start of my walk through Buda.

Buda Palace and Old Town area.

To the right is the walkway to the old town part and to the left is the Buda Palace, now mainly The Hungarian National Gallery and The Budapest History Museum.  Originally a castle the huge Palace there now dates from 1769 and is linked to Queen Maria Theresa. It is a grand building but also quite plain externally in some areas giving more a sense of size than adornment. Originally a castle the huge Palace there now dates from 1769 and is linked to Queen Maria Theresa. It is a grand building but also quite plain externally in some areas giving more a sense of size than adornment.

Castle District of Budapest.

Over the other side of the plateau is the old town or Castle District full of houses and buildings of many different ages but all beautifully restored housing hotels, guest houses, restaurants and artisan shops. A walk around this area is a must to get the feel of the city in the 1700 and at each turn of the street there is a plethora of new buildings to explore.

There are scenic views from the plateau over the River Danube to the Pest side of town – get the camera ready for the iconic shot of Parliament on the opposite bank!

It is such a picturesque 12th Century church, with its colourful tiled roof, ornate steeple and buttressed walls. Originally built by Saint Stephen, the first king of the Hungarians but then remodelled by King Matthias and named after him. It is very ornate inside with beautiful frescoes and a guided walkway around the building to ensure you follow a set path.

Opposite the Church is a lovely paved pedestrian square with a delicately carved small column with many small statues adorning it . It is in memory of the victims of the plague.

Completed in 1904 and sits in a lawned and gardened square surrounded by equally imposing buildings. Its setting is majestic even though the main façade of the building faces the river. It is one of the few times I have been able to get so close to a Parliament building. Beautiful carved white stone walls and reddish tiled roof with a huge central dome, it is a marvellous sight. Trams trundle by and the Metro station sits inside a modern building to one side of the square. To the right hand side in a lawned area is a large memorial composing of several statues on a plinth around a square colonnade with a lion on top to the memory Istvan Tisza, a past Hungarian President.

And so ended the final leg of my tri-city tour through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Such a beautiful city, full of history and grandeur ….. can’t wait to come back here again one day!

April 2016.