We were so excited to have my parents here for our first summer in Berlin. Since we had two months to explore and the flexibility of working remotely, we decided to take on as much as we could and tour as many cities in Europe as possible together while they were here. School was already in season but that didn’t stop us – we just had to crazily work it into our schedule.
Coincidentally, both my parents and us had Budapest on our list. With having no idea what to expect and only going by so many recommendations as a “must see”, we made this our first destination.
We arrived in Budapest just shy of lunch so after checking in to our hotel, we took a scenic route passing by the Budapest Eye and St. Stephen’s Basilica as we headed towards a local Hungarian cuisine favorite, Budapest Bisztro. There we filled our bellies with traditional Hungarian dishes like goulash and chicken papriksh and could see why the restaurant (to my surprise is now closed) was so highly rated. We knew the rest of our afternoon would consist of walking around and seeing as much as we could so we indulged in all the calories without regret.
The Parliament in Budapest is one of the tallest and is definitely a must-see tourist destination. The neo-gothic style architecture puts you in awe and it’s hard not to stare at all the intricate detail that was put into building it in the 1900s.
Just south of the Parliament, along the bank of the Danube, is an incredible memorial stop “Shoes on the Danube Bank”. Shoes made of iron lie on the walkway lining the river. It would have been easy for us to pass this by and think nothing of it had it not come up in my pre-visit research. Built in 2005, the monument honors the Jews who were killed during WWII. They were told to take off their shoes before being shot so they could “easily” float away.
We headed over the Szechenyi Chain Bridge – the bridge which separates Buda and Pest – or the east and west side of the city. We opted to take the hike up to Buda Castle Hill versus taking the Funicular, a cable-guided train that “drives” you up the hill. The views of Budapest from Fisherman’s Bastion, including being able to see the Parliament in its entirety from this side of the river, were spectacular.
Fully rested, our final day in Budapest started off with a dip in the famous thermal baths. Since these are the “quintessential Budapest experience”, we simply had to partake. Széchenyi Thermal Baths is the largest medical baths in all of Europe with three outdoor and fifteen indoor pools. The variety of pools differ throughout with some having medicinal purposes, others varying in temperature, ones where noise and splashing is disfavored and even “Beer Spas” where the you sit in a wooden jug with natural beer ingredients (malt, hops and yeast). Taps are situated on the side of the tubs for your enjoyment.
After relaxing in the thermal baths, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at a slower pace and walk around the area that had the remaining tourist spots on our list. After a few stops and grabbing some Hungarian Paprika, we headed back to the hotel to recharge before dinner. Along the way we stopped for lángos, a favorite Hungarian street food, to hold us over. Think of a pizza but with the dough deep-fried then topped with choices like sour cream, cheese and meats.
On a whim, Robert and I decided to hike Gellert Hill while the rest of the family stayed back at the hotel. The 20-minute hike through a wooded trail was a little more than I expected on this hot summer day but it proved to be a good choice as we took a couple breaks on our way to the top to catch our breath and soak in the views. We summited the final steps and a full bar (and the Freedom Statue) was glistening upon our arrival. We grabbed a drink and sat at the top of the mountain to enjoy the panoramic views of the hilly Buda side and flat Pest side with the beautiful Danube River running between them.
Budapest is also known to have some pretty cool ruin bars. These bars are built in the ruins of abandoned buildings giving the tumbledown architecture a cool twist. I wanted to choose one that the entire family could enjoy. From all the research I gathered, the upscale Mazel Tov was “the place” to go. With superb Israeli food and live music in what felt like the outdoors being in, this was a great way to end our trip. We luckily came at the perfect time since we had to slither our way through the crowd as we were leaving and a line was starting to build on the sidewalk.
We also lucked out on our hotel pick. If we were ever to make it back here, without question, we’d stay here again. Our hotel, Hotel Gozsdu Court, was prime location and close to the city center. The two-story apartment was a great addition with our bigger traveling crew. Our hotel sat above a buzzing area of restaurants, bars and shopping (even an arcade!) that was right at our doorstep. It was great to continue exploring later in the night after tucking our little one in bed. It’s a rare opportunity we get babysitters during our travels!
I’m so glad we added Budapest to our list. It seemed almost too good to be true when I was researching it because virtually every attraction had high ratings or was a “must see”. Turns out every review – for the places we went anyway – were completely accurate. Overall, the city is pretty crowded with tourists and it was easy to see why. After experiencing this beautiful city, it is firmly entrenched in our top five.
I’m impressed by it all!! As usual…