Budapest, Hungary

Seeing as the stop in Bratislava, Slovakia was short and sweet, Budapest was next. I was so excited to see Budapest! Especially after all of its positive raves from friends and travel blogs. So of course, I looked up things to do in Budapest, along with a hotel – prior to my arrival.

I ended up taking a short bus ride from Bratislava to Budapest. It was only about an hour away – same bus company I used for Vienna to Bratislava. While in Budapest I stayed at the EasyHotel Budapest Oktogon, as my initial plans of staying at the Grand Budapest Hotel fell through (due to its famous baths being out of order.. ugh!). I paid $45.83/night at EasyHotel Budapest. For those of you who have stayed in an EasyHotel in Europe know that they are the smallest rooms EVER. Pretty much like an airplane bathroom and a double bed. But whatever, I wasn’t there to sleep in style! The hotel was a 20 minute walk to the Parliament Building. It was pretty much in the center of everything, which was perfect.

The weather in Budapest was crazy. It was scorching hot at 35-40ºC, not a single cloud in sight. Even though the river Danube is right next to the city, you would expect the weather to be at least a little breezy, but it wasn’t. Between a mix of the heat and pollution, it was almost hard to breathe. I don’t know how I survived – but I did, thanks to the beautiful baths. *Apart from an unexpected HAIL storm that is… – I had THREE wonderful days to spend in Budapest, along with my birthday!

So here it goes…

Budapest is a buzzing Eastern European city with “two” very different sites. Buda and Peszt (or Pest) located on each side of the river Danube. Buda was one of the historic centers of the Hungarian state and the Medieval royal site. For the longest time, these two sites were separated, however under the Habsburgs (mentioned in my post about Vienna), both cities finally came to one. The symbol of that unification being the iconic Chain Bridge, built in 1842. Unfortunately, WWII brought destruction to the city, where Germans opposed the Soviet Army from the Citadel on top of Gellert Hill. It was rebuilt in the 1960s- early 1970s – which is much of what stands today. Despite its turbulent history, Budapest is recognized as being a beautiful, unique and captivating destination, home to paprika, goulash and of course, Hungarian “Pick” salami.

Just like all of the other cities I visited in Eastern Europe so far, Budapest was very accessible. There was an underground subway, and trams…but because it was so hot I preferred to just walk and enjoy my surroundings.

One thing I could not get away with in Budapest was the language. Hungarian was SO difficult to pronounce or even try to attempt. It just sounded like people were angry ALL.THE.TIME. Nevertheless, the city was beautiful, and that’s all that really mattered.

There were SO many jaw-dropping sites in Budapest. From the top of the Gellert Hill, to St. Stephen’s Basilica… they were all so grand, and breathtaking.

Despite being stuck in Buda Castle while eating Paprika Pringles and playing Settlers of Catan in the middle of a giant hail storm for two hours (I will never forget this), Budapest offered plenty to do over the course of three days. I was able to visit all of the “museums, markets and sights” in two days, while spending a whole day at the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths. The Széchenyi Baths were amazing. There were even multi coloured baths… from pink to green – and an added bonus of a mini whirlpool in the largest bath (usually pictured on advertisements).  An art lovers escape… that’s for sure.

Overall, Budapest is definitely a must-see in Europe. Not only for its cheap eats/drinks (which I didn’t even mention… but, paprika on everything is the way to go – and potatoes, potatoes, potatoes), but also for the diverse Hungarian culture and history behind Budapest. I would not recommend staying here for a day, or even two. A minimum of three days is mandatory.