One day in Budapest

With our flight schedules all we got was one day to spend in this beautiful city! While we enjoyed most of what Budapest had to offer there was still more that we wanted to explore. That will be for another time.

We had visited most of the countries in Europe and this was the only one that we had kept putting off since the flights were quite expensive and we didn’t know if they’d be worth it. Having visited I can say that this was one of the the best cities Europe has to offer!

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Flying on RyanAir

We started our trip from London Stansted. Ryan Air had the cheapest flight options and since it was going to be only a night we decided to pack and carry only our backpacks, something we have never done before! With a trip to the famed thermal baths planned I must say it was quite a challenge to stuff all that we wanted without exceeding the size limits of Ryan Air.

RyanAir is one of the cheapest airlines but it also is the best low cost carrier out there. They are very strict and way less generous with their baggage allowances but from my recent experiences with them over the past year I’ve found them not to be unreasonable. For one their website does not charge any additional fees for booking. Other than base fare that allows a small bag (40x20x25 cm) for free everything else needs to be purchased. Including a cabin suitcase. From my travels I’ve noticed that they haven’t been very strict with their sizing for the small bag unless it’s a hard bag. As long as it fits into the bag sizer at the airport they are fine with it. However wheeled bags that are sometimes advertised as “RyanAir compatible” are scrutinised heavily. Everything including the wheels and the handles need to fit in the sizer. We saw a passenger having to shell out £69 at the gate for bringing a wheeled hard suitcase that was supposedly within RyanAir’s size limits but apparently, was not! I also have a small purse hung across my shoulders to carry our passports and boarding cards in addition to my backpack and they haven’t objected to it. Neither have they objected to the food that we buy at the airport to carry on the plane.

Arriving at Budapest’s airport

RyanAir never gets the airbridge at any airport! So when we arrived close to midnight we we transported to the terminal by a bus. The lines moved pretty quickly and we were out in less than 30 minutes after touch down. Our plan was to take a taxi from the ranks outside the airport however due to miscommunication by our hotel we were received by a rep from the hotel who ended up taking us on, well, the yellow airport taxi but without the need to line up! The taxis from the ranks apparently cost 12000 HUF but we were charged 16000 HUF by our hotel that we paid by our UK Debit card.

Hotel H2

We arrived to check-in well past midnight after driving through the suburbs of Budapest. H2 was located right in the middle of the city very close to the St. Stephen’s Basilica. So we caught some glimpses of famous spots in the town centre as well. The check-in was smooth but we arrived to an extremely hot room! Even before we could check the room out we were hit by stifling heat and I was frantically trying to play with the air conditioner controls to see if I could switch to cool air. Nothing worked and SC went down to ask them about it. We were advised to turn off the heat and open the windows. The room cooled down a tiny bit and we explored the room. It had 4 bunk style beds and a small desk. The decor was modern and minimal and it gave the room a nice feel. The lights were controlled by electronic switches and we played around with them to figure them out!

The night was highly uncomfortable. The upper bed was way too warm and two of us shared each of the lower beds. We arrived for breakfast when it was already busy but we found ourselves a table The spread was quite extensive and we helped ourselves to the choices. Nutella apparently is a big deal in this part of the world and was dispensed with a airpot! It was about 10 am as we checked out of the hotel to start our only day in Budapest

BKK

The public transit system in Budapest is extensive and very friendly. They have several passes to suit different kinds of travellers. Day cards that allowed unlimited travels on the city’s network of buses, trams and metro (except on journeys to the airport) was the most tourist friendly. Even friendlier was the group 24h travel card for our family of 4! It allowed a group of up to 5 people travel together on 5500HUF for a whole day! The only caveat was the group had to travel together which suited us just fine. The cards were available on all automated machines near metro stations and in English! The group travel card wasn’t available in the shortcut menu option and we had to pick that after a few clicks. The machine accepted all international cards and we soon purchased that for the current day (you have to mention the start time of the card) at the Arany Janos Utca metro station’s automated machine.

St. Stephen’s Basilica

Our first stop was the St. Stephen’s Basilica. We only had to walk to the basilica after buying our travel card. This basilica is the largest church in Budapest and is named after the first king of Hungary. The imposing structure and the dome that towers above the rest of Budapest’s skyline were quite an eyeful. The views from the dome are said to be great but since we were short on time we did not venture into the basilica.

Szechenyi Chain Bridge

Budapest is made of Buda and Pest with the Danube river right in the middle. Buda is up on a hill while Pest is flat. These two parts of the city are connected by several bridges the most popular of which is the Chain bridge or the Szechenyi bridge. This is the first bridge to built to connect the two sides of the city and is quite ornamental! The bridge has been undergoing maintenance. Though the bridge was open for traffic it was closed to pedestrians when we went. So we had to ride the bus to cross the river Danube.

We walked down to one of the main streets on the Pest side, the Jozsef Attila Utca to take a bus over to the Buda side of town and to the Fisherman’s Bastion which is located on a hill.

Fisherman’s bastion

Some of the walls are said to have been built in the 1700s with most of the structure built in the early 20th century. This spot is an attraction by itself and is also popular for it’s views over the river and Pest across the river. The Mathias church with its red tiled roof and the soaring spire is located right behind the bastion. It is the oldest church in Budapest and is said to have been built in the 11th century by the first king of Hungary. Several restorations later the church is an attraction today and can be entered with a ticket.

There is a fee to enter the upper terraces of the fisherman’s bastion during day time but the views from the free terrace was just as enchanting. The views over the red rooftops and spires of churches on the Buda side, over the Danube and of the Hungarian parliament building on the pest side gave us an impression that would be the most remembered view of Budapest.

Buda Castle

The city was teeming with tourists despite it being a cold day in March! I was wondering, as we walked over to Buda castle, on how it would be in summer with better weather!

The Buda Castle was built in the 13th century on its present site overlooking the Danube river, the Szechenyi chain bridge and the Hungarian Parliament. It has been the seat of the kings of Hungary and has had a few expansions since. The presidential palace is located right next to the Buda castle and the terrace adjoining it is open to the public with excellent views over the river and the Pest side of the city.

As we arrived we were treated to a change of guards ceremony at the presidential palace with guards in their uniforms parading in and out of the palace to the terrace.

The castle was very busy so we had no intention to go inside and instead enjoyed the views over the city from several vantage points. The castle hill is served by a eye-wateringly expensive funicular by Hungarian standards. We watched the funicular cars ride up and down the hill full of tourists. The castle hill has several paths from point zero below. We chose the incline over the stairs as the stairs seemed too steep even for climbing down. Apparently there’s an escalator further south. At the point zero sculpture just outside the Szechenyi chain bridge we took a bus back to the Pest side of the city. The buses were frequent and it was hardly a 5 minute wait!

The River Danube

The river Danube is second longest river in Europe running through most of central and eastern Europe. The broad river flanked by several interesting buildings on either sides connected by several bridges is a major identity of Budapest. We arrived at the Pest side and walked along the river to the Shoes monument

Shoes on the Danube

The shoes monument was built as a tribute to the Jews that were shot on the banks of the Danube river in the winter of 1944-45 by the German Nazi soldiers. The shoes and boots despite being made of iron look like weathered shoes left behind by those that were ill fated. A very moving monument reminding us of one of the hardest and bitter moments in history.

As we walked along the river on the Pest side we met a couple who were from the UK and spoke Tamil! We had a quick chat with them and realised they will be on the same flight as us later that night! We stopped at Govinda’s for lunch. Most of the Hungarian traditional dishes are made of meat except for the bread called Langos and the famed chimney cakes! The vegan/vegetairan restaurants were plenty but were scattered around the city that would entail either a walk or a bus ride. Govinda’s being located very close to the Szechenyi Istvan Ter was the choice for lunch. They had several options and we chose a few to share between the four of us. I tried to pay using the Forint notes that SC purchased from the UK post office against my advice but was told they were not in circulation. The meal was quite bland except for the natural flavours the vegetables offered but it filled us up!

Szechenyi thermal baths

This was our biggest draw in Budapest after seeing innumerable pictures of the yellow colour neo-baroque spa on vlogs and the social media. There are several thermal baths around Budapest and this was the closest on the Pest side. Gelert is another popular bath that is located on the Gelert Hill on the Buda side.

I had reserved tickets online before we visited as many said there would be a queue. The communal changing room was included in the price of the ticket but since there were four of us I had also booked a private cabin that would at the most allow 2 of us to change at one time but we managed to squeeze in three.

After lunch we walked to the Deak Ferenc Ter and rode the metro to the Szechenyi Furdo metro that was minutes away from the entrance to the baths. Since Deak Ferenc was the start of the line we were able to find seats for all for us. The little trolley like car soon filled up with locals and tourists alike. There was even a ticket checker that checked our tickets in the short 10 minute ride to the baths.

The lobby of the baths had an ornate dome with gilded interiors. We picked up our electronic watches that would give us access to the baths and to the private cabin we had reserved. There are people everywhere that help you with locating your cabin and guiding you to it. We were allocated a cabin on the first floor and we climbed up the stairs to get changed. Sam was really excited about this as water is one of her favourite activities!

It took a long time for to us find out way out of the maze of corridors, pools and saunas to the outdoor thermal pools! We found a spot on one of the chairs to leave our towels and slippers that we had packed into our backpacks and got into the crowded pool. With my phone and watch I did not venture deep into the pool and stayed near the steps. I realised how popular this was just looking at the number of tourists that were enjoying the warm waters of the pool on a cold day in March. The water was a good 38º C and we all enjoyed the little time we could get. We had planned on checking out thermal pools in several countries in our travels but due to various reasons we never had the time or the opportunity to do so. Be it the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik or the Chocholow baths in Poland, we never got lucky. This was the first time that we were able to execute what we had planned!

We only had 30 minutes at the pool and had to leave to make it to our next spot on our limited itinerary. It was 4:15 when we got out of the pool and rushed to the cabin to change back into our clothes and hurried out of the spa complex. This time we knew our way around!

We decided to take a taxi and I hurriedly booked one on BOLT. But even after 5 minutes the taxi never moved and I ended up canceling it. We were kind of lost without knowing how to reach our next destination quickly when I decided to try BOLT once again. This time we got lucky and in about 5 minutes we got a taxi with an English speaking driver. We told him we were running late and he nodded his head and drove out of the City Park with a mission!

The Danube river cruise

I wanted to do a river cruise as the list item on our itinerary so that we could just relax on the boat and take in one last visual of the beautiful city of Budapest. I had reserved tickets online for the first evening cruise with a drink which was at 5 pm from Jaszai Mari Ter. This spot was away from the metro and was served by very few buses so it’d have been a futile attempt to reach before the start of the cruise if we had depended on public transport.

The taxi driver dropped us off at 4:59 for our 5 pm cruise! With a heartfelt thanks, we got off the taxi, scanned our tickets and got on to the Portnum Lines boat that was about to depart. Being one of the last ones to board we could only find seats near the door in the lower deck next to a bunch of life jackets! The boat soon set sail and I grabbed the berry punch for the four of us from the bar. Though the ticket said only one drink person I saw people having several rounds of champagne and berry punch. We were content with just one.

Hungarian Parliament building

The boat slowly made its way down the Danube river. Seeing the Hungarian parliament building for the first time up close was magnificent! The neo-Gothic building was opened in 1902 and is supposedly designed after the Palace of Westminster. It stretches tall and wide on the right bank of the river and people appear minuscule and insignificant next to this huge building

The cruise made its way down past the Gelert Hill and the Market Hall before making its way back.

Night in Budapest

We reached the pier shortly after 6. The sunset was at 5:30 pm but none of the lights on the buildings or bridges went up until 6 as we filed out of the boat unhappy at missing out on the spectacle. We only had enough time to get back to the airport and walk to the Hungarian Parliament was way too long.

We had to take a bus to the Deak Ferenc Ter for the airport bus 100E. As we walked to the bus stop I couldn’t resist but take a few pictures of the lit up buildings along the river. They do an excellent job with the lights! As we got off at Deak Ferenc Ter the smell of chimney cakes wafted through the air. Sadly we had only 3 minutes for our bus to the airport and we lined up to board the bus that would take us back to the airport for our flight into London. We were content with being able to do so much on our short trip and made a mental note to ourselves that we should return when we found the time and budget to do so!

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