After leaving Vienna, we took a 3-hour train ride to Budapest, Hungary where we stayed from Sept. 10-14, 2023. During our rail trips, each of us traveled with a big suitcase and a backpack. While we were prepared for a lot of lugging, we didn’t expect we’d have to store our big bags above our seats on European trains (and we were traveling in First Class)! It took some creative teamwork to heave our big bags high above our heads, and we became more efficient on each train ride. (Later we learned better ways to store luggage.)
Hotel Clark
We chose Hotel Clark because it overlooked the famous Chain Bridge and was in the perfect location to quickly explore both the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube. (The palace and castles are on the Buda side, and the restaurants and nightclubs and touristy stuff are on the Pest side.) Our room had a breathtaking view of the Chain Bridge, which we enjoyed walking across each day. Hotel Clark also had a beautiful rooftop restaurant that we visited immediately upon arriving in Budapest.
Castle Tour & Houdini Museum
One day, we took a tuktuk to different sights in Buda (castle side). We didn’t go inside the castles or palaces. Instead, we went to a unique museum that celebrated the life and skills of Hungarian magician Harry Houdini. Since Monica is fascinated with magic and card tricks, she found the museum very interesting – especially the magic show at the end!
Candlelight Dinner Cruise on the Danube
This is very touristy, but we just had to take a dinner cruise on the Danube! The boat had clear ceilings and open sides so we could see everything. The weather was perfect, and the food was delicious. Plus, we got to see all the castles and palaces lit up at night!
The House of Terror Museum
This is probably the most important thing we did in Budapest, and it took two mornings to see fully. The House of Terror Museum displays the history of Budapest in the 19th Century, and it’s located where the last days of the Hungarian Revolution took place in 1950s.
Our hearts ached for what Hungary endured: the city being decimated during World War II and its innocent people being deported to concentration camps, the city trying to rebuild after WWII, only to get overruled by the Soviet invasion, Hungary’s brave citizens rebelling against communism during the Hungarian Revolution in the 1950s only to watch the city and its people get destroyed again, and the country finally becoming free of communist rule in 1991.
The museum showed the tenacity, resilience and courage of the Hungarians. Photos weren’t allowed on the inside, so Monica took these photos of the entrance and the street in front of the museum where the 1956 rebellion took place.
Private Jeep Tour of Buda and Pest
We hired another driver with a big jeep to take us to all the big and small sites in Buda and Pest, and it was well worth the money. Among the stops, we enjoyed seeing the Citadel (Budapest’s Statue of Liberty, under construction), the Parliament Building, the old churches and synagogues, the Jewish Quarter, Hero’s Square and Budapest’s Great Market Hall, which contained hundreds of food booths in one building.
Szechenyi Baths and Beer Spa
We spent an afternoon at the famous Szechenyi Baths in the center of Budapest, starting with a visit to the Beer Spa. You soak in beer while drinking beer. When your bath is complete, your skin is softer, your muscles are relaxed and you’re much happier! After the Beer Spa, we spent a few hours at the massive thermal pools. Budapest has many of these thermal spas, but Szechenyi is the largest and most well-known. One pool included a whirlpool that Monica stayed in for almost an hour, just going round and round.
The Food
Oh man, the food in Budapest is fabulous. While there, we tried to eat only Hungarian Food. On our last night, we went to Szazeves, the oldest restaurant in Budapest, which served the most delicious food we’d eaten on the entire trip (I know…we say many restaurants serve the “the most delicious” food, but this one did.): Tomato salad, cucumber salad, and Hungarian beef stew with dumplings. We liked Budapest more and more each day. While Vienna is still our favorite place on the trip so far, I can see us returning to Budapest someday to see more.