The Best of Budapest, Hungary

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We arrived at our fourth country and the final destination of our Central Europe trip, Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Budapest is unique in that it’s divided into two parts by the beautiful Danube River. We couldn’t wait to delve into the history, architecture, and local cuisine.  

​We stopped at our home for the next two nights, La Prima Fashion Hotel, to drop our bags and freshen up before dinner. The lobby was colorful, trendy and fun, with discounted cocktails, which was music to our ears. 

Lobby at La Prima Fashion Hotel

When arriving at Kispiac Bisztro, we had very little expectations of getting in as our research told us that it’s almost impossible without a reservation. To our surprise, we were able to get a small table in the center of the quaint and cozy restaurant. Having less than 10 tables in total, this was a rare but exciting occurrence.

Grilled Goat Cheese

Kispiac Bisztro

The waiter chose a local wine for us as we looked over the hand-written menus and the specials that lined the walls. We started with their house-made pickled vegetables, warm, homemade bread, and a house salad topped with grilled goat cheese. The creamy goat cheese was the perfect complement to the roasted pear and black sesame seeds sprinkled over the crisp lettuce. For my entrée, I ordered the wild boar spare ribs special and WOW, was I impressed. The mouthwatering meat fell right off the bone and although I was full about halfway through, I couldn’t stop.

After chatting with the owners and a few locals about our wonderful dinner experience, we set out to walk off our meals and admire the city at night before resting up for our action-packed day to follow.

Széchenyi Thermal Baths

The next morning, we started our day relaxing at the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, the largest medicinal baths in Europe. The water is supplied by two thermal springs, containing minerals such as sulfate, calcium, fluoride, and magnesium and can warm up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While the original Széchenyi Baths were part of palace grounds, the current ones were rebuilt in 1913 and expanded over the years, as their popularity grew. Beginning with Roman baths, followed by the Turkish and Hungarian baths, it’s no secret how Budapest became known as the “City of Spas”.

Now that our muscles recovered a bit from the tremendous amounts of walking we’d already done in Prague, Vienna, and Bratislava, it was time to move to our next stop, Buda Castle. On our way, we stopped by Heroes’ Square, known to be the largest square in Budapest. This landmark is also known as the “Millennium Monument” as it was built to mark the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin.

Heroes' Square

As mentioned before, Budapest is split by the Danube River, one side being Buda and the other side, Pest. Being on the Pest side, we crossed over the famous Chain Bridge to get to the Buda Castle and palace complex, located on the Buda side of the river.

View of Buda Castle from the Pest side. Chain Bridge on the right.

Once home to the Hungarian kings of Budapest, Buda Castle is now a beautiful museum with several floors of galleries filled with fine art. We enjoyed each floor of paintings and sculptures and completed our tour in the lookout tower at the top of the castle, which provided a view of the entire city. Buda Castle tours available here.

From the museum we walked over to Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastian, two additional attractions on the grounds. Matthias Church, also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle, was by far the most beautiful church I’ve seen, both inside and out. As we walked inside, a children’s choir group was rehearsing and their sweet voices echoed throughout the intricately decorated walls, making the experience all the more sacred.

Matthias Church - Interior

Matthias Church - Exterior

Matthias Church - Interior

Behind the church was the Fishermen’s Bastian. Used in the 19th century for fortification, this lookout tower is now visited for its stunning panoramic view of Budapest and the Danube. From the terraces, you can admire the gorgeous architecture that lines the riverside as well as the iconic Chain Bridge. 

View from Fishermen's Bastian

Fishermen's Bastian

View from Fishermen's Bastian

A short funicular ride to the bottom and we walked back over the Chain Bridge to the Pest side to view the “Shoes on the Danube Bank” memorial. Created in 2005 by film director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer, these realistic sculptures of shoes honor the Hungarian Jews who were killed by the Arrow Cross Party during WWII. During this time, men, women, and children were ordered to take off their shoes before being executed and falling into the river to be carried away. The sculpture contains 60 pairs of iron, period-appropriate shoes. As many people now leave flowers or lit candles, we took a moment to pay tribute to this haunting memorial and the history behind what it represents.

Shoe's on the Danube Bank

Walking Tours Available Here

Our morning of exploring and expanding our knowledge of Hungarian history left us hun-ga-ry and ready for the next stop, Great Market Hall. Built in 1897, Great Market Hall is the oldest and largest indoor market in Budapest. We browsed the ground floor full of spices, produce, and souvenirs, before heading to the second floor to fully indulge in some taste-filled Hungarian favorites.  

Packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, waiting for their delicious homemade treats, we ordered mugs of fresh mulled wine and found a seat next to an authentic Lángos stand, which was first on our list. Lángos is a staple in Hungarian cuisine and comes from the word “láng”, meaning flame. Traditionally, it consists of a deep-fried flatbread with a layer of sour cream, yogurt, or mashed potatoes, topped with shredded cheese. We also saw dessert versions with chocolate and fruit as toppings. Still warm from the oven, the sour cream and cheese slightly melted with each bite. It was truly delectable.

Langos & Mulled Wine

Cabbage & Mulled Wine

Although we were already in a food haze from the warm mulled wine and Lángos, we couldn’t stop there. It was time to sample another traditional Hungarian dish, the cabbage roll. We filled our plates with roasted potatoes, sweet cabbage, sauerkraut, and two types of cabbage rolls. They were full of veggies, pork, rice and paprika and the flavors perfectly complemented each other.

​Another mulled wine to wash down the meal and we were just as stuffed as the cabbage but didn’t regret a thing.

With no risk of being hungry for at least a few hours, it was time for our sunset river cruise on the Danube. This was something we had been looking forward to since the beginning of the trip and it did not disappoint. The Danube, once used as a European trade route, is the second longest river in Europe, flowing through 10 different countries, which is the largest number of countries any river runs through in the world.

The Danube Riverside

It begins in Germany and passes through or borders Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine, ultimately ending in the Black Sea.

The guided tour was an hour long and packed with facts and history. The boat offered 360-degree views of the beautiful city of Budapest and all of its iconic architecture, my favorite being the Hungarian Parliament Building. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve never seen such a spectacular building in my life. As lavish as it was during the day, it was even more so at night. It lit up the entire river and was a breathtaking sight. 

Hungarian Parliament

The tour ended and it was officially time to enjoy our last night in Budapest. For dinner, we walked over to the Jewish Quarter to Macesz Bistro, located in the heart of it. (A word of advice, if you’d like to dine in the Jewish Quarter on a weekend night, be sure to make reservations in advance. We made the mistake of waiting until the day of and had a very difficult time finding any availability). The menu was filled with Hungarian and Jewish specialties, making it almost impossible to choose. I started with matzo ball soup, which came in an individual sized pot and was filled with vegetables.

Matzo Ball Soup

Dumplings & Veal

For my main course, I had their dumplings with veal and paprika. It was full of flavor, cooked perfectly, and completed my goal to taste a form of dumpling from every country we visited. This dinner was the ideal last meal to cap off our culinary tour.

Aside from its delicious eats, the Jewish Quarter is also known for its nightlife, more specifically, the “ruin bars” in the District VII neighborhood. Post WWII and the years following, many buildings were left neglected and abandoned from the deportation of the Jews. In 2001, these crumbling stores, homes, and empty lots were transformed into the ruin bars, comprised of a compilation of unique spaces decorated with recycled goods and thrift store items. 

Szimpla Kert

We decided on Szimpla Kert, which is the original ruin bar that was resurrected from an abandoned factory. Don’t be intimidated by the long line. It moves quickly and is absolutely worth it. Walking in, my first thought was how large it was. Each room had a different theme, with graffiti on the walls, eclectic décor, and intensely colorful lighting. There was music playing loudly and old movies screened on a projector. You could be inside or outside depending on which room or floor you were in. This was definitely the most unique experience I’ve ever had at a bar. Although the pictures don’t completely do it justice, it’s something to add to the top of your list when visiting Budapest.

The next morning, it was time to make our bittersweet journey home. We bid farewell to Budapest and set off to the airport. Although exhausted, we were completely fulfilled by all we had explored, tasted, and learned about the 4 countries and cities we traveled through in just 7 nights.  

View of Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge

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Happy Traveling

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