My husband and I travelled to Budapest, Vienna and Prague last September. We had a lovely four-nights three-days visit to Budapest. I just wanted to thank many members of this Forum for sharing your travel tips and insights! They made our trip so much smoother and more fun.
We enjoyed our stay at Medos hotel, good breakfast spread and near the metro stations. Since we both are over 65+, we traveled for free using public transport. We were checked only once when we took bus 100E from airport to the city center.
Restaurants: While travelling, we usually just ordered takeout or ate at restaurants that were nearby. We did eat at Mamma Goulash for dinner (twice!), as they do not require reservation. My husband found his favorite desert, chimney cake near Deak Ferenc ter. We ate langos at Ligeti in the city park.
The weather was nice. We just needed a light jacket in the morning (about 60F) and warmed up to 70F in the afternoon, except the first day. Our first day started with light rain. It was a perfect day for Tram rides. We took Tram rides along the Danube, Tram #2 on the Pest side and then tram #41 on the Buda side. National Geographic officially ranks Budapest's Tram #2 among the top 10 most scenic and beautiful tram/trolley rides in the world!
Since the weather was overcast and cool, we were able to walk the chain bridge, Elizabeth bridge, Danube Embankment (Dunakorzo) and took pictures, with fewer crowds. We visited the Central Market Hall, and yes, I bought some Hungarian paprika. We walked part of the Andrássy út, and visited the Hungarian State Opera House. We went into the lobby, and marveled at the Neo-Renaissance design and the lavish gilding and marble of the building.
On the second day, we followed Risk Steve’s Leopold city walk. We visited the outside of the Parliament building, centerpiece of the city’s banking and business district. We visited the Shoes on the Danube. It was nice to see people approached the memorial with respect. We strolled the Liberty Square, and saw statues of President Reagan and president Bush. We walked around the outside of the St Isrvan Basilica, beautiful Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance architecture. Next stop, Gresham Palace. It is now a Four Season Hotel. It was a good way to admire the beautiful interior and visited the spacious rest room.
We took a Legenda Danube sunset river cruise. We sat on the open-air upper deck to get an unobstructed view. The audio guide tells you a story while narrating the most significant buildings throughout the tour. Bridges, and all the buildings along the Danube were illuminated. Against the dark sky, this was a true sight to behold. This was the highlight of our visit. It seemed that the river banks sprang to live at night. People were enjoying nightlife, music and the nice weather. What a fun evening.
On our third day , we visited Buda Hill. Even though we got there around 9 AM, it was already crowded. We visited the outside of the iconic, colorful-tiled Matthias Church, and walked around the turreted Fisherman’s Bastion. We enjoyed the panoramic view of Pest. We walked some of the outdoor grounds of the Buda Castle complex as most of the complex was under construction. After we left the hill, we explored the city park, Hero Square, the Vajdahunyad Castle. We decided to head to the Danube for our last night at Budapest. We rode the tram along Danube and walked along the embankment. To my delight, we spotted a Mykhaido Kolodko’s bronze statue on the wall by the river.
We enjoyed walking and exploring the city at a leisure pace. We had a fun experience using public transport in Budapest. We still managed to check off some must see spots. The next day, we took a train at Keleti train station to Vienna.