On the first day in Budapest, our goal was to get a feel for the city and experience the general vibe. By our second day in Budapest, Brett and I had a good idea of what we wanted to do, and, thanks to the coffee map we received on the first day, we started with amazing coffee. Fekete, the Hungarian word for "black", was my favorite coffee shop that we visited in Budapest. It was right near the Astoria metro stop, making it easy to find. On top of that, the espresso was super high quality and the shop was a cool, modern space with high white ceilings and industrial furnishings. Just outside, people caffeinated themselves on a small, cobblestoned patio. Budapest has a really vibrant coffee scene. I have heard that the historic, old-world, ornate coffeehouses are famous in Budapest as gathering places for artists and writers in the early 20th century. However, Brett and I never stepped foot inside any of them. There is a plethora of old architecture and ornate buildings around Budapest, which we loved exploring, but it was also cool to experience the trendy side of Budapest by visiting modern coffee shops. Rather than run into tourists who heard that coffee houses were the "thing to do", by visiting shops like Fekete, we encountered young locals and baristas who were super passionate about coffee. After grabbing espresso, we headed to the Great Market Hall, a massive, multi-level, indoor market in central Budapest. The lower level is filled with food - produce stands, meat products, pastries. One of my friends who studied abroad in Budapest said that locals actually shop at the market, and I believe that's true if you stick to the first floor. Disappointingly, the upper level was jam-packed with people and stand after stand sold the same touristy souvenirs. Our Airbnb host had a folder of recommendations, one of which was to eat traditional Hungarian food at Fakanal, a restaurant in the market. After we moved through the line to pay, we were astonished at the prices. We paid more than double what we paid for lunch the previous day! The food was delicious, don't get me wrong, but I feel confident that there is cheaper Hungarian food in the city. To be honest, if I found myself in Budapest again, I would not return to the Great Market Hall, with the packed aisles, touristy stands, and overpriced eats. After lunch, Brett and I made our way to the House of Terror Museum. If you are in Budapest, you MUST go here. The House of Terror Museum was the best museum we visited on our European Adventure. It was definitely sad but so eye-opening. As I mentioned in the post about Day 1 in Budapest, the Hungarians seemed stoic and reserved upon first impression. This museum showed us why. It opened our eyes to the many tragedies that occurred in 20th century Hungary. I realized that my generation is the first group of Hungarians in a long time to grow up free from oppression. The House of Terror shows life in Hungary under the various regimes of the 20th century and acts as a memorial to the victims of these dictatorships. In WWII, Hungary was occupied by the Nazis and placed under a homegrown fascist dictatorship, before falling under Soviet control and Stalin's regime. The museum displays actual footage of tanks rolling through the streets, propaganda from each dictatorship, items left behind by people sent to labor camps, and more. The building itself used to be the headquarters of the secret police, where victims were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. That fact really hits home at the end of the tour, when you head slowly down to the basement in a dark elevator and emerge to see the prison cells. It gave me chills, creeps, and tears to see where people were imprisoned and tortured just for speaking out against the regime. There is a lot of reading to do: in each room of the museum, there is a paper handout (in both Hungarian and English) explaining that era of Hungarian history. If you don't want to do that much reading during your walk through the museum, consider purchasing the audio tour with headphones. It's all important information to understanding the history and the exhibits. Anyone visiting this city must visit the House of Terror museum in order to better understand Hungary's recent history and its resilient people. After leaving the House of Terror, we had time to try one more coffee shop. As we walked down Andrássy út, referred to as the Champs Elysees of Budapest, we were drawn into the Hungarian State Opera House because it was just so beautiful. Once again, Budapest's amazing architecture captivated us, and we stepped inside to marvel at the ornately decorated lobby. Unfortunately, we were unable to walk around the rest of the opera house without a guided tour, so we snapped a few pictures, craned our necks staring at the ceiling, and continued on our way. Brett and I enjoyed our afternoon coffee at Espresso Embassy, which was another very cool shop, before taking the yellow line metro to our Airbnb to get ready for dinner. The yellow line/Line 1 is the oldest electrified underground railway system on the European continent and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The stations had wooden columns and old fashioned subway tile covering the walls, a contrast from the utilitarian feel of the newer metro stations. While public transportation is rarely one of the "attractions" in a city, I was glad to have the opportunity to experience Line 1. We decided to have one fancy dinner on our European Adventure, and we chose Budapest because we could actually afford a nice meal in Budapest. So, based on the recommendation of our Airbnb host and online reviews, we made a reservation at Zeller Bistro. Upon entering, we descended the steps into a stone-walled room, reminiscent of a wine cellar, and were greeted with glasses of elderflower champagne. Oh my goodness. That elderflower champagne. I could have drank glasses upon glasses. It was like bubbly, happy, magic in a glass. They also brought us a basket of bread - gluten free bread, since we had let them know about our dietary restrictions. I felt so showered with food and happiness. We each ordered a glass of Hungarian wine and shared a charcuterie board to start. For my entree, I ordered fish, while Brett chose a duck dish. Everything was fresh and delicious, so it was a wonderful choice for our nice meal in Europe. And, it was still cheaper than we would normally spend on a date night in the United States! After dinner, we wandered through the Jewish District one last time, then headed home to pack and get some sleep for our early morning train to Slovenia!
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Upon arrival, my first impression of Budapest was of grit and character. After clean and orderly Copenhagen, Budapest was a bit more chaotic, a bit dirtier, and a bit rougher around the edges. Compared with smiling Danes, the Hungarians we encountered were stoic and reserved. But, I don't think that a place has ever grown on me quite as much as Budapest. Quite simply, it charmed me. Here's how we spent our first day in Budapest: Day 1We began our first morning in Budapest with an errand. Our Airbnb was conveniently situated near Budapest Keleti railway station, where we could buy our train tickets to Ljubljana for a few days later. Also, this meant that the Keleti metro stop was nearby, making it easy to get around the city. We loved using the Budapest metro and found it very easy and affordable to ride. It is also the oldest electrified underground railway system on the European continent, and the oldest line (Line 1/the Yellow Line) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. A block of 10 tickets costs about $10, meaning that each ride is approximately $1. Everything was well-marked, timely, and, though some of the trains were older-looking, quite clean. On our way into the city from the airport, we were lucky that our Ryanair flight attendant told us to validate our tickets with validation machines each time we entered the metro and to keep the validated tickets on us. Budapest has multiple people stationed at each metro entrance and exit to ensure that you have a validated ticket, so, if you don't hold on to the ticket to show on your way out....well, we never found out what would happen. But, they are vigilant about checking for validated tickets, so I assume they would have a problem with it. After procuring our train tickets from Keleti railway station, Brett and I headed to Vörösmarty square to meet up with a free walking tour of the Jewish District. There was no need to pre-book this tour, and, just like the tours in Copenhagen, the only fee is what you decide to tip at the end. Brett and I chose the Jewish District walk because I had read about the rich history of the Jewish District and that it is currently the most vibrant area of Budapest. Our free walking tour was filled with history and beautiful architecture, led by a guide brimming with personality. He was, by far, the best guide we had at any of our free tours in Europe. Much like our guide, the Jewish District is also brimming with personality. The synagogues are quite beautiful and magnificent to behold, while the streets are lined with cafes and painted with large murals. The tour wound through the streets, tracing centuries of Jewish history in Budapest and ending at Szimpla Kert, the original "ruin pub". Here are some of the pictures from our walking tour: After the tour, we explored the Jewish District on our own. We stopped in My Little Melbourne Cafe for coffee and discovered that Budapest has a thriving coffee culture. Not just the old world cafes that you read about in guide books (although there are plenty of those), but a robust third-wave coffee scence, where baristas talk about preparation methods and serve high quality, single-origin beans in modern spaces. We received a coffee map with the best coffee shops labeled and made a mental note to check out some of the others during our time in Budapest. For lunch, we stopped in Legelo Salad Bar, a small spot with quick, healthy, and affordable salads. After the high prices at restaurants in Copenhagen, it was great to find cheaper spots in Budapest. One of my favorite places that we explored in the Jewish District was Printa Cafe, a coffee shop, art gallery, and store with a cool, modern vibe. Printa had a variety of shirts, journals, framed prints, and jewelry, silkscreened with unique designs or Budapest city maps. We ducked into Printa on our free walking tour to avoid a sudden rain shower, and I loved the vibe so much that we went back after lunch to peruse the shop at our own pace. Another place that I loved in the Jewish District was Massolit Books and Cafe, an English-language bookstore tucked into a quiet street with inviting turquoise doors. The cozy interior was filled with books to browse, while small cafe tables encouraged patrons to sit down with their finds. Brett and I spent time perusing the shelves, and I was particularly interested in the shelf on Hungarian history and the revolution of 1956. After exploring the Jewish District, we wanted to head to another part of the city, so we began wandering toward the Danube River. On the way, we stumbled upon St. Stephen's Basilica, the largest church in Budapest. The building itself was so beautiful, and Brett was so taken by the architecture, that we decided to head inside to see the church, which asks for a donation at the entrance. The inside of the basilica was stunning, ornate, and impressive, particularly the dome, which is the same height as the Budapest Parliament building. From St. Stephen's Basilica, we headed on foot across the Danube to the Buda side of the city. Budapest used to be two separate cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. Now combined, the two sides of the city have each retained their own distinct character. We stayed on the Pest side and spent most of our time there. The Buda side was considerably quieter than Pest. Walking across the river offered a great view of the majestic Parliament building, one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Budapest. Brett and I climbed many sets of stairs in Buda to get up to Castle Hill. At the top, we took in the cityscape from the Fisherman's Bastion, a lookout point that can be accessed for free! From there, we could see Parliament, St. Stephen's Basilica, and all the bridges spanning the Danube. We also strolled through the rest of Castle Hill, admiring Matthias Church, with its beautiful patterned roof. Besides going up Castle Hill, we also went to Buda because we had read that there was a pizza place with gluten-free crust. The restaurant was called due Fratelli Ristorante & Pizzeria, and we sat outside on the sidewalk to enjoy our gluten free pizza. The pizzas were only 1700 HUF (~$6) each, so Brett and I each ordered a different kind and shared the pizzas! After dinner, we headed back to Pest, to the Jewish District for a glass of wine. This area of Budapest is known for nightlife, ruin pubs, and trendy cafes. We ended up at Gozsdu Courtyard, a pedestrian area with variety of bars and restaurants, specifically at DiVino Wine Bar. The wine bar had a variety of Hungarian wines at cheap prices, and it was a great place to people watch, since the Jewish District is the most popular area for nightlife in Budapest. After glass of wine, we walked back to our Airbnb to get some sleep for our second day in Budapest! |
AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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