* Took the short ~3 hour train ride from Bratislava to Budapest
* Budapest is divided by the Danube River into two parts: Buda and Pest; Buda is on the west bank and is comprised mostly of Castle Hill, while Pest is on the eastern bank and contains many parks, shopping, restaurants, bars, etc.
* We spent time in both parts of the city, even devoting a few hours to the bath scene that Budapest is famous for (more on that later, you can already imagine my take on this!)
* Stayed at Art Boutique Hostel – very centrally located at St. Stephen’s cathedral, extremely friendly staff, clean rooms, good wifi and shower; definitely recommend if you’re in the market for the hostel level of accommodation in Budapest
* Budapest is divided by the Danube River into two parts: Buda and Pest; Buda is on the west bank and is comprised mostly of Castle Hill, while Pest is on the eastern bank and contains many parks, shopping, restaurants, bars, etc.
* We spent time in both parts of the city, even devoting a few hours to the bath scene that Budapest is famous for (more on that later, you can already imagine my take on this!)
* Stayed at Art Boutique Hostel – very centrally located at St. Stephen’s cathedral, extremely friendly staff, clean rooms, good wifi and shower; definitely recommend if you’re in the market for the hostel level of accommodation in Budapest
The Good:
* The Castle Hill area is beautiful – not only the castle complex, but the views of the Danube and the riverbank of the Pest side of the city (especially Parliament) are quite nice
* The people in Budapest are, for the most part, very friendly and a lot of them speak English
* It’s quite the party scene! Granted, we were there on a Friday and Saturday night, but there were seemingly endless bachelor and bachelorette parties roaming through the streets either on foot, “beerbike” (a contraption whereby 8-12 people sit in a group, pedaling a square structure around while someone in the middle serves beer), or limo/party bus
* The Hungarians know how to dance! We found ourselves at a beer garden in Varosliget City Park where a band was also playing, and everyone was out on the dance floor (especially the older parental set) flashing their moves. Very impressive.
* The Castle Hill area is beautiful – not only the castle complex, but the views of the Danube and the riverbank of the Pest side of the city (especially Parliament) are quite nice
* The people in Budapest are, for the most part, very friendly and a lot of them speak English
* It’s quite the party scene! Granted, we were there on a Friday and Saturday night, but there were seemingly endless bachelor and bachelorette parties roaming through the streets either on foot, “beerbike” (a contraption whereby 8-12 people sit in a group, pedaling a square structure around while someone in the middle serves beer), or limo/party bus
* The Hungarians know how to dance! We found ourselves at a beer garden in Varosliget City Park where a band was also playing, and everyone was out on the dance floor (especially the older parental set) flashing their moves. Very impressive.
The Bad:
* A lot of the city seems to be under construction, including the area in front of the Parliament which makes the entire building inaccessible
We packed a lot into our short stay in Budapest. Carrie had been looking forward to the Hungarian Bath scene for a while, so we put that to the top of our list. As we walked toward the park (where the outdoor bath is that claims to have the hottest pool in the city), we stopped at the "House of Terror" on Andrassy, a museum that converted the old headquarters of the Nazis and Communists into a memorial of Hungary’s occupation under both the fascist and communist regimes. It’s a gruesome story to tell; the museum’s exhibits are sometimes a bit meandering and disjointed, and other times quite impactful. I’m glad we stopped…although, no pictures allowed!* A lot of the city seems to be under construction, including the area in front of the Parliament which makes the entire building inaccessible
Eventually, we made it to the Szechenyi Baths, which is fronted by an impressive structure and contains numerous pools, both inside and out, at varying degrees. We did find the hottest one – 40 degrees Celsius (~104F). And so here’s what I saw as we walked out from the changing area, on my way to sit in pools of other people’s filth all in the name of “fun” and “relaxation”. Woo hoo.
The next day was a busy one, starting with a walk through the old Jewish Quarter and a tour of the Great Synagogue.
We then tried to check out the Parliament building, but apparently it’s under construction until the next ice age…they ripped up the ENTIRE front courtyard. Some GC better have a good explanation for the mess!
Next up was Castle Hill, which is comprised of a series of churches and museums, most notably Buda Palace (which is now a museum) and Matya’s Church. The Fisherman’s Bastion, which looks like a wall of a castle, provides an excellent viewpoint for views of the Pest side of the city.
We then went back toward our hostel to check out St. Stephen’s cathedral, which included a walk over the city's Chain Bridge:
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