Budapest
The capital of Hungary “boo-dah-pesht” was actually two different cities divided by the river Danube. Buda was for the rich folks and Pest belonged to the common people. Famous for its thermal baths, Budapest has always been an important city in Europe. Since old ages, it is very well connected to the cities in Western Europe. Considered as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world, the city is filled with Viennese and Parisian architecture. It is often called “Paris of the East”. The city has the oldest public park in the world and the second oldest metro train in Europe.
My Experience – Budapest
Day 1
After a 7 hour bus ride from Prague, I finally reached Budapest. Since I had a ISIC card, I bought 1 month transportation pass for 3850 HUF (INR 1000). I had a booking in Adenia Panzio pension, situated on the Buda side, for 4 nights. It is a beautiful family-run guesthouse located in the picturesque district II of Budapest.
In the evening I crossed the river to go to the Pest side. I boarded metro from Batthyány tér till Deák Ferenc tér. I wanted to see the famous Váci utca (pronounced as vashi utsa. utca means street in Hungarian). Váci Street is the most famous street in Budapest. It is full with restaurants and high end shops selling every kind of stuff to both tourists and locals. It is a mile long road running from the Vörösmarty Square to the Great Market Hall. It is a walking street and hence no cars are allowed. It is a great street for window shopping and people watching.
After walking for an hour across the busy streets of Budapest suddenly I noticed a burger king and could not resist the temptation. Ordered the biggest beef burger with large coke and extra fries. When I travel, I am like Bear Grills. I don’t care about the food but only look to fulfill my calorie requirement. 😀
It was already getting dark outside. The weather was cool and relaxing. I was waiting for a couchsurfer at the Deák tér (Deák Square). We went for a “Budapest Night Walking Tour”. First destination was the Hungarian Parliament. Situated in the bank of Danube, Hungarian Parliament is the most famous landmark in Budapest. It looks much more impressive from opposite side of the river. It has 691 rooms and 20 KM of stairs.
Walking past the railway station, we went to Heroes’ square. There were some more museums important building around the statue – Museum of Fine Arts on the left and Palace of Art on the right. Built in 1900, the square contains statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century.
We walked along the famous Andrássy Avenue which was build back in 1872. The street is one of the Budapest’s main shopping streets, with fine cafes, restaurants, theatres and luxury boutiques. Since it was already past 10 PM, most of the shops were closed. Only some pubs and restaurants were opened along the road. Unlike the Vaci Utca, there were very few people on the street.
When I boarded the metro to go to the Buda side, it was already past 10:55 PM. I guess this was the last metro. On reaching the Buda side, the first view of Parliament at night mesmerized me.
I took a walk along the river at 11 PM in night. Finally I reached my room at about midnight. It was a great day.
Day 2
In the morning I visited the Castle hill on the Buda side. There is no actual castle on the hill. There are many attractions on the castle hill such as Royal Palace, Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church. You get an amazing view of the city from the castle hill.
Gypsy musicians playing violin in Castle Hill, Budapest
In the evening I met a local and her friend who took me to a Ruin Pub. These pubs are called Ruin Pubs because they are often built in old buildings which are in broken state. These pubs have a retro feeling because they are often equipped with rejected old furniture. These places are very popular among the youth of Budapest.
They not only are good places to drink but also act as cultural community areas with theater performances and musical concerts. You don’t need to order drinks at all in order to visit the place. I was lucky enough to witness a traditional Hungarian musical program at one of the ruin pub.
By the time we left the pub, it was already past 10:30 PM. However, the streets were full of people and a lot if restaurants were opened across the street. I took a tram to the nearest metro station to go to Buda. Reached my room by 11:30 PM
Day 3
Today I planned to go for the Free Budapest Walking Tours. Free walking tours are very popular in Europe. I have seen them in Krakow and Prague. These walking tours are generally organized by local guides (not always) and are free! However, you are expected to tip at the end of the tour. But if you feel the tour was not good enough, you can always walk away in the middle or end of the tour without paying.
At 10:20 AM, I was waiting at Vörösmarty Square for the tour to begin. A large number of tourists had gathered so we were divided in three groups with one guide for each group. The guide started with history about Budapest….how Hungary was formed…Autro Hungarian Empire….Germans…then Russians etc. There was cool breeze blowing and I almost feel asleep while listening to the guide. Sadly, I could not get a nap since the group started walking. I kept walking lazily…..taking pictures randomly.
The tour lasted for about 2.5 hours and covered most of the important landmarks in Budapest. After the tour it was food time. On recommendation of the tour guide, most of the people from walking tour went to a traditional Hungarian canteen to have authentic food. With the help of my guide, I ordered a random dish which turned out to be similar to the India dish – Po Bhaji. Hungarian food is very different from other European cuisines. They use a lot of spice like Asians
Day 4
Today was my last day in Budapest. How can you visit Budapest and miss thermal bath? One of my friend had recommended me to visit thermal baths in Budapest. So today I went to the most famous and the biggest thermal bath in Budapest – Széchenyi Bath.
Since I was visiting thermal pools, In the morning I exercised a bit…hoping to get six pack abs in a day. However as expected…no change. With my bags packed, I boarded an ancient metro train to reach the thermal bath. This metro line is the oldest metro in continental Europe. At Széchenyi, there are various entry prices. I bought an entry ticket with changing cabin facility. It costs about 3400 HUF.
There are various pools available with different temperature and mineral content. Pools are divided into two groups – outdoor and indoor. I found the outdoor pools more clean and convenient. The indoor pool reminded me of the hollywood movie – Hostel. So, inside the building I did not spend more than 30 minutes.
I spent about 4 hours in the bath. The place looks more popular among the old people than the younger one. So if you are hoping to see some beautiful Hungarian girls in the thermal pools…all the best 😛
I was hungry after spending 4 hours in the pool. So it was time for some Hungarian goulash soup. There is a restaurant just outside bath which offers various kinds of Hungarian food.
Since it was my last day in Budapest, instead of taking metro I decided to challenge my legs and walk all the way to my hotel. First I walked across the central park to reach Hero’s Square. I kept walking along the Andrássy út boulevard watching shops, restaurants and buildings along the way.
After taking directions of locals, I somehow reached the Central Market Hall. Situated in the Budapest center, at the end of Váci Utca, the market is the largest and oldest covered market of the city. This is an ideal place to buy Hungarian souvenir or eat traditional food. There are two floors in the market. The lower one is mainly for food and the upper one is for souvenirs etc. In the market I also saw musicians performing. I never miss a chance to record musicians playing in Europe 🙂
While coming back I saw Hare Krishna dudes singing and dancing on the street. I see them more in Europe than India! Anyways it feels good to see Indian culture in Europe. One of the guy came and talked to me in Hindi. He was a Hungarian who has lived for four years in India. In the end, he asked for a small donation and I gave him a big smile and left.
Summary and Traveller Tips
Budapest is an amazing city. Before visiting the place, I did not have great expectations from this place. However, this city has impressed me with its great architecture, good food, and friendly people. This city truly offers what a traveller looks for. You can see mixture of various cultures in this city due to the fact that Hungary has been a cultural center for various empires such as European and Ottoman. Someday, I would visit this enchanting city again.
If you like to party, stay on the Pest side. And if you are looking for peaceful atmosphere then Buda is for you. This city is very much walkable but I would advice to buy transportation pass since it is very cheap as compared to some of the other cities in Europe. The quality of drinking water is very good in Budapest and you can save money by refiling your water bottles at the free drinking water fountains. Price wise, this city is a bit expensive than Prague and much cheaper than Paris.
There are a lot of things to do in town and you should spend minimum 3-4 days in the city. You must take walk along the danube river during the evening when the Hungarian Parliament glows like gold. Try some local dishes. Hungarian food had lot of similarity with Indian food so Indians visiting the city wont miss spicy food. Visit the Jewish part of the city to and drink coffee at one the numerous coffee shops.
Rating: 5/5
A Guide to Budapest
A Backpacker's Diary 
is Hungary expensive compared to other Euro nations?
Not really. It is actually much more economical than France, Germany or Italy. Budapest is one of the most affordable cities in Europe