Budapest has been a city that I had always dreamed about visiting. I have a friend who lives here in Europe and when I told her I'm planning a trip she immediately said I'll join you in Budapest. With that started our 3 day Budapest adventure.
I arrived earlier than her in Budapest and hence had almost 3/4 of the day to do some sight seeing. My friend was arriving only in the evening.. We had taken a beautiful Air B&B home about 2km from Heroes square in an area called Csanady Utca (I just cant pronounce any of the Hungarian names!!) The location was great, very close to the metro station and there was a mall nearby as well with number of restaurants. After checking in I walked down to Heroes Square to check out the square and visit the palace there. Bustling with tourists, the area was also hosting a flea market and a music concert. I walked around, clicked pics and then lay down on the grass in one of the parks, relaxing, reading.. I think in 10 days I have become completely European :)
My friends arrived later in the evening and we called it an early day since we had some major sight seeing to do the next day.
Day 2 started with a trip to the castle district of Budapest. Budapest comes from 2 words - Buda meaning castle and Pest meaning city - hence Palace-City. Separated by the Danube river Buda and Pest reflect different aspects of the city. Buda reflects the past with the various kings who ruled and their regimes while Pest reflects the new age Budapest yet with some history imbibed in it. The Buda castle complex is huge and takes an entire day to cover. Crossing the chain bridge and walking up the hill our first stop was Fisherman's Bastion and Mathias church - tall, beautiful, with superb architecture, overlooking the city with a great view. We then moved on towards the castle and we were right on time to witness the Changing of the Guard ceremony which happens around noon. The Buda castle hosts the Budapest History museum. We purchased our tickets and set out to explore this. Tip: There are many entrances to the Buda museum. I would recommend look for the main entrance where the museum shop and coffee house is and start there. Spanning 4 floors the museum covers the entire history of the kings who ruled, to the way of life of the population during the time of ruling by the Ottommon emperors and the World War impact. Very impressive! I specifically liked the exhibits in the ground, first and second floor. We unfortunately started at the -1 and -2 floors which covers the cellars and for a while we were wondering where we were.
After a quick re-fueling stop we proceeded to Gellert hill and Citadel. I was told by someone that the view of the city from there is great and they also switch on the lights one by one and it looks magnificent. We reached the top of Gellert Hill around 6pm and then spent the time relaxing, taking in the views and of course collecting DPs. At twilight the lights came on and its beautiful! The view of the castle, chain bridge and the city was definitely worth the wait. After clicking a myriad of photos we descended the hill, picked up dinner on the way to head back home after a long day.
Day 3 we spent largely in the Pest side of the city. Starting the day with the visit to the grandeur which is the Parliament. A massive building with a fusion of architectural styles, its supposed to be the biggest Parliament in the world. Unfortunately it was in session and hence we couldn't go in. Next stop was the St Stephan's Basilica. St Stephan was a king whom the city had given the Sainthood for his public service and built a church in his memory. European churches continue to mesmerize me with their beautiful architecture, intricate designs, stained glass works and frescoes. You can also take the 325 steps climb up to the roof for a great view of the city.
A few mins walk from the Basilica is the Opera House. The house provides a tour with a mini concert and we were quite kicked about it. A majestic structure lined with gold inlay work and paintings adorning the wall and ceiling, the Opera house feels so Royal! The concert in the end was also quite good. Would recommend a visit.. takes just 45mins..
The next task at hand was souvenir shopping. Budapest has a lot of choices in terms of local souvenirs. Other than the usual magnets, mugs, tshirt, cap, they also have embroidery hand work, secret boxes which make great gifts. We headed out to the central market (Grand Market Hall) to pick up some of these. The matyo embroidery on lace and cloth is very pretty and it is expensive depending on the detailing of the work. From small table runners, table cloth, mats to coats are available in a wide range of prices. I didn't have too much luggage space and hence turned my attention to the secret box. These small boxes can be used to store jewellery or anything else of value as they have a key hidden secretly. The shop owner will tell you how to open one :) Unfortunately, with our packed day, we arrived there by 4ish only to realize markets close by 5pm. After making some quick but great purchases, we needed something relaxing to ease us out. Hence Thermal Bath!
The concept of public baths was brought in by the Turks and now Budapest has many of these classy baths built within beautifully architectured buildings. We chose Gellert Bath and I must say the entire experience was awesome! You can also get a massage while there. Tip: book/go there early, appointments get filled up. Its a definite must do in Budapest.
Now fully recharged, we spent the rest of the evening walking across the Chain Bridge, capturing some last photos and enjoying the view, the weather, and the few hours left in this wonderful city.
Wrapping up Budapest.. hopping on a train to the land of the Sound of Music - Salzburg!
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