For time and energy reasons, I’m not aiming to turn this post into a thorough re-telling of my time in Budapest — so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that Budapest is a city that should be at the top of your travel list. You could easily spend at least a week there: visiting both sides of Buda and Pest, enjoying the baths, relaxing in the parks, partying in the city’s famous “ruin pubs”, taking in the contrast of Old World charm and evidence of the city’s Soviet past.
We spent the first weekend near the Jewish Quarter and were within close range of our main sightseeing goals: the Franz Liszt Museum, the State Opera House, the Great Synagogue, St. Stephen’s Basilica, and the Liberty Monument. The public transportation system is not so difficult to manage if you know the name of the stops you’re traveling to. (I would personally recommend the 24-hour or 7-day travel passes, so you don’t have to figure out the intricacies of the pricing system).
The following week I took a course at the Central European University, which was an experience in and of itself, of course. Although usually pretty exhausted from a long day of lectures and discussions (and the humid 90+F/30+C weather), the evenings were spent socializing with the participants and generally exploring Budapest’s active nightlife.
In any case, I really enjoyed my time there and would have loved to spend a few more days seeing the sights. There is clearly a lot of culture, good food, lovely architecture and exciting atmosphere to discover!
Here are a few of my favorite photos below, and a link to all of them here.
Have you spent time in Budapest? What are your favorite memories of the city?
Ooh, I’m so jealous you got to go inside the synagogue! It was closed when we were there.
I loved those subway cars too! Great pics!
What a beautifully concise post – I wish I could do that! I was only in Budapest for two days whilst I was in Hungary and it was miserable weather but my favourite memories are, apart from the incredible view from the castle, the fantastic campsite we stayed at, featuring an awesome lady who gave us her divine homemade gulas; and the Gellért baths, which were heaven. I also found the Holocaust memorial – the shoes by the river – incredibly moving.
I’m jealous about the synagogue, too. It was closed when I was there as well. My favorite memories were the Szechenyi baths – one of the most amazing travel experiences ever! – eating those tasty Kürt?skalács (dough wrapped around a stick, basically, and rolled in flavored sugar), the metro trains, and especially…the view from my hotel room window seat…
http://www.residentonearth.com/2010/04/budapest/
@CN Heidelberg: Yeah, riding the subways and the busses was definitely like a glimpse into the past. So cool!
@Frau Dietz: Wow, your trip sounds great too — even more excuses to go back and visit again!
@Jen: Thanks for linking to your post — you beautifully described all the fine points I wasn’t able to put into words, but are really really true. Also, how did I miss out on the yummy Kürt?skalács?
Great pictures!! I remember St. Stephen’s from my trip – I think we ended up walking by it almost (if not) every day! We spent most of our time on the Pest side, I wish I could have explored more of Buda. But there is always next time! :)
Great photos Mandi. It looks like a wonderful place to visit.
I love Budapest. I was only there once for 3 days, but I fell in love with the city. It was the middle of summer and stinking hot and there were all these kids playing in the fountains and a great vibe to the place. Your pictures brought back some great memories.
@Emily: It’s definitely a city you could visit more than once and always see something new!
@Traci: Thanks, I highly recommend making it a stopover on your next European adventure. :)
@Clare B: Thanks for your comment, and congratulations on your adorable baby girl!
Thank you for directing me here. What a beautiful trip you had. I can’t wait!