Budapest (Sept 2-6) - Euro Adventure 2023
- Stephanie
- Sep 6, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 15, 2024
I can trace my ancestry through my maternal grandmother to Hungary, so traveling to Budapest, was especially meaningful to me. Landing after dark on Saturday night from Venice, we grabbed a taxi to our hotel. I had no idea where the airport was relative to our hotel, but it felt as if we drove quite a distance. After seeing street after street of twinkling lights, we crossed a beautiful bridge and passed through a stone gate, driving up a hill into the Old Town of Obuda and Fisherman’s Bastion to the Hilton, as recommended by #Earthtrekkers. It was a perfect location and a nice facility. Plus we added to our loyalty points (see tips in PLANNING TO TRAVEL). Our first impressions of a clean, safe and beautifully preserved city, were confirmed during our visit. Budapest, which lies at the cross roads of multiple trade routes, is Hungary’s capital and one of the top ten cities in the European Union by population. It is the largest city on the Danube River, which bisects Buda’s Old Town on the higher river terraces and hills on the West and the larger, flat sand plain of Pest toward the East. It is one of only three capital cities in the world with thermal springs (the others are Reykjavik, Iceland and Sofia, Bulgaria), some of which are claimed to possess medicinal effects due to high mineral contents.
DID YOU KNOW?
Other interesting facts:
Evidence suggests Buda was settled around 1 AD by the Celts, and was transformed into the ancient Roman town of Aquincum shortly thereafter.
Legend claims the name Buda came from its founder, Bleda, brother of Attila the Hun.
Hungarians arrived in the late 9th century, though unification of Buda, Obuda and Pest into a global capital, did not occur until 1873.
The first permanent bridge across the Danube, Chain Bridge, linked Buda and Pest when it opened in 1849.
By 1900, thanks to a large and prosperous Jewish community, Budapest was often called the “Jewish Mecca” or “Judapest”. Sadly, as many as 40% of greater Budapest’s 250,000 Jewish inhabitants died during the German occupation of Hungary from 1944-45.
When the Red Army liberated Hungary from Nazi Germany in 1945, it would take another 46 years (1991), until Soviet military occupation ended.
Budapest’s central area along the Danube is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and includes the Hungarian Parliament and the Buda Castle.
Budapest Metro, which opened in 1896, is the world’s oldest electrified, underground railway system (London has the oldest underground railway system, which originally steam-powered opened with steam power).
The city’s tram network has been in operation since 1866, and is the busiest in the world, carrying nearly 100 million more passengers annually than the Metro on its 108 miles of track.
More than 80 geothermal springs and the largest thermal water cave system exist in Budapest.
It is also home to the second largest synagogue and the third largest Parliament building in the world.
Architecturally, Budapest reflects the influences of Roman, Ottoman, Gothic, Renaissance and Art Noveau periods.
We were overcome by the beauty of Fisherman’s Bastion, upon awakening on our first morning. Built between 1895 and 1902 in homage to the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state, and known as Halaszbastya, it exists as a viewing terrace. It intertwines the redesigned Matthias Church with Buda Castle and the hilltop settlement. It features seven towers representing the seven Hungarian chieftains who led tribes to settle the area in 895, and a statue of St. Stephen, the first Hungarian King (1000-1038).
Embarking on a self-guided tour, we walked down the hill toward the Danube, crossed the Chain Bridge and window-shopped along Andrassy Avenue on our way to City Park. We saw foreign embassies, high-end retail stores, the Hungarian Opera House and the Oktagon intersection, dominated by Chinese companies’ brands on historic buildings. Arriving at Heroes’ Square, we laughed as photographers trailed what can only be described as “K-Pop” girls posing for pictures. The park also includes a beautiful boat house, a castle and Szechenyi Furdo – the Baths. We inquired about purchasing tickets for entry and massages and were told to return in the morning (it was nearing late afternoon), there were plenty of openings available. Instead we navigated purchasing metro tickets from a machine and made our way back to the hotel.
OH WHAT BATHS!
The next morning we returned to Szechenyi via their very clean and architecturally unique subway, and tram system. Upon purchasing entry to the Baths, we requested massages, at which point we learned a bridal shower had purchased all available openings for the day. Instead we opted for a private room, and spent the rest of the day enjoying the healing powers of hydrotherapy, via pools and saunas and even cold plunges. We rode the famous Tram Line #2 to Parliament, visiting the gift shop and learning about the 1956 Memorial. Dinner was at one of the many fine options within Obuda, Pest-Buda, where we dined on Chicken Paprikash, a specialty from my childhood.
I rested while Chris explored laundromat options the next day. Finding none that accepted credit cards, we washed our clothes in the bathtub and attempted to use the towel heater to dry. It failed, but the hair dryer worked reasonably well. We also ventured to the train station, knowing our next stop would be Prague, we wanted to purchase tickets with advance notice. Again, no sleeper cars or even couchettes available. These options must sell out months in advance! We landed on purchasing an entire second-class car (six seats), which became a party pit when reclined. More on that later. We enjoyed dinner at the White Raven Sky Bar on the roof of our hotel, taking many pictures of the amazing views of the city, river and Parliament Building.
The following day, I again slept in. Chris took early morning pictures of the nearly empty Fisherman’s Bastion, prior to the crowds. Together we toured Dracula’s Labyrinth (Buda Castle Labyrinth), where we saw statues of former kings, wax figures of famous Opera stars, prison cells, and torture chambers. The Labyrinth, a series of caves and tunnels, exists beneath Budapest’s Castle Hill (location of Fisherman’s Bastion), and is the location where Vlad the Impaler (inspiration for Dracula) was imprisoned tortured for 14 years beginning in 1463.
CASTLES AND KINGS
Later, Chris walked to Buda Castle, where Hungarian kings frequently lived and entertained, until the siege of Budapest in late 1944. Following WWII, archeological research began to unearth the original remains of the medieval castle. The palace was rebuilt by 1966 and became a cultural hub, home to three museums and the National Szechenyi Library in the 1980s. Chris also found the Funicular Railway and Shoes on the Danube Memorial. He explored a bit of Margaret Island, filled with walking paths, restaurants and a fountain choregraphed to music.
The next morning we took a taxi down the hill, across the bridge and into the Pest neighborhood to the train station. We found the correct track with a train heading to Prague, where we identified the right carriage (train car) and found our seats. Success! It’s the little things in life that bring such joy.
If you remove the slightly negative inconveniences of traveling to and from Budapest, the people and the city itself were one of our favorites!
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