3 Days in Budapest
Train Ride to Budapest- Our Mistake
We trained to Budapest for our first weekend getaway since moving to Vienna. We had purchased our train ticket and had the tickets on my phone ahead of time to avoid any lines at the OBB counter. We easily navigated the train station after getting off of the UBahn and eagerly boarded the train and found two empty seats all the way in the back. Giddy with excitement, coffee in hand, and ipad out to continue watching The Americans, we were quickly interrupted by a couple who informed us that we were in their seats. Confused, we looked at our ticket without any sort of seat number. Embarrassed, we reluctantly got up and moved to the back of the train and stood in a crevice near the bicycle hold. In broken German, a kind man informed us that we only had a reservation not an actual seat number on our ticket… Meaning our ticket only allowed us on the train. Not realizing our mistake, we sat on our bags as we watched the Ipad hoping seats would become available when the train stopped at various stations on the way, however, everyone was taking their long holiday weekend in Budapest and we spent the next two hours standing and sitting in our corner of the train. OH the joys of travel!
We arrived at the Buda- Kelenti station near the middle of the city and bought a transportation card for 72 hours, so that we did not have to worry about purchasing a ticket every time we went on public transport. They do check that you have a ticket on all transportation!!!!! We then took the Metro M2 (Red line) to Deak Ferenc ter (3 stops).
We stayed at 7 Seasons Apartments in the Pest city center, which really was in the perfect location. It was a really interesting set up because they had 118 rooms in their main building which seemed really nice and then 12 rooms in this sketchy building 100 yards away with graffiti covered walls inside and a hostel located on the floor above…. which of course is where we ended up staying. If you stay here I would request to stay in the main building!!!! The rooms were really nice but it is located right beside a really busy street = not a lot of sleep.
Budapest is actually split in half by the Danube River. One side of the city is Buda and the other is Pest. Our hotel, good restaurants, and the ruin bars are located on the Pest side while a lot of the historic and touristy sites are on the Buda side. It is easy to go to either side because there are several bridges along the Danube where you can either walk or take public transportation.
We got to see A LOT over the 3 days. If you have read through previous posts you will see that Russ and I are infamous for packing as many sites and activities in as we possibly can.
Edgy is the word that comes to mind when describing Budapest. There is so much history within the city and a wide range of things to do. While we were there the weather was dark and rainy, which coincided well with the graffiti filled walls, lighted up hipster ruin bars, cold underground bunkers and caves, and steamy thermal baths. Russ and I both agreed that we had never been anywhere quite like the city of Budapest!
Itinerary for the 3 days
THURSDAY
- Packed our lunch with us on the train so we didn’t need to spend money in the city
- Arrived at the train station and checked into hotel around 1:30PM
- Walked across the Chain Bridge to the Buda side
- Walked up to the Fisherman’s Bastion (you can also take the Funicular up which will take you right by the Buda Castle).. Great view of Parliament across the Danube
- Matthias Church – right beside the Bastion
- Hospital in the Rock- museum in a bunker… it was okay.. If you want to skip anything this would be it.
- Labryinth (Dracula’s Chamber) – {HIDDEN GEM- we got this recommendation from friends!} This was probably our favorite part of the whole trip. It is a cave where Dracula was apparently held captive for a year. Within the cave there is a maze of complete darkness (cannot see your hand in front of your face) that you have to navigate through AND a surprise that occurs but I can’t give it away!!!! So much fun.
- Walk along the Danube to see Parliament lit up at night
- Dinner on the Pest side- We wish we had dinner at Mazel Tov as it probably would have been less crowded on a Thursday. We never got to go because we tried on a Saturday and it was packed! Make reservations.
- Meander around the Ruin Bars… Szimpla Kert was our favorite, and you’ll understand why it is the most popular! There are lots of bars and restaurants around. Kuplunk, Vintage Garden.. you really can’t go wrong!
FRIDAY
- Breakfast at New York Cafe- “The most beautiful cafe in the world” – go early (9AM) we were glad we did because there was a line by the time we left
- Took public transportation to Pal-volgyi – Barlang and took a tour down in the cave (okay- you could probably do without this because it takes a long time to get out there. Plus, I grew up close to Luray Caverns so it is hard for anywhere else to compare)
- Central Market Hall for any knick-knacks and the atmosphere
- For Sale Pub- right across the street.. there are inspirational notes and letters that cover the whole pub
- Lunch near our hotel (Taco Market)
- Went back to hotel to relax a bit and grabbed swimsuit
- The ever touristy Szenchyi Thermal Baths.. we booked our tickets through the hotel and we were glad we did. This experience is more on the expensive side!
- Night out again 🙂
SATURDAY
- Shoes on the Danube
- Szamos for breakfast by parliament
- Walk around Parliament if you want
- Took transportation to the Gellert Cave Church which was unfortunately closed due to a wedding until later..
- Then walked up (lots of steps involved) to the Liberty Statue and the Citadella.. We did not go in the Citadella.. Just enjoyed the beautiful view of Budapest and places with mulled wine (yum!) took tons of pictures
- Then walked to the Buda Castle.. There are a lot of museums in the same castle but we did not go in any.. Just walked around.
- Pest Buda Bistro for lunch -I recommend the pumpkin soup and paprika chicken!! Russ loved the goulash
- Walked back to the hotel to rest and then went back out to take pictures of the Parliament, Buda Castle, and Fisherman’s Bastion from the Chain Bridge at sunset.
- Small dinner at hummus bar
- Pack to leave in the morning
SUNDAY
- Train from Budapest → Wien
For next time or replace a site with:
*3 hour cave tour where you actually put on the getup and crawl in tighter spaces.. if you’re not claustrophobic!
*If you’re scuba dive CAVE certified there is a place where you can dive in an old beer factory underground.. now I want to get my cave certification done!
*Dinner cruise on the Danube
*Vajdahunyad Castle
*Gellert Baths
*House of Terror Museum
*Cuevas Cave
*Heroes Square
♥ & x
