Can I tell you how much I love Budapest? The city itself and the incredible kindness of strangers I met there?
First, the place. This city is 🔥. Beautiful and so alive! While Vienna is reserved, Budapest is warm and welcoming. It was originally two cities- Buda, which is hilly and Pest (pronounced Pesht in Hungarian) which is flat. The cities were separated by the Danube River. Now it's one city, but each side has a different vibe. Buda is chill, Pest is popping.
The view of the banks of Danube river is so beautiful that the view itself was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Now a story about the hospitality I experienced there: back in February, when I was in Cambodia, I met a woman from Budapest, Rita, during an excursion to a Buddhist Monastery. I mentioned that I was planning on visiting Budapest and she told me she would give me a tour if I came. I may have spoken 20 words to her during our time together. In June I reached out to let her know I would be in Budapest in early July. She remembered me and told me that although she was leaving the country the day after I arrived, she would meet up.
Fast forward, two days before my arrival Rita messages me to ask when my train arrives. She met me at the platform at the train station,with some flowers, and then drove me all around Budapest in a convertible she rented for a few hours. She treated me to lunch and then took me to my hotel, Maison Cafe and Hotel, to get settled.
I was staying in the Castle district, just steps away from three of the most popular tourist sites, so she came back later in the evening and
we walked to Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion and took in the night views of the river and Pest. We finished the day with Aperol Spritzes at a restaurant with views of the Matthias Church, one of the most iconic sites in Budapest. What?!?
Talk about a gift. These unexpected encounters are one reason I love to travel.
Activities
Did a city tour with a private guide
Took a Danube river sightseeing cruise - they also have dinner cruises & drinking cruises
Went to the Thermal Baths and Spa at Gellert Hotel (thermal baths and wellness spas are part of the culture)
Met up with two other local women from a FB group, Host a Sister, one for dinner in Boraros Ter, where locals go for sunset views and another for lunch by Buda castle
I didn't do this myself, but there are night spots called ruin bars - old abandoned buildings turned into bars. This is a thing to do in the city. Lots of ruin bar tours are available.
I used the excellent public transportation the whole time I was there. I bought a 3-day pass for 12 Euros, it was never checked.
Food
I found the Hungarian food to be more flavorful than in other Eastern European countries, and the Hungarians also have a thing for desserts, after all, they were a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Empress Sisi was said to have frequented a pastry shop a few blocks from my hotel. The shop has been there since the 1800s.
My hotel served an excellent breakfast and the service was excellent. The manager remembered what I ordered the day before and asked if I wanted the same thing. Nice.
Culture and History
The Hungarians are scrappy. Because of their location, for centuries they have fought invasion from the Mongols, then the Ottoman Empire, etc. Budapest was under Turkish rule for 150 years, and the Islamic influence is still present.
The city has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. During WWII the Nazis blew up all bridges to prevent the allied forces on the Pest side from reaching their headquarters at Buda Castle on the Buda side. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous going to Budapest because Hungary shares a border with Ukraine, but none of the locals seemed to be concerned.
Budapest was the perfect last stop of my European tour: the history, the architecture and scenery, and of course, the people made this a memorable end to an amazing journey. Budapest is a MUST.
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