One of our first forays to eastern Europe was to Budapest, Hungary’s capital city. On this occasion, we swapped a cold and dark Scotland in February for a long weekend in this fantastic city.
Looking back I don’t think I would have changed the timing of our visit. There is something quite majestic about sitting in what is effectively a giant outdoor bath, whilst the snow falls around you and nightfall descends. I am, of course, talking about our visit to Szechenyi Baths. More on that later. Likewise, sitting in a dark, brooding restaurant eating one of the local specialities – a variation of goulash – seemed fitting on a cold winter evening. And the city’s amazing “ruin” bars also provided a welcome sanctuary from the cold, as well as giving us a real feel of how the locals enjoy their city.
Regardless of when you decide to visit, there are loads to do in Budapest and without the crowds you find in many of Europe’s capital cities. We were lucky in that some friends had recently visited and were able to pass on some recommendations. Without my dear pal Lorna we would have been oblivious to the “ruin” bars, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
That’s what I love about travelling and one of the main reasons I started this blog. I love capturing the sights, sounds and tastes of the places we have visited. It is a great way to record our adventures and I hope our daughter will enjoy reading them when she’s older and seek inspiration from them. I also love sharing these moments and our recommendations with family, friends and fellow travellers.
Back to Budapest…
All the guidebooks will list the ‘big’ sights you need to cross off but worth mentioning that Buda Castle, the Parliament, Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church are impressive, particularly the church whose roof glistened in the winter sunshine. The view from Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion of the Danube are also wonderful. The Szechenyl Chain Bridge, Heroes Square and St Stephen Basilica are also very impressive.
I’m not usually one for a history lesson (I preferred Geography at school) but I would also recommend a visit to the Museum of Terror. This museum commemorates the victims of both the Communist and Nazi regimes in Hungary.
To recover and recharge from what was an emotional visit to the Museum of Terror, we ventured to one of Budapest’s many thermal baths. I’m not talking about the one back at our hotel but Szechenyi Baths the largest in the city which features a huge outdoor pool and opens late. There’s a certain protocol when visiting these baths. The Lonely Planet has a helpful guide on what to do. I wish we had discovered this before we went! Our visit started badly with my partner forgetting his swimming trunks. Fear not if you find yourself in a similar predicament as you can hire bathing suits. The mere thought of this freaked me out but thankfully they weren’t speedos!
We hired a cabin where we got changed and then nervously set out to enjoy the many mixed baths. Despite a lot of tourists, there were clearly lots of locals too. We eventually settled on the huge outdoor pool where we were joined by balding, well-fed locals playing chess. Nightfall descended and then the snow started to fall. It was magical.
The highlight of our trip were definitely visiting Budapest’s many ‘ruin’ bars. Predominantly found in the Jewish Quarter, these are usually housed in what was once a derelict building or unused piece of land. Fear not, they are really cosy, quite edgy and very friendly. They reminded me of what was great about Berlin before it really took off and hoards of hipsters took hold. Szimplar Kert was the original ruin bar and it didn’t disappoint, nor did Instant or iSKOLA.
Many of the ruin bars also serve food and some host events throughout the day. Some are only in the summer months as they are housed in parks, so worth doing some reading up before you go. The original ruin bar site is a good starting point.
Budapest is packed full of sights but the Museum of Terror reminded us that this is a city whose history has left a real legacy. She has reinvented herself. One thing for sure, we will visit Budapest again. Although we may choose one of the summer months instead.
Travel for travel's sake 