Four days in Budapest

Three countries, three languages, three currencies, and ten days of culture, history and amazing experiences. Three years after our first European adventure, we headed to Central Europe for more. We begin our adventure in Budapest, Hungary.

Day One in Budapest

We arrive around 10:00 a.m, which feels like 4:00 a.m. We arrive at our Air BnB, drop off our luggage, and head out to lunch.

Our streak of seeing famous actors or athletes while on vacation continues, as Matt spots Ferris Bueller and Spin City actor Alan Ruck. Remember Ferris’ friend Cameron? That’s him. He is having lunch with his wife and kids, so we play it cool and do not approach or take photos.

After a nap, we head out for a walking dinner tour with Taste Hungary. Five tasting stops include appetizers, soup, a main course, dessert, and at least four glasses of wine! I love food tours as a fabulous way to get acquainted with a city, and our guide is a twenty-something well-traveled Hungarian. She is lovely, and we learn as much as we eat and drink.

One stop is at Szimpla Kert, one of the famous ruin pubs that have made Budapest known as a nightlife destination. The pubs are mainly concentrated in the Jewish Quarter, and are housed in shabby-chic buildings that were deserted after Communism arrived in the city.

Our final stop is Callas Café, where we find room to pack away a cappuccino and traditional Hungarian tortes. The boys have esterházy torte (with walnuts and buttercream), while the girls choose dobos torte (with chocolate buttercream and a hard caramel top layer). We come back for an encore on our last night in the city – so good!

Day Two in Budapest

I stumble upon a company called Budapest Locals as I plan our trip, and hire them to give us a private tour around the city. If you are assuming this is expensive, it is not. Our four-hour tour costs $190, which includes daily transit passes, a snack, and admission to a few attractions. It is worth every penny! Detti picks us up at our apartment at 9:30 a.m, and off we go.

We pop into the Hungarian State Opera to admire the lobby and learn a bit about Hungarian history. Then we get on the subway and head to Heroes’ Square, an enormous tribute to Hungary’s cultures. The square is being used for a concert that night, but we are able to visit Vajdahunyad Castle.

If I had been without a guide, I would assume this castle is hundreds of years old and was originally the home of royalty. I would be wrong; the castle was built in 1896, and is divided into four parts that each represent a different architectural style. I suppose it’s a bit like Budapest’s Epcot.

We walk over to the Szechenyi Baths, the largest medicinal thermal bath in Europe. We take a peek, and Detti gives us all the details so we can go on our own later.

We can’t see the indoor baths without paying admission, but we will get a chance tomorrow. Budapest sits on numerous natural springs, and many of the thermal baths are centuries old.

We head back into city center and tour the city’s largest church, St. István’s Basilica.

See the railings at the base of the center dome? We climb up there, and are rewarded with amazing views of Budapest.

It’s almost lunch time at this point, so we stop for a snack at Elsö Pesti Rétesház Strudel House. This is not Sara Lee strudel! We choose a variety and refuel.

 

I should point out that Budapest used to be two cities: Buda and Pest. So far we’ve spent our time on the Pest side, but now we cross the Danube River to the Buda side. The two halves of the city are connected by many bridges, the first and most famous being the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.

Buda is quieter, hillier, and smaller than Pest, and we are content with spending a few hours there. The main attraction is Matthias Church, and it’s easy to see why.

After peppering Detti with questions about other things to do and see, we say goodbye to our amazing guide. We stroll the quiet streets of Buda and take in the views of Pest.

 

As the sun begins to set, we stop at Shoes on the Danube.

During World War II, Hungarian nazis executed 3,500 people at the edge of the river. The plaque at the memorial reads: To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45. Erected 16th April 2005. We take a few moments to remember those lost.

We walk back towards our apartment after dinner, stopping at a touristy gelato place in city center. It’s beautiful and yummy.

Day Three in Budapest

We take Detti’s suggestion and visit the Gellért Baths on the Buda side for our thermal bath experience.  The bath and hotel were built in 1918, and the grandeur is apparent as soon as we enter the lobby.

We put on our admission bands and head to the locker area. We opt for “cabins” so we can change in privacy; rubbing shoulders (and other body parts) with Hungarian octogenarians is not an experience we wish to have.

We hit the outdoor pool briefly, but it’s chilly out and I’m really here for the indoor pools.

This pool requires bathing caps, so we move to the soaking pools, which are 36° and 40 °Celsius (96.8° and 104° Fahrenheit). They are delightful.

We head back to the apartment to drop off our swimsuits, then head back out to visit the Great Synagogue. It is the largest synagogue in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Temple Emanu-El in New York. Consecrated in 1859, it can seat 3000.

The architecture is in the Moorish Revival style, and is unlike any synagogue I have ever seen in the United States.

The gardens serve as a cemetery and memorial for those who perished during World War II.

From a plaque in the garden: After the reign of terror of the Arrow Cross (Hungarian nazis) and the starvation following the siege, 2281 of the victims were buried in twenty four mass graves in the garden.

Our next stop is the Great Market Hall, the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. Built around 1897, it is three floors and 10,000 square meters. We browse the aisles, picking up some paprika to bring home and some strudel to eat now. The stalls go on forever, and many of them have lots of meat.

We end the day with an hour-long sunset cruise on the Danube (sailing with Legenda cruises). It’s the best way to see Budapest at night, and it is stunning.

Day Four in Budapest

Our final day in Budapest begins back at the Hungarian Parliament. This visit requires planning, as there are set tour times for different languages throughout the day.

I booked a 10:00 a.m. tour on the official website, and we go through airport-like security before the tour begins. It’s the largest building in Hungary and we see just a small portion of it, but it’s impressive. This is the main hall.

We see the Holy Crown of Hungary, which sits directly under the large center dome, and is guarded at all times by two fierce looking soldiers with swords. Photos are prohibited, and I am not breaking that rule.

We are allowed to take photos in the Assembly Hall, where the National Assembly (parliament) meets. It is quite grand, and very gold.

We decide to spend our final afternoon outside of Budapest, in the riverside town of Szentendre. It’s a 45-minute train ride, and while full of tourists, it is still a lovely change of pace from the city.

Cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and a path along the river fill up our afternoon. We wander through the neighborhood, content with the quiet.

The main square is bustling, and it has a fairytale feel to it. The kids buy paintings from a guy who set up shop on the sidewalk, and then we take a boat back to the city.

Day Five (Almost stuck in Budapest)

Our AirBnB host arranges for a taxi to take us to the train station, but the driver speaks no English. I can see that he is driving away from the train station, but he keeps nodding when we say Train Station? Finally Matt shows him Google maps, and he understands. He was taking us to the airport, and we arrive at the train station two minutes before our train leaves. I have never run so hard in my life – we were THAT family sprinting through the station, knocking into people like lunatics. But we made it.

Thoughts on Budapest

• The city is clean, and we always felt safe. Locals were polite if not warm, and other than our taxi driver, we rarely had a language issue.
• Public transportation is clean and easy to use. While we walked most of the time, we bought a 48-hour pass and took the subway and the trams multiple times in order to zip around the city.
• Hungarian cuisine is meat-heavy, which was a challenge for my daughter. There are many international choices, however. We had Israeli and Thai meals to break up the traditional Hungarian food.
• I found it fascinating to be in a country that was under Communist rule during my lifetime. Hungary has spent most of its history under the thumb of another country’s government or monarchy, and it is eye-opening for an American whose country has always been top of the heap.
• I could go back to Budapest, and fill four more days with new sights and experiences.

That train we barely made takes us to Vienna…until then, szia!

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