Hungry

Budapest – Things to see, food to eat, bars to visit and THE place to stay

As I am sure you have heard, Budapest is one of those great cities which has everything on offer – great nightlife, authentic cafes, history & culture as well as great spots to chill and hang out during the day.. what more could one ask for on a holiday?! PLUS, being in the south east of Europe its hot during the summer – BONUS. I visited Budapest for 48 hrs during the summer of 2013 and these would be my top tips on where to go, what to see, where to stay, and most importantly, where to drink.

Take a trip to Buda, however I wouldn’t recommend staying there. On our first day we ventured across the river, over the famous bridge (which is weirdly modeled on Hammersmith bridge?!) and up on the cable cars to the top of Buda. There you will find all the old cultural sites of the city (the hill is conveniently named Castle Hill…) including Matthias Church, Fishermans Bastion, The National Gallery and the Royal Palace. This definitely fills a morning.. take your time to mill around as there is plenty to see and plenty to learn about the history of Budapest. Its walk-able, but if you’d rather ride in style there is the number 16 bus which goes back and forth, dropping people off at different destinations. Also, still on the BUDA side of town you can venture up to Citadella, located beside Castle Hill. A Hungarian fortress essentially, but worth a visit if you have time.

Visit the baths! We went to two whilst we were staying, one in Buda and one in Pest. The Gellert baths are a good 30minute walk from Castle Hill, still in Buda. This was my first ever experience of the Roman ‘baths’ and it definitely was not what I was expecting.. in my mind I thought it would resemble some large scale spa, with beautiful baths, comfy sun beds and clean floors. Sadly the Gellert baths resembled something like a public swimming pool – the kind of place you would get a verruca if you weren’t wearing flip flops. And to add insult to injury, they were expensive too! And all you got to experience was 3 swimming pools, a hot tub and a wooden bed, which gave you splitters. On the plus, the drinks were cheap which somewhat numbed the pain! Day two, low and behold we were back at another set of baths, this time in Pest named Széchenyi, with a hangover to add to the experience. Larger and busier than the other set of baths, I was hopeful that this might be a more pleasurable experience, however changing rooms cost extra, the massage room was nowhere to be found and NO sunbeds! Disaster! Even though it was a great experience and im sure with a clear head, it could have been more fun – however at the time, due to the cost and the other factors, I must admit it wasn’t the best part of my trip!

There are plenty of beautiful parks in Budapest where, when sunny, it’s the perfect place to kick back and relax which a drink or two. By Szechenyi baths, there is a beautiful park with a large lake and fountains  - ducks potter about on the banks and always appreciate bread (or anything for that matter!). Near to this park is Hosoktere Square AKA hero’s square containing the Millennium Monument. This is a monument dedicated not only to the founders of Hungry but also to other historical Hungarian figures. There are also various Art Museums dotted around the square.

Where to stay – I couldn’t recommend the Connection Guesthouse more if I tried!  It was by far the best place we stayed during a trip around Europe. Cheap, cheerful and right in the center of the action! The rooms were large with TV’s, a mini bar, a clean and spacious bathroom and proper bed linen (including soft pillows – essential). The staff were friendly and knowledgeable about directions, good restaurants in the area etc.   

The nightlife is mainly in PEST – here are a few of my favorites:

• ·         Szimpla
• ·         Godor Klub
• ·         Kisrablo
• ·         A38

Budapest is a great night out and you’re always guaranteed to meet a mix of interesting people from all over the world.. Not as swanky as places like Ibiza, Budapest has more of a raw, grungy feel to it and most of the clubs/bars are in old ruins around the town. GUARANTEED FUN 100%! And be sure to try a 'swimming pool' if you head to Szimpla! 

 Top Tips:

• ·         Make sure you always buy a ticket before you get on the metro. Police or ‘watchdogs’ patrol the underground ready to catch those who are ticket-less. They are dressed in normal clothes too making them different to spot and are also extremely power happy and relish in catching you out!
• ·         If you have time, head to the Budapest House of Parliament, however if not, they are visible from castle hill.
• ·         Try to eat in the non-tourist parts of town – they really jack up the prices where they can. 

      Bon Voyage x