Finally, a long awaited trip is done. Yes, We did country hopping! Our base was Vienna, Austria and from there we went to Budapest, Hungary and Bratislava, Slovakia. In this blog I will acquaint you with our Budapest trip. I will tell you about the whole journey. However, this particular blog is about only Budapest. Please do not forget to read our other detailed blogs about Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia. So, shall we begin🙂

Facts about Budapest

1. Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary.
2. It is one of Europe’s most beautiful and enjoyable city. It has a unique youthful atmosphere, world-class music, amazing nightlife, historic buildings, natural thermal baths etc. and a lot more to offer.
3. Because of it’s architecture, it is also known as the “Paris of the East”.
4. Budapest has the highest amount of thermal water springs in any other city in the world.
5. There are no tall buildings in Budapest. The tallest buildings are only the parliament and the ST. Stephen Basilica. They are 96 meters tall. 96 is Hungarians’ lucky number as well.
6. Budapest has one of the oldest subways in Europe and has been in constant operation since 1896.
7. In Hungary, you get world-class beer. However, you cannot say “cheers” before drinking it.
8. You cannot name your babies as per your wish. There is an approved list of names given by the government. You have to choose a name from it. If you want to keep the name of the baby that you want then you have to request the government for it.
9. Rubik game was invented in Hungary.
10. Hungarian women are considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Activities to do

HOHO Bus and River Cruise

This was a nice experience. You will get to go through the beautiful streets of Budapest. The bus has audio tapes. You can listen to the history of Budapest in 16 different languages. When you buy HOHO tour tickets river cruise tickets are included in it. The bus will take you to 20 touristic spots. We had a crunch of time so we decided not to get off the bus and complete the tour as fast as possible.

Beautiful streets

To be honest I found the streets of Budapest so artistic and fascinating. My first impression of Budapest is WOW. The buildings are very old and they are not very tall buildings as we see in other cities like Frankfurt, Hamburg etc. There are only two tall buildings i.e. 96 meters.

Here are some of the pictures of the streets for you:

Gelarto Rosa

Have you ever had ice cream with lots of different flavours? It is a chain of artisanal ice cream stores in the heart of Budapest. You can choose a maximum of 4 flavours and skilled workers will make a rose of ice cream for you. Ice cream just melts in your mouth with every bite. This is one of the must-eat things in Budapest.

Market Hall

Budapest’s Central Market Hall is a must. The place is mostly full of preserves and pickles, then you will find many food stalls mainly serving meats(Goulash – Hungarian Dish) and you can buy souvenirs and local apparels.

#kajoltip: Try to take out at least one and a half hours if you want to visit here. The reason is simple, there are hundreds of shops and restaurants. This will take time. We reached there a bit late and shops already started to close. So we couldn’t see many things over there.

New York cafe

Have you ever wondered of going to Royal cafes? Well, here is the one. From the moment you enter to order your meal to finish your meal and click pictures, it’s just so astonishing. The food was really tempting and the dessert was so luscious. Do order Goulash (a highly seasoned Hungarian soup or stew of meat and vegetables, flavoured with paprika) and i.e Hungarians authentic dish. I promise you will lick your fingers. It’s that good.

Chain Bridge

The chain bridge was inaugurated on 20 November 1849. The iron chains, on which the road hangs, are held by two 48-meter river piers. It was the first permanent stone bridge connecting Pest and Buda and the only second permanent crossing on the whole length of the river Danube.

When we went there the bridge was under renovation we couldn’t go for a walk on it. It is one of the classic bridges.

#kajoltip1: If you are interested in knowing more about Budapest’s history, then you can choose a walking tour.

Budapest has a lot to offer. You need at least 2-3 days there. We were on a day trip so didn’t get much time to explore all the places. However, we loved the city so much that we decided to go there again and enjoy the nightlife, natural thermal baths, shopping, food, feel the city more etc.

You can explore some more places like Buda Castle, Heros square Fisherman Bastcher Castle, Fisherman’s Bastions, Gellert Hill for a top view etc.

#kajoltip2: Do not forget to buy souvenirs, shot glasses, and local gifts for your friends.

Just FYI

By now you must be wondering why we can’t say ‘cheers’ while clinking beer glasses in Budapest. Here is why –

In Hungary, in 1848 revolution against the Habsburgs was defeated. The Austrians celebrated in Vienna by saying ‘cheers’ and clinking their beer glasses. That day Hungarians vowed not to cheer with beer for 150 years. Time has passed. However, they still don’t like to ‘cheers’ with beer.

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