Travel tendencies: Budapest

Apart from Prague, there is another clear contender for a popular young travelling destination these last years.

What traits does Prague share with this other city?

Well, both cities have a large castle, both cities are crossed by a river, both have famous bridges, both use a coin that is not the Euro, both share gentle summers and extreme winters, and best of all, both cities are not very different in terms of prices.

We're talking about Budapest, Hungary's capital. This city is somewhat bigger than Prague, having 400.000 more inhabitants. But overall we could say that these cities are very similar.

I also visited this city during my interrail trip. And frankly, I was surprised when I arrived. My first thought when getting out of the station was: "Wow. This city is old."

But not old like Prague. I personally compare it to the same feeling you get when you see a cooker that has a lot of years, but still works perfectly? That's what I felt when I arrived to Budapest. 

Well actually you do not arrive to Budapest. You arrive in Pest. Did you know that the city is a conjunction of two cities? Buda, and Pest, separated by the Danube. I'm not joking you, look it up!

Here you can see where the most famous places in the city are.

As I was saying, the buildings look old and worn out. Having a walk from the station to the center, it was not hard to see buildings with holes, chipped paint, among other defects.

But you'll eventually learn that this is part of the charm of Budapest, like I did. 

We walked 10 minutes to the city centre and got to our hostel. As you'll probably guess from a student's trip, we were not looking for the fanciest and more expensive places to stay, but this hostel (The Hive Hostel Budapest) had a disco inside it. You did not need to go out to enjoy the party! There are also a lot of young events and parties during the week hosted by these entities, like a boat party on the Danube river, bingos, spa parties... we'll get to talk about the spa later.

What I mean is, do not be scared to stay in a hostel in Budapest. It is a young city, and your place will offer something special and be full of life (or parties...).

St. Stephen's Basilica. You can go to the top too!

Budapest has some history behind it and many interesting places to go. Possibly the most famous building in here is the majestuous Parlament. It is the biggest and tallest building in all of Hungary, and the second biggest parlament in the world, just behind Romania's. It is 96 meters tall, and it has the same number of tower peaks. Why, you may ask? Well, supposedly 96 is the lucky number for every Hungarian. You can visit the inside and go to the roof, to have a nice view of the city from it.

Apart from the parlament, some of the most beautiful places in the city are the St. Stephen's Basilica (which houses the right hand of the first Hungary King), the Chain Bridge, the Dohány Street Synagogue, and many more...

You also have the House of Terror, dedicated to the German and Soviet occupation eras, if you like those topics..

But as rich in history that this city is or may be... a must in Budapest, from my personal opinion, is night tourism. Sure the city is pretty by day. But by night... I have yet to see a city more beautiful than Budapest.

An hour or so before the sunset, go to Buda and climb the Citadella. Its about 25 minutes of some steep stairs and few ramps, but what awaits you at the top, is worth every single step.

My camera does not do any justice to the view, but you see what I mean.

You'll get to see the whole city lighting up, from the Parlament, to the castle, and the bridges, with the Danube river in the middle. From here, you'll get the best photo of the city.

If you have days to spare, go here in the afternoon with some beers and two or three friends, there are many secret balconies around the Citadella, where you'll be surrounded by nature, and a view worthy of a postcard.

If this was not enough for you... go to Buda castle. The external courtyards are open at night, and having a walk around here is also worth doing. It is not as big as Prague's, but it is prettier, from my opinion.

And still, we have not finished with our sights tour. If you keep going to the left, you'll get to the Fisherman's Bastion terraces. You'll get the best sight of the parlament right in front of you.

The parlament from the Fishermen's Bastion.

The place itself is also stunning, you may not appreciate it while inside, but when you finally go down and look back up, you'll understand.

Yeah, you're seeing the Parlament from here.

And although I told you that I prefer the night, don't miss these places on the light of day, they are equally worthy of a visit!

This is one of the many ruin bars you'll find there!

In terms of entertainment, Budapest's night ambience is amazing. Apart from the night events I mentioned earlier, the most popular and touristic places in Budapest are the so called ruin bars. A mix of weird decorations, ruins, broken walls, and nice drinks make for a good time.

And I still have not talked about the spas in Budapest. Budapest has many different bathing places, but the most popular and bigger, is Szechenyi.

 

A day entrance will cost you about 16 pounds, but believe me this place is worth a visit. Walking from our place was 30 minutes, but the underground will get you there in 10. 

Like a water park, but with thermal waters!

Located in the main City Park, the baths are frequented by people of many ages. You'll find pools of many different temperatures, ranging from the 4º to 40º and more, along with jacuzzis and saunas. There is also a beer spa experience you can try! (if you fancy bathing in beer, of course...)

A visit here really helps to relax after a few days of walking Budapest. Also, every Saturday, there is a party here, with music, drinks and dj included! It is a bit more expensive, but it is one of the most famous night parties in the city.

The food here shares many traits with the food in Prague. It isn't much of a difference in this part of Europe. Pork knuckle and Goulash are the specialties, among others, but no Trdelnik, remember!

The national coin is the Hungary Forint. A pound equals more or less 370 forints at the moment of writing. As I mentioned earlier, prices are similar here compared to Prague, so that's why this city has been attracting many tourists in these past years.

So, have you been here? If not, what are the things that attract you most of Budapest about what I've told here? Don't be shy, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Until the next post, my fellow nerds!