Hey there,
Welcome to my story about my stay in beautiful Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Definitely one of my favorite cities in Europe so far, besides Barcelona. The city is split up into Buda & Pest, with the Donau river in between. Pest is the busiest part of the city, where you can find most of the touristic attractions, restaurants and bars. Buda is located a little bit higher, with a lot of historical monuments and beautiful buildings.
First Impression
Arriving in the country where your own first name has its origin feels quite special, but strange at the same time… Although I have a Hungarian name, I did not understand anything from their language… Lol. I did have high expectations for this city, and they are more than fulfilled. I truly loved the people, the cleanness, the food, the ruin bars, and the architecture. I stayed in the trendy Bo33 hotel, which is a new hotel located in the Erzsébetvaros area. I would highly recommend this hotel because the staff is really friendly, the rooms are very clean and there is a nice spa on the rooftop.
Things to do
When going to Budapest, every traveler should absolutely visit the Szechenyi Baths, the biggest and most popular thermal baths in Europe. They have both outside and inside pools, and apparently the natural water is very good for your health. I would recommend going there on a sunny day, so you can relax in the outside baths with the sun shining on your face. Amazing! If you go quite early in the morning, before the crowd comes, you can even play a game of chess with the locals.
Besides the thermal baths, Budapest also has some beautiful architecture to show. The parliament building, for example, located just next to the Donau. You can take beautiful pictures over there, especially when the yellow tram just passes by. When walking in the city center, you will definitely see a lot more beautiful buildings, with the Szent István Basilika as one of the highlights. For only 400 Forints, you can take the elevator or stairs up to the top and enjoy a beautiful view over the city. Absolutely breathtaking!
When going to the other side of the city, Buda, I would recommend you to take the cable car up to visit the Buda castle and the Matthias church. Stunning views! If you like being integrated with the local people and the smell of fresh ingredients, then you should go to the market hall, back on the other side of the river. It’s a sort of farmers market where you can buy organic products and meals, but also souvenirs. It’s a very nice and colorful place with a lot of friendly local Hungarians.
If you like nature or you just want to go for a walk, Margaretha park is your place to be. It’s actually an island located in the middle of the Donau river. It’s a great place to relax or to sport. The park offers a Japanese garden, a water park, a playground, and a hotel or two.
Another thing you should do is watching the sun going down on the well-known chain bridge. You will see the city change as the cozy lights will suddenly shine everywhere. Now you can even take more beautiful pictures of the buildings and the different bridges Budapest has to offer.
Hotel visits
In my opinion, the two most beautiful hotels of the city are the Four Seasons hotel in Pest and the Hilton hotel in Buda. They are both beautiful located, integrated into traditional buildings and have magnificent views over the Donau. Besides these hotels, I also visited the Sofitel and InterContinental, both located next to the Four Seasons hotel. The Marriott hotel also has a beautiful location, but I was not impressed by both the inside and the outside of the hotel.
Food & Beverage
Budapest has some very nice and trendy spots to eat, most of them are quite new and are serving traditional Hungarian cuisine with international influences. My three favorite places were Monk’s Bistrot, Mazel Tov and KIOSK. It’s very hard to choose which one the best is because they are all quite different. They only have two things in common: the food is amazing and the venues are very modernized. Monk’s has an open kitchen and serves a more traditional kitchen with a French & Italian accent. Very friendly and attentive staff! Mazel Tov is a big ruin bar, specialized in Israeli cuisine. You should definitely try some wines over there since they are very cheap and delicious. They also play live music in the evening! KIOSK is located in a beautiful building with views over the Donau. Nice staff, good music and delicious food! Make sure to try one of the homemade cocktails.
Nightlife
I’m sure every visitor will tell you the same thing: ‘Szimpla bar’ is absolutely brilliant! I never saw such a nice and innovative bar/club in my whole life. The venue is immense, it’s like integrated in a kind of apartment building. You can go upstairs, outside, downstairs… They have a wine bar, a cocktail bar, a Latino corner… It’s a very open-minded and trending place with all types of people. Besides Szimpla, I also liked the Yellow Zebra Bar, a small but cozy bar in the same street with live music and friendly people. If that’s not enough for you and you want to dance the entire night, you can go to Tütü, a quite chic nightclub with good music and nice people. If you’re more into the gay scene, you should go to AlterEgo club & lounge. The biggest gay club in Budapest, sometimes with drag queen shows.
Budapest, you were absolutely amazing to me. This is not a goodbye, but a see you soon 🙂
With love,
Hospitravelty 