Spontaneous adventure
FIRST TIME IN HUNGARY!
It’s been August 2020 and I just came back from Italy where I have been living for 9 months and was spending my time in Czech Republic with my family. I was home for almost 3 months and started to get bored so I made a spontaneous decision to take a quick peak to Budapest!
There are special offers by Czech Railways to some of the European cities and Budapest was one of them! The ticket was just about 32€ and 7,5 hr one way – Pardubice – Wien – Budapest. Which is even cheaper than going to London (1 hr) from Oxford!
Check the link to find more of these special deals!
https://www.cd.cz/typy-jizdenek/mezinarodni-jizdenky/-26791/
As expected anyone of my friends either my family wasn’t as much keen as me to come so I left all by myself and got on a board! Yey!
Wondering through the city all by myself, I was thinking about the history and stories of this beautiful architecture and the whole city.
Here are few facts and info about Budapest, read before you visit there!
Budapest
• is the capital and the most populous city in Hungary – with more than 1 750 000 people, which makes Budapest the 9th largest city in the European Union and the 2nd largest city on the Danube River! Budapest is consisted of two parts, Buda and Pest, which are situated on opposite sides of the river and connected by a series of bridges.
• The city is the political, administrative, industrial, and commercial centre of Hungary.
Here is an official website of Budapest where you can easily find more information about the city, activities or festivals. Have a look.
What to do in Budapest?
Luckily I was visiting Budapest in the time of pandemic in August 2020 so I could happily enjoy empty streets and not too many people around, no crowds.
Budapest is such a beautiful city, probably one of the pretties in Europe and you will definitely enjoy it! I have spent hours and hours of just walking, not really using any transportation and admiring the buildings and its architecture.
I had no list of things to do so it was all more about improvising and being lucky. One thing which I have followed for sure were Google Maps, which helped me a lot even with some hidden spots and public transportation as well.
Walking through the streets, I always stopped by some bakeries and tried Hungarian pastry, got a cup of coffee or just buy some souvenirs and talked to people.
But one of the thing you should do, is take a historical tram and have a ride around.
Scroll down below to find what to see in Budapest and get your to do list ready!
What to see in Budapest?
- Was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902.
- It has been the largest building in Hungary since its completion and became a popular tourist attraction for its beauty.
- You can find it on the Pest side of the city right next to Danube river.
- famous Nouveau Art thermal baths
- founded in 1918
- visit the main hall free of charge, or spend a whole day of relaxation in the “Palace of Baths”
- book your experience here
- central feature of Heroes’ Square is the Millennial Monument
- commissioned in 1896 to mark the foundation of the Hungarian State through the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin
- by 1900, the majority of the square’s construction was completed, and it was dubbed Heroes’ Square for the first time – officially inaugurated in 1906
- Millennial Monument, consists of a semicircle of Doric columns, several statues representing important historical Hungarian figures and an obelisk crowned with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel
- a hidden gem in the middle of Budapest
- an island on Danube River connected with the main land via two bridges
- perfect spot if you fancy a picnic, to read your book or to go for a run
- with many things to do – look here
- located on the Pest side of Budapest
- beautiful esplanade in the bank of the Danube River in Budapest
- full of fascinating historic locations and landmarks, making it the perfect place to visit for those taking Budapest tours
- promenade offers stunning views across the Danube of the Buda Castle
- a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest
- named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038)
- the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920
- is a neo-renaissance opera house located in central Budapest
- Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House
- designed by Miklós Ybl
- opened to the public on the 27 September 1884
- one of the best known monuments in Budapest, located near the Buda Castle
- one of the most important tourist attractions due to the unique panorama of Budapest from the Neo-Romanesque lookout terraces
- the Fishermen’s Bastion’s main façade, parallel to the Danube, is approximately 140 meters long
- its 7 high-pitched stone towers symbolize the 7 chieftains of the Hungarians who founded Hungary in 895
- the original walls were built in the 1700s
- Since 1987 it has been one of Budapest’s World Heritage Sites as part of the Várkerület District (Buda Castle District)
- is a 235 m (771 ft) high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest
- the hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill
- at the top of the hill, the Citadella can be found with a nice panoramic view of the city
- the fortress was built in 1851 by Julius Jacob von Haynau, a commander of the Austrian Empire
A private photography tour?
As I was travelling alone I wanted to make some memories and nice photographs in this insta-friendly and amazing city – and I was so lucky to find Bamer the Photographer! I actually found him at Airbnb in a section of experiences and was so grateful to do so as it turned into the best part of my stay in Hungary. We met early in the morning at the Fisherman’s Bastion and enjoyed a photoshoot starting there, continuing to the Chainbridge, St. Steven’s Basilica and finishing in front of the Parliament. The whole photoshoot took about 2 hours and was full of laugh, sightseeing, history sharing, tips and a nice friendly conversation.
I think Bamer is amazing and talented photographer and with his cheerful and intelligent personality he became for me one of the best memories from Budapest, including all the awesome photographs he took!!
So in this way I would love to support his art and job here, so you can also experience it or just show him some love at the Instagram. Sharing is caring! So what are you waiting for?
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