We had an amazing time in Budapest in mid-May. We were there for 8 nights, and it was perfect for us, though by the time we arrived, had already been traveling for 2 1/2 weeks in Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Vienna, and our energy was fading a bit. Still, we were still able to see and do a lot. We had a wide range of experiences, but, unlike Prague, where the city is fairly contained, Budapest is spread out enough that it took more effort to make sense of our explorations. There were times we just didn’t have the oomph to explore as much as I would’ve liked, but overall, we had a great taste of the city and really did see a lot.
Our Airbnb looked out on the Dohány Street synagogue, a view I really enjoyed. It was an excellent location, with easy access to transportation and,Mod course, wandering the Jewish quarter. As we’re both in our 70s, the free transportation was a godsend. We carried our driver’s licenses - important, as there were times when there were checks on groups of travelers either entering a train station or leaving the platform. We were never stopped as individuals, though.
One of the things we often do when we come to a new city is take a “pay what you wish” tour to get oriented. On our first day, we took a fabulous tour with Guruwalks, starting at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and on to Liberty Square with the different memorials, Hungarian Parliament, along the Danube, including the Shoes on the River memorial.
Over the course of the week, we returned to St. Stephen’s Basilica and enjoyed the wonderful view from the panorama terrace; took the Hungarian Parliament tour and thoroughly enjoyed even thought it’s a fairly short audio tour; visited the Rudas Baths (not crowded at all) and loved it. We took an early evening Danube cruise, so missed the dramatic nighttime lighting, but with nightfall arriving by 9:30pm, it was just too late for us!
We walked a lot. One evening we walked over the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, stopping at the utterly stunning Párisi Udvar hotel Budapest, a 1913 Art Nouveau beauty that was once the headquarters of a bank and now a luxury hotel. We were able to go inside to admire the magnificent interior. We also passed the instagram-famous floating moon installation (and of course I had my husband take a picture of me “holding” the moon!
We did go up to Fisherman’s Bastion, though that was the day we both hit a wall. It was on the warmer side and the crowds were getting to us and we enjoyed the views but that was all we had the patience for. Afterwards, we went to the Central Market and enjoyed lunch there. I would’ve liked to have spent more time on Buda but this was the day our energy levels really plummeted. Sometimes you just have to let it go when that happens.
Another afternoon, we traveled (2 buses) to Margaret Island, a lovely and small island sitting in the Danube between Buda and Pest. The island is named for Margit, the beautiful daughter of a 13th century king. It was the perfect place to chill. We wandered for a while, found the medieval convent, passed the Art Deco water tower, and admired a tiny Japanese garden, while walking through beautifully wooded areas, a perfect for a relaxing wander.
And then we went to a library! If you think going to the library is a mundane experience, you would be wrong in the case of the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó library, a magnificent set of rooms in a historical building, the Wenckheim Palace. When we first arrived at the location I wondered what the fuss was about; but we were directed to the 4th floor, and ohh, when we got there, we were stunned: this is a magical place with Baroque reading rooms. It’s easy to imagine being so distracted by the beauty that you wouldn’t pay much attention to your studies! For non-library users, there’s a modest fee to enter, but it was more than worth it!
(Continued in the next post…)